BIG NEWS at PMD!

[lightning]

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the new '08 G8! Due out early next year, a rear wheel drive, 6 speed auto or manual V-8. There will be two choices, a 3.6 litre at 261 hp or the powerfull GT 6.0 litre 362 horse at 391 lb-ft!

The G8 will be the Holden Commodore from Australia. Looking very similiar to a BMW, the G8 will sell between $25K to $30K.

I had the pleasure to drive the '06 G6 GXP with the 6 speed stick. Judging by the handling/power/quality of that car, I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the G8!

I'll get a chance to visit with the G8 at the New York Auto show. I'll take some photos and post them here.

[super]

Great news! Look forward to seeing the photos you post later.

Jeff

[87_FieroGT]

Here's one.

[super]

Might have to purchase one for my wife and borrow it on occassion. Wonder if she will notice the tires having a short life?

Jeff

[ozpont]

... you guys will LOVE IT..... trust me...

... Corvette owners will hate it.. it will eat them up and spit them out.. Unofficially of course...

... They are on the streets here and are having a HUGE impact.. they look MUCH better in the flesh then on pictures.. and the few Highway Patrol Cars that are now released .. just beg for your attention...

... Pontiac should do well..

... Now they just gotta figure out how to do marketing well... unlike the initial GTO marketing.

[ozpont]

.. ONLY a sedan or wagon at the moment.. No Coupes.. BUT around Melbourne (Australia) is roaming some Camaro test plateforms.. probably will not be long before some spy photos are out..

... I'll take a picture of the new Pontiac at the Holden Dealership here later today an post it.. they are really good ... a colabratration between US GM Engineers and Aussie engineers.. .. We don't like pussy front wheel drive snow cars THAT much... need things that dig 8 to 10 inch dual trenches up the tarmac with only Fords following...

[Stu Norman]

A 4 door GTO?

[ozpont]

.. its not meant to be a "GTO" is it.. but a sedan car with a HUGE amount of grunt.. practical, very well built & within reach of most people to get afford..... and still looks 10 times better in the flesh then photos....

Choice.. what would you rather.. a GM World Car like this from your GM Dealer.. as well shortly as the Ute or El Camino version...
.... .. or a Chinese Geely 3cyl buz box.... http://www.geely.com.. cause they are coming to a Walmart near you...

The USA Automotive market sold some 16 million cars in 2006.. GM is looking at up to 50,000 G8's... apparently below the viable line production rate needed to build a fresh line of vehicles in north America.

[lightning]

"Alex" I'll take the World GM car for $500 please!

I had a blast driving the '04 &'05 GTO. I have no doubt that the G8 will be a tremendous vehicle. The Geely will entice some buyers, but it is only a matter of time before the Chinese develope a stronghold in car sales here with more powerfull "tuners". However, my guess, they won't set up manufacturing here in the US like the Japanese did.

Just as a side note, they can't give the Prius away! Last year, you had to pay a surcharge, this year.... discounts? With the average price of gas at $2.15, people still want big cars. Will we ever see an electric powered GTO? GTO = Generating Thermalunits Outside?

[bencar]

Don't worry, the powers-that-be, are hard at work to achieve $10.00/gal for gasoline. I mean, after all, while I'm going broke on $2.33/gal, driving all that I can afford for a car these days, a 6 cylinder 1982 Fairmont-what's another $8.00+/gal, right?

Oh, and at least in my opinion, that Prius is butt ugly!

[Larry]

Check out the G8 article in our On-Line Magazine: "All New Pontiac G8: V8 & Rear Wheel Drive!"
This sounds like quite a nice car, and it is looking good too. It has the Maxima sort of roofline look with touches of BMW thrown in. Add the V8 power and an actual rear wheel drive, and Pontiac may have a long overdue winner.
Just put armed guards around it day and night to make sure nobody sneaks in and starts to add any extra lines or buldges anywhere... it looks clean and nice right now.

[bencar]

It does look nice, but WAY out my range of affordability I'm afraid . Hope gasoline prices don't take another quantum leap, or you won't be able to give that car away , as nice as it looks. Pontiac, for one, certainly needs something to give it a 'shot-in-the-arm.'

[super]

I am sure fuel prices may scare away some potential buyers, but I believe the crowd Pontiac is trying to target with this car could care less about fuel prices.

It is probably fairly economical for a V-8. Heck, my LS-1 T/A gets around 28mpg highway. It has done great on every road trip I have taken it on. It does better than my wifes V-6 Alero. Most of the high output V-8's GM has produced lately do rather well on fuel.

Jeff

[bencar]

As gasoline prices will continue to climb, more and more people will actually notice, and that can hurt sales of anything burning
gasoline. $2.25/gal might not get the attention of those making $100,000.00+, but $6.00, $7.00/gal, and higher, will get the attention of even the wealthy amongst us. How fast gasoline reaches its next never thought of high, depends on how fast the Oil Industry can manipulate the market, as supplies of what they sell, get tighter and tighter.

I like V-8 performance as much as anyone, but right now, and for a long time to come, building big engined, gasoline burning cars, is about as smart, as drilling a hole in the opposite end of the Titanic as it filled with water, hoping the water would run out the other end.

[bencar]

I did, and I rarely take my T/A out these days, because I can't afford to feed it. Mind you, my T/A isn't going to be sporting any 'For Sale' signs as long as I can help it, but at least for me, and a few others who aren't making the big incomes, hard times are already here, at least when it comes to the extra curricular fun department. I hope I'm wrong about a lot of what I foresee, but things aren't as pretty as some would like to think, and so far, they haven't been getting better. As they say, it's going to get worse, before it gets better. For now, hanging on is about where I'm at, and barely would describe it best.

In so far as GM's efforts, great looking car, hope the Oil prices, and all that relate to that, don't kill the golden goose, before it matures. Pontiac sure can use a winner, and I'd take great pride in being able to rub the faces of naysayers of GM, in the deepest pile of 'you-know-what' I could find. Darn, that would be fun!