Southaven Pontiac GMC dealer Henry Ware is known for his commercials
boasting “Always right on the corner, right on the price.” Even for a
troubled brand.
Ware was the last dealer in the region to receive the prestigious
Pontiac Select Leader Mark of Excellence award, just days after parent
company General Motors Corporation announced the end of Pontiac.
Pontiac dealer Henry Ware (pictured with wife Cynthia) received one of the last sales awards for the dying brand.
“The GM Mark of Excellence will still be given out in the future,
but not for the Pontiac brand,” said Joe Cossman, the regional zone
manager for GM who presented the award to Ware in a modest ceremony at
the dealership last week.
Ware is one of 14 dealers in the South-Central region to receive the
award despite GM’s announcement that it will close 13 plants and half
of its dealerships and cut 21,000 factory jobs.
The changes are part of GM’s effort to restructure in the wake of
the Big Three automakers’ recent economic troubles. GM has manufactured
Pontiacs since 1927.
Though some Pontiac dealers are being forced to close, Ware said his
dealership will remain open since he also sells Buick and GMC vehicles.
At least 30 percent of his lot is made up of Pontiacs, however, and
he’ll continue to sell that existing inventory.
“We’ll also have Pontiac parts available for up to 10 years,” Ware
said.
Ware said he isn’t very worried about the end to the Pontiac brand.
He and Cossman agreed that Pontiac’s end could mean improvements for
GM’s other vehicle lines.
“As Pontiac shrinks, I think Buick will see a renaissance,” Ware
said. “The Buick line will be what it was when I started selling cars
20 years ago. People were proud to drive a Buick back then, and I think
we’ll see some unique new Buicks coming out.”
