I’m a bit gun-shy after mistakenly accusing NBC of pulling the SNL sketch pillorying the Big 2.8’s Congressional bailout begging from YouTube for ad revenue-related reasons. So I’m not going to raise the specter of conspiracy for a 404 message on The Australian newspaper. I’m sure the story on the Pontiac G8 disappeared due to technical reasons. Or something. Thankfully, one of our B&B cut and pasted the piece into an email. “Holden Exports Facing Stop Sign” contemplates the prospect of GM axing Pontiac as part of its pursuit of bailout billions. “The Holden-built Pontiac G8 is part of the problem, as it is struggling to find buyers. Just 13,000 have been bought since shipments began at the beginning of the year, and inventory levels exceed 11,000 cars — or 283 days’ supply — the third-worst for any GM model, according to specialist US website Automotive News. Potential Pontiac G8 buyers must now factor in an uncertain future for the brand. ‘It’s a challenging business environment for carmakers around the world,’ said a spokesman for GM Holden, Jonathan Rose. ‘We’re very proud of our export program.’ He denied Holden was adding to Pontiac’s woes, and said export shipments were continuing… The company expected US demand for Pontiac G8s to boost exports, but recently announced plans to shut its factory for 25 days in the first quarter next year, in addition to its four-week Christmas holiday closure.”
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
Dead Brand Walking!
As Mr. Farago would say – “great landing, wrong airport”.
Three or four year ago, under a Bonneville nameplate, the G8 would have been a hit.
Perhaps there will be some great deals on the G8 when liquidation begins.
BTW – what happens to the G8 Sport Truck?
(And the Camaro for that matter – can you imagine if the most hyped product ever never makes it into production!)
It’s a shame for such and amazing car…I’ve never felt such a visceral connection to a piece of machinery…now I’ll just have to wait until they kill the brand and get one dirty cheap. btw, anyone else notice that marketing for the G8 is practically non-existant? I see plenty of ad’s for the other, crappy Pontiacs.
Fantastic car (as even TTAC confirmed) wrong brand and bad timing.
It makes no difference ot me, I still love mine and I got it for quite a bit under MSRP.
If Pontiac is nuked or GM goes bust before January then no G8 STs will make it to our shores and very few GXPs will make it to dealers. I do have my eye on the local dealers here to see if they get any before anything happens and to see how much they go for. I might pick one of those up too.
Like I said on GMI a long time ago. GM should have had this car out six months after it was released in Australia under Chevrolet here, not Pontiac.
But whatever it’s still one of the best cars available at it’s price.
DPerkins “Perhaps there will be some great deals on the G8 when liquidation begins.” I hope so. It is still quite an expensive vehicle in Canada. It is not hard to see why, in these dire economic times, it is a slow seller despite being an appealing car.
Cue The Kinks ‘Low Budget’
I’m sure the G8 would have found more buyers if the Camaro was not in the wings and PR’d to death for 4 years before it finally started selling. Pontiac is no longer associated with “driving excitement” but rebadged minivans / SUVs and rental cars.
to add to the monday morning quarterbacking…. the G8 money should have gone to develop a compact-sized Caddy to slot below the CTS.
The GTO should have been a Caddy coupe.
Pontiac sells a lot of cars (more than Saturn) but someone should find out what percentage of Pontiac is “real” retail (e.g. non-fleet and non-GM employee discount sales).
Sigh….Pontiac’s a goner.
I said from day 1 that the G8 was an absolutely dead certain failure. GM could have saved a lot of money by listening to me!
Why hasn’t Lutz been fired yet? Most of his Big Man with Big Equipment ideas have been a disaster.
Everything I’ve seen says this is a wonderful car. Beyond the fact that cars just aren’t selling, this vehicle is Exhibit A as to why most GM brands must die. If this car were a Chevrolet, with some marketing muscle behind it, it would be doing a lot better I believe. Maybe not great (what is these days), but better. I suspect most people don’t even think of Pontiac, and if they do, its not the G8. I’ve seen a few billboards and thats about it. Talk about getting lost in the marketplace. This car has pretty much zero marketing in a brand that zero recognition.
Instead its stuck with Pontiac, which doesn’t know what the hell it is. You got the Aveo-craptastic G5 which is as penalty box as it gets, then the G6, which isn’t too shabby, but still a FWD family sedan, to the Solstice, which maybe does say something about driving excitement, then this. And the fact most people’s experience with Pontiac is going to be the G5 or G6 at your local Avis damns anything with the Pontiac badge straight to hell. No matter how good the car, the fact its a Pontiac means half the potential buyers won’t touch it. I won’t ever dismiss a car based on the badge on it, but I can’t think of one person who would desire to own any Pontiac, no matter how good a car it is. Even I would have serious reservations about this car, whereas if it were a Chevrolet, I don’t think I’d have an issue with it.
I really hope this car does not die. It seems to be exactly the type of thing GM has needed and promised for so long. Now its here, its great, and its botched because of timing and the wrong badge on it.
They need to stamp a few new grills, call it the Impala SS and call it a day.
It always felt like they brought over the GTO and G8 because enthusiasts kept saying, “If they bring RWD Holdens over, it would bring Pontiac back to life,” And when they did, it didn’t work out. Aiming the GTO at 3-series buyers and not offering a manual transmission from the start on a sports sedan, were two things about Pontiac’s marketing that always baffled me a bit.
More moron-idiotic Big 2.8 “management.”
If these million-dollar morons would have spent the dough they wasted on “V8 performance vehicles” on something, ANYTHING that had a potential for “volume” sales, then perhaps they wouldn’t be swirling down the toilet right now.
“Something better than Cobalt or Aveo” might be profitable, for instance. And, the likes of Malibu and Aura haven’t really bagged the number of sales that the likes of Camry and Accord have, correct?
TURN THAT AROUND, and maybe these morons would be worth the millions they’re taking out of these companies. I guess “anybody” can stuff a V8 into something and get a lot of press, but getting enough sales to make it profitable it is another thing, entirely.
Maybe as a last hurrah they can throw together a single GXP wagon with a stick for me?
The press certainly didn’t kill this one. Detroit has yet to have a hit in North America with a car designed overseas. The G8 isn’t doing badly…compared to the Saturn ASTRA. Over a year of those on the lots.
” … the Saturn ASTRA. Over a year of those on the lots.”
Did they ever fix the clock to read out in North American standard format? A company which can’t even see to a detail like that really doesn’t deserve a chance.
Well, by not offering manual transmission as an option with all versions of G8 from the start GM kind of shot itself in the foot. Rear wheel drive “sport sedan”… automatic only?! Sorry, DOES NOT COMPUTE…
Yes John, they did. For 2009 it has the American format for date and 12 hour time instead of 24 hour time.
Pontiac as a brand actually doesn’t sell as well as the numbers suggest.
Every vehicle carried under the brand doesn’t sell well except the G6 and nearly half of it’s sales are to fleets.
That should tell everyone something about the health of the brand.
Like Lutz said himself years ago, it’s “damaged”. I prefer to call it “dead”.
I also agree, delaying the car by over a year from it’s Aussie counterpart (from everything I read Holden already designed it with US sale in mind and it was ready to go, but GM wanted to fiddle with it by adding cylinder deactivation and OnStar) was a mistake. So was not certifying teh L98 V8 and manual combo that so many G8 intenders were itching for.
This was another great product opportunity that GM completely squandered with bad branding, a bad delay and a bad mix of features.
I know it’s not Politically Correct, but I would think gas prices would be the biggest boost for sales of the G8. Gas is $1.45 in Kansas City (where I live). I can fill the tank of my GTO for about $25.
I never see any ads for the G8, or any special financing or rebates or anything on it. Never did for the GTO either. I heard GM lost money on every Holden it sold in the US.
This is a beautiful car that I desire to purchase, but why no marketing suppport?
I remember Mazda sold the MX-9 and the Millenia, both nice cars, but most people didn’t even know they existed.
Are there any deals going on for the G8 with the big motor? That way I won’t have to do a face slap: “…could’ve had a V8!”
Nice try anyway….I’d still want one if I can get it cheap, even without a manual. That’s how good the reviews I’ve seen have penned this car.
The car simply isn’t flashy enough. It’s not as eye-catching as a Charger, Challenger, Camaro or Mustang. It’s boring to look at and a sleeper which is a turn-off to the market that buys performance cars.
One of GM’s biggest marketing mistakes has been the constant changing of model names. Ask a regular consumer what Pontiac sells, and they would be hard pressed to come up with G3,5,6,8 – Torrent. GM recognized this for about 5 seconds when it reintroduced the Impala and Malibu names, and even understands the value of Corvette and Camaro, but in everything else seems to feel that a new generation needs a new name.
People buy Accords Civics Camrys and Corollas because Honda and Toyota have built these nameplates over the last 20-30 years, and everyone knows what the name means and what they stand for. If only GM and Ford and Chrysler would recognize this..
Its the brand. It always was. I think the really cunning thing to try would be to brand the car as a SAAB. Like they did with the Saabaru 9-2X.
If it were a SAAB those bad boys would have flew off the lots.
SAAB is more worth saving than Pontiac.
Why would an uncertain future for Pontiac keep people from buying the G8?
As long as a prospective buyer thinks GM will survive overall, they would still be able to get the car serviced at whatever dealer channel GM designates.
Parts might be an issue if GM drops Pontiac along with the G8’s platform altogether. However, if they make it into a Chevrolet then won’t only parts with Pontiac logos/badges/stitching on it be scarce?
The reason this thing isn’t moving is, to me, quite simple – the front-end styling. That thing is overwrought, over-the-top and simply doesn’t appeal to me in the least. The hood scoops and the hideous Pontiac grill are just too much.
This thing could have the best seats and interior in its class, combined with a great engine and exhaust note, but if you can’t get over the styling, you’re not going to move them. Does this sound familiar? GTO perhaps? I actually would prefer that they err on the conservative side – wait, this IS Pontiac – what am I thinking?
The back-end is fine – okay, lose the flashy, Japanese-like taillights. But it doesn’t look bad at all. The rear 3/4 is good, side is good (no plastic cladding – check). But, bam! that front-end. Deal killer. Pontiac needs a modern redesign of their grill and a rethink on the old hood scoops for it to work. And the headlights need some work. Hold an online contest to redesign these Pontiac elements and you’d sell this thing. Even with the Pontiac name.
I almost forgot about the lack of a manual transmission. Get real. Lose the GXP bullshit and get the Corvette engine in the G8, along with the manual and a redesigned front-end and you have a competitive car.
Pontiac has dropped a great name with the GTO and gone to this god-awful G naming crap. What’s with G5, G6, G8, and on and on? This is as bad as Lincoln with their ridiculous MKS, MKX, MKZ horseshit. What are these marketing people smoking? The capper is the huge Z on the MKZ. Take a look. I had to do a second take.
I test drove (kind words) the 05 GTO and was very impressed with the interior, particularly the seats and the quality of materials. Of course, great engine and exhaust note (better than the Corvette that I had at the time, although that’s not saying much). I thought, along with a few others, that the styling was too conservative. I didn’t feel good about the sub-par safety aspects of that platform either. But the GTO was closer to a sale for me than is this G8.
That sound is the sound of a bargain rolling the consumer’s way… at least for those with an interest in this car.
I wonder if Saturn will give up on the ‘one price’ model and start auctioning the Astra on ebay. At least we would all get a chance to see what the REAL worth of that car is. I’ve seen maybe 4 of them here in LA, and literally nowhere else.
The donor Commodore had a better snout. By making this car a Pontiac and giving it “Pontiac” DNA in the snout made it butt ugly. Car purchases are often vetoed by the better half. It might be a little too out there and lacking in family features for their tastes.
As for manual transmission, they should have done a performance oriented model straight away with an optional manual, and introduced the rest of the fleet at the same time. Having a hero car like the G8 ST does not work unless you have cheaper models that will make up the bulk of your sales.
The Holden Commodore Wagon is a far better alternative for families than anything else in Pontiac’s range. It is a car, is faster than and hauls more than most mini-vans and SUV’s, uses less fuel than mini-vans and SUVs, and has none of the anti-SUV hate and mommie van dislike. GM made a mistake in not bringing this model in as soon as they brought the G8 over.
They should have brought this line up over, in this order:
G8 V6
G8 V6 Wagon with auto and family friendly interior
G8 V8 ST package (manual, hotter engine)
That way, more folks would have bought it during the fuel crisis, and those that few that really wanted a cheap performance car could get it.
I also think this is the nail in the coffin that folks care about FWD or RWD architecture. RWD – if it mattered at all – has clearly failed to sell more G8’s.
But Pontiac is a totally dead brand. The should have made the G8 an Impala. The Commodore / G8 is a far superior car to the Impala, from personal experience of the Impala rental borethon I had a few weeks back. But that would have required too much UAW involvement and plant closures unless they could make the G8 here in the USA.
Andrew
dwford and noreserve make some really good points. If this thing was marketed as the new Impala with a decent looking front end (which means *not* the crap Malibu front end!) it would be a much more appealing car. I checked it out when I was at the auto show recently and it really is a nice car overall. The Pontiac stigma is just too much for it to overcome.
On the bright side, wasn’t this a money loser anyhow? By not selling them they are probably saving money.
Before releasing cars like this they should have some solid bread and butter profit making cars. What the hell does another niche or halo car do for a manufacturer’s bottom line? How many billions has GM wasted on them?
If GM could get their collective shit together and consistently produce cars of this caliber (and the Astra for that matter), they would be a lot more credible threat to the imports.
Parts might be an issue if GM drops Pontiac along with the G8’s platform altogether. However, if they make it into a Chevrolet then won’t only parts with Pontiac logos/badges/stitching on it be scarce?
Don’t bet on this platform ever underpinning a Chevy. There were plans for such a beast to replace the Impala and complement the Camaro, but it was kiboshed. Here’s why, and I warn you, it upsets auto enthusiasts:
Rear drive is a bad idea for a consumer automobile. Oh, sure, there are dynamic advantages, but you lose traction, fuel economy, packaging/space and cost. The number of consumers who care about dynamics? Not much, given that Camrys sell nearly half a million per year. The number of people that care about the latter four? Very high. Improving the Malibu would be money better spent.
GM more or less realizes this. There’s no place in America for the budget rear-drive sports sedan of size. Anyone who wants a car like this is more likely to want a badge-snob sports sedan, or a genuine sports car–note that the CTS and Solstice satisfy the market far better. The overdone nose doesn’t help matters, either.
The real crime is the loss of the Solstice: that car had potential and the shot at a market. That car needs to survive and evolve.
“dwford wrote:
One of GM’s biggest marketing mistakes has been the constant changing of model names.”
They do that partly to make you think the car is “ALL NEW” like they always say in the ads. They do it in hopes that you’ll forget how crappy the last GM car you purchased was. The Grand Am was a piece of junk, especially with blown head gaskets, but maybe you’ll buy the all new G6.
Cheap man’s BMW 5 series. Yeah the 2009’s have a manual. Maybe they will sell more. But no navigation and the window switches are in the center arm rest. Grr. I hate that. The automatic is a problem in the V8. But hell I’m just waiting for a fire sale to buy a car from them. GXP, hmmm. But the Genesis also looks appealing as well…. RWD with nearly 300 horses and better goodies and gas mileage than the Pontiac.
ive seen a few, its kinda ugly, too many holes in the front.
the freon end is plain ugly.
Also, im not sure of the wisdom of selling a V8 car in the curent climate. Even tho gas is now 1.45 a gallon, tomowwow it could be 10 bucks. I’m buying a car that gets alot of milage.
Wonder how cheap these will get if they continue to sit on lots like this. A problem for GM is, BMW’s and such are sitting on lots getting cheaper as well, and their captive financers are, at least for now, in a much beter position to support sales.
That pushrod 8 with tall highway gearing is awesome as a mileeater, and the only engine I’d take over Bmw’s blown 6.
Too bad GM gets it 99.9% right and then factors beyond their control (the economy) make it a flop.
The few things I fault it for are the derivative
styling trying to look like a BMW–they coulda made it look more like a Pontiac with the split grille ala the early 60’s and the slit taillamps ala the late 70’s and those obscure model names G8 or whatever, they shoulda brought back the names from their heyday like Bonneville, Catalina or Ventura. And as other commenters alluded to
use the platform on the Chevrolets (hey they already do it on their middle eastern Chevrolet Caprice-google it) and why did they wait sooo long to intro this platform it shoulda been on these shores 3 years ago and even the wagon versions. Ya know seems to me like the commenters here should be running GM, hey I’d love the chance even for a dollar.
Change the front end, call it a Chevy Lumina or leave it as a Commodore, and they’ll sell. Then kill Pontiac.
just take half of the chevy lumina exports to the middle east and turn around to offload in NA. Chevrolet Lumina, known brand, known name, right
“Brand”
Plus import the Buick ParkAvenue from China to supplement Caddilac (wait, that’s a streched Commodore)
just take half of the chevy lumina exports to the middle east and turn around to offload in NA. Chevrolet Lumina, known brand, known name, right
“Brand”
Resurrecting Lumina is like bringing back Taurus: it only makes sense to someone deeply mired in Detroit myopia. Very few have good memories of the Lumina.
You may as well call the Cruze the Cavalier.
Call the Chevrolet version Impala, that has a heyday
feeling to it of those models of the late 50’s and 60’s-70’s at least in the US. And put the chevy styling themes into it-like the eggcrate grille/bowtie in the front and the 3 light-red white red rear styling of the Impalas of that era.
I dunno about Commodore- there are folks in the US that still remember that as a Hudson.
I still intend to get one.
I love this car. I think it is gorgeous! Fits a family of 5 and still bada$$ enough for a mid 40’s guy to look hip but not overly showy. Can’t believe they don’t sell.