[diddiyo]

http://jalopnik.com/5308054/2009-pon...gxp-last-drive

The story is almost too sad to tell. When GM hired Bob Lutz he knew Pontiac had to get away from the body-cladding, embrace a RWD platform, offer something with a fourbanger, make it affordable and European looking. For the Detroit Auto Show he needed to make a statement and, to quote a 2002 Car And Driver article:
"It would be a Pontiac only, shared with no other brand. It would sell for about $20,000 for a naturally aspirated version and just under $30,000 for a supercharged one like the show car. It would be basic, with a manually operated softtop." -- So close and yet, actually, not that close at all.

[...]

In the end, it's about making the right decisions, coming to the right conclusions, and taking many wrong steps to get there. It's the story of a once-great brand, and a once-great idea, not quite fully-fulfilled.