In Defense

Replying to an online protest by a popular enthusiast website, General Motors Corp. is standing by the design of its forthcoming '04 Pontiac GTO, due out later this year.

For the first time since its inception seven years ago, ultimategto.com's picture of the week recently did not feature the muscle car. Founder Sean Mattingly says visitors to the popular Website have ripped GTO's “unexciting styling.”

In March, ultimategto.com replaced the GTO with a photo of the Ford Mustang concept car, which apparently is closer to what Pontiac enthusiasts want in a reborn GTO. Mattingly says he's doing it “to make a statement to GM.”

Pontiac isn't surprised traditionalists are disappointed with the '04 GTO, which is a version of GM Australia-based subsidiary Holden Ltd.'s Monaro.

“There are some people who are a little bit disenchanted because they were expecting us to do a retro car,” says GTO Marketing Manager Bob Kraut. “But that was never our intention. The marketplace has shown they don't really work that well.”

GM could have avoided the spat by not reviving the nameplate. But Kraut says the '04 GTO upholds the marque's heritage because it is based on performance and value. GTO features rear-wheel drive, a 340-hp 5.7L V-8 engine and a price expected to range from $30,000 to $35,000.

The dissatisfaction made its way to GM Vice Chairman-Product Development Bob Lutz, who led the charge to import the Australian-built Monaro as the GTO. In an e-mail to ultimategto.com, Lutz says GM's goal with the '04 GTO is to attract new customers rather than traditionalists.