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VE Wagon no-go in US, G8 sedan almost there

By George Skentzos |

It seems General Motors may have jumped the gun when it confirmed the VE Sportwagon would be exported to the US under the Pontiac namesake.

Sportwagon no-go in US

General Motors Vice Chairman of Global Product Development Bob Lutz has revealed that a combination of high cost to modify the Sportwagon for the US market and lack of demand led to the eventual cancellation of the project.

“As much as some of us like ‘sportwagons’, they just don’t sell in the US. How often do you see an Audi wagon? How often do you see a BMW wagon? How often do you see a Mercedes wagon? The answer is, almost never. They’re just not fashionable. I can’t explain why.”

The Pontiac G8 Sports Truck – based on the Holden ute – is still confirmed for export, although according to GM’s Head of Marketing, the G8 ST name is not set in stone.

Sportwagon no-go in US

On a much more positive note, the first shipment of G8 sedans is on its way to the US, due to arrive on January 28 with a total of four ships carrying 1800 vehicles in total – a near fifty-fifty split of the 3.6-litre V6 and the 6.0-litre V8 models.

Source: LeftLaneNews, InsideLine


 
  • Bubba Ganush

    Probably sell lots if you paint them white and install some pine veneer lol

    but on a serious note it is true you hardly see any s/wagons over there

  • Bavarian Missile

    Bob said….

    “As much as some of us like ’sportwagons’, they just don’t sell in the US. How often do you see an Audi wagon? How often do you see a BMW wagon? How often do you see a Mercedes wagon? The answer is, almost never. They’re just not fashionable. I can’t explain why.”

    I can…………you don’t have taste! Now if they would have designed it with a ruler…..you would have LOVED IT!!

    Your LOSS!!!!!

  • Bavarian Missile

    Yep Bubba……..a woody wagon!!!!!!!

    They don’y have wagons “CAUSE THEY GOT THOSE BIG OLD PICKUP TRUCKS”YEEEEHAAAAAAA……..

  • golfschwein

    Hey Bubba and Bav Mis, do you reckon Ford could flog the last of its BF wagons as a woody? Remember the Falcon Squire Wagon, circa 1964, kinda XM/XP ish?

    Do a BF! For a modern twist, do ‘em in a pearlescent white with bamboo panelling (pine and jarrah is soooooooo yesterday)and throw on the last 100 or so sets of unused LTD alloys gathering dust at Broadmeadows. Chrome ‘em up! Chuck on some fake spinners, James Bond-style!

    Inside, forget that boring grey velour and leather that everyone’s been using for 20 years and do a re-run of the crushed red velour that appeared in the LTD Silver Monarch of the Mal Fraser years. If you think the velour’s too much, soften it a little with a cheetah print in the seat inserts.

    Finish off with Mother-of-Pearl dashboard and console inserts in place of that de rigeur titanium rubbish and put some red stripes on the tyre sidewalls.

    YEEEAAAHHH! Who wouldn’t buy one, just for the memories?

  • Myke

    What about the 300C wagon? Is that designed for other markets, did Chrysler create that because they knew it was going to fail in the US, I doubt it.

  • Bavarian Missile

    hahaha…Golfschwein……..your sense of humor..is awesome!

    I need mirror tiles……you know what Im talking about……hehehe

    But strangely that wagon is appealing to me!!!!Weird! Takes me back to the 80s……

  • No Name

    The old wagons as you call them are still very popular in Pommieland with all makes selling well. I for one would love to see this in the UK with a big di………. oh forget it will only cheese off the Bavarian beauty.

    Somehow Fords Falcon was always ugly to me. This is nice and way more stylish than my Vectra wagon.

  • golfschwein

    You could play Hot Chocolate on the Eight Track, Bav Mis. “Life is full of mirror balls…” da dum da dum

  • Bavarian Missile

    hahaha……I really should just pick up the phone with you ha…….may do on the weekend…..you busy? your sooooo funny!

  • Stumpy

    You’re right BM GM state side love that thick slab sided rubbish that the rest of the world let go of back in the early 90s.

    And this talk of Eight Track and mirror tile OMG flash backs. What’s next Bay City Rollers and Sherbert

  • No Name

    Bye Bye Baby Baby Goodbyeeeeeeye. Oooooh the memories flooding back.

  • Bavarian Missile

    hahaha……Stumpy…..Whats wrong with Sherbet…..????

    Garth Porter…….yum!

    Skyhooks………….You just love me cause Im good in BED!!!

  • golfschwein

    Skyhooks? Sherbert? Never heard of ‘em. I don’t think I was born then.

  • Bavarian Missile

    hahaha….yeah right!!!!!!

    No I imagine you were more of a Suzie Q lover!

  • troy

    now, if it were a real wagon, rather than a big hatchback, it would be good for the yanks.

    its not really a wagon is it!!

    loks like an astra from the rear.

  • troy

    Oh… and subaru used the sportswagon name in the 80s!!

    cmon holden!

  • golfschwein

    Looks like an Astra Troy? I’m searching hard, and can’t see it. How?

    This baby’s closer to 5 metres in length than 4 metres. Nobody needs to be concerned that it’s not going to hold stuff. If it doesn’t hold as much as VT-VZ, who cares? If your “stuff” don’t fit, it don’t fit! That can apply to any car, no matter how big or how small.

  • mark

    It is not a matter of can it hold stuff, as it will have plenty of space! it is more a matter of how much weight it is able to carry. Look at the crapodore ute it struggles to 3 red necks n a esky in the back! Do you think holden would make the same mistake twice, even they cant be that dumb.

  • golfschwein

    I don’t agree, Mark. Nobody EVER buys a wagon for how much weight they carry. Never ever. The most that’s ever going to be asked of it is to carry a bunch of power tool samples and display merchandise, for those who buy it as a company car.

    Private buyers want to be assured they can take a plasma home from Retravision with the seats folded down, or an esky and a tent with some personal gear for a weekend away.

    Are you talking about a ute-load of sand? Maybe a ute would be best for that.

  • Minnow

    How much weight a wagon can carry is very important. mark is right. Compare a falcon wagon to a commodore in load lugging and human carrying, the falcon wins hands down.

    Considering commodores are pretty lame at carrying anything worth carrying in a wagon, its no surprise, the fat americans dont want it. It wouldnt carry one 1, 5 year old over there, but it sure does look good. Can be easily fixed with some burger king rated heavy duty springs.

  • golfschwein

    Nah, don’t buy your argument at all. People buy a wagon for added practicality over the equivalent sedan, and that’s all. Sure, there are rare occasions when people will load whatever car they have up to the gunnells, and that’ll result in them settling on their suspension noticeably, but I believe you’re very wrong to suggest that this car or any other car won’t be able to carry whatever load is placed in the available space. Are they designed for it? Of course! It’s fundamental to functionality.

    Think about it for a minute, seriously.

  • troy

    Golf…

    looks like an astra WAGON, i should have said. but the astras wagon area looks longer? nowhere near as wide though.

    i guess they still called the wrx hatch a wagon?? so this could be deemed a wagon too?

  • Minnow

    Ok, i get ya. So people who buy the wagons wont make it do much more than a sedan but they buy it purely for the fact of the occasional need for extra space (to avoid the usual tie boot closed with cheap old rope). If your talking about private buyers for the commodore then yes.. i agree. But as your probably know as well sedan based wagons are mostly purchased by fleets. And Fleets use them to do work, which is carry significant weight. For example Telstra uses a fair few wagons and Taxis use wagons. It seems holden has completely ignored fleets. If holden makes a LPG fueled wagon i have no idea where the tank will go. Ford is in a better position because they have the territory to aim at private buyers and the falcon wagon for fleets. Holden will try and aim at both which just cant work.

    Wagons will be used to carry more weight, they have the potential to carry more weight than a sedan and manufacturers should take that into account. And the boot shape of this commodore detracts from the ability to carry boxy shaped objects. I wonder what is the gap between the rear seat and the inner side of the tailgate? I’m guessing a lot less than a falcon. Holden have aimed for a person that will be driving a wagon fast in corners… who does that? its a wagon.

  • golfschwein

    It looks like each of us seeing bits of what the other is talking about, Minnow.

    Last month, I overtook a Jap one-tonne ute on the freeway doing just 80km/h. Even that must have been terrifying for the courier, as the wretched thing was loaded up with 2 pallets of tightly lashed A4 paper to the point where the front wheels barely touched the ground.

    So, granted, you CAN overload.

    But, sensibly loaded, this ‘ere wagon will do most folks just fine. I can’t imagine it being challenged by 4 suitcases (sheesh, I can fit two in the Golf with other stuff, seats up) or a bunch of trade samples in commercial use. It won’t be sold to anyone who thinks it doesn’t suit them

  • http://impreza dlr1

    Having just come back from the US the quote “nobody buys them” just isn’t true. Those wagons that are available do sell. Its just that there aren’t many… and you can’t buy what they don’t make.
    GM needs some balls… the wagon looks great, should drive as well as the sedan and they should have believae that it will sell well.

    The biggest disadvantage it has is the strength of the $A.
    It’s much higher now than when the decision to sell the sedan.

  • mark

    Golf, ofcourse if you put 2 pallets of paper in any ute it will be on its arse, but atleast you can put a pallet flat in hilux or falcon utes. You go out n buy a holden ute and put that weight in the back (hand stacked) and tell me if you need to replace the rear end! that amount of paper is not light, have you ever picked up a box of 5 reams of paper?

  • superh77

    you are all talking shit i had a rodeo v6 and that could carry over 2 tonne but not legal the mits triten and holden rodeo had beefed up suspension on them so they could carry heavy loads better and with a tonne on board it would still do 100km-h easier and get6 far better fuel compustion than the hilux, mazda,fords on the subject of wagons carrying stuff the fords are shit i have a ford wagon as a company car and it is worst to drive with some weight on board compared to my vn wagon with fe2 sports suspension it handled the loads heaps better and i tow all the time as well and would drive really well it was a manual which helps

  • golfschwein

    Talking shit, Superh77? At least we do it with commas and full stops.

    Mark, it’s cool…I know, I know! It was a loose discussion about how any car can withstand sensible loading and kind of came into being when a couple of boys on here thought that if you load up the new Sportswagon with a packet of fairy floss and a toothbrush, she’ll go all collapse-like at the back end. Okay, exaggerating.

    I mentioned the one tonner ute as an example of how anything can be overloaded. Yes, I know how much paper weighs.