The tug of war ensuing over the fate of the Australian-developed Pontiac G8 sedan following the demise of the Pontiac brand continues with a new report suggesting it will live on under the Chevrolet brand.
Having postponed his retirement to oversee the new GM’s brands, marketing, advertising and communications, Bob Lutz has supported the idea of a brand swap during an interview with Automobile Magazine.
Current GM CEO, Fritz Henderson, has been rather blunt in regards to the fate of the flagship Pontiac G8 GXP sedan with the idea of rebadging met with a resounding “no” during a recent webchat.
This may still be the case, with GM cautious about cannibalising sales from its high-performance Chevrolet line-up by introducing an even lower price point into the LS3 V8 range.
Although the standard G8 sedan’s future is now looking more promising with Bob Lutz having only positive comments for the Australian car.
“The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet,” Mr Lutz said. “It is kind of too good to waste.”
Citing export agreements with Australia and the fact that the local Holden Commodore is already sold in other parts of the world as a Chevrolet, Mr Lutz has assured fans that GM would not let the car perish in the US.
The Pontiac G8 is scheduled to end production later this year regardless, a move that could coincide with the introduction of the next generation Holden Commodore here in Australia, meaning US buyers could see a very different G8 if it arrives in the US as the Chevrolet Caprice.
Source: Automobile Magazine
