Commodore Ute to be called Pontiac G8 ST
14 Aug, 2008
23 Comments 
Speculation over the name of the exported VE Commodore Ute has been put aside today, with the announcement that Detroit has decided to call it the Pontiac G8 ST.
Apparently wading through 18,000 entries in the “Tame the Name” promotion, the simple moniker was chosen over the popular El Camino to reflect the branding that the VE Ute will be marketed under.
“Frankly, we were blown away by both the volume and quality of the names that were submitted,” said Craig Bierley, BPG product marketing director for cars and crossovers. “’ G8 ST’ was one of the most popular suggestions, plus we noticed a far broader trend toward simple, easy-to-remember names.”
“El Camino” was also a sentimental favorite, given the G8 ST’s resemblance to the classic Chevy.
“We actually thought very long about El Camino,” said Bierley. “In the end, we felt it was more appropriate to honor the El Camino’s unique place as part of Chevy’s heritage and not use that nameplate on a Pontiac.”
The G8 ST will be available in late 2009 as a 2010 model and, interestingly, will benefit from a warranty program we don’t see here. GM claims an industry best (in America) 100,000 mile (160,000km), 5-year powertrain warranty.
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August 14th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Will be very much a niche vehicle in America. Car based utility, low payload capacity, compared to the proper utility based market over there.
As for the warranty, America in general seems to get longer warranty periods than us.
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August 14th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Another box ticked for Holden.
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August 14th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Obviously despite no mention of it so far they have named it ST for short for Sports Truck which seems to be a common name for our type of ute’s over there.
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August 14th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
That extra warranty was first introduced by Hyundai/Kia in the States.
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August 14th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Who cares ? The yanks wont go for it ……..bad luck Holden…..another failure………
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August 14th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
This is yet another piece of confused and misdirected marketing from GM. If any brand in that market needed reinforcement of its ’60s heyday it is Pontiac, but when was Pontiac ever known as a purveyor of utes/pickups? It’s doomed to failure and will only hasten the death of the Pontiac brand. As a Chevrolet El Camino it would have had a chance.
Dumb-ass Americans are their own worst enemies.
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August 14th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Lest we forget these are the same ‘entrepreneurial’ types that decided that the Aztek was a good idea…good on Holden though for a good vehicle even if the marketing chumps make a hash of it
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August 14th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Who is calling it a ‘failure’? It only needs to sell in low volume, all the work for LHD conversions has been done on the sedan. What, you expected a v8 2 door utility car that america has never experienced before to sell in whordes?
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August 14th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I reckon this will pay off big time for those at GM. Good look, strong and simple name, glad they did not use El Camino. The era of the big US truck is ending and I reckon this is version will hit the market at the right price / time, backed with a great warranty, the farmer boys will love this.
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August 14th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
It’s made here not in the US what a stuipid name pontiac!!
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August 14th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I thought they would do better sending the wagon over first but at the rate the yanks are downsizing their pickups this might do ok. Plus it will appeal to people that need a pickup and want a sportscar but cant afford both.
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August 14th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
i think alot of you are forgetting that they only have to sell around 15-20 thousand of them to make it stack up, and in the US market that is stuff all.
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August 14th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
The yanks won;t go for it.. Yeah Right! For starters the Pick Up Truck market in US is shrinking faster than an exkimos appendage. Not only that but there are a number of dealerships in the USA where G8 Sedans are so popular they run out of them with in 3 days..
I mean there is a constant stream of trucks shipping G8s out of the Holden Factory in Elizabeth bound for the USA.. and remember on average a car rolls of the line at Holdne every 80-90 seconds
Then there’s the New Pontiac G6 sedan due dor release around 2010-12.. it will be based on the TT-36 Torana which if rumours ar right could also be built as a compact hatch/coupe
As for the Pontiac name; there are a number of American Car Enthusiasts on www.autoblog.com who love the G8 [Commodore] so much they have suggested GM change the name from Pontiac to Holden
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August 14th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
big mistake though only having a V8.
Makes no sense to downsize to something with simalar fule economy.Why no V6.ANd why can australian cars have cylinder shutdown. i mean that is ridiculous.
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August 14th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
alot of people forget how different the american market is to the australian market. In australia for such a long time the stock family car has been a large sedan, commodores and falcons, they have been the staple of the aussie motoring diet but now with high fuel prices they are downsizing.
Now thats no different to the US, they are downsizing there too, but the difference is they are not downsizing from large sedans, they are downsizing from large SUV’s! And whats the next step down from a large SUV? Well a large sedan ofcourse! For the yank market, commodore and falcon sized cars are it, and the commodore “feels” just american enough, with its big boofy image and the V8 motor to allow the yanks to associate with it.
And the ute is no different, large truck sales are in massive decline BUT the sort of person who used to buy a truck will still want to buy a truck! He will just want a smaller one… enter the holden ute.
The commodore really is the right car for the right time in the US, and thats why its such a shame that the falcon isn’t going over there too!!
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August 14th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Richo,
i agree.
i find it funny that there are so many experts on the american market right here.
most of which have prob never stepped foot outside of australia.
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August 14th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
the steering wheel looks stupid, it is on the wrong side. It make’s a good fall back from the larger chevy pickup from a sale point of view. It could be marketed as a town pickup
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August 15th, 2008 at 8:48 am
The VF Commodore will be out by the time the Pontiac is available. So I guess it will have the VF improvements as well.
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August 15th, 2008 at 9:41 am
When I was in the states, I showed everyone I worked with the then current BA/VY utes and every single person liked them.
If I had the money 5 years ago I would have set up my own dealership in the states purely for selling our utes to the yanks. I would have retired by now!!!!!!!
If this fails, then Pontiac shouldn’t be selling cars!!
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August 15th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Only V8s at the moment as with the G8 GT (V8s) sales are out stripping G8(v6)sales. They love their V8’s!
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August 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
goodfa,
i doubt they will recieve the VF improvements when we do, in the same way we never receive the updates on the aussie spec models that are imported at the same time as they do in their home land.
its quite common that we import o/seas models that are some 3-5yrs old and they are claimed to be new.
5yr old new Avalon anyone???
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August 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I just took delivery of my fully loaded Pontiac G8 GT yesterday (US $28,208 out the door) but would NEVER even consider the ST. It’s very much a niche vehicle that won’t sell well here and will be discontinued after a few short years. Rebates and incentives will come fast!
BTW… GM is doing so poorly this year, the current incentives are “Employee Pricing for Everone” PLUS whatever cashback bonuses there are PLUS you can use your GM Card Earnings. Thats what got me into the showroom to buy the G8. I could never have negotiated the price I received.
And thanks once again Australia… It’s an awesome car!
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August 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Gee, what a bargain and it looks better than the original too.
How much is a new Mustang?
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