The Reason The Pontiac Aztek Was A Failure

To understand the Aztek, one has to take a look at the state of Pontiac in beginning of the 21st century. By the time 2000 hit, Pontiac’s glory days were mostly behind it. Gone were the days of the GTO, and the Firebird and Trans Am were shadows of their former selves. It was a dismal state of affairs. Pontiac enjoyed some success with the Montana minivans, but those were essentially Chevy Venture vans with some extra features and a Pontiac badge. 

As a result, Pontiac had to innovate, and they needed to do it now, according to Bob Lutz, the former vice chairman of product development at GM (via Road and Track).

Everyone has heard the joke that a camel is just a horse designed by a committee. That’s exactly what the Aztek was. Seemingly every designer at GM got the memo to make the wackiest vehicle possible and no design choice was too strange. According to Lutz, GM’s corporate culture at the time dissuaded anyone from having a differing opinion. Even focus groups hated the design, but Pontiac moved forward with it anyway. 

This aggressive push from the brass at GM ensured that the Aztek met all of its design and production deadlines. On paper, it looked like it was going to be a major success.