Last U.S. Pontiac rolls off the line

ORION, Mich., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The end of an iconic U.S. brand came without fanfare as the last Pontiac emerged from a General Motors Co. assembly line in Michigan.

GM kept the news media out of its Orion plant Wednesday as the last 100 Pontiac G6s rolled off the line, The Detroit News reported Thursday. The cars were part of an order by a single fleet.

The Pontiac made its debut in 1926 at the New York Auto Show. It was positioned in the GM lineup below the Oldsmobile and above the Chevrolet.

The combination of a car aimed at the middle-class and with a reputation as a muscle car in the 1960s helped make Pontiac the third-biggest seller among U.S. car brands after Chevrolet and Ford.

GM announced in April the Pontiac would be discontinued. A few Pontiac G3s will continue to be built in Mexico for sale in Canada into December.

The Orion plant is to begin producing a new small car in 2011.