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HomePontiac

Pontiac

1967 Pontiac Ventura convertible
Ad Nauseam

How would you advertise the 1967 big Pontiacs to revive their sales?

November 29, 2024 Steve 2

As Pontiac prepared for the 1967 model year it struggled with what to do about a problem. Although overall sales were so good that the brand had carved out a solid third place in total […]

1971 Dodge Charger RT
Data Dive

1971-74 Dodge Charger: Making the most of a questionable idea

November 4, 2024 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 5/16/2023) In response to the interesting conversation in the comment thread about Chrysler’s early-70s compacts, I thought it could be useful to expand on a data dive I did a while back on […]

1966 Oldsmobile Starfire
Data Dive

Why didn’t the Oldsmobile Starfire do better in a booming personal coupe field?

September 12, 2024 Steve 13

When I came across a 1966 Oldsmobile Starfire at this year’s LeMay annual car show, it got me wondering why such a nicely styled car failed to catch on in one of the 1960’s hottest […]

1960 Ford wagon
History

In 1974 Harry Bradley anticipated the American wagon’s future

September 10, 2024 Steve 7

(EXPANDED FROM 11/9/2022) A few years ago Dean’s Garage reprinted a prescient essay Harry Bradley (2022) wrote way back in 1974 about the future of the American station wagon. His article made a number of […]

1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
Literature

1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations

July 8, 2024 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 3/16/2022) Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman’s artwork in Pontiac’s advertising played an important role in the brand’s  popularity during the 1960s. Others have done a thorough job of showcasing the team’s most iconic […]

Data Dive

Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers

June 26, 2024 Steve 19

(EXPANDED FROM 6/17/2022) Compact cars represented a dramatic change for U.S. automakers when they were introduced in the early-1960s. After spending the previous decade making its “standard-sized” cars bigger, glitzier and more powerful, Detroit responded […]

Data Dive

The 1965-73 Ford LTD may not have impacted Mercury very much

April 11, 2024 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 1/28/2022) Indie Auto commentator Geeber recently discussed how premium-priced big cars did better than their lower-priced brethren as the 1970s progressed. His comment, which is worth reading in full (go here), spurred me […]

1972 Ford LTD Brougham 2-door hardtop
Media Analysis

Collectible Automobile’s take on the decline of big cars gets partway there

March 28, 2024 Steve 8

Collectible Automobile’s June 2024 issue does an unusually good job of discussing why low-priced big cars took a nosedive in sales during 1970-74. However, the magazine’s article by Sam Fiorani (2024) didn’t say much about […]

1972 Chrysler New Yorkers
Data Dive

The 1969-73 Chrysler wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t a success

March 12, 2024 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 10/21/2022) A few years ago J P Cavanaugh (2020) received pushback from some Curbside Classic commentators for calling the fuselage Chryslers a “Deadly Sin.” As a case in point, Moparlee (2020) wrote, “I […]

Ford Mustang fake logo
Auto Paedia

Brand management: The tail that now wags U.S. auto industry

November 28, 2023 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 8/21/2020) Peter DeLorenzo (2018) has argued that brand management “is now the Number 1 priority in this business.” The reason is that a “democratization of technology and luxury” has leveled the playing field. […]

Posts pagination

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    May 29, 2026 6
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    May 27, 2026 11
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    May 26, 2026 1
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  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
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    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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