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Motor Authority - blog Category: G8

  • Bob Lutz kills rumors of Pontiac G8 becoming Chevy Caprice

    Bob Lutz kills rumors of Pontiac G8 becoming Chevy Caprice July 16th, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, July 16th, 2009 Ralph Hanson 41 Comments

    Bob Lutz kills rumors of Pontiac G8 becoming Chevy Caprice Pontiac may be dead in the water but some enthusiasts - and until today, Bob Lutz among them - have been clamoring for at least one of the brand’s cars to be rebadged and sold under another GM brand - the Australian-built Pontiac G8. Designed and constructed by GM's Holden subsidiary Down Under, the G8 had been pegged for re-branding as a Chevrolet Caprice. Today, however, Bob Lutz made it clear that no such plans are in the works.

    GM CEO Fritz Henderson has previously answered with a resounding "no" when talking about a future for the Pontiac G8 GXP, but today's news sounds the death knell for the more rational G8 and G8 GT as well.... Pontiac may be dead in the water but some enthusiasts - and until today, Bob Lutz among them - have been clamoring for at least one of the brand’s cars to be rebadged and sold under another GM brand - the Australian-built Pontiac G8. Designed and constructed by GM's Holden subsidiary Down Under, the G8 had been pegged for re-branding as a Chevrolet Caprice. Today, however, Bob Lutz made it clear that no such plans are in the works. GM CEO Fritz Henderson has previously answered with a resounding "no" when talking about a future for the Pontiac G8 GXP, but today's news sounds the death knell for the more rational G8 and G8 GT as well. On the GM Fastlane Blog, Lutz wrote, "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. 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." Henderson ostensibly remains committed to retain other aspects of GM's sporting heritage, including previous assurances that the Corvette will remain in the portfolio along with other performance models. The G8-to-Caprice rumor started with Lutz himself. Within hours of announcing his plans to take on a marketing role at GM, Lutz revealed to Automobile Magazine that the Pontiac G8 would find its way into Chevrolet showrooms under the Caprice name. "The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Lutz also explained that GM’s U.S. operations still has export agreements with Australia and its Holden subsidiary, and also mentioned that the Pontiac G8 is sold in other markets, such as South Africa and the Middle East, wearing Chevrolet badges. The rumor gained further credence when an 'insider' revealed a supposed plan from within GM. Speaking with Automotive News, the insider claimed that one possible option was to make the G8 a Chevrolet flagship sedan and price it relatively high. The insider also reaffirmed Lutz’s comments that the car would likely be renamed the Caprice, as well as revealing that the 415hp (310kW) G8 GXP might be retained as a sort of a “five-passenger Corvette” type of vehicle as well as a law enforcement vehicle. Instead, the new national fuel economy standards have carried the day, and the G8 will no longer see American shores under any badge. Unfortunately, the model loss may not stop there, as GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson explained that there are “real issues with CAFE and rear-wheel drive.”2009 Pontiac G8 GXPPontiac G8 Read More

  • Hurst announces Pontiac G8 H.O. 'Executive Hot Rod'

    Hurst announces Pontiac G8 H.O. 'Executive Hot Rod' June 30th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson Nelson Ireson, Author, June 30th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 3 Comments

    Hurst announces Pontiac G8 H.O. 'Executive Hot Rod' The Pontiac G8 - and its entire brand - are nearly extinct, but there's time for one last hurrah at Hurst. The historic hot rod company has plans to build 52 special-edition Hurst/Pontiac H.O versions of the G8 as well as a G6 convertible.

    Like the Hurst Challengers released late last year, the H.O. - High Output - G8 is intended to be a modern-day interpretation of George Hurst's 'Executive Hot Rod' concept. Each of the 52 cars will be hand-built and numbered to reflect their limited-edition status. Available colors include white/gold and black/gold two-tone affairs, complemented by Hurst wheels.

    Some of the modifications planned to... The Pontiac G8 - and its entire brand - are nearly extinct, but there's time for one last hurrah at Hurst. The historic hot rod company has plans to build 52 special-edition Hurst/Pontiac H.O versions of the G8 as well as a G6 convertible. Like the Hurst Challengers released late last year, the H.O. - High Output - G8 is intended to be a modern-day interpretation of George Hurst's 'Executive Hot Rod' concept. Each of the 52 cars will be hand-built and numbered to reflect their limited-edition status. Available colors include white/gold and black/gold two-tone affairs, complemented by Hurst wheels. Some of the modifications planned to transform the G8 to H.O. status include the usual slate of Hurst interior and exterior accessories, plus a re-worked suspension and a supercharger for the V8 under the hood. The Hurst G6 convertibles are designed to commemorate Hurst director emeritus Doc Watson's pace cars. They will be used as parade vehicles and special-event cars. "Doc started all of this with George back in 1960 with Hurst Performance Research. His Hurst H.O. Pontiacs have stormed drag strips and main streets across the country for 50 years," said Hurst Chairman, Nate Shelton. "There could not be a better time to honor Doc and the legendary Pontiac marque." The Hurst Pontiacs will be available for ordering starting August 1 at the Hurst Performance website. Read More

  • Pontiac G8 may live on as police squad car

    Pontiac G8 may live on as police squad car April 28th, 2009 ByJeremy Weber Jeremy Weber, Author, April 28th, 2009 Jeremy Weber 0 Comments

    Pontiac G8 may live on as police squad car General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the Holden-sourced G8 will die out along with its adopted Pontiac brand at the end of 2010, but the sporty sedan may live on in the U.S. at the hands of local police squads around the country. The G8 is essentially a rebadged Holden Commodore sedan and was recently spotted outside the Aussie division’s headquarters in Port Melbourne, Victoria, draped in full Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) livery.

    This suggests that Holden is working on a separate U.S. export program for the G8 as a police squad car. GoAuto is reporting that up to 40,000 Commodores could be shipped to the U.S.... General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the Holden-sourced G8 will die out along with its adopted Pontiac brand at the end of 2010, but the sporty sedan may live on in the U.S. at the hands of local police squads around the country. The G8 is essentially a rebadged Holden Commodore sedan and was recently spotted outside the Aussie division’s headquarters in Port Melbourne, Victoria, draped in full Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) livery. This suggests that Holden is working on a separate U.S. export program for the G8 as a police squad car. GoAuto is reporting that up to 40,000 Commodores could be shipped to the U.S. annually for police service, where the cars would be badged as Chevrolets. If the program proves successful, there is a chance that the cars will also be exported to Canada, the UK and the Middle East. The car spotted outside Holden’s headquarters is actually a LAPD prototype model produced by the National Safety Agency (NSA) in Australia. It was co-developed with the LAPD and has since been doing the rounds at various international police presentations. The NSA is currently in talks with nine separate U.S. law enforcement jurisdictions, which together represent a fleet of up to 40,000 vehicles a year. Most are interested in finding a suitable replacement for the aging Crown Victoria, which Ford builds in a run of 60,000 units per year for various jurisdictions. Later this year, NSA will send two of the prototypes to the U.S. for testing but things are still in the early stages and any deal could still be years away. Read More

  • GM to drop Pontiac by 2010, trade majority stake to U.S. Treasury

    GM to drop Pontiac by 2010, trade majority stake to U.S. Treasury April 27th, 2009 ByJeremy Weber Jeremy Weber, Author, April 27th, 2009 Jeremy Weber 32 Comments

    GM to drop Pontiac by 2010, trade majority stake to U.S. Treasury It’s official. Pontiac will be phased out from General Motors’ portfolio by 2010 as revealed today in the carmaker’s updated Viability Plan, designed to speed the restructuring of its operations in the U.S. into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive unit. The latest Viability Plan was included in an exchange offer whereby GM is also offering certain bondholders shares of GM common stock and accrued interest in exchange for certain outstanding notes that total some $27 billion. One of those bondholders is the U.S. Treasury, which, under the plan offered by GM, could leverage its $15.4 billion in... It’s official. Pontiac will be phased out from General Motors’ portfolio by 2010 as revealed today in the carmaker’s updated Viability Plan, designed to speed the restructuring of its operations in the U.S. into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive unit. The latest Viability Plan was included in an exchange offer whereby GM is also offering certain bondholders shares of GM common stock and accrued interest in exchange for certain outstanding notes that total some $27 billion. One of those bondholders is the U.S. Treasury, which, under the plan offered by GM, could leverage its $15.4 billion in already-granted loans and another $11.6 billion in future loans to gain a majority stake in GM. The Treasury's majority share means it would be able to appoint all of GM's directors, veto shareholder actions and generally dictate how the company is run. The move essentially gives the government a stick from which to dangle its carrot. The transfer of power to the Treasury will likely take place before the June 1 deadline, though it's not yet clear when. Speaking with Motor Authority in a conference call this afternoon, Ray Young said, "The government itself is not involved in the day-by-day operations of General Motors." The White House reiterated that stance today, saying that it has "no desire to run an auto company on a day-to-day basis." President Obama has previously stated that, "The United States government has no interest in running GM. We have no intention of running GM," but by taking a majority stake in GM under the proposed debt-for-equity deal, it may be obligated to do just that. Beyond the U.S. Treasury's plans, however, GM has its own plans for the future. As Young said today, "Our next job here is to complete the restructuring, start executing the plan, work with the UAW and U.S. Treasury to finalize the VEBA modifications as well as the U.S. Treasury debt conversion and most importantly get through the bond exchange through the month of May." The latest Viability Plan builds on the original version submitted to the U.S. Treasury back in February, and outlines plans to accelerate the timeline for a number of important actions and make deeper cuts in several key areas of GM's operations. The main change is a focus on four core brands in the U.S. - Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC – and the shedding of almost half of GM’s dealerships, as a result of which the Pontiac brand will be phased out by the end of 2010, leaving GM with a total of 34 nameplates – a reduction of 29% from 48 nameplates in 2008. Pontiac was one of the easier GM brands to drop due to its relatively small lineup, consisting of just six models, plus the fact that many Pontiac dealership franchises have already been consolidated with Buick and GMC. The revised plan also moves up the resolution of Saab, Saturn, and Hummer to the end of 2009, at the latest. GM anticipates reducing its U.S. dealer count from 6,246 in 2008 to 3,605 by the end of 2010, a reduction of 42%. Other major cutbacks include reducing the total number of assembly, powertrain, and stamping plants in the U.S. from 47 in 2008 to 34 by the end of 2010 and to just 31 by 2012. Furthermore, U.S. hourly employment levels are projected to be reduced from about 61,000 in 2008 to 40,000 in 2010, and level off at about 38,000 starting in 2011. GM also plans to continue discussions with the UAW to modify the terms of the Voluntary Employee Benefit Association (VEBA) agreement, and with the U.S. Treasury regarding possible conversion of its debt to stock as well. In total, the U.S. Treasury debt conversion, VEBA modification and bond exchange could result in at least $44 billion in debt reduction. The cost savings from all the restructuring is expected to allow GM’s North American operations to break even with total industry sales volume of 10 million vehicles. The lower break-even point better positions GM to generate positive cash flow and earn an adequate return on capital over the course of a normal business cycle, a requirement set forth by the U.S. Treasury. Read More

  • Pontiac G8 sees record sales amid harrowed industry

    Pontiac G8 sees record sales amid harrowed industry March 23rd, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, March 23rd, 2009 Ralph Hanson 0 Comments

    Pontiac G8 sees record sales amid harrowed industry Incentives, incentives, incentives. That's the name of the game at all of the major carmakers these days, and in many cases, it's paying off. Take the Pontiac G8 for example: despite a market that's off over 40%, the G8 sedan saw its best sales ever last month - over double the number sold in January.

    The final tally for February was 2,707 of the roomy sedans sold, up 1,376 from the 1,331 sold in January, and up 27% from the previous best sales month for the car, which happened in April, 2008.

    At the same time, General Motors' overall sales fell over 50% against February 2008 to just 53,813 cars. Nevertheless, the high sales numbers for... Incentives, incentives, incentives. That's the name of the game at all of the major carmakers these days, and in many cases, it's paying off. Take the Pontiac G8 for example: despite a market that's off over 40%, the G8 sedan saw its best sales ever last month - over double the number sold in January. The final tally for February was 2,707 of the roomy sedans sold, up 1,376 from the 1,331 sold in January, and up 27% from the previous best sales month for the car, which happened in April, 2008. At the same time, General Motors' overall sales fell over 50% against February 2008 to just 53,813 cars. Nevertheless, the high sales numbers for the high-value - and in GT and GXP trims, high-performing - sedan hint that the future may not be as bleak as it had seemed just a few short months ago. You do have to wonder, however, how much money Pontiac is actually making after about $3,000 in incentives on each car.2009 Pontiac G8 GXPUpdated: 2008 Pontiac G8 sedan Read More

  • 400hp for $35,000: Pontiac G8 GXP and Dodge Charger SRT8 after incentives

    400hp for $35,000: Pontiac G8 GXP and Dodge Charger SRT8 after incentives March 5th, 2009 ByJames Martinez James Martinez, Author, March 5th, 2009 James Martinez 0 Comments

    400hp for $35,000: Pontiac G8 GXP and Dodge Charger SRT8 after incentives Whoever said the muscle car era was dead and gone? Right now you can drive away with more than 400hp (298kW) under the hood for around $35,000. The poor state of the economy is taking its toll on vehicle sales (GM just posted its worst sales figures since 1967 in February) but this is also having a positive effect on the level of vehicle discounting that’s happening around the country.

    Two specials this month are the 2009 model Pontiac G8 GXP and Dodge Charger SRT8. The G8 GXP is listed at $37,610 but depending on where you live the 415hp (309kW) muscle-bound sedan comes with up to $3,000 in cash-back offers or various 0% financing... Whoever said the muscle car era was dead and gone? Right now you can drive away with more than 400hp (298kW) under the hood for around $35,000. The poor state of the economy is taking its toll on vehicle sales (GM just posted its worst sales figures since 1967 in February) but this is also having a positive effect on the level of vehicle discounting that’s happening around the country. Two specials this month are the 2009 model Pontiac G8 GXP and Dodge Charger SRT8. The G8 GXP is listed at $37,610 but depending on where you live the 415hp (309kW) muscle-bound sedan comes with up to $3,000 in cash-back offers or various 0% financing options. However, as KickingTires points out, you need to add to this a $1,700 gas-guzzler so at the end of the day you’re looking at around $36,310. As for the Charger, the 425hp (317kW) SRT8 range-topped is listed at $41,120, including the gas-guzzler tax and $750 destination charge, but throw in the company’s employee pricing discount and this price falls to $37,516. The story doesn’t end there as Chrysler is offering a $2,000 cash-back bonus in most areas and an additional $1,000 if you finance through Chrysler Financial – the end result is a drive away price of $34,516. Even in these dark times it’s always worth looking at the bright side. We just wonder how much longer GM and Chrysler will be able to offer such generous discounts on their vehicles. Last month saw Chrysler incentives total $5,566 for every car it sold, an unsustainable amount in anyone’s books.2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Read More

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