📰 Auto News Driving Away Excitement: Pontiac Kills Rear-Wheel-Drive G8

[Mook]

no surprise to anyone

Driving Away Excitement: Pontiac Kills Rear-Wheel-Drive G8
Date posted: 10-22-2008

DETROIT — After acknowledging that there will be no replacement for the Solstice roadster, Pontiac looks like it will lose a little more excitement when the rear-wheel-drive G8 sedan goes out of production in about five years' time.

According to sources, Pontiac will not get a version of the next rear-drive platform that underpins the Australian Holden Commodore. This move is indicative of a fundamental switch in direction for Pontiac, the General Motors division that just a few years ago was envisioned by Bob Lutz to be the American BMW. The deaths of the Solstice and the eventual discontinuation of the next-generation G8 will leave Pontiac with zero rear-wheel-drive vehicles.

Pontiac already sells the G5, a Chevrolet Cobalt with the ol' excitement treatment and soon will begin selling a version of the subcompact Chevrolet Aveo called the G3. Not exactly sporting propositions, those.

Limited corporate resources and fear of rising fuel-economy standards look to be the prime drivers in the return of Pontiac to the badge-engineering days. Those limited funds might also explain why the midsize G6 sedan won't be substantially updated (to match the level of refinement of the recently revamped Chevy Malibu) for about another five years.

Inside Line says: You've still got plenty of time to pick up your very own G8 — the high-horsepower GXP and the quasi-pickup-truck ST versions are still to be introduced. But you don't have forever.

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[02BlueGT]

That Sucks, I had high hopes for the G8

 

[Yaj Yak]

thats retarded.

 

[Ron Vogel]

That Sucks, I had high hopes for the G8

Then buy one.



GM did it to themselves; car sucks gas, it's bloated and heavy, and costs too much.

I guess they decided to follow Mopar's business plan. Maybe GM and Chrysler ARE a good match.

 

[Lord Tin Foilhat]

im not surprised..

although i really did like the new looks of the g8

 

[02BlueGT]

Then buy one.



GM did it to themselves; car sucks gas, it's bloated and heavy, and costs too much.

I guess they decided to follow Mopar's business plan. Maybe GM and Chrysler ARE a good match.

I was waiting for a Gen II with all the bugs worked out, But I will get one eventually, Getting a house is first, then a new car further down the road

 

[AlmightyBirdman]

 

[Burtonrider10022]

that blows...

 

[Stink Star]

i would buy one if it didnt have a 7" display for battery voltage and oil pressure in the center of the dash.... seriously what the hell were they thinking?

 

[PANDA]

I hope they killed this project to develop more hybrid/fuel efficient cars and not for some gay FWD V8.

 

[dave8590]

i think they'll just have a new rear drive car, maybe a retro gto and maybe a trans am come back...

 

[Bru]

Although Chargers are outselling the G8 by a large margin, my guess is that many of those sales are from fleet and police cars.

While the G8 is an awesome car and a blast to drive on the street, there's really no need for a 15 mpg hot rod sedan anymore, and the V-6 doesn't get that much better fuel economy anyways. For its size and offerings, the V-8 is priced with its competition, though. The V-6, which should be the volume seller, is a joke.

 

[dave8590]

http://img.motorpasion.com/camaro_trans-am_concept.jpg

they just copied the camaro but pontiac always copies chevy or holden... so its no suprise

 

[Ron Vogel]

Although Chargers are outselling the G8 by a large margin, my guess is that many of those sales are from fleet and police cars.

While the G8 is an awesome car and a blast to drive on the street, there's really no need for a 15 mpg hot rod sedan anymore, and the V-6 doesn't get that much better fuel economy anyways. For its size and offerings, the V-8 is priced with its competition, though. The V-6, which should be the volume seller, is a joke.

I like the car, and I think it's the best in it's class...but it's a car for someone just like my age and income bracket. There are too many variables out to spend extra money to have "cool" car. Sensible and cheap is what people want right now.

 

[Bru]

Sensible and cheap is what people want right now.

You're right, and that's why Pontiac -- GM's "Excitement" division -- is quickly heading down the crapper.

 

[Burtonrider10022]

because chevy makes a more exciting G5, and so does saturn, so how does pontiac not get the G5 turbo instead of the cobalt? if it is supposed to be the exciting division why is GM giving the exciting shit to other divisions? and y dont they have a vette or other "supercar"

 

[Bru]

Because there's little demand for those cars, now. Hence the Solstice and G8 getting the axe, and the Vette temporarily stopping production to catch up with slowing demand.

 

[Burtonrider10022]

i agree, but if pontiac was ALL performance, and chevy had the base cobalt, but the G5 got the turbo, and there was no monte SS just a GP GXP, etc, there would be more demand for pontiacs, slightly, because they were the only gm "performance" brand, like pontiac should have brought back the T/A instead of chevy bringin the camaro

 

[Dasfinc]

because chevy makes a more exciting G5, and so does saturn, so how does pontiac not get the G5 turbo instead of the cobalt? if it is supposed to be the exciting division why is GM giving the exciting shit to other divisions? and y dont they have a vette or other "supercar"

Google Cadillac XLR-V

Pontiac has never had a 'super' car really.


I think the reason for the Cobalt TC was the SS Moniker.

Pontiac's GXP moniker doesn't have the same 'meaning' as SS IMO. (even though its the same, if that makes sense)

 

[Bru]

The high-performance models are such low-volume cars that it's my guess there wouldn't be any profit to be had. I think the introduction of a G3 seals the fate of Pontiac and gives an indication of the desperation to sell the image a small, fuel-efficient car, even though the larger G5 XFE gets better mileage.

 

[Ron Vogel]

Chevy vs. Pontiac...the Chevy's are much nicer (hate to say). I am a fan of Pontiacs, but GM has not been playing favorites with the brand. Compare a G6 GXP to a Malibu LTZ and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[Bru]

Absolutely. Chevrolet is their highest-volume automaker, which is also why Chevrolet got dibs on the Volt. The G6 was the first use of that platform and partially why it's not as good as the Malibu, then came the Saturn Aura, which was marginally better, and then the Malibu, which is the best example of that platform.

 

[TommyGloves]

Let's revisit this post in 3-4 years when the economy gets pumped back up, people have cash in their pocket and are wanting to do "feel good" spending becuase of the "slump we just got out of".

This decision sounds vaguely familiar to GM decisions a few years back about the GTO and RWD platform. I'm sure this FWD/RWD decision will happen a few more times in our lifetime. It's all cyclical.

.

 

[SRT41320]

if we get out of this slump...

 

[Dasfinc]

Let's revisit this post in 3-4 years when the economy gets pumped back up, people have cash in their pocket and are wanting to do "feel good" spending becuase of the "slump we just got out of".

This decision sounds vaguely familiar to GM decisions a few years back about the GTO and RWD platform. I'm sure this FWD/RWD decision will happen a few more times in our lifetime. It's all cyclical.

.

It was the late 80's, early 90's when they pushed damn near everything to FWD, and then it was early 2000's I feel they tried starting going back toward RWD again for many new/redesigned models (Chrysler 300C, Cross-fire *bad example I know, but an example*, the new mustang, thunderbird, the CTS, and a bunch of others) and now back again to a mostly FWD Eco-minded market.