Pontiac kills the G8 ST sport truck for 2009 (my dream of a "new El Camino" gone)

[DainBramaged]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: ( I had a new '81 El Camino with a four speed, the last year for a stick in that configuration from GM)



General Motors told dealers today it has decided to cancel a G8 sport truck that was scheduled to debut this fall.

The reason, in part, is GM's "continuing vehicle review" to make the company viable, said Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson. That includes turning Pontiac into a "niche brand" according to a plan GM presented to Congress late last year.

"With Pontiac being more focused on sporty, fun-to-drive cars, we took a long look at the ST and it didn't fit with what our future vision of Pontiac would be," Hopson said. "At that point, we decided to not proceed with this vehicle."

Pontiac launched the G8 sedan in March 2008. The vehicle is built off the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform at GM's Australian unit, Holden.

When GM unveiled the G8 ST last spring at the New York auto show, no one at the company foresaw the national economic meltdown.

"The way the business is today, we want the dealers to focus on the great products we do have: the G6 sedan and the Vibe," Russ Clark, executive director of product marketing for Pontiac, Buick and GMC, said Monday during an interview with Automotive News.

"We want everyone focused on the volume products and the long-term viability of the company. We and the dealers only have so many resources to promote our products."

GM considers the G8 ST to be a low-volume niche product, and Clark said there are no plans to build it for another GM brand.

"What we want to do with Pontiac is what we did with Buick," Clark said. Buick went from having seven nameplates in 2005 to three now.

"We'll be bringing the entries down in Pontiac," Clark said. "It's six right now. It'll be less than six but more than one, so what it'll be ultimately? We're working on that now."

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090106/ANA05/901069989/1078

[FarCenter]

1. Wasn't Pontiac on the list of brands to be discontinued?

With Saab, Saturn, and Hummer?

[DainBramaged]

2. No, it sells more as a division than Saturn, with fewer car models

[blue_onyx]

12. According to GM, Pontiac will become a "niche brand"

which means they will probably only sell a couple of models.

[lib2DaBone]

3. Wow.. they could sell a lot of those...Nice looking...

..how about putting a turbo-charged 4 cyl diesel in them with a 6 speed manual trans... 60+ MPG and better performance that a small 8.

[DainBramaged]

4. Just putting the 260 HP turbo motor out of the Cobalt would give them high 20's

lots of performance, and satisfy the need for a pickup for those who have full sized trucks. My ELCA was my "chores" vehicle, until I 'built' the motor, then I drove it every day (except in snow).

Edit, the version in the HHR SS is 230 horsepower, and it gets real millage 30+ on the highway. That would be a good choice with a 6 speed automatic. I hold out that GM gives it to Chevy as the new El Camino, but alas, I have been disappointed before.

[Gold Metal Flake]

5. And Ford of Aus has been building the Ute for decades.

Can't get it here.

The lots are awash in F150s, though.

[Sebastian Doyle]

19. Ironically, it seems that Ford was waiting to see how well Pontiac's model sold in the US

Before releasing the Ute here......

http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/2008/ford/falcon/ute/page1.html

I'd never heard of either model until just now, but if such a vehicle were available on the US market, I'd seriously consider buying one. I think Ford and GM are making a huge mistake by not marketing these models here.

And on a similar note, whatever happened to the VW pickup that was sort of Rabbit-like?

Could a new version of that ever show up on these shores?

[bobbert]

6. I saw a subaru baja on the road the other day

It looked more like a station wagon with a bed to me. However, my wife thought it looked awesome.

You could look into something like that if you really want something like an el camino. I think they're right in canceling it, their goal was only to sell 5000-7000 of these. That would just cost to much for little profit during the employee discount for everyone deal that I would wait for before buying any gm car.

[dysfunctional press]

7. what an idiotic decision. that could be a best-seller.

:banghead:

[bobbert]

8. Not really

When announced, in a good market, the optimistic number was 5000-7000 units. That's not going to make it a best-seller.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=138906

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. Yeah...

This doesn't seem like a particularly good time to be inventing new loss leaders.

[dysfunctional press]

15. i know several people, myself included, who would be very interested...

i hadn't ever seen the car, but just last week some friends and i were talking about how it would be great it would be to have el caminos back on the market.
lots of people like/need to haul stuff, and don't want a huge pick-up truck.

"sales projections" have been known to be mistaken.

[DainBramaged]

16. GM has been nothing BUT mistaken for a decade

The could have made a Colorado version of the Blazer, no. They could have put a modern V6 in it, no, an unreliable 5 cylinder. So they conceded the small SUV market to Toyota, Honda and Ford, and the Blazer was a gazillion seller over it's lifetime. They made the Trailblazer totally inefficient and now it's gone. Chevy didn't need the Traverse (Travesty) because there is a Saturn, Buick and GMC version, so sales get diluted further, and it's just too fucking big and inefficient. And on and on.

[depakid]

10. No utes for Americans

probably not the best time to have introduced them. Too bad they didn't do it years ago, rather than pushing SUV's.

Ford makes them too, btw:






They're very popular with tradesmen.

[madrchsod]

11. dam those are really cool cruisers

[depakid]

13. They're an Aussie icon

I've always wondered why they were never sold in the states. They're great for surfies and other outdoor types- more comfortable and sporty than a truck- "a coupe utility" so to speak and you can easily toss your gear in the back.

Here's a tradesman model:

[LeftHander]

14. Drove a El Camino in the 80's....

I liked it....comfy and you could haul a load of crap. I had a cool sparkly topper too...

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. Wanna buy mine?

[DainBramaged]

21. '64 or '65?

I love that style too. That's why I jumped on the '81 when I found out it was the last year for the 4-spd in the series. Owned it till 1989, after lots of mods, sold it for a little less than what I originally paid for it in '81 (which was $12,000 and small change).

I miss that car/uh truck/uh cartruck. very much.

[Qanisqineq]

18. I love Pontiac

probably because my parents owned nothing but Grand Prix's (no idea how to make that plural!) and I have a Grand Am. Love my little car. BUT, that is not a car I could love. :D Sorry, I have just never liked El Camino's. I would think they could sell a bunch though as many people I know loved the El Camino.

[DainBramaged]

22. My beautiful Daughter bought a 2004 Grand Prix end of the year

and she loves it. And when the weather breaks, the Old Man is going to "improve" (cough cough) the performance aspects of her car. Without sacrificing her 26 MPG average around town (she does NO highway driving).

[LeftinOH]

20. With all the emphasis on trucks & suvs (until recently) -there would have been a big market for this

...including me. Too bad. They were really popular once:

From Ford




From Chevy




And this little scrapper from Chrysler..never sold in the US:

[EnviroBat]

25. Hola Sr. Rodríguez. ¿Disfrutó su taquitos

[Recursion]

23. I had a '77 Ranchero (Ford's attempt at an El Camino)

This actually kind of is a loss. A light vehicle with a bed lets you do a lot of the stuff a truck does, with better mileage.

[lib2DaBone]

24. You build it .. they will come.....

you give tradesmen a small utility vehicle that gets 40-50 MPG and you will sell millions of units.

Even in a Recession, more so in a Depression.. the work must go on.

Once again.. Detroit CEO's miss the boat and blame the public for the "slowdown".

[8 track mind]

26. Thats the Holden Ute

Those bastards! Man i wanted a new ElCamino so freaking bad. I had a 1964 with the smallest inline six (194ci) with a three on the tree. Loved that car.