So does this spell the end of the G8? Does it also spell the end of the Australian car industry?

 

And... G8 ST

 

Wow that was a fast turn around.. why dont they just drop the brand then entirely because.. chevy already has more than a few fwd 4cylinder models coming out. Creating the G5 was already pointless enough...

 

And now bringing over an Aveo rebadge... Might as well kill the brand..

 

I would have bet the G8 ST would have been a dud anyhow.
Can't tow much, 2 seater ect-

Too bad about the rest--esp the G8.

 

What are you talking about? The G8 is not dead, and the G8 ST is still on.

 

What does GM now know that the general public doesn't? Maybe the recent run up to $4+ gas and $5+ diesel has spooked GM into believing Peak Oil is real and coming sooner than expected.

Could GM be redesigning its line up for a nation of $7+ gasoline.

 

They should kill the brand if it's focus is going to overlap Chevy and Saturn. What happened to reducing overlap, GM?

 

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

 

That's what I said when the Ultra V8 program was cancelled, and other actions since then indicate that GM's preparing for higher fuel costs:

- Contraction of the Zeta program
- "Indefinite hold" on the GMT10xx (full-size truck)
- "Re-evaluation" of the GenV V8
- Lack of new applications for Two Mode hybrid systems
- Reallocation of resources to the Volt/E-flex program

If GM saw that gas prices would hold in the $4-5 range, then the Two Mode makes a lot more sense than the Volt ER-EV. As stated previously, gas really needs to get into the $10 range before the Volt makes any sense.

Getting back to the topic at hand - just kill Pontiac. GM has had ten years to get it right with this brand, and it seems like every other year brings some sort of "realignment" to the brand's position.

 

They change the direction of brands before they even are abel to actually fully execute the previous change of focus.

 

That's unbelievable, or is it? It's becoming the order of the day for GM to change focus for each of its divisions and it as a whole as often as they hold a board meeting.

For a car company that shifts its direction so much, and yet never reaches any of it, it makes me wish they'd just fold. They can't just build a formula and perfect it. They have to change it entirely.

They will never be a leader. This is just a knee-jerk reaction. And instead of focusing on just a few models and perfecting them, they will scatter the resources they don't have over so many programs and vehicles that they will arrive to the market half-baked, they will stagnate for years, and at the end of it, they will change the direction again.

Promises, promises...

 

I think this is a good move for GM. Having Pontiac as a performance division as many on this board want is a bad idea. Times have changed and performance isn't on everyone's mind now. For it to get that way again, gas would need to be about $2 and be stable there.

It would be hard to kill Pontiac as it is the 2nd highest volume brand for GM in the states. I am just not sure of its future.

 

I'd be okay with this as long as Pontiac's product line wasn't simply a bunch of generic rebadges. If they could inject alittle personality and focus along the lines of Mini Cooper/Scion/Mazda that would be good.


Of course, they probably won't.

 

The final nail in Pontiac's coffin...It's nice to want to have a range of fuel-efficient vehicles, but performance-oriented RWD cars doesn't mean that fuel economy has to get thrown by the wayside. Focusing Pontiac, the "excitement" division, on small FWD cars (which means bland appliances) is a huge mistake.