Here’s how the Pontiac Aztek was the result of GM’s “more innovation” plan
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- Опубліковано 22 бер 2024
- In this episode I provide the history of the Pontiac Aztek, probably the most infamous Pontiac model ever produced. Desperate to move away from their boring car image, the 2001 Aztek was GM's first crossover, and had so many unique features aimed at young active lifestyle buyers. But GM forced the designers to build off their existing minivan platform, resulting in a tall boxy shape with the most bizarre front and rear. Initially with lots of grey body cladding, the Aztek was updated 5 months later to change the grey cladding to body color, but it was too little too late. Buick also offered the Rendezvous on the same platform, but with a less ugly face, it sold twice as well as the Aztek, and lasted through 2007, despite the Aztek being killed in 2005.
The Aztek didn’t end Pontiac. GM’s execs poor decision making ended Pontiac. The most interesting brand in GMs lineup and they tossed it out like junk.
Stellantis just fired a bunch of engineers via Zoom. I wonder if any of them will still buy Dodge or Jeep products.
The fact we are still taking about Pontiac 15 years later proves that we are still pissed at GM.
This was one of those poor decisions
The g6 killed Pontiac
Ironically, the concept of a car-based SUV was actually the future for the market. If Pontiac hadn't dropped the ball with the Aztek's styling, they might've been a market leader instead of going extinct only a few years later.
I think what made it look ugliest was the sloped rear roof, which also lowered interior space & roof top storage space.
@Sedan57Chevy Amen to that!
@@michaelbrinks8089 Very true. That hideous front end didn't help it none either.
@@4570govt8the entire car is as attractive as genital warts
by "future for the market" you mean unending nightmare of plastic that we cannot escape from
The aztec styling is very common nowadays:
-coupe roof drop
-fwd
-split headlights
-focus on practically
Cladding everywhere!
It was extreme for its time, but nowadays it just blends in with pretty much every other ugly unibody suv. If Pontiac still existed today, they could re-release it with slightly different headlights and wheels and nobody would bat an eye.
During that time jellybean cars were in, the Aztec had edged that wouldn't be popular for about a decade. However I still think if they gave it bigger wheels it would had look more off-road like.
hilariously, even as a kid, I always thought the rendezvous was much more hideous than the aztek. The rear of the rendezvous is so rough
The Le Sabre style tail light section looked like it came from the GM partsbin & was slapped on as an afterthought.
Same thoughts here!
Tiger Woods' smile in the commercial looks more incredulous than genuine. "Okay, I'm driving it. Are you happy?"
I think during that time even other GM products were absolutely ugly. GMC Envoy, Buick in general......
@@erichellner956agreed.
It’s funny how high end cars now have this look. Lamborghini Urus and cybertruck have these weird sharp edges
8:30 - YES. The Aztek was a scapegoat. GM gave up on "excitement" years earlier, offering only 1 or 2 cars after ~1973 that did anything close to exciting. Pontiac 1000, Parisienne, Safari, Sunbird, Grand Am, LeMans, TranSport, G3, G5...and so many were rental fleet grade.
In the late 80's and 90's, the Grand Am, Grand Prix, and Bonnevilles were ALL OVER the ChicagoLand area!!❤😊
@@landonbenford8369 A bit south of you - in STL - those were common around town.
Is anyone else still pissed off that Pontiac didn’t make the 1994 Sunfire concept car a reality? While they did what GM normally does, and borrow styling cues in their eventual production versions that were rebadged Chevys, the Sunfire concept looked so good and the brochure art of it parked out on the beach sold me as a kid on wanting one, well up to today.
I wonder if Pontiac had taken “Fast and the Furious” to heart, and rebranded the image of “Driving Excitement” to high performance, inexpensive compact cars chock full of option packages, that it would last longer as a brand.
Take the 2.0L and 2.2L EcoTech motors, boost them with turbos (as one was boosted to run an NHRA funny car, or how the Dodge Daytonas and Spirit R/Ts in the early 90s were), and make an entire brand that focused on cars that were fun to drive and still useful for young working professionals.
Put all GM trucks and vans under the GMC label with a focus on heavy duty passenger vehicles that work for a living, roll Buick under Cadillac, and make Chevrolet the mid-budget family car brand with “SS” packages available to get the vintage Super Sport feeling. The Corvette would still be the flagship car of the company, but play into distinct brands that sell specific solutions that are customizable with option packages.
I would say that Aztek predicted the future of Crossovers in general.
Doug DeMuro looks like The Pontiac Aztek
Lmao 🤣
That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen anyone saw about DD 😂 😂
Released today, the Aztek wouldn't even stand out among the dozens of small "SUVs" that are built on van and car chassis, with ugly split lights. Interesting how everyone hated the Aztek, but it seems like similar models are the biggest trend these days.
The Juke makes the Aztec look fun and cool.
11:56 ahhh yes, that frenetic music that Motor Week used in the early 2000's 😂
"But is the BUYING PUBLIC really READY to be SHOUTED AT?!"
Call me weird! I love the very first ones with grey cladding and three spoke wheels!
Weird!
Weird!
Weird!
I'm weird too!
The Vibe with gray cladding is way better ngl
Definition of "ahead of its time"... For better or worse
It is also worth mentioning that an Aztek was also heavily advertised (and one given away) on the first season of Survivor.
Thank you for this, I was one of the proud Aztec owners that requested an episode. I loved mine, I love the looks it was super reliable. I drove it for a long time and I miss it.
Heads-Up Displays have such a weird public perception. They're always "futuristic" regardless of how many years they've been out.
Nissan Silvias/240SX had HUDs in 1993. Futuristic.
The Aztek has one in 2001. Futuristic.
The modern SUVs from most brands have it today. Still considered futuristic 30 years later.
HUD analysis is spot on. Oh, they had that on a ‘80’s xx. So cool in 2020+
This was such a great episode. I always thought the Aztek was the uglest thing ever created. But when i found out they made a camping model i wanted one. But they had already stoped making them. I really do believe the styling is what killed it and did a lot of damage to pontiacs reputation. I always thought it could have had way better sales, if it was off road capable with four wheel drive,
and a different front end. It could have been a real success. And maybe if the roof could have popped up to provide some camping room, it would have been a fascinating vehicle.
Um, excuse me, but Walter White was shot to death. He had lung cancer, but he didn’t die from it
I remember the Aztec was marketed for the younger “extreme sports “ crowd but the price tag was more then that demographic could afford,I also remember it being a prize that was available on the game show survivor and the guy that won it gave it away to one of the other contestant’s.
I have always loved these quirky cars. Some SUVs of the time tried to look as though they could go off road. The Aztek looked as though it could go off planet!
With every new Hyundai and Kia,Aztek looks better and better.
They used a Pontiac Aztec in the opening scene in the movie Wrong Turn.
What movie?
Thank you for a successful video. I liked the footage, the wide and vast information about Pontiac, and the other GM brands and the discussion of parts sharing. The photos were great also. I enjoyed that as well. The Aztek is now a legend indeed. Thank you for the effort placed in the video.
Great one as always! Thanks
I have a friend that has both a Buick Rendezvous and a Pontiac Aztek. The Buick was in her family, and she just recently purchased the Pontiac from a neighbor. Unfortunately, someone broke into the Aztek, and they took the cooler.
Dang. That will hurt the resale. Someone always has to ruin it for someone else.
Aztec: one of the best cars I ever owned. Fantastic suspension.
The Aztecs first big tv break was being part of the prize for the winner of the first season of Survivor which ended in August 2000. I remember it so well.
I remember Richard driving away in it with somber music playing in the background. It was black
Very cool. Thanks. What a great way to enjoy a brief 15 minute necessary distraction.
Pontiac Aztek is truly a "Let him cook" moment in the whole GM history
Great! Now I want to buy a Buick Roadmaster!! 😂
Sitting in the third row was an interesting experience. 😂
4th gen caprice was peak tbh
Great video!
Polarizing implies there were people who didn't think it was the ugly as sin! Great video! Very fun to watch! Thanks.
Well I learned something new, this car had a stylist. Wow, that is mind blowing.
"Dark Angel" a FOX tv series starring Jessica Alba and a Pontiac Aztek
I never had one, but I loved the design. Thanks for another great episode. Keep them coming Do one on the G5/G6/G3 Pontiacs please. if you haven't already. :P
The Aztek concept car was pretty cool. Design-by-committee and 'parts bin engineering' are what killed it.
The Aztek looked like the modern day Family Truckster, & to quote Clark Griswold "You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it."
Hello From Phoenix Arizona 🌡🔥
This was way ahead of it's time.
The Rendezvous was only nice looking if you saw the Aztek first.
Could you do a video on the Ford Explorer?
Crazy that dark angel took place in a apocalyptic 2019 seeing how 2019/2020 went
A friend of mine had one of these in college. He was a tuba major, and it was the easiest vehicle to get large instruments in and out of.
could you do a video on the Infiniti I30?
The original Cybertruck😂
The saddest part is that everyone on earth called it ugly and slow and yet...every vehicle today looks like the Aztec and is extremely underpowered lmao
I love the Aztek, I voted for it; although it wasn't what I expected when that production model debuted.
Pontiac should have given this the L36 and L67.
It must have just been so ahead of its time? Or maybe it was actually influential? Because I’m having a hard time hating it now, but I *absolutely* remember it being an absolute JOKE for years after coming out. I think we were too entrenched in the retro revival - with the prowler, pt cruiser, new beetle, etc - to see what we had there.
Modern cuv design is very comparable.
This car was awarded as a prize on the first season of “Survivor “
I love the aztel !!
Thanks for another great video! Here's one for the algorithm! :^)
next can you do the pontiac montana, buick terraza, chevy uplander and saturn relay? i always loved the aztek now you have new cars that look like it!
I freaking love GM
This could have been a game changer for Pontiac but instead they sealed their own death note.
I think the Aztec was the nickelback of cars. Lots of people who say they hated them actually liked them but didn't want to admit it because others who also secretly liked them would make fun of them.
Consumer Reports complained this vehicle lacked a rear wiper.
By modern standards, it’s a good-looking car.
I'm surprised you didn't touch on the Survivor/Aztec tie up.
Can you do a video on the Nissan sx cars?
Dang. Now I want an Aztec.
I liked the Astek!
Do a video of the Isuzu axiom.
Could you do a story on the Honda CRX? It was a great car. I had a red 85 model. Super reliable. Thanks.
Do a video on the 1990 regal
3:35 and nobody remembers because of that other thing that happened at Daytona in 2001
I liked the look of it then and I still like the looks. It was different in a time of very boring vehicles. Modernize the looks and it would probably be popular today. The body cladding was a bit much on Pontiacs but look at Subarus of the last few years. It hasn't stopped them. I also think the press had a lot to do with how people saw the Aztek. There was a constant barrage of how bad it looked that people in general just believed it looked bad...because that is what they heard in the press and on tv.
A couple of years later, Honda basically steals the idea with the Element - they sell like crazy and are still sought out as used vehicles.
The Element wasn't as ugly and the shape looked more useful, aaand it wasn't made by GM.
The element was the aztec done right.
Now I want to add some cladding to the side of a Rendezvous. And call it an Aztevous or Randetek.
Anything looks better than the Cybertruck!
@3:01 “The 2000 and 1, Pontiac… AZZTEK!!!”
Nice.
Remember when a guy won one on Survivor and never picked it up? Colby in 2001.
I worked at a Pontiac dealer at the time. I liked them they had a nice ride and had space without being a minivan. The gray body cladding was just awful looking.
Looking at the bumper at 2:56, maybe just MAYBE the Aztec would have looked better with those high turning signals integrated with the headlights somehow
I actually love the look of the Aztec I thought it was so funky. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle at all .
HONEY WAKE UP, NEW MOC
Personally I never hated the Aztec as much as everyone else. But nowadays I think it is really growing on me. I think it is going to be a collectible one day.
Definitely. Things that become worthless, get thrown out and are crushed. They then become rare and collectible.
It was a car that was made before the market knew it wanted it. Right car, wrong era.
I still think the aztec looks better than the rendezvous and certainly other modern crossovers. 😊
I never liked this vehicle, but I get how cool the versatility of the interior would be appealing
Frankie Muniz in the pacecar in 2001. And now he races at Daytona.
I worked at a Pontiac dealership on in Fishers Indiana. Weird GM suv
Do a video on the avalanche
I'm pretty sure there was an AZTEC in The Walking Dead TV show at one point in the early seasons!
I legitimately liked they way they looked. Thought it was a cool concept.
Didn't you do a video on this already?
The Aztek was styled ahead of it's time, the hard lines are all I see everywhere now🤷
So being told "You're the Pontiac Aztek of the dating world" isn't a good thing?
Depends
Tiger Woods - Buick also had a huge marketing push with him
This was something Clark Griswold would drive.
So crazy.... Such a good idea that they totally fumbled!
3:33 $$$$$$$ “Convinced” $$$$$$$$$
Has you've seen what inspired?
The first X suv from BMW on quarter look couldn't more similar, Toyota Venza, etc.
SORRY THE LIST IS TOO LONG.
That press event might be the most boomer thing ever!
IMO, The Chicken Tax is one of the reasons why GM and Chrysler declared bankruptcy
Aztek is ahead of its time. Finesse the type a bit, Pontiac may be able to get away nowadays. We have similar coupes SUVs from Benz and BMW in 2024.
Do Acura Integra ! PLEASE
1989 BABY
I second that. The Type R was peak Honda.
I personally think the Aztec was a neat looking car.
Never had a problem with the front styling of the Aztek. It was the horendous unimaginative rearend & the early grey clading that killed the car for me. Glad they color-matched the body, but that rear.🤢
The Aztek had great options and features.
I loved the Pontiac Aztek. I actually knew someone who had one.
What about the Ford Courier ?