GM's struggling brands: Room for hope

GM's long maligned Pontiac division is undergoing a genuine brand renaissance but, so far, it's still losing market share compared with last year, according to data from J.D. Power. It's too soon to tell how things will shake out.

Once known, for good reason, as GM's "Excitement Division," Pontiac has, more recently, sold rebadged Chevy cars and SUVs with little added excitement.

But in 2006, Pontiac introduced the Solstice convertible sports car and, this year, it brought out the G8 rear-wheel-drive sedan. The G8, in particular, has been a hit with critics, earning plausible comparisons to much more expensive cars like the BMW 5-series.

To offer more driving feel and fun, Pontiac's plan has been to make all, or nearly all, Pontiac products rear-wheel-drive, which they feel is more exciting than front-wheel-drive. The question now is: With gas prices rising, will GM stick with real excitement for Pontiac or will we see the return of "excitement lite"?

NEXT: Buick