đź“° Auto News Official: The El Camino rises from the dead

Mook

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http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/15/new-york-08-preview-2010-pontiac-sports-truck-gm-wants-you-to/

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After more than two decades, the ghost of the El Camino has finally risen from the grave, at least for U.S. drivers. It never actually went away in Australia. Now that the Pontiac G8 has ushered in a new era of affordable rear-wheel-drive performance at General Motors, the car-based pickup truck, or Ute as they are called Down Under, is coming back. Rumors have been flying for months about a G8 Ute and GM even showed the GMC Denali XT concept at the Chicago Auto Show last month – a four-door ute with a two-mode hybrid power-train that may or may not see production.

What we will definitely see in showrooms late next year is the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck. The G8 Ute gets a 6-foot 2-inch long cargo bed behind its two-passenger cab. Compared to the sedan, the pickup has a four-inch longer wheelbase plus two more inches hanging behind the rear axle. The box that's unified with the passenger compartment comes with a color matched soft tonneau cover to enclose the 42.7 cubic feet contained within the composite bed. That's nearly double the volume of the late and unlamented Chevy SSR. The G8 can haul almost 1,100 lbs and tow 3,500 lbs, that latter figure also 1,000 lbs more than the SSR.

This time around GM isn't skimping on the power in the initial offering, with immediate availability of the 361-hp 6.0L V8 from the G8 GT sedan. That will push the G8 to 60 mph in about 5.4 seconds. No word yet on whether they will offer up the 3.6L V6 as a base engine, although that does seem likely whether its the direct-inject version or not. There's even 8.5 cubic feet of room inside the cab behind the seats to protect valuables.

You might be wondering about that rather lame G8 Sport Truck name. Since so many people were clamoring for GM to bring the Ute to the U.S., the company has decided to let fans name the new vehicle. They've set up a site at www.pontiac.com/namethiscar where you can submit your ideas. The winning name will be announced on April 15. We imagine "El Camino" has a pretty good shot at winning.

GALLERY
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-p-o-n-t-ianda-c-gpontiac8-sport-truck/
 

Bru

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I like it. And it looks like the bed is a decent size, too. Hopefully it will have some usable payload capacity for at least carrying around an engine block or transmission -- this would make a good shop truck for a performance shop, IMO.
 

WhiteDevil

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I like it. And it looks like the bed is a decent size, too. Hopefully it will have some usable payload capacity for at least carrying around an engine block or transmission -- this would make a good shop truck for a performance shop, IMO.
Elky's have ALWAYS had a good payload capacity as well as plenty o bedspace.

You can get 3 entire engines AND tranny's(attached) into the bed.
 

WhiteDevil

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The ute is on the MALOO platform, always been a full frame 1/2 ton vehicle. I am a G-Body man and the ute/maloo is our aussie cousin and other then the fact that I am a holden fan on top of it all.

Some people may still remember my 'mino around here.

It doesnt suprise me they are using another pontiac to bring aussie goodness over here.


check out the HSV website, it will amaze you.
http://www.hsv.com.au/index.asp

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boostin240

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I love aussie cars! For some reason I just think that they have the domestics we should have here. I mean they always produce some crazy high horsepower RWD car out there under the Holden or Ford badge while over here were getting rid of our icons and building cheap ugly cars like the new Focus and getting rid of Trans Ams, GTOs, in favor of FWD econo boxes... sorry on a bit of rant there, nothing wrong with fuel efficient cars, but a sports car is a sports car its gotta handle good and be fast, cant be an econo box.
 

WhiteDevil

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I doubt we will get the HSV over here, but it's a bad ass ride for sure.

indeed, especially with the ls2 and soon ls9 mated to an M6 with a 3.92 gear or better.


I just dont understand why we cant get the entire holden AND ford AU line-up in the states. Nearly all of the middle east AND europe have them yet we get stuck with shit like GEO and SATURN
 

Mook

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rise from the ashes of 2008!

One year after GM killed the latest reincarnation of the El Camino — the Pontiac G8 ST — we've learned that the "Ute" still may live. And if it does, it'll be a Chevy.

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When writing up our story on rumors out of Australia that Chevy would potentially get a rear wheel drive Zeta-platformed sedan, we hinted at our desire to have them also bring over a version of the loved-by-many Holden Commodore Ute — or even the Chevrolet Lumina SS Ute (pictured above) from South Africa. It looks like GM might have been listening.

We've now learned from three sources that the General's product planners are noodling the idea of bringing the "Ute" to the United States. The vehicle would absolutely be a Chevy and would more than likely carry the "El Camino" name.

We're also hearing it will only happen as part of a larger strategy of ensuring sales are high enough across multiple vehicles and brands to ensure success of GM's next-generation RWD platform. Whether this platform will be the much-anticipated Alpha platform expected to underpin the next-generation Camaro, CTS and ATS, or a new version of the Zeta platform remains to be seen.

A source outside of GM but with strong knowledge of GM's future product plans told us they'd expect to see the "Ute" return — if it's fully greenlit — as a 2015 model year vehicle, released in the 2014 calendar year.
 
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