THE PONTIAC G8 GXP, described by Pontiac as “the ultimate expression of Pontiac style and performance”, will follow the red Pontiac arrowhead into retirement rather than live on under the umbrella of another GM brand, General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson confirmed this week.
The death notice came during one of Henderson’s weekly web chats, arranged to keep GM loyalists and buyers in the loop during these tumultuous times for the company.
When asked, “Any chance it [the G8 GXP] will live on as a Chevy, or maybe an entry-level Caddy?” Henderson replied, simply, “No.”
While the question focused specifically on the Holden VE Commodore SS-based high performance G8 GXP model, Henderson went into greater detail when addressing the concerns of a GM buyer who said that he is unlikely to buy another GM while the only RWD options are the US$37,000 Cadillac CTS (”not in my price range”) and the Camaro.
“Certainly, the G8 is going to be one of the Pontiacs we’ll miss. But, we haven’t closed the door on RWD now or in the future.
“You point out both the Camaro, which is definitely in the mainstream price range of today’s cars, and the CTS, which is an amazing value in the luxury sport segment.
“As we map out our future vehicle needs, if we can find the right opportunity and price point to do a world-class RWD car, you can bet we’ll consider it,” Henderson said.
On the bright side for G8 GXP owners, only 5000 more are to be built before the brand is put out to pasture. Given time, those buyers may just have a collector’s item on their hands.
Holden is currently examining its options for maintaining a steady export program for the Commodore, with the Pontiac G8 having been one of its key overseas export successes (the Chevy Lumina, sold in the Middle East, is another).
