2003 Pontiac Bonneville Ssei on 2040-cars

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Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

GM replacing passenger airbags in over 243,000 Pontiac Vibes

General Motors is repairing over 243,000 additional examples of the 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe in the US and Canada to replace their Takata-supplied passenger-side airbag inflators. The company has no reports of irregular deployments in the models, though. These aren't actually newly included vehicles in the massive safety campaign. As a twin to the Toyota Matrix, the Vibe was already included in Toyota's figures, but as Pontiac-branded vehicles, GM dealers are taking care of these replacements. They have been covered as part of the Takata campaign in the past. Toyota expanded its own Takata recall to passenger-side components for 1.365 million vehicles on June 16. Earlier, General Motors also issued a campaign for 330,198 examples of the 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, 3500HD, GMC Sierra 2500HD, and 3500HD pickups to replace their passenger-side parts. After exposure to moisture, it's possible for these inflators to ignite too quickly in an accident and spray shrapnel at occupants. GM Statement The Vibes are included in two Toyota recall campaigns - one for high absolute humidity (HAH) areas and one for non-HAH areas. Both are considered national recalls even though only vehicles in certain HAH states and territories are in the recall. Total Pontiac Vibe passenger air bag numbers for MY 2003-2007 (U.S. and Canada only): High Absolute Humidity 89,719 Non High Absolute Humidity areas 252,685 These are the totals, which include about 99,000 previously recalled. GM knows of no field issues - irregular deployments - with these air bag inflators.

Rent the 1967 Pontiac GTO from the XxX films now on Turo

The process of renting a car usually ranges from mildly annoying to "I'm calling corporate to get you fired." Plainly, it sucks, but sometimes you're left with no alternative. Turo, a peer-to-peer carsharing network, has created what's essentially the AirBnB for cars. Like AirBnB, the quality and variety of the rides varies based on location. If you're in Tucson, Ariz., in the next week, go check out this 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible before the release of XxX: The Return of Xander Cage. Promotions and marketing aside, this is still the opportunity to drive one of the original muscle cars. It's not clear if this is an original GTO or a Pontiac Tempest that was converted, but does it really matter? Old cars never drive as well as you hope, so, as long as it looks and sounds awesome, who cares? The owner listed on Turo is Xander C., Vin Diesel's character from the XxX franchise. This is the car that was used in the original 2002 film, and from the photos it appears to be in better shape than many other movie cars. The exterior is mostly stock, with some slight modifications to the lighting, wheels, exhaust, and trim, with the addition of a funky looking hood scoop that the listing claims shoots flames. It's not clear if it functions as an actual intake because there aren't any notes about what rests under the hood. The listing does ask for premium fuel, so more than likely it's some variation of a high-compression V8. Inside, the dashboard looks like someone raided the AutoZone accessory aisle. There are gauges, dials, toggle switches, and readouts galore. The listing also claims the Goat is packing a rocket launcher and a weapons stash under the seat. $999 per day isn't cheap, but it's less than you'd pay for a day with one of the rent-an-exotic shops you see in Los Angeles or New York. If you're not in Tucson or the price is a little too steep, Turo has what it's dubbed the Adrenaline Collection. The name may be hyperbole, but the lineup of cars is actually really solid. A quick glance reveals a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan, 2001 Ferrari 360 Spider, and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type. The car list keeps expanding, so if this proves popular, look for more cool stuff in the future. Related Video: News Source: Turo Read This TV/Movies Pontiac Performance Classics