Pontiac G8: Commodore Headed Stateside

By Feann Torr - 7/Feb/2007

Detroit, America — It smells like a Commodore, it sounds like a Commodore, and it kind of looks a bit like a Commodore...

But it ain't a Commodore.

Well, not according to the marketing material. What you're looking at here is the Pontiac G8, which will be sold in the USA for an as yet undisclosed price - but we're betting it'll be a fair bargain in the States.

As was reported on our News pages in early January, General Motor's car czar Bob Lutz let the, um, lion out of the cage when he told reporters that the Holden Commodore would be imported into the United States.

Here's a snippet from our news page: "By Holden's own admission, Australia's best selling car for almost three decades - the Commodore - won't be able to hold onto its title of being the highest seller in its home country Down Under.

"As consumer trends and lifestyle changes see more and more imported European and Japanese cars sitting in Aussie driveways, and higher oil prices putting pressure on the larger and thirstier 6- and 8-cylinder large sedans, the Commodore and Falcon will continue to dwindle in popularity.

"In the past Holden stated that for the Commodore to exist in the mid-to-longterm, it could not rely solely on domestic Australian sales, and that exports would be necessary for profitability.

"Currently, Holden exports lots of Statesmans and Caprices to the Middle East, to the tune of about 60,000 units per annum during a good year.

"Interestingly, Holden is currently projecting sales of about 60,000 Commodore and Statesman in Australia, so when the export deal with General Motors and Pontiac in the US is signed and sealed - believed to be worth about 40,000 - 50,000 vehicles per year - Holden will be making more money from Commodore export sales than domestic market sales."

So that's the rub. Around 50,000 Commodores will be given a new look front end, an interesting bonnet with twin air vents, and new Pontiac badges and then sent to the USA, where sales will begin in early 2008, after Holden begins building the cars at its South Australian plant later in 2007, it has been reported. 

And what of the American touch-up? The new bonnet with its Evolution-esque vents is pretty cool, but the new grille and front apron appear fairly conservative - but perhaps that what the Pontiac mandate calls for? Nothing too radical that would rock the boat. After all, has anyone seen the car this is replacing?

Having just reviewed the range-topping Commodore variant, the HSV Clubsport, I can say that the car has a very good chassis and this new Zeta platform (which will also be the basis for the 2009 Chevy Camaro) is quite rigid. It should impress some American drivers with its ability to carve through corners, and seeing that the 6.0-litre V8 SS model is making the trek overseas, the performance fans and U.S. tuning groups should find something to like.

At this stage Pontiac will be importing the two sports models, both 6- and 8-cylinder models, which will replace the lacklustre Pontiac Grand Prix model. 

The SV6 with its high-output 3.6-litre V6 engine combined with a 5-speed auto will become the Pontiac G8, and the SS model will become the G8 GT model, which will be offered with 6-speed auto or manual transmissions and ship as standard with 18-inch alloy wheels.

Interestingly, the new G8 is expected to a newer, more advanced version of the 6.0-litre Generation IV alloy V8 when it ships to America in early 2008, which will include a cylinder deactivation system that will reduce fuel economy by around 10% when cruising at low revs. 

Called AFM, or active fuel management, this technology is also expected to debut in the VE Commodore here in Australia in 2008, but no official timetable has been reached yet. There are rumours that it could arrive for theSeries II makeover, which may also include a slight hike in power outputs, but you know what rumours are like...

When Holden began work on the VE Commodore using the Zeta platform the Aussie company was well aware of the export prospects of the car, and so the VE Commodore was built to be easily configurable to left-hand drive, so that certain markets could take delivery without the necessity for wholesale engineering changes.

There hasn't been any official word on whether General Motors will import ute models into the United States with Pontiac badges, but when the new VE utes (also based on the Zeta platform) are released in August - or possibly sooner if U.S. demand materialises - we could see a reborn El Camino in the States.

So there it is - the Commodore Americana, a new flavour that'll give new car buyers in the States a distinctly Australian vehicle to test against the other imported and domestic vehicles sold there. Will it be a hit, will Pontiac sell 50,000 per year? Will they demand more than GM Holden can supply...?

Time will tell, but it would be awesome to see an Aussie car making waves across the pond.

Related articles:
- Holden Barina (Road Test)
- Holden Astra SRi Turbo (Road Test)
- Holden VE Commodore vs Ford BF Falcon (Road Test)
- Holden VE Commodore - Dual-Fuel LPG (2006)
- Holden Captiva (2006)
- Holden - Melbourne Motor Show (2006)
- Sydney Motor Show (2006)