GMI Preview: 2009 Pontiac G8 ST

[KIDDIESEL79]

I'd rather see the wagon here.

[Bolex]

..still dont know how succesful these things will be, but im looking forward to seeing em on the street. no doubt these are bada$$. since its a niche vehicle based off the G8, they should have given this the 'typhoon-cyclone-grand national' treatment.

[TJ95GAGT]

Why the CAFE talk from GM why is this only offered with the 8cyl? Is it only available in Australia with the 8cyl?

[Robert Ryan]

Why the CAFE talk from GM why is this only offered with the 8cyl? Is it only available in Australia with the 8cyl?

60% is the V8. The other is the V6, but cargo capacity in the V6 goes upto 1800lb.

I know that I'm obviously not the intended market for this car but with a price point that is going to be in the $30k range, why would anybody want this car that has so much less capabilities than a truck and a car?

Different Culture. It is not the SSR(it would have failed here as well) A US Pickup will also sit in a dealers yard in Australia, if someone here was silly enough to tout it as a "great truck for contactors" instead of a niche "bling mobile "and 5th wheel tow tug.

less capabilities than a truck and a car?

It is a car and a Sports Sedan NOT a Truck
think along these lines as regards the Sports G8 ST

[mang01]

Good summary but a few points I'd like to pick up on..

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

At the peak of its popularity, the Chevy El Camino was a car based pick up truck built of GM's A-body platform. The El Camino shared its design with the Chevelle, and it also shared its power plants. The car would die and come back in the 80's based off the G body platform, but would die once GM went to FWD for its mid sized sedans.

Though you're right that for most of its life it was a mid-sizer based on the Chevelle A-body (though it was a Malibu from 1978) El Camino started in 1959 on the full-size platform for two model years - actually as an aside I can never find anywhere that during those two years when they had a corporation wide body sharing program do they call the Chevy body the A body, even though prior to 1959 it was one, shared with Pontiac and the occasional Olds. Maybe it's just my research is poor on these model years.
Malibu (and presumably El Camino and the then A-special but originally G body Monte Carlo) got rechristened G bodies when the '83 FWD Celebrity was introduced which assumed the A body code, as did their counterparts in the other divisions. I don't think El Camino went out of production during the late 70's or early 80's, did it? So presumably it didn't "die and come back on the G platform". And when it did die it was because GM decided to discontinue the then 10 year old RWD G body in favour of FWD W bodies (but without a replacement pick up body style), they'd already supposedly replaced the mainline midsizers with the FWD A body which while increasingly downplayed lasted quite a few more years afterwards.
Sorry for being picky but it when authorative sounding articles are written such as this that get facts wrong it's when history gets muddled and misquoted until no-one really knows what the truth was anymore.

[GM4Life99]

Originally Posted by eaton53

What did people do before they invented the super cab?
I guess they didn't sell any pickups!

i like dat i hate toyotas too

[redimpss5]

I can't wait to see this in the showrooms!! May be the last hot rod I buy!

[tripowergto]

Why no 6 speed manual?

[FStephenMasek]

It is obvious that many of us think that a car-truck would be wonderful for many uses. I wrote a letter to Mr. Lutz after long ago article urging him to sell a car-truck in the USA.

[FStephenMasek]

Originally Posted by DirtyMoney

It might sell as many as the SSR's.

Come on now, are you just joking, or have you simply not taken the time to understand the vast differences differences between a proper car-truck and the SSR? You are correct that the SSR might have given car-trucks a bad name, except that it was really a truck (Trailblazer) with an almost useless bed, all of the bad truck attributes, and a crazy high price.

[Joevette]

hopefully the manual will come when the rest of the g8's get it next year

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by DirtyMoney

It might sell as many as the SSR's.

Nah, I doubt it. This looks a lot better than the SSR, it'll sell much better. Hopefully.

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by FStephenMasek

Come on now, are you just joking, or have you simply not taken the time to understand the vast differences differences between a proper car-truck and the SSR? You are correct that the SSR might have given car-trucks a bad name, except that it was really a truck (Trailblazer) with an almost useless bed, all of the bad truck attributes, and a crazy high price.

It was a sweet ride for a nice day of golf... top down, plenty of room for the clubs.
Lincoln Blackwood was even better... room for a foursome.
Unfortunately the market for golf-specific vehicles isn't a large one unless you're talking golf carts...

[GMC-70]

I saw the ST at the autoshow this weekend. The bed on this UTE is huge--it looks almost as big as a full size truck just maybe not as wide. I really think this will sell better then expected if its priced right as it appears to have some real utility --something the SSR, blackwood, Saburu BAJU did not.

If is over 30k --forget it it, around 25 would be real nice.

[Puzzel]

Originally Posted by tripowergto

Why no 6 speed manual?

Originally Posted by Joevette

hopefully the manual will come when the rest of the g8's get it next year

For anyone interested in a G8 ST with a manual transmission, go to Pontiac.com and submit a comment/feedback to that effect. I did, and if enough others do, maybe we'll get it.