guionM

Chevy's GM, Ed Peper actually comes close.

He's not one of those rare once a decade divisional leader who's personality would have caused him to be fired if he wasn't producing results. But Peper's about as good (maybe even a bit better) as anyone at the division level. Dieter Zetsche was an exceptional Chrysler Division head at Daimler.

Not at a divisional level, but Alan Mulally is probably the leading intresting (and successful) auto company head at the moment.

Z284ever

I refuse to accept the "no money" excuse. GM had pi$$ed away TENS OF BILLIONS on bullsh!t for years. They have no money now, because they wasted it for decades.

Z284ever

Ed seems like a nice guy and all, but he's no John Delorean or Jim Perkins.

Z28x

1) That blows my mind that the "performance" division isn't getting the turbo version. This car should be a Cobalt with LT or SS trim only. You can get a G5 with hub caps but no turbo.
2) In a G6 that is the hot rode engine, but in the G8, Malibu, or Aura it is just a vanilla V6. Who are the badges fooling, it would make a good GT engine but that is it. And where is the manual?
3)
4) at least the 2009.5 updates give it a proper DIC instead of having the MPG come up on that ugly radio
5) They don't even need to change any sheet metal, call the 3.6L and 6.0L G8 and the 6.2L version GTO
6) The car nobody asked for and Jalopnik calls the worse car for sale in the USA. I guess this replaces the G8 ST.
7) Mazda and Honda get it, but GM still doesn't.

The Grand Prix to G8 really kills me. Grand Prix name was around for 7 generations. If the G8 was called Grand Prix I have no doubt sales would be much higher. Nobody know what a G8 is.

Maybe it is best that the Firebird/Trans Am didn't come back because GM probably would have named it Pontiac G9

AdioSS

Maybe if there are V6 buyers who don't want a flashy car?

AdioSS

I think the G8 should have been called the Bonneville instead of Grand Prix.

SSbaby

I understand what you're saying but given the car it is, nothing comes close this side of a BMW... chich isn't exactly great value by comparison. Hence my lofty expectations of this car.

And given the GTO was one of the best modern muscle cars from GM, I thought it did Pontiac's reputation no harm at all. But I do honestly believe that GM would have been better served to badge the G8 as a Chevy first... then give Pontiac an alternative version if the business case was justifiable.

SharpShooter_SS

No I think Grand Prix was the name for this car .The G8 is overall similar to the GP in size. Bonneville was almost always a full-size car. I also agree that the new nomenclature should be scrapped, or better yet never adopted - they tried this before in the late 80's too, T1000, J2000, 6000 etc.... didn't really work then either. How come the Vibe escaped this naming scheme?

AdioSS

2005 Bonneville
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 202.6, overall width (inches): 74.2, overall height (inches): 56.6, wheelbase (inches): 112.2, front track (inches): 62.6, rear track (inches): 62.1 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 40.5
Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 38.7, rear headroom (inches): 37.3, front hip room (inches): 55.7, rear hip room (inches): 56.4, front leg room (inches): 42.6, rear leg room (inches): 38, front shoulder room (inches): 59, rear shoulder room (inches): 58.3 and interior volume (cu ft): 103.8
Weights: curb weight (lbs) 3,590

2007 Grand Prix
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 198.3, overall width (inches): 73.8, overall height (inches): 55.9, wheelbase (inches): 110.5, front track (inches): 61.7, rear track (inches): 61.3 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 37.4
Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 38.5, rear headroom (inches): 36.5, front hip room (inches): 54.6, rear hip room (inches): 53.5, front leg room (inches): 42.4, rear leg room (inches): 36.5, front shoulder room (inches): 57.9, rear shoulder room (inches): 55.5 and interior volume (cu ft): 114
Weights: curb weight (lbs) 3,477

2009 G8
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 196.1, overall width (inches): 74.8, overall height (inches): 57.7, wheelbase (inches): 114.8, front track (inches): 62.7, rear track (inches): 63.3 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 37.4
Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 38.7, rear headroom (inches): 38.0, front hip room (inches): 56.7, rear hip room (inches): 58.0, front leg room (inches): 42.2, rear leg room (inches): 39.4, front shoulder room (inches): 59.1, rear shoulder room (inches): 59.1 and interior volume (cu ft): 107.0
Weights: curb weight (lbs) 3,885

Every dimension to me says that it should have been a Bonneville..

automotive.com is my source

teal98

Length is closest to a GP -- it's actually slightly shorter.

Comparing weight between a car that debuted in 2006 and a car that debuted in the mid 90s will give you weird results. You'll be calling Civics Accords and Corolla Camrys, etc.

SharpShooter_SS

I still class the G8 as a mid sizer - large yes, but the GP was a large mid sizer. Yes some of the volumes are closer matches to the Bonneville although differences between the Bonneville and the GP aren't as big as one would have thought. All that really shows me is that the G8 is more space efficient than either of the Pontiac front drivers. I see your point, but to me, as I said the G8 is more directly a GP replacement than Bonneville. I'm not saying you're wrong, we're all entitled to our opinions.

Darth Xed

G8 = Grand Prix

G6 = Grand Am

G5 = Sunfire

G3 = .... late 80'[s LeMans?

rlchv70

Bonneville does not have a sporty reputation. Most people associate its name with the huge 1970s boats. Grand Prix has a sporty reputation. The Grand Prix name is a better fit.

MustangEater82

I really don't understand why the G6 did so bad? I understand the upper models, like the convertable/GXPs, but why the crappier models like mine?

I admit the interior sucks, but its functional, I'd consider the car lightyears better then a civic, corrolla, cobalt...

Getting into 4 door standard, and actually moving people, and having a little "pizaz..." with it. I think its a good first "new car" to get. Someone in the 20s, who doesn't want a grandpa car, but also doesn't want a teehee I got a new corrolla for my 16th b-day car either...



Its by no means a performance car, I was looking at Mazda 6s, and ended up with a G6 instead. Cheaper, more options, more hp, better gas. Looks, I like the sedan, I admit the coupe is a little "bleh"(funny how much of the coupe can be mimiced to a 350Z but it doesn't pull it off)


Honestly the other day, like 3 2 guys and a girl said they liked my car and were asking me how much it cost. 2 were like 22 other was 26, I did 1-2 suttle tweaks to the appearance but nothing major. And even the honda "I hate all domestics" fanboy in my class thought it was awesome I have remote start, and the info that popped out on my DIC. And it was all factory, and thought it was cool I had ~225 hp.

Is it a class leader? should be people be paying $25-30k for them? nope. The $16.5k I got mine new for was a great price, seems like if they were priced $16-23k new they would have done alot better. But that might have gotten into the G5/cobalt market.

formula79

The worst was the Grand Prix GXP. They took the questionable styling of the GP and made it hideous with the new grille.

The problem with Pontiac the last few years has been that it shares a showroom with Buick. Buick was shrunk to three models, and GM used Pontiac to plug the holes so the dealers could offer everything. G3 is there because if you own a Buick/Pontiac/GMC, you have no other subcompact. Same with the Torrent G5, and so forth. The new Malibu is already barely competitive...and the G6 which for the most part is the old Malibu has become laughable. At least the old Grand Am had agressive styling to sell it.


I mean it really is all screwed up. 3 years ago Buick was gonna be shrunk to nothing. Now...Pontiac is gonna be shrunk to nothing and Buick is gonna get more models? It's alll pointless because I think for all intents the Buick name is for most intents dead in the US to most car buyers. I mentioned one day getting an Enclave to my wife...and she was like "I want an Acadia instead..the Enclave is nicer..but I can't see myself driving a Buick". It will be exactly like Old's where the line is so associated with being old and bland...that it does not matter how great the cars are..people outside the "blue hair" set simply will not buy them.