Almost everyone has heard of Pontiac; a brand of General Motors (GM) automobiles that has been around since the 1900’s. Consumers had a love affair with the infamous muscle cars of the early years such as the Firebird, Trans Am and GTO. They could be considered the superheroes of the automobile industry. As Rogers (2009) stated, “It could crash through burning buildings, make a fool of any number of small-town Southern sheriffs, help save the world from giant robots, even take criminals off to jail while engaging in witty repartee with its driver” (para. 1). From “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Knight Rider” to as recently as “Transformers”, they have been immortalized in movies and songs (Rogers, 2009).
The brand has been losing its luster over the years. Consumer tastes have been changing with the times. Gas-guzzling V-8 powered vehicles are no longer desired and the move has now shifted toward more environmentally sensitive cars (Edmunds.com). GM recently announced that it would be discontinuing the Pontiac line. As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end” and so the once popular icon has reached the end of its road. Petracca & Sorapure (2007) wrote in reference to popular culture, “the ‘popular’ works of one era can become the ‘classics’ of another” (p 5).
At the end of the 2010 model year, Pontiacs will no longer roll off the production floor. It will live on in the hearts of consumers that will appreciate its value and in museums and songs.
The “death” of Pontiac is a classic example of how something that was once so popular so popular will slowly fade from the spotlight.
References
Petracca, M. and Sorapure, M. (Eds.). (2007). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Pontiac History. Retrieved May 23, 2009, from http://www.edmunds.com/pontiac/history.html
Rogers, John (May 2, 2009). Pontiac, pop culture icon, hits end of the road. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://news.yahoo.com/a/ap.
Excellent example of a pop culture artifact. As you stated Pontiac has been represented in many recognizable place in our society. Since I have been married to my wife we have only owned Pontiac vehicles. It is sad to see the end of Pontiac production. I had thought that GM would choose to eliminate the Buick line. It will be interesting to see the future pop culture status of Pontiac after production ceases. it could potetially become an even greater pop culture icon.
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