Pontiac Aztek
When GM's panopoly of brands was in full swing during the 1950s, the goal was to create a natural progression for customers to climb through to preserve brand loyalty. The theory, so it went, was that a young buyer would start with an inexpensive Chevrolet, then work up to a slightly sportier Pontiac, migrate to a more reserved Oldsmobile, follow that with a more luxurious Buick, then retire to a nice Cadillac. Owing to its early postwar success for GM, this model was adopted by both Ford and Chrysler--for Ford, it was supposed to be Ford to Mercury to Edsel to Lincoln, while Chrysler pushed a Plymouth to Dodge to DeSoto to Chrysler to Imperial progression.
As both Ford and Chrysler learned the hard way, maintaining a fine-grained approach to the market, with separate brands, bodies, engines, vehicles and dealers for each conceivable market segment, only makes sense when you're selling enough volume to make it worthwhile. For Ford, it didn't take long for Edsel to disappear. Chrysler's DeSoto, meanwhile, disintegrated by 1961, having been killed off by the same market economics that led to sales declines for Buick and Oldsmobile while rendering Ford's poorly executed efforts at establishing the Edsel brand moot. By 1970, GM, which controlled nearly 50 percent of the market by itself, appeared to be the only car company large enough to pull off such a strategy profitably.
Of course, GM was, emphasis on the past tense, the only car company large enough to maintain over a half-dozen different dealer networks, with the associated fixed costs involved in such a strategy, which is why we're writing about the demise of Pontiac this week and why it's been impossible to buy a new Oldsmobile since 2004. In fact, GM realized it was in "was" territory all the way back in the late '70s. After losing market share at the bottom of the market to the Japanese and losing profits on the high end of the market to the Europeans, GM, like every other domestic manufacturer of the time, was steadily getting squeezed. In an effort to control costs, GM decided to abandon brand-specific engineering and instead push GM-wide body and engine types, which, with some modifications, could provide full product lineups to each brand at a fraction of the cost. Thus, with that spirit in mind, badge engineering and its associated horrors was born. It didn't take long before this accounting abomination coagulated into the twin boxen bodies of brand-death and brand-destruction--the A-bodies and J-bodies. These twin stars of darkness and annihilation very nearly killed Cadillac, set Oldsmobile on its path to final destruction, and rendered Buick and Pontiac nearly irrelevant. (Chris: Don't forget the X-bodies' role in this wanton decimation of GM's once-proud brand name!)
By 1990, GM began to realize the error of its ways. Yes, it needed to cut costs, but creating cookie-cutter boxes with second-grade aluminum siding and mediocre V-6s was not the answer, especially if it planned on maintaining any real separation between its brands. By 2000, it even started to act on this realization and started to allow its brands a small amount of autonomy, with the hopes that doing so might allow each brand to engender some faint glimmer of brand recognition (if not loyalty) yet again.
It was in this environment that the Pontiac Aztek, the last truly unique Pontiac ever built, was born. Inspired, no doubt, by the astounding successes and sales numbers of the Moskvitch 410 and the AMC Eagle, its mission was as audacious as it was bold: Save the world (of GM) by creating an entirely new market segment from scratch. The Aztek would combine the best features of an SUV--cargo capacity, an elevated seat height, plus a certain "active" image that you just can't get with a van--with the space, superior handling, and economy of a minivan. To accomplish this, Pontiac grabbed a Montana and proceeded to let the people behind "Stuff White People Like" pimp it right out.
This translated roughly into offering a full-time four-wheel-drive system, cup holders as far as the eye could see (including in the tailgate!), a tent and inflatable mattress, an optional 10-speaker Pioneer sound system, a seatback-mounted backpack, and racks of every shape and size for every conceivable outdoor activity they could think of.
Oh, did I mention the "Xtreme" styling? Yeah. There was some of that, too.
Unfortunately, as Pontiac learned the hard way, there is one small problem with catering to a youthful audience: They're broke. Well, maybe not "broke," exactly, but certainly not doing so well that they can readily afford to buy tens of thousands of quirky-looking status symbols at over $30,000 (in today's dollars--$24,995 in 2001) a pop. Adding insult to injury, the few Gen-Xers with money going into 2001 would have lost a fair chunk of it when the dotcom bubble burst that same year. It certainly didn't help that, in the end, the Aztek really was nothing more than a Montana with a facelift and more cup holders than sense. This gave it a certain slow and ponderous feel that was, quite frankly, not youthful at all.
After an ignominous five-year run, Pontiac was finally forced to retire the Aztek. In retrospect, this was unfortunate, for it marked the last time that Pontiac would ever truly reach for anything ever again. Proving that I'm not the only one with a faint whiff of nostalgia for these otherwise over-styled beasts of yore, there's actually an Aztek Fan Club. The top picture, coincidentally, came from their Flickr feed. The yellow one, meanwhile, came from Flickr's Martin Taylor.
--David Colborne
Steaming Pile on April 28, 2009 at 07:33 AM
Nostalgia? For the Aztek? In order to be nostalgic about something, it would have had to be loved by someone in the first place. I can't say that I know anyone who actually liked the Aztek. Like the Edsel, it was the butt of many, many jokes. That was my reaction upon first seeing one of the monstrosities - hadn't anyone at Pontiac even heard of the Edsel? Studied it in business school? Seen one in some Detroit museum on the way to their job interview at GM? Heard their grandfathers tell some stale old Edsel joke? Seen that Simpsons episode where Homer got to design his own car and sent his half-brother to the poorhouse? Egad, that was one rolling pile of fail.
The only good that came out of it all was that at one time, you could find a new one at a steep discount, so if you needed a car, any car, and didn't care what it looked like or drove like as long as it was new and under warranty, there was your vehicle. One of my son's teachers had a yellow one, and that was pretty much his story, that the dealer make him an offer he couldn't possibly refuse. That, and the only color in which the Aztek looked remotely cool, or hip, or simply inoffensive, was yellow.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on April 28, 2009 at 08:29 AM
Somebody (I think it was Slate writer Mickey Kaus) once called it "the angry kitchen appliance," which pretty much sums up the styling.
I read an article once that claimed this was one of the first cars styled using a CAD system instead of the traditional clay model, and part of why it came out looking so eye-punishingly clunky was that the designers weren't used to designing on a screen and didn't realize how it would look in three dimensions. I don't buy that excuse--the original Aztek show car (http://blogs.motortrend.com/6200911/editorial/pontiac-aztek-in-the-beginning/index.html) looks better than the final production version (it would be hard to look *worse*!) but it doesn't look a whole lot different. What happened was that GM's stylists bet the ranch on "Xtreme" styling, and, like the Ford guys designing the Edsel a half-century before, designed something xtremely ugly in a misguided quest to be different. There were probably quite a few customers who might have gone for the concept behind the Aztek--what amounts to a minivan with light off-road capability for camping and related pursuits--but were xtremed right out of the showroom by the mere sight of the thing.
According to official GM sales statistics, the last new Azteks were not sold off until two years after they were discontinued. 'Nuff said.
Chris Hafner on April 28, 2009 at 08:37 AM
I have always been fond of the Aztek - not enough to actually buy and drive one, but I never saw it as the "rolling pile of fail" that Steaming Pile references.
The styling was pretty ludicrous, of course. The skeptic would rightly dismiss the Aztek as a purely cynical marketing-driven attempt to tap into the extreme sports youth market that seemingly every company was attempting to capture in the early part of this decade. Its disorganized hodge-podge of aggressive styling cues made it a pretty messy-looking beastie, and it certainly wasn't particularly cohesive; the Nissan Xterra was far more effective in mining the extreme mountain-biker/surfer/skateboarder/snowboarder 20-something demographic, mostly because the Aztek was just such an obviously lame attempt.
Personally, I like the Aztek because I'm choosing to read it as satire of the advertising industry's tiresome and relentless marketing efforts aimed at the extreme sports demographic. I was in my early 20s when the Aztek came out; I was fed up with companies assuming I was into mountain biking off cliffs and wind-surfing in Antarctica, and the Aztek was so over-the-top that I thought it was hilarious. Satire obviously wasn't GM's intent, but I prefer to think of the Aztek as a deft jab at a marketing fad that badly, badly needed to go away.
Under the controversial skin, of course, the Aztek was basically a minivan. That may have undercut its cred among the sand-boarders among us, but to me that means the Aztek was actually a pretty useful little beastie.
Above all, in a world dominated by trucks, SUVs, and vans, the Aztek was something different; on roads populated by me-too jelly-bean-mobiles, the Aztek stands out, and that's something, at least. The late Azteks, with the body cladding removed, look infinitely better to my eyes than the more conventional unholy minivan/SUV crossovers a panic-stricken GM reverted to after the Aztek bombed.
Yuck: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Terraza
Diyan on April 28, 2009 at 09:41 AM
From the picture the Aztek's color, it doesn't have my favorite color.
That Car Guy on April 28, 2009 at 09:50 AM
It's a shame somebody didn't make an aftermarket front end for the Aztek. They probably would have made a fortune.
David Colborne on April 28, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Chris - you nailed my thoughts perfectly. The Aztek was just so over-the-top in its attempt at currying favor with aspirational 20-something "I want people to think I snowboard with the penguins at McMurdo" that, in a strange sort of way, it's almost a cultural statement. The trouble with it is that it said everything that everybody else was thinking, which is almost certainly bad for your health.
TRL on April 28, 2009 at 10:28 AM
I am always surprised that the Buick Rendevous has not garnered any of the hate richly deserved by the Aztek's styling. I have always thought the Buick to be extreamly ugly. I guess it proves that the second ugliest girl at the dance doesn't go home alone or something like that.
Mochi Mochi on April 28, 2009 at 10:57 AM
I hated the Aztek with a passion for such a long time. But my relentless flaming and slamming of the Aztek over everything from it's calculated marketing status to it's colonialist appropriation of the name of an indigenous Mesoamerican people, seems to have purged my conscious of the hate and contempt I once felt for this vehicle. My primary aesthetic distaste for the Aztek centered on the fact that it was a marketing ploy that never gelled into a single vehicle. That it was a car of percentages and demographics, 20% sedan, 40% SUV, 40% Minivan each of which as meant to appeal to a market segment.
I don't have a single scrap of nostalgia for the Aztek, but now based on three conditions I have a new appreciation for it. First, it was a flop. Second, it is roundly hated and denigrated in mainstream press. Third, nothing looks like it. It's an incredibly awkward design that looks almost pretty good in yellow. It's starting to grow on me, because it flies in the face of all current standards for automotive beauty. Rob-SVX-Audi-owner once defended the Aztek based on its utility. I don't know if this car has any utility or not - cup holders not withstanding. At the time I was still in hate mode. But now, I don't care if this car has any utility. In my opinion it does not need to rely on such props to justify itself.
The Aztek assaults contemporary good taste in automotive design and that's enough right there to justify its inherent value. It is finally becoming interesting because the vista of contemporary auto design has so significantly moved away from it. It's like having a glacier recede and expose some wooly mammoth.
Anthony Cagle on April 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM
From what I've read and heard over the years, the Aztek garnered a small but very loyal following specifically for all that functionality.
I never had much hate on for it. As an archaeologist I was mildly thrilled at the name. I should survey my colleagues and see if any of them actually had one. Probably would have made a great fieldwork vehicle.
Jeff on April 28, 2009 at 12:44 PM
The Pontiac Aztec... built for the generation that bought the Honda Element instead.
matt m on April 28, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Maybe someday the Aztec will be looked upon by others as some of us do the 2CV Citroen.
Clunky but cool.
CJinSD on April 28, 2009 at 06:32 PM
I agree with every negative thing ever said about the Aztek. The thing is that they apply to every 'crossover' SUV. Still, looking at the Aztek's styling, I must say that GM is an equal opportunity employer at every level.
toronado455 on April 28, 2009 at 06:45 PM
I just saw one of these today. It was one of the later ones with toned down cladding, in white. Looked cool. I've never quite understood the hating on these. Well, I UNDERSTAND it, I just don't particularly agree.
Rob the SVX guy on April 28, 2009 at 08:56 PM
I've always had a soft spot for it. Why? It was designed around actual user needs and feedback, instead of just trying to tow 100,000 lbs or some other measure of your insecurity. It was the anti-SUV, a vehicle designed for and around an active lifestyle, but without the need to look like a prick. Instead, I guess you look like a moron. Obviously the styling sucked, but at least it was a truly functional vehicle, and the functionality was based off of things that people ACTUALLY DO. Nobody I know takes their SUV offroading, flying down cliffs, or in the Swiss mountains like I see on commercials. I guess the honesty of the Aztek's goal was what I found enjoyable.
Oh... and ladies and gents.... may I present to you a COOL looking Aztek:
hhttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k_bgXPrPWx0/ScBaKF-AFwI/AAAAAAAACLs/ynj0uOq9f38/s1600-h/aztek.jpg
Part of the reason the styling failed wasn't the styling. In concept form, with larger wheels, lowered suspension, and different front and rear details, it looked pretty good. The two tone paint on the back end really broke up the side profile of the vehicle into something interesting. Unfortunately, little wheels and a raised suspension made it look silly and about to tip over, and the bolt paint schemes that covered everything just sort of showed how big and boxy it was. Oh, and putting turn signals ON TOP of headlights= FAIL. Always. The Buick Rendevous is ugly because of it, the last few BMW 7 series were ugly because of it, and the Aztek was ugly because of it. I don't know why anybody keeps doing it, it always looks like crap. Here's the concept though:
http://www.gm.com/experience/education/images/gallery_concepts/pontiac_aztek_1999.jpg
Shawn on April 28, 2009 at 09:27 PM
Rob, I was ready to agree with "putting turn signals ON TOP of headlights= FAIL. Always.", but then I remembered how charming the VW Beetle looks with that setup. It CAN be done, just not often.
BobMc on April 28, 2009 at 11:00 PM
It seems that the folks who hate on the poor Aztek are only those who've never owned one. I always thought it looked hilariously misproportioned, but a member of my wife's family who owns one says that, considering his whole houseful of kids, it's the best vehicle he's ever owned. So now I simply ponder its uniqueness with a respectful hmmm. :)
CJinSD on April 28, 2009 at 11:25 PM
This article calls the Aztec the last unique Pontiac, but wasn't the Buick Rendezvous as much an Aztec clone as the Saturn Sky is a Solstice clone? The Buick was built on the same production line from the same components with a similarly awkward shape. The main difference was that the Rendezvous wasn't even expected to sell, so it actually met or exceeded GM's expectations while the Aztec was considered a flop. Never mind that they were similarly priced vehicles with the same production costs and huge dealer organizations, but such is what passes for reason at GM.
CJinSD on April 28, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Speaking of Aztec owner profiles, there was a house in my neighborhood last year that had two vehicles: an Aztec with 3 hubcaps, and a Ferrari 456 GTA. The Pontiac always got the driveway spot, while the Ferrari was parked on the street. Maybe they were concerned that the city would have towed the Pontiac if it were parked on public property. I can't fathom why else it would displace the V12 Ferrari. I noticed that the Pontiac was driven more often though.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on April 29, 2009 at 05:31 AM
The Aztek, like the Fiero, was a great concept poorly executed. That seems to be a recurring pattern with GM.
Steaming Pile on April 29, 2009 at 07:41 AM
Do I have to have actually owned something in order to hate it? I took one look, thought it was as ungainly as a moose, and stupid looking on top of it (my opinion, FWIW), and never gave it another thought.
Richard Fagin on April 29, 2009 at 01:12 PM
My neighbor recently found a cream puff '59 Edsel. He cruises the neighborhood in it every once in a while. After 45 years, it doesn't look as horrible as it did when new. It's almost cute in an "antiquey" way. The Aztek, on the other hand, is butt plug ugly. People looking at Aztek's 45 years from now will say that it is butt plug ugly. If the Aztek's stylists worked for the old Soviet Union they would have been stood up against a wall and shot for engaging in "hooliganism." Here in the U.S. they just bankrupt once-profitable enterprises.
Rob the SVX guy on April 30, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Richard, please do not blame the stylists. The concept was okay. It was the beancounters and business majors who feel they need to have a say in the final product, have some sort of input, that leads to feature creep, dilution of the original idea, and a mediocre product.
Tommy's Dad on April 30, 2009 at 10:29 AM
I cant speak for their utility, but I do see a goodly number of these on the road around here (southeastern Washington State). Looks-wise they really wouldnt be so bad if it wasn't for those little wheels and the headlight arrangement (Rob is totally right, those turn signals are just crap- I have to disagree with him about the "cool" Aztek though, that thing is only cool in a "Pimp my Depressingly Ugly and Awkward Ride" kinda way). Oh yeah, and yellow top-gray bottom look is an abomination. Subaru tried it with the Baja and much as I liked the look and idea of that car, it was terrible there too, and I've never seen anyone make it work anywhere else either.
Funny thing is, after staring at an Aztek across a parking lot for awhile while my wife ran into the grocery store, and then getting stuck behind a Prius on the drive home, I cant help but think theres a family resemblance between the two. High sides, small wheels, ugly front and a kinda uglyish kammback tail: which car am I thinking about? You decide!
If I had to anthropomorphize them (which I dont, but lets say I do, because otherwise this paragraph is just silly AND pointless) I like to think that they were maybe separated at birth, with the Prius growing up to become a granola munching post-hippie environmentalist that decries the big corporations and government ruining the planet all while buying clothes made in third world sweatshops, plastic cup mochas, and all manner of electronic gadgets that are just going to end up in a landfill. In short, a hypocritical Al Gore worshipping goober. The Aztek I can see ending up with a trailer park Pontiac family and growing up to be a big ol boy like his 12 brothers and sisters: big, loud (yellow and gray paint, gah), and without much of any social qualities, but boy if you wanna go out shootin stuff, hes a good buddy for that, yep.
dac on May 08, 2009 at 04:59 PM
to Rob the SVX Guy
Now that is a great looking Aztek
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k_bgXPrPWx0/ScBaKF-AFwI/AAAAAAAACLs/ynj0uOq9f38/s1600-h/aztek.jpg
CJinSD on May 17, 2009 at 11:43 PM
The worst thing about the Aztek is the BMW X6 knockoff. I guess Bangle thought Pontiac was impinging on his territory by making such an ugly vehicle, so he directed the creation of one that took the Aztek's most awkward features and combined them in a way that actually induces nausea.