El Camino Diehards: Pontiac G8 SportTruck Should Have Been A Chevy; Nameplate Swap?

7808 Views 123 Replies 74 Participants Last post by OLDSCHOOLGMFAN, Apr 22, 2008

Perian

Discussion Starter · Mar 31, 2008

Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/ANA06/803310330

Automotive News - March 31, 2008 - 12:01 am ET

Fans of the classic Chevrolet El Camino are angry about General Motors' plan to sell an Australian El Camino-like import as a Pontiac. The 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck should have been the new Chevy El Camino, they say.

"People are loyal to the El Camino name," said Dan Peters, brand manager at the El Camino Store in Goleta, Calif., which sells El Camino restoration parts. The El Camino was sold from 1959 to 1987; GMC also had a lower-volume version.

"For years people have been asking if they can import one," Peters said of the Holden truck that will be the basis for Pontiac's version.

He predicted many El Camino fans would buy the G8 Sport Truck, pry off the badges and put on classic El Camino badges from the '70s and '80s.

So how did the vehicle end up as a Pontiac? Because it's basically a Pontiac G8, says Buick-Pontiac-GMC General Manager Jim Bunnell. "We went back and forth on this," Bunnell said. "But as we looked at the vehicle, we said: I suppose we could put a GMC badge on it, but it is going to have a G8 interior. It's a G8 from the B-pillar forward. ...

"And then as we looked at it, we said how much weight is it really going to get in terms of advertising and promotional support and dealer stocking among the GMC lineup? They've got a lot to deal with right now with Envoys, Acadias, Sierras, Yukons and everything else.

"For all those reasons, we said it probably makes the most sense to plug it in as part of a G8 family."

1 - 20 of 124 Posts

skylark68

· #2 · Mar 31, 2008

Oh boy, here we go again...

Just for the record, GM shouldn't sell this as a Pontiac (no history with selling this type of vehicle) or Chevy (has too many models already). It should be a GMC...

Perian

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 31, 2008

russtrapp said:
Please take the Aztek II away from us. PLEASE!

I really don't think you have anything to worry about.

I made three visits to the NY Auto Show last week - the last yesterday afternoon. Wall-to-wall people!

I never saw more than one or two people looking at the G8 S/T on display. However - that red G8 GT sedan...Wow - A real attention getter.

A quote from an Automotive News editorial on the NY auto show: (The G8 Sport Truck is a) "Bad mistake. Pontiac has no history of selling trucks. The El Camino has a legion of fans and now is becoming a collectible. Not only that, but if GM wants to sell a truck, Chevrolet and GMC dealers are the ones who have proved they can move the metal."

tripowergto

· #4 · Mar 31, 2008

I was VERY surprised to see a "name the new Pontiac sport truck" commercial on SPEED channel during the Grand AM race this weekend. VERY COOL!!

eaton53

· #5 · Mar 31, 2008 (Edited)

If they gotta, they can put on the whole Lumina front clip.
IMO, the G8 front clip looks a whole lot better.

Please take the Aztek II away from us. PLEASE!

Too bad, game's over... it's coming. If you don't like it go buy something else.

A quote from an Automotive News editorial on the NY auto show: (The G8 Sport Truck is a) "Bad mistake. Pontiac has no history of selling trucks. The El Camino has a legion of fans and now is becoming a collectible. Not only that, but if GM wants to sell a truck, Chevrolet and GMC dealers are the ones who have proved they can move the metal."

You'd think that someone who writes for Automotive News would know that Pontiac and GMC dealers are for the most part one in the same.

Did BMW have a history selling trucks before the X5? Obviously that was a bad mistake as well...

rs02cavi

· #6 · Mar 31, 2008

It should be sold as a chevy. pontiac had no trucks in its line up as long as i can remember. Just slap on the Bu's front an call it El Camino.

johnstarnes

· #7 · Mar 31, 2008

rs02cavi said:
It should be sold as a chevy. pontiac had no trucks in its line up as long as i can remember. Just slap on the Bu's front an call it El Camino.

I agree.....right from the start I felt that if GM was again going to resort to nose clip rebadging, give it the nose of the new Malibu and call it El Camino since, if I recall correctly, that is how the original El Camino came into existence. A truck with a "Grand Prix" ( G 8 ) nose in the Pontiac line up has no precedent and, to me, makes no sense, and could drive away lots of buyers both from GM (via lost El Camino sales) and Pontiac itself due to people not wanting to buy a "Grand Prix" with the same nose as a pick up.

What next...put a CTS nose on a Commodore and call it "Cimarron"?

TORRED1

· #8 · Mar 31, 2008

If chevy fans want to buy it and take off whatever name is on it, then let them, as long as it sell's who cares.
Also I was listening to car and driver radio yesterday, AM on my way back to pittsburgh from Philadelphia, and when the host of the show Alan somebody asked a lady reporter of some kind or fellow staffer, what it was that she took away from the show, it was basicly how stunning the G8 ST was, that was the vehicle that impressed her the most, she didn't know how well it would do, because it is so hard to guage the american consumer, but she was impressed with it. go figure. I say send it here and have allready sent in my name suggestion.

MrMax

· #9 · Mar 31, 2008

rs02cavi said:
It should be sold as a chevy. pontiac had no trucks in its line up as long as i can remember. Just slap on the Bu's front an call it El Camino.

Just slap a Malibu face on a G8 body huh?

Right...

Ambalanche

· #10 · Mar 31, 2008

Why are we even talking about this? GM's not going to change thier mind. It is a Pontiac. Let them name it and hope for the best. At least hopefully they won't stick that stupid "is car" tagline on it, because it isn't!!!

Titanic

· #11 · Mar 31, 2008

I'm estatic it's not going to be a Chevy. I don't want the Chevy name anywhere on or near that abomination. Pontiac has no class and is the least tasteful brand in the GM portfolio, so the G8 truck/car is a perfect fit. May this be the final nail in the coffin.

PontiacBixler

· #12 · Mar 31, 2008

Do you think that GM might be out of sync with their faithful following?

Let's look at what is going on out there right now:

GM is bringing back the Camaro. OK, that's fine.... but there is a strong Firebird following that would like that model brought out to Pontiac also.

Then we have the Pontiac G8 ST. The Chevy El Camino following, along with others, are screaming foul that Chevy should have this model.

Does GM have their Chevys and Pontiacs mixed up of late?????
Discuss......

johnstarnes

· #13 · Mar 31, 2008

PontiacBixler said:
Do you think that GM might be out of sync with their faithful following?

Let's look at what is going on out there right now:

GM is bringing back the Camaro. OK, that's fine.... but there is a strong Firebird following that would like that model brought out to Pontiac also.

Then we have the Pontiac G8 ST. The Chevy El Camino following, along with others, are screaming foul that Chevy should have this model.

Does GM have their Chevys and Pontiacs mixed up of late?????
Discuss......

Good point about this blending of Chevy and Pontiac DNA and heritage. Count me as one who would LOVE to see an ultra-swoopy 21st century Firebird/Trans Am instead of this G-8 pick up as a polar compliment to the new Camaro. And please Pontiac, go back to names vs. this alpha-numeric salad that evokes no emotion.

It would be wonderful if GM surprised us all at an auto show soon with the unveiling of a REALLY COOL Firebird "concept" destined for production!

rs02cavi

· #14 · Mar 31, 2008

Meant to say a front end looking like the Bu. Traverse style

KingElvis

· #15 · Mar 31, 2008

Call it the Pontiac Camino.

Get rid of the 'el' part.

The key to the success of the Camino will be availability of V8 for $25K instead of the $30K of th Ga8.

jbartley

· #16 · Mar 31, 2008

this is a total no-win situation..it's too car-like to be GMC, if they sold it as a Chevrolet, critics would rip GM a new one for having it look too much like a pontiac...and you can't sell it as a Pontiac b/c it needs the El Camino badge...

too much drama! call it G8 ST and be done with it.

treekiller

· #17 · Mar 31, 2008

I think we should get off the whole El Camino idea.

I think it should be called the "Pontiac Tempist' now that is a great sounding name.

logansowner

· #18 · Mar 31, 2008

I just had a great idea.... how about for once, we stop trying to copy the past, we have Camaro's and mustangs and HHR's and Challengers. Lets more forward for once.

It doesn't matter who gets it, and what they call it, time to not live in a the past people.

If it bothers anyone so much, do what the article says, and misbadge the damn thing. While you're at it, hit up eBay for some ZR1 badges for your automatic C6 coupe.

CamaroCrazy

· #19 · Mar 31, 2008

I think GM has a point making this a Pontiac.

Yes, Chevrolet does have a very full portfolio of vehicles. Seriously, give them another one? There's already overlap with the Malibu/Impala and soon to be Traverse and Trailblazer and to some degree, Trailblazer and Equinox.

I think that if Pontiac were to intro the sportwagon as well and make a G8 family trio and draw NO connections between the G8 ST and the El Camino, this could work.

As for the "El Camino faithful", based on what I've observed over the years, I bet this is a very, very small percentage of the car buying public. Want a Chevy sport truck? Go buy a used SSR. There's your El Camino.

rsbaker

· #20 · Mar 31, 2008 (Edited)

If I said it once I’ve said it a thousand times on these pages that selling this new vehicle as a Pontiac is the most bone-headed Idea I have ever heard. The points in the article are correct, and to add to them, GM has been telling us that Pontiac is going to focus on “cars” . This is why the Montana SV6 was cancelled and why the Torrent will soon go away. It’s also why GMC got the Acadian and not Pontiac. So it make absolutely no sense to give Pontiac a pick-up truck. The most Logical thing to do of course would have been to sell the new car based truck as what it is and what it has always been, the Chevrolet El Camino. It was and still is an Iconic American vehicle. It is the very definition of cartruck here in North America. If you Say El Camino to almost anybody over the age of 18 they’ll be able to tell you what it is. Ford’s Ranchero did not reach that level of notoriety but Chevy’s El Camino did and the Idea of selling it as a Pontiac would certainly be akin to automotive heresy.

Please GM it’s not too late. Change the badges, change the front end for the Lumina SS Front end sold in the Middle east and South Africa and bring it to the US and Canada as the one and only Chevrolet El Camino.

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