Edmunds Inside Line (TTAC takes the racing line) reports that Pontiac has decided to let the critically-acclaimed Pontiac G8 die on the vine. “According to sources,” Edmunds reveals, in the style to which automotive journalists have become accustomed. “Pontiac will not get a version of the next rear-drive platform that underpins the Australian Holden Commodore.” Still, you’ve got to give Eddy credit for sarcastic snark. “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.” So, one wonders, how does GM sum-up this “new direction?” Dead brand walking? Nope. “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. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit” Nor, of course, will your G8’s residuals be very healthy. Just sayin’.
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Disappointing news, sure, but also no surprise there. Not just because of GM’s financial situation. Also because this is a perfect example of a one-generation GM car. To me at least, it was pretty likely all along that it would be one shot.
I am sure if it would be selling like hotcakes we would see it around longer. I reckon most of Lutz’s dreams turned out to be nightmares for GM.
And why the frack does Lutz still have a job?
*&%^$m argh!
I said the G8 was going to be a marketplace flop from day one, and not only because the name is so stupid.
Chalk up another failure for Lutz. Let’s see: Chevy SSR, Solstice/Sky, other V8-powered sedans (SS Impala, Lucerne, Bonneville)…the list gets longer and longer. Quite a track record there, buddy.
Ok, so, does this mean Chevy will get something and Pontiac will be folded, or does it mean that GM is going back to it’s old “High Margin or the high road” days?
If it’s the latter, I’d expect GM cars to start coming with Suck as standard equipment again.
Does this mean that Cadillac becomes the RWD performance brand? If so, this does display some rationality on GM’s part, since it suggests further pruning of its brands.
And, yeah, another Lutz special down the tubes. Such is the power of a media icon that he is still on the payroll. Maybe I need to buy a jet fighter.
IMO, Pontiac will be folded
Can’t believe I’m going to say this, but it’s not completely Lutz’ fault. This car got introduced at a tough time with credit availability drying up for many that might ordinarily buy this.
But then, no marketing support also might’ve doomed it. And the Pontiac badge. And the dealer support. And the timing with gas costs.
Ah, screw it… You’re doin’ a great job, Lutzie.
With upgraded trim the G8 could be the new DTS when GM assumes a post federal bailout Chevrolet-Cadillac nexus.
Once again GM tried to sell “excitement” over substance and the domestic buying public has ignored them once again!
GM has turned ignoring cars into an artform. By the time they got the Fiero right, they canned it. The G8 and Solstice/Sky will be no different. I parked next to a G8 last night and actually liked it. Too bad it won’t be around for long…
I rented one of these on a business trip recently (V-6 version of course), and was very surprised as to how well it handled and the look/feel of the interior. I would even go as far to say it would age well since the body cladding was missing (finally!) and it had a ‘classic look’ reminiscent of an American BMW.
In all, I have no hope for GM. This is another showing of its flailing interests that confuse customers by starting to bring a brand in one direction then stopping before any momentum can be made.
GM: take a look at Hyundai, they stayed steady and kept the course as they gradually improved their cars and their image. The US customers now generally accept their cars as nearing Japanese quality for a smaller price. And I can tell you this, I’m a car fanatic and I have no idea what GM stands for.
I agree with chinar.
Pontiac was supposed to be the “Excitement” division as well as where “Car” (however lame that marketing lingo was) resided. So with the G8 and Solstice being discontinued and the G3 (aka Aveo) being introduced what purpose does Pontiac serve except being dead weight after those two cars are axed?
And the G6 isn’t likely to get a substantial redesign for another 5 years from what I hear. Looks like Gm has gone back to the good ol’ days of stagnant design and slow model replacement.
Was nice knowing you Malibu.
Pontiac will not get a version of the next rear-drive platform that underpins the Australian Holden Commodore.
Not the US, but Pontiac. Here’s to hoping the next generation will come over as an Impala and El Camino (the Commodore is a Chevy in the Middle East and South Africa).
This is awesome, not totally unexpected, but great for us that liked it. Bad for Pontiac though. That means G8’s will be dirt cheap used in a few years.
The idea of molding Pontiac into an affordable American BMW wasn’t a bad idea, just a bad idea under GM’s leadership. They are just spred to thin and filled with too much stupid. GM is killing the parts of the brand with value(typical boneheaded GM), the brand should be able to be bought up cheap and turned into a cool niche player under the right management and with proper funding. Some automaker with deep pockets and brains buy up this hidden treasure and do what GM couldn’t do with it.
This car only just starting showing up on roads around here, at least in numbers that I see them now and again. (And, it was a GM product that appealed to me…my only driving is recreational so I can live with lower mileage in exchange for oomph and fun.) So the news of its demise coincides, if you know what I mean, with it’s ‘real’ launch. Not good. It really sounded like a blast. And, as others have pointed out, this leaves Pontiac with…what of interest? The El G8amino is a HUGE waste of time.
If they kill the Solstice/Sky, they could still turn that platform into an interesting small sedan couldn’t they, using the same underpinnings? Seems a shame to toss the whole thing out.
To me, this doesn’t make it sound like its dead, just that its dead for Pontiac.
I read this as GM basically knows Pontiac has to go or it will go (under C11), so why bother revamping anything? Coincides perfectly with combining Pontiac, Buick, and GMC together. Axe 1 whole set of 3 brands and all their dealers in one shot.
I suspect this car will return as a Chevrolet. I could easily see it being the next Impala. And to me, that is probably a better choice for it anyway. Rumor had it there was gonna be a RWD Impala based on the G8. So again, we would have had more GM overlap. 1 car. Chevy. Done.
The other issue I think here is that it was launched at the worst possible time. 1) Fuel prices did increase more dramatically than anyone expected. This G8 launch is almost exactly the same as Toyota’s Tundra launch. RWD and power (and huge trucks) were super hot. Then they suddenly weren’t because gas went up like 150%. 2) The US dollar collapsed. Suddenly this car just got wicked expensive to import and value pricing while still making money was gone. 3) (and this is the biggest) CAFE standards. This car was designed years ago. Then suddenly the gov came out with insane CAFE regulations, but the car was already ready to launch. If we have to hit 30-35mpg in the next 10 years, sorry, V8 engines will either have to go, or be priced so high to encourage nobody to buy them (to not drag down CAFE numbers) or priced so high the owner basically pays their portion of the CAFE fine when GM gets the bill (BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, etc basically bake the CAFE fines into the price of their cars).
I’d love to drive one of these though….Maybe I should :)
And the Camaro is right behind. Wait, a two-door? Bet you the G8 outlasts the new Camaro as a new car offering.
This is a shame because from what I have read, it is a good car. Just like the last Holden GTO, they did not know who to market the car to. Also I don’t think they had a strong launch campaign to even advertise the car.
Secondly, they gave it to a dieing division that few people cross shop. I think if this was an Impala SS, it would have done a lot better just on name recognition alone. Or as someone else stated, it could have made a nice next generation Cadillac.
Lastly, it seems GM is giving up even quicker than before. This car has only been out less than a year and there are no plans to redesign it?
I’m not sure I have even seen one yet and they are killing it?
I suspect it would stand more of a chance as a BMW fighter if it dropped the damn hood scoops. No one, but no one, who buys a BMW (or an Acura, Audi or such) is looking for the redneck bling that would typically be applied to a Hemi Ram.
I’ve seen two of these, and both of them are driven by people whose previous car was almost assuredly either a Firebird or Monte Carlo. Chasing Firebird buyers is not a winning strategy.
So does this mean the wagon is out?
It certainly could make some sense to use this as the next gen Impala. Would it be large enough inside?
Keep the V8 in your pocket for the SS version! Hell, bring back the Caprice name and make me that wagon!
G8 excitement? Maybe the drivetrain but the exterior looks like every other 4 door sedan. I predicted the G8 would not sell well when I first saw it. Like the GTO it was Australian not North American. When you are designing a certain kind of car would it not make sense to have the people who understand what people want in the design. What the hell do the Australians know about sleek and sexy (other than their beach bunnies). Maybe I’m living in the past but I still pine for the days when you could identify a car even if you only caught a glimpse of it. Now they pretty much all look the same so where’s the joy in having something that looks like the neighbours something.
The name and brand “Pontiac” is no longer salvageable. The G8 is quite nice, well-done, understated interior, smashing performance, RWD… a car I would definitely consider, except that it is a Pontiac. I would never be able to put money down on one.
GM needs to lose some (most of) its redundant and no-longer-defined brands. A Chevrolet-Caddilac duo makes sense.
The point of Pontiac (and Buick) now is to allow GMC truck dealers some cars to sell on the side. That’s it. Of course, now with gas prices, Pontiac is more important to a PBG dealer than ever.
PBG is Chevy Part Deux, just slightly (very slightly) more upscale. That’s all it ever will be. If you eliminate one of those three brands, you have to cut them all, and then a manufacturing plant which is profitable with 75% of it’s product going to Chevy and 25% going to Pontiac or GMC is no longer profitable with just Chevy’s 75%. Plus, there would be billions of dollars GM would have to pay dealers to close.
Things like the G8 are side shows made to pretend that Pontiac is not merely Chevy Part Deux. That is all they are. But cutting Pontiac/Buick/GMC will cost much more money than it saves.
This car was launched in the middle east as a Chevrolet Caprice. Very nice looking and the same specs. http://www.automiddleeast.com/newcars/2008-chevrolet-caprices-review-prices-specs
This car was launched in the middle east as a Chevrolet Caprice
Nice. Much less tacky.
The Caprice seems to be a rebadged Holden WM Statesman, an LWB version of the Holden VE Commodore the G8 is based on. But it looks quite nice. Vaguely Audiesque in its appearance.
Except for the scoops, it is the car I want to buy – if only the would bring the wagon.
Finally a solid product (yes, rough edges: scoops, center gauges) but with the piss poor marketing execution expected from GM.
Many people have been saying “Right car, wrong time.” in regards to the G8. I’m thinking, “Right car, wrong brand.”
The G8 is really an attractive car, and from everything I’ve read it’s pretty competitive in its market. The Pontiac name is its biggest hurdle.
While wanting to make Pontiac an “American BMW” is a good idea in theory, there is no way this could possibly happen. Pontiac is not a luxury brand. Honestly, Pontiac doesn’t have one ounce of the brand strength BMW has. Car guys would cross-shop the G8 to the 5-series, brand snobs wouldn’t.
It’s a shame, too. The G8 is destined to be a footnote in the Pontiac history book – probably near the last page.
This move absolutely makes sense to me. I rented one of these recently and it was by far the closest American car I have driven in handling and road feel to my BMW 530i. Good brakes, excellent dynamics, decent engine (V6) and nice interior. God forbid Pontiac putting anything in the way of their inevitable demise.