By Marty Padgett
January 6th, 2009
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We predicted it a few weeks back--or at least suggested it would be a grand candidate for the scrap heap. Now GM's gone and cancelled the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST, according to our buddy Mike over at PickupTrucks.com.
The latter-day El Camino was to be spun from the Pontiac G8 sedan chassis. It was due to go on sale later this year, and was named in a Web-based contest that ended up with the unimaginative initials ST.
The dealers who sell Pontiacs were told of the decision this morning. GM has said it's trimming down the Pontiac lineup to no more than three vehicles, and with interesting stuff like the 2009 Solstice, G8 sedan and Fiero--wait, they don't sell a Fiero anymore?--the weird-idea ST will never launch.
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Posted in: 2010, Pontiac, Pickups, G8
By Colin Mathews
December 16th, 2008
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We've said it before, and we'll say it again: There's just nothing exciting about a
Pontiac Aveo G3. GM's bastard child of badge engineering is finally, according to
AutoWeek, being let off the hook for carrying weak models that don't agree with its stated mission of driving excitement.
Holding six vehicles in its lineup for 2009, the
G8,
G6,
G5,
G3,
Vibe, and
Solstice,
Pontiac could see as few as one or as many as three vehicles in its lineup in the next decade. Said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, "we need to skinny it up, get it very focused and then create a very special role for
Pontiac within the BPG channel." Docherty did claim that
Pontiac is not going away despite GM's massive financial struggles.
With current talk of GM shuttering more divisions in either Chapter 11 or federal assistance scenarios,
Pontiac is lucky to be surviving at all. We're glad to hear that GM has plans for
Pontiac, because at its best the brand has brought us some truly memorable performance cars like the original GTO, the Firebird Formula V-8, and modern standouts like the
G8 GT and
Solstice GXP.
Perhaps
Pontiac should set out some ground rules to minimize the ill-effects of badge engineering from its lineup going forward. Or perhaps the division could come up with a working definition of "excitement," with corporate penalties doled out to any manager who loses the focus.--
Colin Mathews
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Tags: North America, Industry, Enthusiasts, General Motors
Posted in: 2009, Pontiac, Sports Cars
By Colin Mathews
December 13th, 2008
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creative commons - flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/please/10100546/
Enlarge Photo"Reeling from a 41 percent drop in its November U.S. sales," says
Automotive News, and not quite sure where the money to stay afloat will come from after
yesterday's rejection of the domestic auto bailout deal, GM will cut about 30 percent of its North American production capacity during the first quarter of 2009. That's a drop of about 250,000 vehicles compared to Q1 2008 according to
The Detroit News, and a total Q1 production target less than that of rival
Ford, a company that's historically been outsold by GM.
Ford plans Q1 production of 430,000 vehicles.
In Michigan alone, six plants will be affected. Flint Assembly (
Chevrolet Silverado,
GMC Sierra), the Delta Township plant in Lansing (Lambda Crossovers),
Pontiac Assembly (
Chevrolet Silverado,
GMC Sierra), Lansing Grand River (
Cadillac STS,
Cadillac CTS), Orion Township (
Chevrolet Malibu,
Pontiac G6), and Detroit-Hamtramck (
Buick Lucerne,
Cadillac DTS). Had car sales and the economy not tanked, GM would have been on target to produce about 750,000 vehicles during the first quarter of 2009. GM will also be temporarily shutting down at least 20 plants in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The Detroit News sums up GM's massive struggle: a loss of nearly $73 billion since 2004; a 22 percent drop in U.S. sales for 2008; a lack of available credit, low consumer confidence, and the rising unemployment that's killing new car sales. All GM divisions have reported 20-plus percent sales declines for 2008, and industry demand for new vehicles has dropped about 16 percent. That's the lump of coal in the stockings of American auto workers, Big Three execs, and domestic dealers across the country this Christmas.
Said GM spokesman Chris Lee: "This is unprecedented...the market has tanked."--
Colin Mathews
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Tags: North America, Industry, Manufacturing, Politics, General Motors
Posted in: 2009, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, HUMMER
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