It was bad enough when GM announced it was going to kill Pontiac--and the excellent G8 sedan along with it--but then the General toyed with us, giving us conflicting reports over whether the G8 would be sold as a Chevrolet once Pontiac goes away. (It won't.) Now not only will GM assemble more G8 sedans for Australia, but the Aussies will also get that nifty pickup version that never made it to production.
According to a report stemming from a dealer bulletin, GM's Australian division, Holden, will build about 1500 Pontiac G8 sedans, wagons, and utes to be sold as special edition Holden Commodore SS-Vs down under. The Commodore SS-V was rebadged and shipped to the U.S. as the G8 with unique front and rear fascias. These "special edition" versions will get all the body cladding from the G8 versions, including the trunk, front bumper, and grille, but will be badged as Holdens, not Pontiacs.
The dealer bulletin says Holden will build about 500 each of the sedan, wagon, and sport ute body styles. Here in the U.S., we were only offered the sedan, though we came close to getting the ute as well. Holden is reportedly building these last 1500 G8s to get rid of spare parts that can't be used for anything else. Each of the limited models will be sold for $1000 more than a regular SS-V version of the Commodore.
Holden spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale would not confirm the models. "We are always looking to introduce exciting special edition packs, but we haven't announced any special programs yet," she said.
Ironically, the Pontiac G8 seemed to be GM's most recession-proof vehicle: Sales were up more than 63 percent last month compared with a year earlier.
Read here.
http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2009/large-passenger/holden/commodore/exclusive-pontiac-g8-revived-in-australia-16339
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
seriously DIE A big DEATH
Gm just pisses me off sometimes....
Quiklilcav wrote:Of course. This makes sense if you think about where the new ownership of GM wants to take the American auto industry: it's a V8 vehicle. They want to reduce the number of V8s in the linup, and increase hybrids and 4 bangers, to get the CAFE numbers up.
Just stop.
Bush's new C.A.F.E. standards would have nothing to do on not building and bringing the remaining 1500 G8s here for 2009 M/Y. It is GM's pencil pushers that are being a pricks (again), much how they are disolving General Motors Performance Division which also carries 4cyl vehicles.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
well let's think about this...
GM is already building Holden's in Australia and has been for a while.
GM has left over parts from building the Pontiacs
GM can slap these parts on Holdens and make more money... makes sense to me?
instead of making them limited edition versions of the last Pontiacs ever? Talk about what awesome collectors items these would have been. They would have been THE perfect send off for GM's excitement division.
what a waste.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
Jookycola wrote:instead of making them limited edition versions of the last Pontiacs ever? Talk about what awesome collectors items these would have been. They would have been THE perfect send off for GM's excitement division.
what a waste.
Nothing is a collector's item these days. Limited edition, special edition, collector's edition, it's all bullsh*t. You could say it's only 1 of 1500, or blah blah blah, but it's not special, it's just another one of a million car.
Yeah, it sucks that their discontinuing the first good solid car they've had in a long time that appealed to the higher market without touching down on the 70+ buyer as well, but that's the game they're playing right now.
2010 Honda Fit LX
True but I agree it would have been a nicer send off for Pontiac to have one last blast of G8's, a true performer, instead of a re-badged Toyota that is far from performance based.
2007 Corvette Z51 | Suzuki Swift GTi SCCA racer | 2008 Edge
Seeing as how the car is a Holden and not a Pontiac, why should Holden have to give up teh sales just so a closed down brand can have them? Personaly I think they should have just left the car over there and built something here instead.
Let me respond to this with both shock and awe.
Yea I just cant seem to fake it.
JGM T-SHIRTS!!!!
In Loving Memory of Phil Martin December 14 2005
Alexis: Dustin, you're ghey, lol. I am better. I have tits, and tits rule all.
Nifty Pickup? You know how well that will sell? Remember the SSR? Nuff Said.
V8 Sport Sedans aren't exactly a booming market these days either.
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Rodimus Prime wrote:Nifty Pickup? You know how well that will sell? Remember the SSR? Nuff Said.
V8 Sport Sedans aren't exactly a booming market these days either.
The SSR was completely impractical. You cant make a 2 seat "pick up" off of the 360/370 platform and expect it to work. I dont know how well the Ute would sell here but I can assure you they are all over the place in Australia, and they had a much bigger "bed" than any SSR ever had. The SSR also cost way to much for what it was.
Quote:
V8 Sport Sedans aren't exactly a booming market these days either.
Apparently it is for the G8:
Quote:
From Goodwrench's 1st post
Ironically, the Pontiac G8 seemed to be GM's most recession-proof vehicle: Sales were up more than 63 percent last month compared with a year earlier.
It'd be a great sendoff for Pontiac if The last 500 of the G5's, G6's and G8's were top of the line performance GXP models. Take the G5 for instance, take a turbo Cobalt SS and replace the front bumper and tailights with the G5 ones and you have a G5 GXP. The least GM could do is give it a better sendoff than they did with the Olds brand.
Surely the thread title is a little over the top.
At one point, in my city, the last 100 or so G8's were sold off to a rental car company. They can't be selling very well.
I wonder what the currency exchange rate is. Unless there was an unreaistic margin in these, I wouldn't bring them in either.
Rodimus Prime wrote:Nifty Pickup? You know how well that will sell? Remember the SSR? Nuff Said.
V8 Sport Sedans aren't exactly a booming market these days either.
guess your not that familiar with the millions of elcamino's and ranchero's out there
gotta say since youve had the slobalt , youve gotten even more narrow minded
G8's here are rarely seen on the dealer lots , and it woulda been wise of GM to have brought them to the police force when they first came over , i know way to many cops that miss the caprice and hate the crown vic and tahoe's
[quote=97cavie24ls(�)]
Rodimus Prime wrote:Nifty Pickup? You know how well that will sell? Remember the SSR? Nuff Said.
V8 Sport Sedans aren't exactly a booming market these days either.
guess your not that familiar with the millions of elcamino's and ranchero's out there
gotta say since youve had the slobalt , youve gotten even more narrow minded
G8's here are rarely seen on the dealer lots , and it woulda been wise of GM to have brought them to the police force when they first came over , i know way to many cops that miss the caprice and hate the crown vic and tahoe's
I know of a Troy cop that just got a 2010 Camaro as his new patrol car.
if the el camino is so popular why was it cancelled 20 years ago? The only people its popular with is old mexicans
Its a @!#$ eyesore. Several companies have brought out car trucks and none have sold, Subaru Baja ring any bells?
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Rodimus Prime wrote:if the el camino is so popular why was it cancelled 20 years ago? The only people its popular with is old mexicans
Its a @!#$ eyesore. Several companies have brought out car trucks and none have sold, Subaru Baja ring any bells?
actually i know alot of old white greasemonkeys that love tryin to make that dead breed go,or even show.they don't just slap big ol rims on em and call it good.they actually put time,money and blood into em.but i am in agreeance with you on the fact that the car/truck is simply a retarted concept.
if any one needs me I'll be in Australia......
JGM T-SHIRTS!!!!
In Loving Memory of Phil Martin December 14 2005
Alexis: Dustin, you're ghey, lol. I am better. I have tits, and tits rule all.
