SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

One year after the last remaining Pontiac dealership shut down for good on Oct. 31, Edmunds.com discovered General Motors has managed to maintain — and even grow — the loyalty rate of former Pontiac owners.

Edmunds.com found that 39.9 percent of Pontiac owners who traded in for a new vehicle this year opted for a GM vehicle. This retention rate is 8 percentage points greater than GM’s retention rate in 2010, and it represents the highest retention rate since 2007 when the rate was also 39.9 percent.

Analysts determined GM’s Chevrolet brand has been most successful in retaining former Pontiac owners this year, with 28.1 percent choosing Chevy as their new nameplate.

Edmunds.com’s examination also uncovered that Chevy sales to former Pontiac owners were particularly strong in January and February of this year when GM made aggressive incentives plays to retain old customers and conquest new ones.

“Any time a manufacturer shuts down a brand, there’s a concern that its consumers will shift loyalties to another company,” explained Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Edmunds.com.

“General Motors took a calculated risk that it could retain Pontiac drivers under its umbrella, and the gamble appears to have paid off — with even more success than they enjoyed in previous years when Pontiac was still an option for returning customers,” Krebs continued.

Meanwhile, Ford has been the most successful outside brand to conquest Pontiac owners this year, according to Edmunds.com.

An estimated 9.4 percent of former Pontiac owners have jumped to Ford this year. But analysts pointed out the rate is down from last year’s reported 12.4 percent.

Edmunds.com also noted Honda and Toyota have each managed to conquest an estimated 7.4 percent of Pontiac customers, which is for both brands a lower rate than last year.

When Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com first reported the news of Pontiac’s demise in 2009, the percentage of people who traded their Pontiac for another Pontiac was 16 percent.

By comparison, 50 percent of GM car owners at the time traded in their vehicle for another GM model, according to Edmunds.com’s data.

While GM no longer manufacturers Pontiac, the automaker is still moving certified pre-owned models that have that badge.

According to information from Autodata Corp., GM sold 1,529 certified Pontiacs in September and 20,091 units through the first nine months of the year.