The Saturn L Series Epsilon platform, that also is the basis for the Saab 9-3, 2004 Chevy Malibu and Opel Vectra, will spawn the next generation Grand Am, but it won't be called that when it debuts. Rumored to mirror the well-received G6 concept car that starred in Detroit this winter, the new model will no doubt improve Pontiac's compact in more ways than just a name.
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| Looking to the future, General Motors has also decided to put the Grand Am marquee to pasture by 2004. (Photo: General Motors) |
"Grand Am has been a strong player for Pontiac, but the all-new replacement that follows this '04 model is truly a new Pontiac for the future," stated John Middlebrook, GM vice president, Marketing and Advertising, to a gathering of media during 2004 model test drives. "So we want to strongly signal this by choosing a new name that's more in keeping with Pontiac's contemporary 'aspirational' direction."
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| Last year the Catera was dumped for the CTS, S-Series for the ION and GMC Suburban for the Yukon XL. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
While GM won't divulge the new Grand Am replacement's name, Middlebrook did hint that other models might receive the same fate. "The LeSabre and the Park Avenue replacements could get new names (also) - no decision there yet," commented the GM vice president.
While it sounds like GM is making wholesale changes it isn't a particularly new phenomenon. Last year the Catera was dumped for the CTS, S-Series for the ION and GMC Suburban for the Yukon XL. Word has it Chevy even considered axing the Malibu name for 2004, an all-new model, but chose to keep it for obvious reasons.