Whether a company builds cars or boats, if it loses its edge or loses touch with new generations of customers and their changing tastes, it won’t survive.

That message was brought home with the official end Oct. 31 of General Motors’ Pontiac brand. Known for muscle cars such as the GTO, the 84-year-old Pontiac struggled to find its place in the modern automotive market.

Click here to read a New York Times story about the rise and fall of Pontiac.