Pontiac? General Motors' New Vehicles Need a Name

by Steph Willems

Published: November 3rd, 2018

pontiac general motors new vehicles need a name

Not to be outdone by Ford Motor Company’s Bay Area bikeshare program, General Motors has unveiled two new, two-wheeled vehicles that are sure to get any Camaro ZL1 owner’s pulse racing. We’ve poked fun at the Blue Oval’s non-car efforts of late, but entering the pedal-powered field is serious stuff for companies — stagnating new vehicles sales calls for a myriad of alternative revenue solutions. Just wait till Fiat Chrysler launches a RAMbike.

At least with GM’s latest mobility effort, a motor comes attached. What isn’t attached, however, is a brand name. GM needs help with that.

Your help. The two e-bikes, one folding, the other fixed, will be marketed under a yet-to-be-decided e-bike brand name sourced from the public. General Motors Urban Mobility Solutions is offering the winner $10,000, with a grand apiece going to the nine runner-up entries. Clever marketing types with a knack for naming have until November 26th to offer up a moniker, with their choices judged against a fairly lengthy list of criteria.

Reading through the list, it seems unlikely GM would choose this author’s preferred brand name, and it’s fairly certain we won’t see the Oldsmobile brand re-emerge in the most unlikely of forms. Wouldn’t that be something.

Interested in learning more about your next GM vehicle? There isn’t much to go on. Weight, dimensions, and electric range are not mentioned, leaving urban Chevy Sonic lessees on the cusp of trade-in time wanting more. I’ll admit to finding the folding model intriguing, as I’m pretty sure I could easily fit a couple of those things in my car’s trunk.

[Images: General Motors]

#Bikes #Branding #E-bikes #GeneralMotors #GM #Mobility

Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 18 comments

Blackcloud_9 on Nov 05, 2018

EV1! It's electric (EV). Seats 1. Perfect

Like Reply
Arach on Nov 05, 2018

No one mentioned that GM ALREADY SELLS BIKES?? I own a GMC Denali Bike. This one right here: https://www.amazon.com/GMC-92706-Denali-Road-Bike/dp/B002GNWPK2 Its not terrible for the price... but yes that the real GMC and its Denali branded... I enjoy telling everyone I have a GMC Denali. With that being said, I don't think this is a totally new world for them. I bought this like 10 years ago and they still sell 'em. They have a bunch of different bikes all undeer the GMC Denali name.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Arthur Dailey The longest we have ever kept a car was 13 years for a Kia Rondo. Only ever had to perform routine 'wear and tear' maintenance. Brake jobs, tire replacements, fluids replacements (per mfg specs), battery replacement, etc. All in all it was an entirely positive ownership experience. The worst ownership experiences from oldest to newest were Ford, Chrysler and Hyundai.Neutral regarding GM, Honda, Nissan (two good, one not so good) and VW (3 good and 1 terrible). Experiences with other manufacturers were all too short to objectively comment on.
MaintenanceCosts Two-speed transfer case and lockable differentials are essential for getting over the curb in Beverly Hills to park on the sidewalk.
MaintenanceCosts I don't think any other OEM is dumb enough to market the system as "Full Self-Driving," and if it's presented as a competitor to SuperCruise or the like it's OK.
Oberkanone Tesla license their skateboard platforms to other manufacturers. Great. Better yet, Tesla manufacture and sell the platforms and auto manufacturers manufacture the body and interiors. Fantastic.
ToolGuy As of right now, Tesla is convinced that their old approach to FSD doesn't work, and that their new approach to FSD will work. I ain't saying I agree or disagree, just telling you where they are.