In the GM brand lineup, Pontiac is a mid-level brand featuring a more sporting, performance-driving experience for a reasonable price, and a youthful feel to its advertising.

The Pontiac brand was introduced by General Motors in 1926 as the subsidiary to GM's Oakland Motor Car line. The Pontiac name had been used on by another manufacturer in 1906, but that company did not survive. The first General Motors Pontiac was conceived as an affordable six cylinder that was intended to compete with more inexpensive four cylinder models. Within months of its introduction Pontiac outsold Oakland. As Pontiac' sales rose and Oakland's sales continued to decline, Pontiac became the only sudsidiary to survive its parent brand.

A Native American Headdress was used as a logo until 1956. The current Pontiac logo was originally meant to represent a Native American arrow-head. An alternate slang term for the marque among performance enthusiasts includes Poncho. Another slang term used in the early stages of brand was "Indian" due the subject matter of its logo.

Performance heritage

Since 1957 with the introduction of the Bonneville, Pontiac has been mostly known for its focus on performance vehicles. The vehicles were more preformanced oriented than Chevrolet models, yet more affordable than an equivalently equipped Oldsmobile or Buick models.

In 1959 Pontiac introduced its Wide-Track suspension layout which gave the car a broader stance, by increasing the width between the wheels. Wide Track was advertised as featuring greater stability and increased tracktion.

The Pontiac GTO was introduced in 1964 by Pontiac's John DeLorean as an option package on the LeMans/Tempest (GM A-body) car. It was the first Mid Size GM vehicle to be powered by GM's 389 cubic inch V-8. By being the first brand to feature a large engine in a mid size car Pontiac is often credited with launching themuscle car era. Throughout the 1960s, GTOs were well known for their combination of stunning looks and incredible performance.

The Pontiac Firebird, introduced in 1967, was an F-body car that closely mirrored the styling and motor offerings of the LeMans/Tempest cars but was placed on a smaller, sportier platform. This body style and its underlying Chevrolet Nova chassis were shared with the Camaro, but the Firebird's engines and trim were totally different. As upscale competition for sporty cars like the Mercury Cougar or the Dodge Challenger, the Firebird was perfectly positioned. Over time, Americans began to slowly switch to smaller FWD sport compacts like the Celica and Datsun Z, and Firebird sales slowly began to fall. The Firebird began to be seen as little more than an expensive Camaro - and when sales of the F-body twins began to falter, it didn't take long for GM to pull the plug. They did so in 2002, after 35 years of continuous production.