Onward, Forward, Toward…

In case you have not heard by now, Oprah Winfrey and Pontiac gave away 276 new Pontiac G6 sedans to audience members for Monday’s season premiere of her show. Even though GM claims that their web traffic has dramatically increase for the all new car since the Oprah giveaway, another thought has entered my mind.

Did Oprah Kill The Pontiac G6 before it hit the showroom?

Even though Winfrey is known for having a very generous heart, she is also known for winning the lawsuit the Texas Cattlemen filed against her. The woman who is loved and adored among soccer moms is also viewed by many as being very liberal in her politics, too mystic in her spirituality, and very feministic in her thoughts. From her spirituality to the Oprah book club, many people love her, but Oprah has many detractors.

Why did I ask the question concerning if Oprah kill the Pontiac G6? It is very simple, even though the car is very beautiful in appearance, could it be that this could backfire on Pontiac and General Motors where conservatives and men who like performance could now hold the car in disdain because it is now stigmatized and possibly now market-segmented with soccer moms, liberals, and feminists?

It personally has deflated my interest in the car. I really had a keen interest in the Grand Am replacement (even the high performance model that is rumored to be a Saab 9-3 suspension mated to Pontiac’s engine and transmission). Not no more. I do not wish to be characterized and segmented as a sympathizer to the soccer mom, liberal, and feminist mentality that I feel will be bestowed upon their future owners because of Oprah.

Like it or not, cars have been segmented and stigmatized to certain types of people. Camaros and Mustangs were stigmatized to Southern 18 year old rednecks weho thought they could outrun the law. Volkswagens were stigmatized to the flower children and hippies of the 1960’s. Jeeps were segmented and stigmatized to non-conformists who thought outside the box. Volvos are stigmatized to the culturally snobbish. Minivans were stigmatized to soccer moms before they decided to drive SUV’s. Go to many auto forums and the Toyota Solaras and the Chrysler Sebrings are generalized as being per the accent of “AH-NULD” as ‘Girlie-vertibles’.