BigPontiac

Article Pontiac Tries High-Performance Revival Saturday March 15, 4:49 am ET By Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer Pontiac Attempts a High-Performance Revival With 2 New Vehicles DETROIT (AP) -- Pontiac wants to beef up its performance credentials with two new rear-wheel-drive vehicles that will debut at next week's New York International Auto Show, but the timing couldn't be worse as high gas prices test consumers' appetite for growling engines. The 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP upgrades the G8 sedan with a new 6.2-liter small-block V-8 engine that's rated at 402 horsepower. Pontiac says the G8 GXP will be able to go from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. The GXP also has a specially tuned suspension and an optional new six-speed manual transmission. The sedan will go on sale late this year. Pontiac will also launch the 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck, a two-seater built on the G8 platform with a 73-inch cargo bed. The sport truck has the same 361-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 used in the G8 GT sedan. It's expected in dealerships in late 2009. "There's simply nothing else like the G8 sport truck on the road today, and we definitely believe that there are customers who will be excited by its distinctive design, performance and cargo capabilities," Jim Bunnell, general manager of Pontiac, Buick and GMC, said in a statement. Pontiac plans to let consumers name the new sport truck in a monthlong contest on its Web site that ends April 15. Both vehicles will be built in Australia by Holden, General Motors Corp.'s Australian subsidiary, which developed the new rear-wheel-drive architecture. The Pontiac G8, which went on sale this year, is a rebadged Holden Commodore. Pontiac has been due for the kind of overhaul that's reinvigorating Cadillac and Buick. In New York three years ago, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz called Pontiac a damaged and undernourished brand and said GM's resources should be focused on healthier brands such as Hummer and GMC. Pontiac's U.S. sales have fallen by 31 percent since 2002, to 358,000 vehicles last year, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. The high-performance G8 family was supposed to help repair the brand, but a new federal law mandating increases in the corporate average fuel economy -- or CAFE -- could put up a roadblock. Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst with the consulting company Global Insight, now considers Pontiac the most at-risk of GM's eight brands. "The renaissance was on the books, but it's basically been thrown into confusion with the new CAFE rules," Bragman said. "The future depends on what they can do with Pontiac. Can they make it a four-cylinder, turbocharged brand, or are Americans so set on it being the rumbly, rear-wheel-drive V-8 division that anything else is not going to fly?" Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson said performance doesn't necessarily mean horsepower, but can also mean sporty handling in a crossover like the Vibe, which gets 36 miles per gallon on the highway. "We will provide an appropriate level of performance in every segment in which we play, but that doesn't necessarily mean every car we have is going to be a rear-wheel-drive V-8," he said. But Bragman suggests Pontiac's image as a sporty, high-performance brand also has been diluted by staid crossovers like the Vibe. Stand-alone Pontiac dealers have demanded such vehicles to ensure a full lineup, but Bragman said Pontiac needs freedom to concentrate on performance. That could happen as GM continues its push for dealers to offer Buick, GMC and Pontiac under one roof, he said. Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Irvine, Calif.-based Kelley Blue Book, said Pontiac's return to its performance roots is a positive step, but years of lukewarm vehicles have made the brand irrelevant to many consumers. "They're on the brink of either great success or marginalization," Nerad said. Hopson said when he joined Pontiac six years ago, many customers were angry at the brand for abandoning its performance heritage, which dates to the John DeLorean-designed 1964 Pontiac GTO muscle car. Hopson said he considered it positive that people were upset, and not just apathetic, about Pontiac. "Pontiac has always been about style and performance. There have certainly been times that we've fulfilled that mission better than others," he said. "We're again getting the vehicles that fulfill that mission very clearly." The New York show opens to the public Friday after two days of media previews.

Now THIS is interesting!

Link to AutoBlog

Lessons of the Square Watermelon

This article seems to mirror the CNN article you saw: Article

Browse until your heart's content: http://www.gasbuddy.com/

I had a bad parade experience a few years ago -- though highway seems to make the car happier. Ironically, I was just IN PA 2 weeks ago for work -- though that was a BMW roadtrip. A great idea in concept until the weather called for snow and I was already down there running summer tires! Thankfully I was able to bail early. Though I did learn that centrally located windows switches make a lot of sense with a manual transmission with all the tolls in PA, NY and NJ. Never appreciated them until that trip.

Unknown at this time. Might be a bit of a haul for the Bonneville though...

Better renditions can be found here: Leftlane News #1 Leftlane News #2 Orange version of the chop Northstar already posted in another thread:

Who is Manuel and why will he be introducing the G8 GXP? The Excitement theme is still perfect for Pontiac. Even more exciting would be a G8 GXP Sportwagon with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Popular Mechanics - G8 Roadtest Motor Trend - G8 Road Test Car and Driver - G8 Road Test

Sitting through this whole show was work! The bad guys had the fastest Ford Edge ever! The AutoBlog play-by-play is pretty funny though. Link

Dear BigPontiac, When you think “diesel”, clean, quiet, and environmentally friendly probably aren’t the first words that come to mind. But, thanks to BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance, they soon will be. This fall, BMW’s new diesel vehicles, the 335d and X5 xDrive 35d, will bring a powerful, all-new diesel to the road. These vehicles get over 500 miles on a single tank of fuel and feature: A twin-turbo diesel engine that is the most powerful 3.0 liter inline-six cylinder passenger car production diesel in the world The cleanest diesel available that will meet stringent emissions requirements in all 50 states 30% better mileage than a comparable gas model And that’s only the beginning. Visit BMWUSA.com and see for yourself how BMW has reinvented diesel. Learn more about BMW Advanced Diesel

Article Monday, February 11, 2008 Feds to investigate GM SUV fires Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The government is investigating reports of engine fires in General Motors' full-size sport utility vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has received two reports of fires on 2007 model year Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs. Both reports allege that the vehicles were parked in a home garage with the engine shut off when the fires occurred, causing significant property damage. The investigation, which also includes the 2007 GMC Yukon SUV, involves about 423,000 SUVs. General Motors Corp. spokesman Alan Adler says today the company was cooperating with the government. He says GM has not been able to identify any trend with the vehicles.

Two other wagons you may want to investigate besides the V50 would be the Subaru Legacy wagon and VW Jetta Sportwagon.

The Prius starts at $21,000 according to Toyota.com. If you are quoting prices in Canadian Dollars, please say so. As C&G is registered and hosted in the United States, use of the sign $ implies US Dollars as the default currency. If you are posting from another country, please have the courtesy to be specific when making comparisons in your local currency so that everyone can fully understand the point you are making. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

I'd go for the V50 Wagon. If her employer allows for a GM supplier discount, she may also be eligible for Ford as well, which includes Volvo. I can get GM, Ford, Chrysler and all their related companies, but the plans vary. The Volvo website will also let you search CPO inventory. If you found a low mileage 2007 with a CPO warranty you might be better off if you were going to keep it as the pushed the mileage to 100K.

From the Cadillac website: 2008 CTS Low Mileage Lease Example for Qualified Lessees $369/month* 39 month lease $3,169 due at lease signing No security deposit required. Tax, title, license and dealer fees extra. Low mileage lease with mileage fee of $.25 per mile over 10,000 miles per year. Example based on survey. Each dealer sets its own price. Your payments may vary. Payments are for a 2008 CTS with an MSRP of $34,790. 39 monthly payments total $14,391. Option to purchase at lease end for an amount to be determined at lease signing. GMAC must approve lease. Take delivery by 3/3/2008. Mileage charge of $.25 per mile over 10,000 miles per year. Lessee pays for excess wear. Payments may be higher in some states. Not available with other offers.

Article GM sees room to consolidate luxury dealerships Saturday February 9, 11:31 pm ET By Kevin Krolicki SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - General Motors Corp (NYSE:GM - News) will step up consolidation of dealerships handling its three luxury brands in a bid to shore up profitability, the automaker's chief executive said on Saturday. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said the top U.S. automaker had made progress in helping to steer mergers of dealerships offering its Buick, Pontiac and GMC brands but needed to do the same now to restructure the retail network for its Cadillac, Hummer and Saab brands. "We want to run a little harder at our luxury side," Wagoner told reporters on the sidelines of the annual convention for U.S. auto dealers. All three Detroit-based automakers have grappled with the problem of how to reduce the number of their franchised dealers in recent years as they cut labor costs and slower-selling models in the face of slack sales and declining market share. GM has also faced some criticism for running too many separate and partly overlapping product lines with its current stable of eight brands, including Chevrolet and Saturn. But Wagoner said that rather than reduce the number of those brands, GM was focused on restructuring its retail sales network around them. For example, GM has set a goal of selling 80 percent of its Buick, Pontiac and GMC vehicles through stores handling all three brands this year. Wagoner said GM was just at the beginning of a similar consolidation for its luxury brands. "Where we have a lot of stand-alone stores for Saab and Hummer, we think it will make sense to move," he told reporters. Analysts have warned that U.S. car makers need to cut U.S. dealerships -- particularly in crowded city markets -- in order to drive more sales through remaining stores and free up funds for advertising and new investment. In a related move, at the San Francisco-based convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association privately held Chrysler LLC briefed its dealers on its own plans to shrink its retail outlets and shed vehicles from its line-up that compete against each other. Although the Detroit automakers moved quickly to slash labor costs for 180,000 U.S. factory workers under a landmark contract negotiated last year, progress in restructuring their retail networks has been slower. Weaker dealerships are typically family-owned businesses where the owners have to be enticed to sell out by a one-time payout to sever their ties to the brand, executives have said. GM has cut over 600 affiliated dealers over the several years, including some 260 last year, which took its U.S. dealer count to about 6,750 outlets at the start of 2008. But Wagoner also noted GM's ongoing overhaul of the Buick, Pontiac and GMC sales network has taken about five years and said moving too quickly to shed stores also carried risks. "If you try to push it too hard you're going to get dealers nervous and not focused on what you want them to focus on and it's going to cost a lot more money," he said.

Article General Motors Wants You To Help Write Its Memoirs Date posted: 02-08-2008 DETROIT — As part of the celebration of its 100th anniversary, General Motors is asking the public to "share their personal, first-person experiences" with the automaker. "We welcome everyone to share their stories and build a rich and continuously evolving history of GM's people and products," said Steve Harris, GM vice-president of communications. To submit a reminiscence, writers are asked to contribute to the Generations of GM Wiki on GMnext.com, where they can post a picture, write a story or read what others have written. Apparently, censorship will be kept to a minimum, although GM says "all submissions are moderated to assure they follow the 'Rules of the Road' listed on the Wiki, but accuracy is overseen by the user community and subject-matter experts." The possibilities for submissions are endless. Just imagine what consumer watchdog Ralph Nader would write about the Chevrolet Corvair, or what muscle-car fanatics will write about the original Pontiac GTO. The Wiki will use technology similar to that pioneered on the Wikipedia Web site, GM says. What this means to you: Time to trot out those old photo albums and jot down a few words about your favorite GM products. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent

Article CEO of GM's Saab sees stagnation in 2008 -magazine Sat Feb 9, 2008 12:06pm EST FRANKFURT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Unprofitable Swedish carmaker Saab expects unit sales to stagnate this year, the head of Saab told Germany's auto, motor und sport magazine, which reported the General Motors (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) could turn profitable in 2010. Saab sold 125,000 units worldwide last year, less than the 133,00 it sold in the previous year, the magazine said on Saturday in an advanced abstract. "We expect roughly the same scale for 2008," Jan-Ake Jonsson told the German magazine. "It is our target to sell 150,000 to 200,000 units per year. But in order to reach such annual sales we need the new models," he said. Saab had said earlier it could reach break-even with annual sales of 180,000 units, the magazine said, adding that the benchmark would only be reached in 2010, according to internal plans. Saab suffered a 6.1 percent drop in 2007 sales in Europe to about 84,900 cars. In 2007, Saab fell short of is own targets, which Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, had lowered to 160.000 to 170,000 units in June last year, according to an earlier media report. Earlier targets set by Forster's predecessor Peter Augustsson, who left the company in March 2006, aimed to sell 250,000 units per year, the media report had said.

I am really starting to like this car. Steering wheel doesn't thrill me, but if they offer it with a 6 speed manual I'd probably get over it. I also like that they're offering a sunroof.

Appears they may be killing the Viper too. Link

Interesting, especially the adjustable ride height. Lame a GMC doesn't have a 4wd or AWD option though.

So we have a niche brand, Pontiac. It is expected to sell to targeted markets and low volumes. The targeted market is the enthusiast. The expected annual North American volume for the G8 sedan is roughly 50k units/yr. The wagon and ute bodystyles have already been engineered with a variety of powertrain and transmission options for the Australian market. Adapting them to the North American market is an incremental cost. Selling 5k wagons in North America would seem reasonable and would add 10% to the overall G8 sales volumes. BMW seems to have no problem selling products to enthusiasts -- maybe they're just better at understanding what products their potential customers want? If GM is getting out to the North East, maybe they should stop by the Harvard Business School and talk to Clayton Christensen about "Disruptive Innovation Theory" and maybe they might learn how to seek out untapped markets. As for the "no one buys xxx" argument, how can GM know what customers want when they rely on dealers to act as the voice of the customer? Instead of limiting customer choices, maybe GM should leverage technology to improve a customer's ability to custom order the vehicle they want instead of choosing from dealer stock, which again generally reflects a lowest common denominator approach. Web technology combined with RFID and webcams in the manufacturing plant could actually be packaged as a high touch customer order experience and used as a market differentiating capability to simultaneously give customers the configuration they want and reduce dealer inventory. Much like Toyota discovered with fullsize pickup buyers, "enthusiasts" want what they want and are generally willing to wait or pay a premium to get it. As GM prices the Cadillac CTS with a manual transmission at a discount to the automatic, it clearly shows their thinking still reflects they believe buyers choose the manual transmission for cost reasons, which is completely false. But given the fact GM can't even get EDS and IBM to play well together on building internals systems and outsourced most of their customer web properties offshore, I guess I shouldn't expect much.