Mark my words.....

Think of the Malibu has Bea Arthur.....

G6= Alyssa Milano

I have a feeling that there will be an Altima somewhere in an corner at the NAIAS fudging it's pants.....

Info I can't really go into...but we all know well how last Grand Am GT sold....despite not really having a full deck of cards...

Now imagine if that car was given the tools to take on anything out there...and they weren't even releasing the "hot model" yet.

 

I know if the 285 HP AWD concept G6 makes production as the "hot" model that would be pretty darn appealing for me as a daily driver. Now, are you saying this version may not even be the "hot" one?

 

Well assuming hot=GXP then no....that will be a few years. I am guessing it will see the 270HP 3V 3.9.


But say it had enough from the start to run with an Altima..

Also of note...GM will make the current Grand Am GT coupe in 05...wonder why?

 

Hmmm... pushing up the HP too much in the G6 (Grand Am GT) is treading on thin ice in a way...

Remember that some potential Camaro buyers, according to Scott, listed "too much power" as a reason they didn't consider it.... somehow, I think people in this market would be even more 'sheepish' when it comes to this thing... hopefully I am wrong though.

 

I don't know, the other sedans are pushing up there too. I think many people, when they say "too much power" mean too much power to control, AKA they're afraid because of a reputation etc.

Just like people are afraid of RWD cars in many cases, which is just sad.

 

I agree...the problem is, no one sees a 260hp Accord V6 these days as being too "muscle-bound," but a 275hp LT1 F body was at one point. The bar is changing. People weren't "afraid" of an F body solely because of the power, it was that image of power that went along with it. Big body. Intimidating hood/windshield. I think this car will be great, especially with AWD.

As for formula's comments on the last Grand Am GT, indeed, it wasn't fully cooked, but it WAS a good overall car, especially compared to its 1999 competitors, when it came out. If the car had around 230hp, and lost the hideous cladding and dashboard (I owned an '02 coupe for 15 months, and I NEVER got used to either one), it would be even more competitive now. The GTs are still selling fairly well, and personally, I sold a ton of them over the 3 years I worked at the dealer.

I see the G6 as a new-era Grand Am GT with more power, cleaner style, hopefully better quality, and an AWD system that will help it compete with WRX. Grand Am sold VERY well, and the GT has gotten some attention finally, from the aftermarket. There are some guys out their with some pretty impressive Grand Ams. There would be even more if GM had updated the engine mid-cycle.

I wish they had kept the name. To me, Grand Am is Pontiacs true entry level car. I have owned 3, my dad has owned 1, and all 4 were GTs, or SEs when SEs were the nice model. All of them were great handling, respectable performing cars.

I can't wait for the new G6...I just wish it was called a Grand Am

 

Things just seem to keep getting better for us and GM.

 

This is just a guess, but the power thing may not be as bad as what put some people off about the F4. I never recall hearing people talk about the LT1's being too fast, only the LS1's, and we all know those were closer to 340-350hp, not the 270 that the G6 will be packing. Also, even w/ 270hp on tap, it might not have the same "scary" performance (don't you pity people who feel that way?) as the F4 did because the power will probably be so much higher up the band than the LT1/LS1's were. So assuming that the "average" G6 buyer won't be racking it up to 5k all the time, I wouldn't think the torque numbers would be in the same ballpark as what the old LT1 and LS1's were/are, and therefore, wouldn't have the same "oh my gawd!" feeling as the F4's did.

My CTS w/ the 3.6 (255hp) is a great engine in terms of useable power, it doesn't break your neck, but it's effortless where you need it to be. But it will never be mistaken w/ my old LS1. I would think the 270hp G6 won't scare many people off, at least I hope not. If it does, they should be buying a Malibu.

 

I can't wait to see all the final specs on the G6, From the the spy shot and small preview pics I have seen it looks like it is going to look just like the Concept but with a better grill.

I'd like to see the Pontiac version of the Cobalt named Grand Am

 

The Grand Am was a great value. It offered decent performance, a ton of features, and was sporty to alot of people.

The G6 isn't going to succeed because it has a box full of horsepower or better quality over it's predecessor (look at the current Grand Prix sales over it's previous version... it ain't pretty ).

It's going to have to be great looking, and offer the type of value the Grand Am did. Sure, you can say it's quality is equal to or better than Altimas or Maximas, but don't forget, the Grand Am also outsold both of those cars, even with inferior power & quality. We are talking value buyers in this type of segment.

Pontiac is moving upmarket and this includes the G6, so the G6 isn't going to be as cheap as a Malibu or even the Grand Am.

Though it will likely be profitable, I'm not at all confident that it's going to sell as well as the Grand Am did.

 

The Grand Am's best sales years were when it first came out...and it had very little in the way of rebates. As the rebates increased...it's sales have decreased. Either way MSRP wise I expect one or two thousand dollar increase in MSRP over the Grand Am...but it will still be a better value than the Altima or Accord. It all depends on how GM plays thier rebates.

 

Pontiac is not getting a version of the Cobalt, except in the Great White North where it will be called the Pursuit.

 

As I understand it, the Sunfire is being continued primarily for fleet sales as well as sales to the general public (Cobalt sales to fleets will be restricted).

A year or so down the line, Sunfire will be replaced with the Pursuit here as well as up north.

 

Eventually Pontiac USA will get a version of the Cobalt, instead of naming the US version Pursuit, I'd like to see it called Grand Am. I doubt I will get my wish.

 

I really liked the Concept. Hopefully the performance version of the G6 won't stray too far as far as the AWD, S/c'ed 3.5, and styling.