We’ll miss Pontiac’s hottest rocket, even with an automatic.

We maintain respect for the storied nameplates of Pontiac’s glory years, despite the fact that many of us at Car and Driver grew up when General Motors’ “excitement brand” was slinging LeMans-badged Daewoo hatchbacks, A-body Pontiac 6000 sedans, and a parade of laughable Firebird Trans-Ams that helped steer the brand toward a decade-long addiction to injection-molded excess. Oh, and we can’t forget the Aztek, even though we’d like to.

But when GM decided earlier this year that Pontiac was a non-core entity, and thus disposable, the wasting away of the legendary division was all but complete. One only needs to look at the company’s media website, where the only current Pontiac highlighted is the 2010 Vibe—a re-badged Toyota Matrix hatchback that muddied the brand’s ethos more than anything else—to see that the pioneering spirit behind the muscle car has been completely forsaken. Thankfully, the Vibe aside, Pontiac’s exit from the marketplace will be marked by the smoking tire treads of its most powerful and probably best vehicle ever: the 415-hp 2009 G8 GXP.

Keep Reading: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Automatic – Short Take Road Test

Related posts:

1. 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP – Short Take Road Test
2. 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe – Short Take Road Test
3. 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP – Second Short Take

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac

General Motors' newly-appointed Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, has penned a post on GM's Fast Lane blog that can be boiled down to two words: My bad.

A flurry of reports spurred on by Lutz' comments that GM was considering adapting the Pontiac G8 into a reborn, rear-wheel drive Chevrolet Caprice have been downplayed by a number of the General's generals, including CEO Fritz Henderson. In Lutz' post, he put the final nail in the G8-cum-Caprice's coffin saying:

"The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste.

"That's all still true. But I have to say that, with my new "marketing" hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be."

Lutz is quick to point out that the decision to kill the G8 will have no effect on GM's future rear-drive vehicles, and he went on to say, "... we have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now."

So... nothing to see here people. Move along...

[Source: GM FastLane Blog]

From the Horse's Mouth: Lutz says Pontiac G8 won't spawn Chevrolet Caprice originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Police/Emergency

Ever since General Motors announced this spring that it was killing the Pontiac brand as part of its restructuring, fans of the Holden-developed G8 sedan have been clamoring to save it as a Chevrolet. After company officials repeatedly said over the past two months that no such thing would happen, Bob Lutz re-lit the fire last week in one of his first pronouncements after un-retiring. Lutz proclaimed that the G8 would indeed become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

During our first drive of the new Buick LaCrosse this week, we had the opportunity on one of the legs to ride with GM CEO Fritz Henderson, and we pressed him for more details on the Caprice plan. Unfortunately it turns out Henderson brought his portable fire extinguisher with him, telling us:

We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

Henderson also threw a soaking wet blanket on the idea of adding production to Oshawa alongside the Camaro, saying that the cars will continue to be sourced from Australia. So, for the moment, it looks like Zeta sedan fans will probably have to be content with taking a Blues Brothers approach to the problem: Buying their next car as a decommissioned black-and-white.

[Image: GoAuto]

Fritz Henderson to Autoblog: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac, Australia

When General Motors' Bob Lutz talks, we listen. The reason, of course, is that he always gives us something good to write. Over the weekend, we told you about an interview Lutz had with Automobile Magazine where the Maximum One said that the G8 will live on as a Chevrolet Caprice. Lutz's comments looked like a sure thing to us, as it's hard to misinterpret these words.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet. It is kind of too good to waste."

Just a few days later, Blogger Bob sounded a bit less certain about the future of the G8 as Chevrolet. On the company's Fast Lane Blog, Lutz simply said "we're studying the feasibility of bringing (the G8) in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public." That doesn't sound nearly as certain as the Automobile interview.

Kicking Tires reportedly received a similar statement from GM brass, saying "As part of its reinvention, General Motors is exploring every opportunity of effectively utilizing its global portfolio of vehicles, facilities and talent. While this exploration includes the possibility of extending imports of Holden vehicles (such as the recent Pontiac G8) to North America, no decision has been made at this time."

We're hoping this is corporate speak for 'We're going to do what Bob says, but we just don't want to promise anything just yet.' Turning the G8 into a Chevrolet model looks to us like the cheapest possible way to keep a terrific vehicle available in the States, and with the Bowtie's significantly larger dealer network, maybe GM can finally figure out how to turn a profit with with the awesome Aussie.



[Sources: Automobile Magazine; Kicking Tires; Auto Observer]

GM beginning to backpedal on Lutz' G8-turning-Caprice comments? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac

During a Web-chat held on General Motors' FastLane blog, GM's former product head and newly appointed Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, sat down with the unwashed throngs to take questions and a deliver a few tender morsels to the product obsessed.

Chief among them was Lutz' confirmation that a Cadillac CTS-V coupe is on the way. "As of now," Lutz told the assembled Netizens, "the V package is planned only for the sedan and coupe." As for more CTS-V models - specifically a Sport Wagon variant - Lutz said, "... should sufficient demand materialize, there is no reason why we couldn't do a V-Series wagon, and I would be standing in line for one, just ahead of you." That doesn't sound encouraging, but at least it's on the table.

Lutz also discussed the possibility of the Pontiac G8 being branded as the Caprice and said, "...we're studying the feasibility of bringing it in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public."

Lutz when on to address questions about GM's green image, alternative fuels and powertrains, some of his controversial statements from the past and his affection for Jeremy Clarkson. You can read it all here, and hope these chats become a regular occurrence from GM execs.



[Source: GM FastLane]

Lutz confirms Cadillac CTS-V coupe is coming, sport wagon... doubtful originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM

Bob Lutz is back, and after what seems like five minutes into his job as GM's new marketing kingpin, he's doing what he does best: making headlines. Rest assured that this is a good thing, as El Generalissimo Roberto Maximo told Automobile Magazine that yes, the Pontiac G8 will live on in the United States as the Chevy Caprice. So much for Fritz "I'm not a fan of rebadging" Henderson's statement to the contrary a couple of weeks ago.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet. It is kind of too good to waste," Lutz told the mag. As for the G8 being "too good to waste": Amen to that, Bob. This also makes us wonder if law enforcement-grade models will be part of the deal with Holden to continue production. Chevy Caprice police cars? That's got a very familiar ring to it. The next question is whether a U.S. Caprice would mimic the Middle East-market Caprice, which is based on the long-wheelbase Holden Caprice/Statesman, or whether it will simply be a Chevy-badged version of the standard-wheelbase Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8/Chevrolet Lumina. Frankly, as long as there's ultimately a Caprice SS that is identical to the Pontiac G8 GXP in every critical way, we don't care.

In his conversation with Automobile, Lutz also essentially confirms that next year's Cadillac CTS coupe will be joined by a V-series variant, saying that the CTS-V coupe was the car that had most of the Presidential Task Force members' tongues wagging during the product-pipeline tour they were given by GM. Lutz even hints that a CTS-V wagon is not completely out of the question. (We'll take the wagon in brown, with the stick, Bob.)

On the bad news side, in a separate blog post, Automobile reports that Lutz kind of throws dirt on the idea of an LSA-powered Camaro Z28 (though he doesn't specifically state that the program's toast). He says that for "mainstream" sports models like the Camaro, powerful sixes (like the one in the Camaro LS and LT) and turbo fours (like the one used in the now-dead Cobalt SS, HHR SS and Solstice GXP) are more indicitive of the automaker's future direction in that regard. Hmmm. Well then, how about bolting a blower to the direct-injected V6?

Welcome back, Bob. This sounds like it could get pretty fun.




[Source: Automobile Magazine]

BREAKING: Lutz says Pontiac G8 to survive as Chevy Caprice in U.S.; Camaro Z28 reportedly dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How’s this for unfortunate timing? Just two months after GM axed the Pontiac brand, Hurst Performance Vehicles announces modified versions of two Pontiac models.

The tuning company will hand-build 52 “H.O.” copies of the 2010 G8. Details are sketchy, but the cars will be supercharged and ride on stiffened suspension. Like past Hurst special editions, white-on-gold and black-on-gold paint schemes, as well as forged wheels and a Hurst shifter, will be obligatory. Hurst also plans to offer ten modified G6 convertibles to serve as “parade and special event cars.” Whatever that means.

Check back August 1, when we should have full details and pricing on the Hurst cars.

Read about Pontiac’s demise: Pontiac Killed by GM - Feature

Read about another Hurst special: Hurst Dodge Viper – Car News

Filed under: Sedan, Buick, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac, Rumormill

The brand's demise next year will mark the end of the Pontiac G8, but there's a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for the Aussie-built sports sedan. Speaking with Automotive News, Tom Stephens, General Motors' vice chairman of global product development, said "there's still discussions on" resurrecting the G8, "but Chevrolet already has several sedans. How many sedans do you need to cover the waterfront?"

His comments don't imbue us with much hope for the G8's future, particularly after GM CEO Fritz Henderson has clearly stated that no Pontiac models will live on within the "new" GM. Although there's a groundswell of enthusiast support for the General to replace the Impala SS - due to be killed next year - with the G8, or possibly offer the rear-wheel drive sedan as a Buick model, the idea doesn't seem to be gaining traction within the automaker.



[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Pontiac G8 could live on, sans Pontiac... but don't hold your breath originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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