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G'Day Mate, It's the New G8

If the accompanying photo looks vaguely familiar, advance yourself to the front of the class. Just a few short years ago, Pontiac tried shortcutting the design and development process involved in bringing a new model by dipping into General Motors’ Australian inventory and pulling out a Holden Monaro coupe (the two-door version of the Holden Commodore). Slap on a Pontiac grille, call it a GTO and watch them fly out of the showrooms. At least it sounded good on paper. The Monaro/GTO, a spiffy performance car, was not too easy on the eyes. Not ugly, mind you; just blah. So the newest GTO screamed quietly off into the sunset after a mere two years and a modest 25,000 or so sales.

In 2005, Pontiac dropped the Bonneville sedan from its lineup. It had become a competitor for the Grand Prix over the years (or was it the other way around?) and it seemed senseless to sell both. The Bonneville had a longer history than the Grand Prix, starting as an performance option package in 1957 and graduating to a full model for 1958, and a full line starting in 1959. The Grand Prix, on the other hand, started life in 1962 as a two-door hardtop-only model; some say it started the “personal luxury” car segment that later spawned the Chevy Monte Carlo, Chrysler Cordoba, et al. Somewhere along the line, the Grand Prix added a four-door sedan, and began competing with the Bonneville for sales.

Pontiac has decided it’s time again for a performance sedan. A rear-wheel drive performance sedan, which is, as we all know, once again all the rage. And the powers-that-be have decided to cast their lot with another Holden Commodore. Some might say it looks like a four-door version of the GTO, and they wouldn’t be too far off. I do think though, that the G8’s styling is better balanced than was the GTO. Some I suppose, might even be fooled into thinking the G8 is an actual, born-in-Michigan Pontiac. Personally, I’m not happy with Pontiac’s new naming system. It all started a few years back with the midsized G6, continued on last year with the compact (Chevy Cobalt-based) G5, and now this. I find it confusing. And just having unceremoniously ended my experiment in the auto retail business, I can say that the regular consumer is just as confused. Back when I was learning to drive, my mother had a 1963 Pontiac Catalina. It was the bottom of their full-sized line, just below the Grand Prix and the Bonneville. And everybody (or at least those who cared) knew the difference. It’s a sad trend in the business right now—a confusing list of number- and letter-based names which Joe Consumer can’t keep straight.

But anyway, the G8. It’s a rear-wheel drive, four-door sedan which should arrive in dealer showrooms next month. If you’re into collectibles, the first 888 vehicles produced will come with special badging proclaiming them as such. The base G8 will be equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission mated to a 3.6-liter V-6, rated at 261 horsepower; the upscale G8 GT will have a 362-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 under the hood, hooked up to a six-speed automatic. The 6.0-liter features Active Fuel management (which shuts down four of the engine’s eight cylinders at speed, saving fuel). A six-speed manual will be available soon after launch. Both models will feature a four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, electronic stability control, 18-inch aluminum wheels and a whole slew of other goodies. Unlike the last Bonneville, it’s not likely the G8 will be confused visually with the Grand Prix (which itself should disappear after 2008).

Pricing should start at around $27,595.

To see the Holden Commodore, on which the G8 is based, go to holden.com.au. For more info: pontiac.com.