Introduced in September 1975 for the 1976 model year, the first-generation Pontiac Sunbird was developed from the Pontiac Astre subcompact, itself a rebadged variant of the Chevrolet Vega, and a direct variant of the Chevrolet Monza.[1] The Sunbird and Monza competed against the Ford Mustang II, Mercury Capri, Toyota Celica and Volkswagen Scirocco. Total production reached 479,967 for model years 1976-1980.

While sharing a nameplate, the Pontiac Sunbird shared no commonality with the Australian-market Holden LX Sunbird.