Editing Pontiac (automobile) (section)

=== 1970–1982 ===
Increasing insurance and fuel costs for owners decreased demand for muscle cars, along with federal emissions and safety regulations, put an end to the unrestricted, powerful engines of the 1960s. Safety, luxury, and economy would become the new watchwords of this decade. Engine performance began declining in 1971 when GM mandated that all engines be capable of using lower-octane unleaded gasoline, which led to drops in compression ratios, along with performance and fuel economy. This, coupled with trying to build cars as plush as GM's more luxurious Buicks and Oldsmobiles, contributed to the start of Pontiac's slow decline from its late-1960s highs.<ref>Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. ''American Cars 1960–1972'' (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2004), p.854.</ref>

In mid-1971 Pontiac introduced the compact, budget-priced Ventura II (based on the third generation [[Chevrolet Nova]]). This same year, Pontiac completely revamped its full-size car lineup. The flagship Bonneville was replaced with the more opulent Grand Ville, while a new generation of full-size Safari station wagons was introduced. These wagons featured a new tailgate known as a 'Clamshell' design; rather than swing upward or outward, the steel portion of the tailgate lowered into the body below the cargo floor and the rear window raised into the roof. The design featured a power-operated glass and either a manual or power-assist tailgate. The power tailgate, the first in station wagon history, ultimately supplanted the manual tailgate, which required marked effort to lift from storage.

The 1972 models saw the first wave of emissions reduction and safety equipment and updates. GTO was a now sub-series of the LeMans. The Tempest was discontinued, after being renamed 'T-37' and 'GT-37' for 1971. The base 1972 mid-sized Pontiac was now called LeMans. James MacDonald left the post of general manager to be replaced by Martin J. Caserio in late 1972. Caserio was the first manager in over a decade to be more focused on marketing and sales than on performance.

[[File:1973 Pontiac Grand Am.jpg|thumb|1973 [[Pontiac Grand Am]], the first model year of the Grand Am]]

For 1973, Pontiac followed suit with the rest of the General Motors divisions and introduced their variants of the all-new GM "A" body, known as the 'Colonnade' style due to the roof treatment's pillared look. "A" body Pontiac models included the mid-sized LeMans and all-new [[Pontiac Grand Am|Grand Am]] as part of the LeMans line. The compact Ventura and personal-luxury Grand Prix were also restyled for 1973. Other models, including the big cars and Firebirds, received only minor updates.

Again, power dropped across all engines as more emissions requirements came into effect. The 1973 Firebird Trans Am's factory-applied hood decal, a John Schinella stylized interpretation of [[Northwest Coast art|Native American bird designs]], took up most of the available space on the hood. Also in 1973, the new Super Duty 455 engine ("Super Duty" harkening back to Pontiac's Racing Engines) was introduced. Although it was originally to be available in GTOs and Firebirds, only a few SD 455 engines made it into Firebird Trans Ams that year. One so equipped was tested by ''Car and Driver'' magazine, which proclaimed it the last of the fast cars. The SD 455 was available for one more year in the Trans Am.

As emissions regulations were increasing, two of the three iterations of the {{convert|455|CID|L|1|abbr=on}} engine were discontinued after 1974, with the final version of the 455 remaining available through 1976.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hunting |first1=Benjamin |title=The Pontiac 455 V8 was The GTO and Firebird Brand's Last "Big Block" |url= https://www.drivingline.com/articles/the-pontiac-455-v8-was-the-gto-and-firebird-brands-last-big-block/ |work=DrivingLine |access-date=July 10, 2022 |date=May 20, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Pontiac Astre GT.jpg|thumb|1975 Pontiac Astre]]
[[File:PontiacGrandville1975.jpg|thumb|right|1975 [[Pontiac Grand Ville|Grand Ville]] was the last full-size convertible built by Pontiac.]]

For 1975, Pontiac introduced the new sub-compact [[Pontiac Astre|Astre]], a version of the [[Chevrolet Vega]]. This was the brand's entry into the fuel economy segment of the market. Astre had been sold exclusively in Canada since 1973. It was offered through the 1977 model year. 1975 would also be the end of Pontiac convertibles for the next decade.

The 1976 models were the last of the traditional American large cars powered by mostly big-block V8 engines. After this year, all GM full-size models would go through "downsizing" and shrink in length, width, weight, and available engine size. The 1976 [[Pontiac Sunbird|Sunbird]], based on the Chevrolet Vega and Monza's equivalent, joined the line. It was first offered as a Notchback, with a Hatchback body style added in 1977. The Vega Wagon body style was added in 1978, Sunbird Safari Wagon, replacing the Astre Safari Wagon. The Sunbird was offered in its rear-wheel-drive configuration through the 1980 model year. (Sunbird Safari wagon through 1979.)

For the 1977 model year, the full-sized Pontiacs received the same "downsizing" as GM's other "B" body cars. The Grand Ville was dropped, but the new Bonnevilles and Catalinas continued to be best-sellers, although their styling shared more similarity to the Chevrolet Caprice than ever before.

In mid-year 1977, Pontiac introduced the Phoenix, an upscale version of the Ventura which replaced the Ventura entirely after the end of the 1977 model year. Pontiac also introduced its {{convert|151|CID|L|1|abbr=on}} "[[GM Iron Duke engine|Iron Duke]]" 4-cylinder overhead valve engine. It was first used in the 1977 Astre, replacing Astre's aluminum-block {{convert|140|CID|L|1|abbr=on}} Vega engine. The 'Iron Duke' engine would later go into many GM and non-GM automobiles into the early 1990s. The 151 cubic inch I4 and the {{convert|301|CID|L|1|abbr=on}} V8 were the last two engines designed solely by Pontiac. Subsequent engine design would be accomplished by one central office with all designs being shared by each brand.

The remainder of the 1970s and the early 1980s saw luxury, safety, and economy becoming ever-more important selling points in Pontiac products. Wire-spoked wheel covers returned for the first time since the 1930s. More station wagons than ever were being offered. Padded [[vinyl roof]]s were options on almost every model. [[Rear-wheel drive]] began its slow demise with the introduction of the first [[front-wheel drive]] Pontiac, the 1980 Phoenix (a version of the [[Chevrolet Citation]]).

The Firebird was successfully marketed by [[product placement]] in the '[[Smokey and the Bandit]]' film and [[The Rockford Files]] TV show. The Firebird was available with Formula and Trans Am packages, and a turbocharged V8—a Pontiac first—was also available for the 1980 and 1981 model years.