I was driving along next to an Aztek this morning, and it reminded me of an interesting story that took place long prior to that doomed vehicle's launch.
Don Butler, who was to be the Aztek's Brand Manager (back when GM had them) came to our office in mid-1998 with several design renderings of "an edgy, trendsetting new Pontiac for active lifestyle types." Keep in mind this was the Aztek concept, later revealed on the 1999 auto show circuit, which some felt was a lot more appealing than the production version, which bowed a 2001 model.
I asked about its performance potential, and was disappointed to learn that the Aztek was to be powered by GM's long serving but underwhelming 3.4 liter V-6, at that time good for about 165 horsepower. I asked Butler if there was any notion of giving his edgy new toy the punch it needed to support its, er, aggressive design, given that Pontiac held itself out as a performance brand. With great confidence, he said: "No, we don't need to do that. We're sure the Aztek will sell on its image alone." To which I replied "then, you're dead before you start." A hush, as they say, fell over the room.
Fast-forward to the production Aztek's launch press conference at the 2000 Detroit auto show. GM's PR types hired a bunch of students to create a phony mosh pit on the floor of GM's giant presentation area at the Cobo Hall convention center. Horsepower had risen to a thundering 185, but hardly the stuff that performance dreams are made of. The very same Butler made his presentation, then jumped into the pit to be passed around like a rock star, all smiles and high fives. It was the most galactically stupid press conference I've ever attended. Ever.
You know the rest. Aztek sales were DOA, never coming close to projection. Hundreds of them were forced on GM employees for use as company cars. Each year, standard equipment levels – and rebate offerings -- went up and prices went down in an attempt to move a few of these hunks and avoid complete embarrassment. Ford loved the Aztek, as it finally took some heat off the Edsel as both a design bust and a sales flop. Think of it as GM's AMC Pacer. After five long, long years on the market, GM pulled the plug, putting the Aztek saga to rest.
So tell me, Don: how did that "We can do it on image alone" thing work out for ya?
Via: MotorTrend.com Blogs
<span class="blogs_subheader">by Matt Stone </span>