Saturday, December 25, 2010
Pontiac G8 to Return – As a Chevy!
With rear drive and a punchy V-8 under the hood, the Pontiac G8 was the first real sport sedan for Pontiac in decades, and we mourned its demise when GM killed off the Excitement Division as part of its post-bankruptcy rationalization. But it appears the G8 will make a comeback — only this time wearing Chevy badges. Three GM sources have confirmed to Motor Trend the Australian-built sedan will re-appear on the U.S. market as a Chevy in the coming year. And it won’t be called Impala. “We have a good name for it,” smiled one of the sources.
Bringing back the G8 (the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP is pictured) as a Chevy seemed such a no-brainer — all the certification and engineering work required to transform the Holden Commodore into a Pontiac had already been paid for by the Old GM — it’s a surprise it’s taken so long. Part of the reason for the delay, we understand, is that GM wanted to wait for a mid-cycle facelift on the Holden Commodore to give the car a fresher exterior look.
Bringing back the G8 (the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP is pictured) as a Chevy seemed such a no-brainer — all the certification and engineering work required to transform the Holden Commodore into a Pontiac had already been paid for by the Old GM — it’s a surprise it’s taken so long. Part of the reason for the delay, we understand, is that GM wanted to wait for a mid-cycle facelift on the Holden Commodore to give the car a fresher exterior look.
