Detroit's brand chopping list

2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

Things were supposed to change with a plan to bring in rear-wheel drive performance cars from GM's Australian Holden division. The prime example is the Pontiac G8, a car that auto critics have compared to the BMW 5-series for much less money. But this year's gas price spike and tougher Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules have made that idea less appealing.

Now it looks like Pontiac will play more of a supporting role to Buick, according to GM's Tueday plan. It's really a continuation of GM's current "brand channel" plan under which each of the three brands was supposed to offer a smaller product line-up.

Why keep it: Over the past several years, GM has combined Buick, Pontiac and GMC into a single sales channel sold through combined dealerships. That gives dealers the opportunity to sell a full line of vehicles from less expensive, youth-oriented cars (Pontiac) to higher end cars for more sedate older drivers (Buick) to trucks and SUVs (GMC).Why dump it: Selling Pontiac probably isn't an option, given how closely the brand is tied to the rest of GM's product lines . So GM has decided not to. Pontiac will get smaller, in keeping with the "three brands as one" strategy.

NEXT: Buick