General Motors has confirmed that Pontiac's struggling Torrent SUV will be canned this week due to poor sales and a need to remarket the brand as a lineup that specializes in cars. The news comes from the company’s North American vice-president of Buick, Pontiac and GMC, Susan Docherty, who confirmed that the Torrent is the only Pontiac model being discontinued in the near term.

This means that Pontiac will continue to sell its mainstays, such as the G5, G6, G8, Solstice, Vibe and the upcoming G3. Docherty explained to Edmunds that the Torrent was being discontinued to "enable the brand to focus on cars" and fuel economy.

Additionally, sales of the Torrent are down by over 50% in February 2009 compared to the same period last year, making the car unfeasible to maintain in the current GM portfolio. While media speculation is rife about the possible demise of Pontiac and the brand's hazy future, Docherty stated that GM is still considering its position on Pontiac and that it will not let "media speculation and negativity" influence any decision.

Refocusing the Pontiac brand on fuel economy also fits in line with rumors that the brand will be receiving its own variant of the Volt at some point. Since August last year there has been speculation that Pontiac will be the first GM brand to get the Volt's technology following Chevrolet.