Aztek beginnings article: http://www.autosavant.com/2011/01/15/he ... iac-aztek/
From concept to reality, even an important note about the (lack of) badge engineering:
It's crazy how similar GM and Microsoft are. Early adopters with new trends yet they often sacrifice aesthetics for functionality. I'm thinking of Windows Mobile here...Two final points: The “old” GM often caught flak for its extensive use of badge engineering, but it’s interesting that the automaker’s initial entries in the crossover segments—the Aztek and Buick Rendezvous—looked nothing alike. If the Aztek had become a success, maybe it would have inspired GM to invest more heavily in differentiating its products before it became too late. And similarly, Pontiac could have had a very different future, too, if it had been able to cash in on this opportunity to launch one of the industry’s first sporty crossovers.