http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/11/rumormill-gm-slashing-pontiac-g8-production-by-97/
Quote:
The Pontiac G8 has received mainly positive reviews since it first hit roads here in the U.S. last year. Unfortunately, what it hasn't gotten a lot of is actual sales. The usual combination of high gas prices in the first half of 2008 and the financial crisis in the second half has hit the G8 particularly hard. It looks like Pontiac will give the G8 almost the same treatment as it gave the Saturn Astra. While Saturn chose to skip the entire 2009 model year because of the high number of left-over '08 Astras they still had on hand, the 2009 G8 is at least being built, but barely.
According to an insider at the GM Source, it now appears that Feb-June 2009 production volumes of the G8 are being cut from a planned 10,000 units to under 1,000. That's a 97% reduction versus projection, and July-October volumes are evidently also being cut by 79% from earlier production schedules. As much as the hardcore among us may have cheered Maximum Bob Lutz's plan to transform Pontiac into a rear-drive performance brand, it looks like the marketplace just isn't interested. Perhaps if GM had the spare cash to market the brand properly, it could be viable. In all likelihood, the G8's days are numbered just like the GTO before it, and possibly the Pontiac brand as well. Thanks for the tip, Josh!
Discuss.
Im sure this will put a damper on the OVERPRICED 45k G8 GXP
The REAL reason the G8's and Astras aren't selling?
over priced+obnoxous dealer mark up's=no consumer interest.
In the case of the Astra it cost the same as the Cobalt but it's smaller, and vastly under powered for the $$$ they are asking. In the case of the G8 dealers are greedy and marking them up to price points people would rather spend else where. GM needs to get their dealer network in order, their greed is killing their newest and most stellar products.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
I think with that news of the G8 cuts, the dealers will start calling them "rare" and up their mark ups too. Dealer greed and also cooperate greed has pretty much put a really big steak in the heart of the automotive industry.
they never should have brought it out in the first place
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Rodimus Prime wrote:they never should have brought it out in the first place
WRONG!! This is an awesome car, a great value and puts up a good competition to its intended market. The problem with this car is/was TIMING. GM brought a relatively low economy RWD sports sedan to a high gas price tanking economy market. In the mid 90's this would have been a killer...
