While there is certainly much to argue about FWD vs RWD (vs AWD?) - and I have had my experiences with all of the above from years of ownership (in the north east) - the article says a lot more than just the thought of moving Pontiac to RWD only.
We have to remember that it's possible that Pontiac could go the way of Oldsmobile! They're trying to save the brand though (they tried to save Oldsmobile too with a new lineup of cars, but it didn't work) - and GM is seeing the problem of taking 1 car and rebadging it 5 times and giving each brand their own version of the same exact car.
It's a no win situation - somewhere, something has to give. If the division can't turn a profit, then they won't be able to make cars, and the dealers will be "out of work". So to sacrifice dealer profit for division stability makes a lot of sense. And to help offset this issue, they've even thought of a plan to align Pontiac with Buick and GMC in one dealership, with no overlapping vehicles.
Would Pontiac lose sales if they go to RWD only? Yeah - I'm sure of it. But - would they be able to forsee that issue, design some exciting cars, cut the fat out of the system, and have a focused division goal? That's possible - and that would all increase sales, and profits.
I spoke to some dealers about the new Solstice - there's currently a 4-6 month backlog on orders. That's down from a 1 year backlog when they first came out. This is a RWD 2 seat convertible costing on average $25k (optioned). The car is completely impractical, doesn't get that great of gas mileage, and isn't that great in the performance area either. Not to mention the abismal lack of usable trunk space. So why all the demand? B/c the car looks hot - it's something people want to drive. If all their models sold this well, they wouldn't be questioning the viability of the brand. If they need to cut their model lineup in half in order to achieve this, then it makes sense for them to do.
As for RWD cars - look at the overwhelming success of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans - rwd, but very strong sellers. Sure - traction in the snow sucks, even with fancy electronics. rain traction isn't great either, but neither is fwd in the rain. Most people have an SUV anyways - if the roads are that bad, they won't drive the rwd car - probably safer for them to stay off the roads anyways!
Me - I'm currenly loving my AWD car - it's really amazing in all weather conditions, and this particular AWD system works near flawlessly. Should all cars be AWD? Nah - those RWD cars can still be more fun to drive around in!
