The mystery of the Pontiac Aztek solved...

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ck80

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Late one night at a Detroit Michigan Pontiac new car dealer, an as yet unsold Grand Prix 2+2, nicknamed Mix-a-lot due to his mixed up appearance, snuck away for a late night drive.

In his travels, he passed by a Dodge/Chrysler dealership and something caught his eye. There she was, all chocolate brown in her glory.... a brand new MINIVAN! He said to himself, damn baby, you got it goin on out back.

A quick u-turn, and some bouncing springs in the body shop later, and Mix-a-lot the 2+2 headed back to the Pontiac dealership before anyone was the wiser.

Some time later, Mix-a-lots daddy, the General, received a bit of a care package, a rather unusual thing. 15 years later, having grown old enough to drive, the offspring of that cursed one night stand took to the roads - the Pontiac Aztek, complete with her mommy's bones and that trademark sharply sloping rear window from pops.

So now we know where the Aztek really came from.
 
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TURNA

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The ONLY good thing about the Aztec is that it was so ugly that the heads of GM made all the Pontiac big wigs drive them as punishment for making it!!!
 

oldmansmonte

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The ONLY good thing about the Aztec is that it was so ugly that the heads of GM made all the Pontiac big wigs drive them as punishment for making it!!!

LOL I think I remember that. I also believe they were all let go a short time later.

Ironically I look at the Aztek now and I think it's a good looking car. Sharp, aggressive, modern. It was just way to ahead of it's time.
 
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81cutlass

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Feb 16, 2009
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The aztek concept was sorta neat, it's just GM bean counters killed it and tried taking a concept into production. The overall idea isn't THAT far off to the generic CUV today, it was just 10 years too early. If they made it look less ugly and sold it more "utility" than "sport" it would have been a rockstar in sales. Minivans were withering on the vine, SUV's were making killer profits and they were looking to package the SUV into something smaller cheaper and keep most of the utility, while killing off the "mom van" persona just like vans killed off the "wagon mom" persona 10 years prior.

I read somewhere, people today get cars to haul home stuff they buy from WalMart they don't need, keep junk they didn't know they have in the back, try to impress people they dont know by driving a "nice" car, and return a car they never own after the end of the lease term.

GM had a cool concept, parts bin components, and a styling dept that wanted to emulate the concept.

If you said pontiac made a transverse engine, somewhat lifted AWD, 5 passenger hatchback in 2001 that got 26 highway mpg you would have thought wow, cool! They were true innovators!

But slam minivan parts in a chassis neutered from the concept and it falls apart. I felt like the concept was more jeep wrangler, and execution was an ugly CUV predecessor.
Pontiac-Aztek-Concept-front-three-quarters-jet-ski-2.jpg
 
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TURNA

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I think the dummy that made that also made this


2016-Nissan-Juke-7.jpg
 
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TURNA

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MY EYES THEY BURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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oldmansmonte

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Oct 29, 2010
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The aztek concept was sorta neat, it's just GM bean counters killed it and tried taking a concept into production. The overall idea isn't THAT far off to the generic CUV today, it was just 10 years too early. If they made it look less ugly and sold it more "utility" than "sport" it would have been a rockstar in sales. Minivans were withering on the vine, SUV's were making killer profits and they were looking to package the SUV into something smaller cheaper and keep most of the utility, while killing off the "mom van" persona just like vans killed off the "wagon mom" persona 10 years prior.

I read somewhere, people today get cars to haul home stuff they buy from WalMart they don't need, keep junk they didn't know they have in the back, try to impress people they dont know by driving a "nice" car, and return a car they never own after the end of the lease term.

GM had a cool concept, parts bin components, and a styling dept that wanted to emulate the concept.

If you said pontiac made a transverse engine, somewhat lifted AWD, 5 passenger hatchback in 2001 that got 26 highway mpg you would have thought wow, cool! They were true innovators!

But slam minivan parts in a chassis neutered from the concept and it falls apart. I felt like the concept was more jeep wrangler, and execution was an ugly CUV predecessor.
Pontiac-Aztek-Concept-front-three-quarters-jet-ski-2.jpg



They killed the firebird with no replacement, dropped this thing and gave us the Pontiac solstice? No mystery why Pontiac went away.
 

Longroof79

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I remember Walter White driving one on Breaking Bad. What a POS. What the f**k were the GM executives thinking?? :blam:
 
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