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Update: Pontiac G3 likely ruled out for U.S.

 
7 2,384 views Aug 3, 2008

Update: Pontiac G3 likely ruled out for U.S.

Update: Pontiac G3 likely ruled out for U.S.

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Update: The Chevrolet Aveo's clone, the Pontiac G3, won't be part of GM's North American lineup, despite already being sold in Canada and Mexico. A Pontiac representative stated that the G3 has not been "approved for U.S. consumption" by General Motors, even though the EPA has already approved it for sale.

While the exact reasons the G3 won't be coming to the U.S. aren't entirely clear, previous speculation surmises that the G3 may not have fit in with Pontiac's performance image. The G3 has also encountered criticism for its relatively unimpressive mileage figures for a subcompact car, achieving just 27mpg (8.7L/100km) in the city and 34mpg (6.9L/100km) on the highway for the manual model, reports Edmunds.

Despite the lack of a G3 coming to American shores, Chevrolet is planning on building new compacts within the next few years that will make it to the U.S. - including one based on the Trax or Groove concepts shown at the New York Auto Show in 2007.

While currently the G3 Wave (as the G3 is dubbed in Canada) and the Aveo are imported from Korea, a new GM plant built in Mexico will likely take over production for the next generation Aveo and G3, which are set to arrive in around 2 years.

Original: GM’s Pontiac division in the U.S. is likely to expand with the introduction of the entry-level G3 subcompact sedan and hatch later this year. The car is based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Aveo and is already sold in Canada and Mexico.

The information comes from a dealer source, who revealed to Automotive News that GM will also add a redesigned Aveo5 five-door to its Chevrolet lineup in July. The EPA has already approved both vehicles for sale in the U.S. and lists them as 2009 models.

According to the EPA data, both the G3 and Aveo5 are powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder petrol engine matched to a four-speed automatic and deliver a fuel economy rating of 25mpg in the city and 34mpg on the highway.

The current Chevrolet Aveo five-door starts at $10,895 and pricing for the redesigned model is expected to remain the same. The new Pontiac G3 will likely be priced higher but its price, too, is expected to fall below the $15,895 sticker price of the Toyota-built Vibe.



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Comments (7)

  1. By chris Posted: 6/2/2008 9:41am PDT

    yeah, this was a shock to me... this car is definitely sold in canada, and definitely sells well too. I see just as many of these as the yaris sedan
     
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  2. By Jezza Posted: 6/2/2008 9:52am PDT

    This car is proof of everything that's wrong with GM today. It looks like a retarded jellybean.

    Their quick solution is to just rebadge another car without any care for the vehicle actually fitting in with the brand.

    And if you're going to rebadge something why not use a good car like the Saturn Aura?

    GM: the gold standard of mediocrity.
     
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  3. By chris Posted: 6/2/2008 10:05am PDT

    jez, GM and pontiac have always rebadged each other. and as far as the looks.... its a $10,000 car. what do you expect? it's really hard to take styling liberties on a car that is that small. besides, people who are looking at cars this small probably wont care much about the styling... and if they do, they can wait for the Fiesta in a couple years.

    if you don't think the vehicle fits the brand because it's a sub compact.. well.. times are changing.
     
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  4. By RB Posted: 6/7/2008 7:04am PDT

    Dont forget chaps its a daewoo!
     
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  5. By Jim Posted: 8/3/2008 8:30am PDT

    Finally someone at GM seems to get that the company needs fewer brands and fewer badge engineered models. For a G3 launch in the US to be successful would require a decent sized marketing budget, money that GM could invest more profitably elsewhere. Even then, it is likely a significant number of sales would have come at the expense of the Aveo, not just the Yaris and Fit, so what benefit would that be to GM?
     
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  6. By Michael D. Posted: 8/3/2008 12:03pm PDT

    No big loss for the USDM - it's just another clone which is really not neded. A model such as that is more suitable as a Chevrolet in the USDM as it is.
     
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  7. By NoNameDenton Posted: 8/3/2008 4:22pm PDT

    I agree with Michael, what we really need is for Chevy to fix the problems with the Aveo so it can match its competitors (Yaris, fit, Versa and the upcoming Fiesta).
     
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