The winning name for the Pontiac sport truck shown at auto shows earlier this year is a simple one: G8 ST.

Pontiac announced this morning that its 2010 light-duty truck would wear the initials it bandied about when it first showed off the V-8-powered two-door truck. In the meantime, it's been running a naming contest on the Web to see if car pundits and enthusiasts could come up with better.

One of the names that cropped up often? El Camino, a nod to the Chevrolet model from the 1960s and 1970s that's a clear ancestor of the new Pontiac truck.

The G8 ST goes on sale late next year as a 2010 model, and with its 361-horsepower engine, Pontiac says it will hit 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. It shares the G8 sedan's basic running gear in front, but in back there's a 73.9-inch cargo bed that's good for 1,000 pounds of payload. The G8 ST also will tow 3,500 pounds, Pontiac says.

With the fall term about to start at schools across the country, you may be looking for the perfect car for your parents to “subsidize”—or for your child to take off to college along with your furniture, your computer, and your life savings.

It doesn’t take an economics major to find a great car for college—but it does take a little research. The most important things for a college car are reliability, fuel economy, safety, and of course, price. Lucky for you, TheCarConnection.com’s editors not only went to college—the eight-year plan, in some cases—they’ve also studied every 2008 model available for sale in the United States, from crash-test scores to gas mileage.

Of all the cars driven and researched by TheCarConnection.com’s editors, these eight stand out for their basic formula of goodness. Each gets at least 25 mpg on the highway and has a base price of less than $15,000, along with a long list of standard safety gear and good crash-test scores. Some are sedans; some are cargo-friendly wagons; and we’ve even chosen a couple of coupes for the style-conscious. In alphabetical order, they are:

Ford Focus
Restyled for the 2008 model year, and updated for 2009, the Ford Focus is a roomy entry-level car—and a music lover’s dream thanks to its SYNC system. A two-door coupe and four-door sedan share a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 140 horsepower and a choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Inside there’s good room for four, and the interior also features SYNC, a voice-activated, hands-free communications and entertainment interface that links the car to all manner of phones, PDAs, MP3 players, and portable storage devices. The Focus scores five stars in frontal impacts and has six standard airbags, but make sure to order the optional anti-lock brakes.

Honda Fit
The 2008 Honda Fit is a subcompact five-door hatchback with entertaining road manners and frugal fuel economy. Its 109-horsepower engine won’t be the stuff of NASCAR miracles, but it works very well with either five-speed manual or automatic transmissions. The Fit gets 34 mpg on the highway and 28 in the city, and does it with Honda’s trademark light touch in its controls and a roomy interior with a folding “Magic Seat” that opens a cargo area big enough for a standard-sized bicycle. Side curtain airbags, front-seat side-impact bags, and anti-lock brakes are standard, and it gets top five-star scores in the federal government’s frontal and side tests (though rear-seat passengers only have three-star side-impact protection).

Hyundai Elantra
The 2008 Hyundai Elantra is the South Korean brand’s compact sedan and a recent winner of a compact-car comparison from Consumer Reports. Power comes from a 138-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and goes through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is as good as 25/33 mpg. It’s a good-looking vehicle, with enough room for adults in back and a good-quality interior outfitted with power windows, power heated rearview mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and a tilt steering wheel. Options include a Bluetooth hands-free system, leather, a power sunroof, and a 220-watt premium audio system with an iPod jack. The Elantra gets top front-impact scores and four-star side-impact ratings, and comes with anti-lock brakes and six airbags.

Mitsubishi Lancer
The Lancer is Mitsubishi’s smallest sedan and lowest-priced car in the U.S. lineup. It uses a 152-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with either a very precise-shifting five-speed manual or a "gearless" CVT automatic. The nicely detailed look is matched by a comfortable cabin. Base versions have power windows and a CD sound system, but upscale versions can be outfitted with Bluetooth, automatic climate control, a 650-watt Rockford-Fosgate sound system, and a navigation system that includes a 30GB hard-drive music server. Four- and five-star crash test ratings are backed up by front, side, and curtain airbags; anti-lock brakes are standard on ES and GTS Lancers, but stability control is not available on any version.

Pontiac Vibe
The five-door Vibe returns with a new body style for 2009, a pair of engines and all-wheel drive as an option. Buyers can pick from a 158-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder or stick with the base 1.8-liter four, making 132 horsepower. Both engines can be teamed to a manual or automatic transmission. Fuel efficiency is good, especially with the 1.8-liter engine, which returns ratings as high as 26 mpg city, 32 mpg highway with the manual transmission. The smoother look outside is met with a roomy interior and high-quality feel inside; the rear seats fold flat to expand the cargo area. A 320-watt Monsoon sound system is among the options. All Vibes include front side airbags, side-curtain bags, anti-lock brakes, and electronic stability control. The Vibe gets five stars for side impacts for front-seat occupants and four stars in back; front impact tests aren’t in yet.

Saturn Astra
The new 2008 Astra is a European-bred car from GM’s Saturn brand. It comes in two flavors: two-door hatchback and four-door hatchback. It gets its power from a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that spins out 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. The sweet-revving four-cylinder teams well with a five-speed manual that offers a light-touch clutch; there’s a four-speed automatic offered as well. The Astra's ride feels Euro-tuned, with electronic power steering and strong brakes. The Astra has features not often found at this price point, like steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and express-up power windows. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn’t yet tested the Astra but it comes with six standard airbags, anti-lock brakes, and GM’s OnStar system.

Scion xB
The 2008 Scion xB is the second generation of the popular four-door hatchback sold by Toyota’s youth-oriented brand. The 2008 Scion xB is outfitted with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower, mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Fuel economy is 22/28 mpg. There’s room for four or cargo room to move most of a dorm room in one trip (minus the flat-screen TV and MicroFridge). Anti-lock brakes, side and curtain airbags, and stability control are standard equipment. The 2008 Scion xB gets four stars for front impact protection and five stars for side impacts.

Suzuki SX4
The SX4 is a small crossover vehicle with a wagon body, an upscale interior, and plenty of driving fun. Its 2.0-liter four spins out 143 horsepower in a happy, smooth patter; a sweet-shifting five-speed manual is standard, and a four-speed automatic is available. The government rates the SX4 at 21/28 mpg with the manual transmission. Though it might not look like much from the outside, the SX4 has a sharp interior with a high-quality look and features like a CD player with MP3 capability; iPod integration and Bluetooth are available. Six airbags are standard, as are anti-lock brakes and a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. The NHTSA rates the SX4 with four stars for most crash and rollover tests, save for five-star driver-side impact protection.

This morning's announcements from GM were met with a big public-relations offensive which included a special bloggers-only conference call with vice chairman Bob Lutz. TheCarConnection.com and Gaywheels.com were invited to be on this very limited call, the highlights of which appear below in brief notes:

• Lutz says GM is fundamentally altering its product portfolio in the U.S. and it will resemble more closely those in Europe and Asia--with much more fuel-efficient vehicles.


• In regards to struggling Saturn, "Our worry with Saturn is that the franchise is not generating enough volume," Lutz said. "We had planned to short-cycle the Aura" and replace it with the mid-size Opel Insignia, he said. By holding on to the current Aura for a few more years, GM can conserve cash.


• Conversely, he says the Buick Invicta is one of "nicest things we've ever done." The car may not carry that name in production.


• "I hope fuel doesn't get more expensive," but Lutz says the introductions of vehicles like the new Cadillac SRX and Chevrolet Equinox will draw its lineup slightly down in size and dramatically higher in fuel economy.


• The new Chevrolet Cruze is expected to have 40+ mpg fuel economy in a package that's larger than today's Cobalt, Lutz says.


• He hints that GMC will get a crossover, substantially smaller than the Acadia, equipped with four-cylinder engines. GMC is expected to get a version of the new Chevrolet Equinox; it's "so different" you would never guess they were similar under the skin. (The GMC version is expected to be called the Terrain.)


• "As U.S. fuel costs approach fuel costs of the rest of the world...the vehicle park of the U.S. will come to resemble the vehicle park of the rest of the world."


• As for Pontiac, it's a vital part of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC group, he explains. Buick will be positioned at the premium end, with GMC selling trucks and crossovers. Pontiac will be low-end passenger cars. Offer "excitingly styled, fun to drive cars that are affordable," and largely based on Chevrolets.

Armchair quarterbacking about GM shutting down another brand is just rumor, says GM's Mark LaNeve, who told dealers in a letter that Saturn, Buick, Pontiac, and Saab are only being studied, not yanked from the GM corral.

In the letter to dealers--obtained by Dow Jones reporters--LaNeve says to dealers that GM is merely trying to improve its business--"that is the extent of the 'examination' that is going on at this time for Saturn or any other GM brand," he writes.

LaNeve explains that the company's trying to find way to make the brands profitable--in rough agreement with the Wall Street Journal's assertion earlier this week that Saturn never has turned a profit.

GM shares have fallen to 50-year lows and sales dropped dramatically in June, though less than analysts expected--and less than Japanese automaker Toyota's sales fell. In recent weeks, GM has confirmed it's put its HUMMER brand under "strategic review," which has been understood in Detroit to mean either a range of small new HUMMERs has to be developed, or the brand will be sold or joint-ventured with a foreign automaker.

READ MORE: GM Sales Chief Says No Plans to Ax More Brands - WSJ.com

Celebrities are the new set decorations at auto shows, and last night's performance by Sheryl Crow at the Mercedes-Benz press event certainly drew big crowds (including odd out of place, found-object celebs like Project Runway winner Christian Siriano and professional clubdweller Richie Rich). But no appearance at the New York auto show was so startlingly un-obvious as the drop-by that just happened at the Pontiac stand.

GM's roll-out of its trio of new Pontiacs -- a G8 GXP with Corvette power, a G8 sport truck with and Aussie pickup bed, and the Solstice Coupe -- totally overshadowed itself when they also rolled out rap phenom 50 Cent. Mr. Cent -- on stage referred to by Pontiac manager Jim Bunnell as "Fifty" and "Curtis" (for Curtis Jackson, his real name). No use in trying to get detail shots of the G8s or the Solstice -- the moment the presser was over, some very well-dressed gentlemen and gaggle of hundreds of photographers swarmed on the rapper to get up-close shots of him, standing next to the guy who pretty much brought you the Malibu.

The cars, meanwhile, sat rather in the way of the whole procedure.

Still, we're on the scene and as soon as the crowd clears, we'll add more high-resolution pics to our galleries of the Solstice and the G8s, and bring you some behind-the-scenes chatter with GM's Mike Simcoe and Dave Lyon on the new G8 sport truck. Stay tuned.