There's Still Hope for the Pontiac G8
There is hope, be it ever so slight, that the Pontiac G8 may live on even though the brand it’s attached to is most certainly slated for elimination.
“I know there’s still discussions on it,” GM’s product boss Tom Stephens told Automotive News, giving some hope to the legions of G8 fans that haven’t had anything to get excited about since the fourth generation Firebird came out in 1993.
Stephens did add, however, that as Chevrolet already has several sedans, another one wasn’t really necessary.
The G8 could work as a high-performance SS version of the Impala, or even as the basis of a Buick vehicle – although that seems highly unlikely. And unfortunately for G8 fans, GM already has an excellent rear wheel drive platform that underpins the Cadillac CTS.
Still, the sun hasn’t quite set on the G8 and there’s plenty that can happen between now and the end of 2010 when Pontiac is scheduled to be scuttled.
GM has continued to insist that the Pontiac brand isn’t for sale and that it will be eliminated as a part of its Viability Plan. While the brand as a whole has struggled significantly in recent years, the G8 has been a success, with high sales and rave reviews from journalists. This has prompted some to speculate that the closing of Pontiac (a brand known for performance) may be more of a political decision than an economic one.
[Source: AutoWeek]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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I have just bought my 5th Holden, a 6.o lt G8 auto and it is the best vehicle Holden / GM has ever produced I believe GM's decision to drop the Pontiac G8 was a company political choice to reduce imports and to help the local US industry at the detriment of the better Aussie product
savingpontiac.org please go and at the very least sign the petition. People buy cool looking cars. Evidense is on the street with Mustang,Challenger.Charger, Camaro,and when you can see a car and it makes you want one,then it will sell. My point is laid out at the savingpontiac.org website. go there read the white paper and you'll see why Pontiac needs to come back. Lingenfelter and Trans Am Depot both have built new versions of a brand new Trans Am using the Camaro platform. Pontiac outsold Audi and Volvo combined in both 08 & 09. They sold almost as many Pontiacs as BMW. There is the Springhill Tennesee factory sitting idle that could be put back online building (to start) some Trans Ams and we at savingpontiac.org want to get a team together to draft some "cool looking Pontiacs" designs that will sell and build them as soon as GM gives us the permission to use the brand. You can buy one from Lingenfelter and/or Trans Am Depot and thats fine but we need the Pontiac brand back as it doesn't make sense from a business standpoint to close the brand. It was forced on GM as a condition of the bailout because it my opinion they don't want performance cars. But we as taxpayers who bought into GM should demand that they let the team at savingpontiac.org get it done. They have a business plan that shows profitability and as owners we demand a return on our investment. The formula is people will buy cool looking cars and Pontiac can return to building them. Some hate the idea of retro and others complain about a corporate platform/engine but you can't go backwards with technology and it appears that retro does sell. If the right designs comeup with a new "67 GTO" that looks cool like Ford did with the Mustnag and Dodge did with the Challenger well what do you think? am I nuts or is anyone with me? contact your congressman and signup and we will show the world what can be done.