In an exclusive interview with the Aussie hoons at Drive.com.au at the Frankfurt Motor Show yesterday, GM CEO Fritz Henderson said the company was making good progress with a plan to sell the Commodore to US law enforcement agencies. Specifically, as we've reported earlier this year, the LAPD.

"We've been working on a package for police applications. I just think that's going to work. We're pretty optimistic about it and that product will be sourced in Australia," he said.

But, while Fritz was all about the fleet applications, he wasn't geeked about other short term roles for the Commodore. But in the long term? He didn't rule out a wider role for the car in General Motors' plans going forward.

"It's a global architecture, it gives us options in the future but right now you'd say, near term, no," he said.

Holden has been searching for alternative export programs ever since, but in June GM shut the door on plans to revive the car as a Chevrolet Caprice.

It was thought the GM plan to import cars from Australia to US enforcement agencies would meet with strong opposition from GM's new owners, the unions and the Government, in light of the mass plant closures and job losses in the United States that followed the company's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

But senior GM exectuive Bob Lutz played down those fears in a blog on a company website in June this year.

"While the large (rear-wheel-drive) cars may be made in Australia, they are an integral part of GM, contain US-built engines and transmissions and numerous other components, and are so ‘American' in character that I don't believe the law enforcement agencies would have any problems with the assembly origin of the vehicle. Plus, they'll love it," he said. (Hat tip to Ben!) [via smh.com.au]

Apparently, the move to stop the export program in the wake of GM's bankruptcy and the killing off of the Pontiac brand has left a warehouse of parts once destined for cars to be exported to the US. Holden's marketing department — sensing an opportunity — has decided to use the stockpile on VE Commodores, which will be sold as a premium priced, limited edition Holden. Brilliant!

Even better news is the special edition will apparently also be available as a ute and wagon! GM had announced plans to bring over a G8 El Camino Sport Truck ST to the United States but then nixing those plans, along with even the idea of a wagon version of the Zeta-platformed RWD G8.

Although there's no official confirmation yet from Holden, the mere thought of the G8 surviving provides us some level of comfort — even if we're not getting it here. Frankly, the mere thought of a Pontiac El Camino vastly increases the likelihood we may have to move to Australia for some good ol' fashioned muscle car hoonage! Seriously, this is the best news we've heard in weeks.

UPDATE: Aussie site carpoint's reporting the following:

"It is unclear how many of each will be made, but dealer contacts have suggested it will be close to 1500 in total, or about 500 of each body style.

Prices of each limited edition model will be $1000 more than a regular SS V. The Holden bulletin outlined to dealers the following:

Pontiac G8 SS-V ute manual $47,490
Pontiac G8 SS-V sedan manual $55,290
Pontiac G8 SS-V wagon manual $57,290"

[via Drive, carsales.com.au, carpoint]

We're obviously big fans of the GEM, a nice alternative for areas where a golf cart would look out-of-place and a car isn't ideal. The concept of a FIAT-branded one, a possible result of the FIAT/Chrysler merger, is also interesting. But it just seems so unstatesmanlike compared to Cadillac One.

Beats the hell out of trying to run next to a freaking Cadillac.

She's hoping to speed away from any surprise backrubs.

Smile for the cameras Colonol Gaddafi.

Oh, Sarkozy could make anything look stylish.

This may be one of the few Chrysler products FIAT is going to want to brand for itself.

Photos by Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The comment he gave Autoblog? "We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

Then, to the two print journalists, his comment was: "No. It's not going to happen." Then, when pressed for a specific comment about "Maximum" Bob's remarks, Henderson retorted in his best "I'm the decider" voice: "Bob Lutz says a lot of things, but he works for me." Awesome. Way to tell off Bob for straying off the reservation.

It seems to us like Fritz is saving his best lines for the non-online outlets, doesn't it? It's too bad neither print journalist actually published this quote as it's SO much better than the Autoblog quote.

To summarize: CEO Fritz Henderson first says G8 GXP survival unlikely. Then, Lutz says it's coming back. Today we find out from AutoBlog that Fritz said yesterday:

We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

It could be a long year if the "New GM" is going to be nothing but Lutz Said/Fritz Said. Either way, big G8 fans may at least be able to settle on retired police cars.

[AutoBlog]

No, unfortunately, it's not. But what it does mean is Lutz will have a greater say in product planning than sources had initially claimed.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste."

CEO Fritz Henderson has repeatedly denied that the G8 would survive as part of another brand, saying he's "not a fan of rebadging."

But Lutz, citing export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet, assured Automobile GM would not let the car die. Find out more over at Automobile Magazine.

Photo Credit: GM Press Photo

Despite a denial of the possibility by GM CEO Fritz Henderson, Automotive News reports this morning Tom Stephens, GM's vice-chairman of global product development is claiming there's still the possibility the Pontiac G8 will show up in another GM brand. The things is he doesn't actually say that. But his quote in the report? It doesn't so much say that:

"I know there's still discussions on it," says Stephens. "But Chevrolet already has several sedans. How many sedans do you need to cover the waterfront?"

Hmm, that reads more to us like "I know enthusiasts are discussing this, but we're not going to be doing it." There aren't any more sources they're quoting in today's piece.

We're glad to see Automotive News has shed the shackles of reporting constructs of the "mainstream" media and now has the same — if not worse — reporting standards than us mere bloggers. [Automotive News]

Why you should buy the Pontiac G8 GXP:
You like the idea of a four-door Corvette with a gigantic backseat and a capacious trunk. Power and capability are more important to you than plush surroundings, plus when cut you bleed red, white and blue all over your pleated polyester Sansabelt slacks. You think a combination of power and practicality will attract the opposite sex and you like that the power part can at least be hidden from them if necessary. You have an eye for a performance bargain and are good-natured when it comes to living with a few little imperfections.

Why you shouldn't buy this car:
You prefer the idea of a two-door Corvette and don't mind spending several extra grand to get one. You wouldn't know power if it kicked you in the ass or handling if it failed to roll over on you in a tightening hairpin, but you can tell split-grain from full-grain leather at a glance and you know the thread count of your sheets by heart. You think that either much more expensive cars or much less threatening cars impress the opposite sex. You believe fast four-doors should be made by stoic sausage-gnashing umlaut junkies and no one can convince you otherwise.

Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: Yes
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: Yes
Golfing Grandparents: No
Very Serious Businessmen: Yes
Sheiklets: No

Also Consider:
• BMW E39 M5
• Lotus Carlton
• Mercedes W124 AMG Hammer
• 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
• 1964 Pontiac GTO

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Pontiac
• Model: G8 GXP
• Model year: 2009
• Base Price: $37,610
• Price as Tested: $40,905
• Engine type: 6.2-liter V8
• Horsepower: 415 HP @ 5900 rpm
• Torque: 415 Lb-Ft @4600 rpm
• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 4000 lbs
• LxWxH: 196.1" x 74.8" x 57.7"
• Wheelbase: 114.8"
• Tires: 245/40R-19 94W
• 0 - 60 mph: 4.7 seconds
• Top Speed: 155 MPH (electronically limited)
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 13/20 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Also see:
• 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part One
• 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part Two

Exterior Design: ***
A tougher call than one might think, because the shape is hardly bad. To make the GXP, Pontiac took the ‘Strine Commodore Calais, gave it their nostril treatment plus two little scoops and a bit more front fascia, fitted a small rear wing and some tasteful 19-inch wheels, and then went off to work on the important stuff. It's an honest, clean, hunkered-down shape with athletic proportions, and it thankfully avoids frippery like those weakly-contoured side strakes that once made certain Pontiacs look like Tupperware accordions. Well done to those involved for leaving well enough alone. But while the understated look will certainly grow on a devoted owner, there's just no one angle or feature that really grabs the eye or the gut.

Interior Design: **
While just driving or sitting in the GXP, you're fine. The seats are firm and done in perfectly adequate leather and the passengers in back have a surprising amount of room given the car's compact proportions. The steering wheel is a nice piece, as is the shifter, and the pedals are good. The instrument panel is perfectly legible and the switches and knobs are almost all in the logical places-with the glaring exception of placing the traction-control button between those for the left and right heated seats, which on one cold, drizzly morning caused me to accidentally select exactly the wrong sort of tail-happiness. Mostly, though, like the exterior, this car's interior would be perfectly acceptable if unremarkable. But the materials range from unpleasant to just flat-out bad, and so is some of the execution. The very worst components, such as the creaky parking-brake lever, the groaning sunroof and the wobbly glovebox, don't feel as if they'd last a year.

Acceleration: *****
From a dead stop, at highway passing speeds and on beyond what's really practical, from idle on up to the 6200-rpm power peak, the GXP will definitely and unmistakably accelerate. Empirically, it will accelerate to 60mph in 4.7 seconds and run the quarter in just over 13. Anecdotally, I found that when I got tired of leaning forward in my seat and fetching my music player from its perch atop the dash, I was able to drop down two gears, nail the throttle, and pluck my trusty iPod out of the air as it shot past my shoulder. Please note that this somehow fails to impress women.

Braking: ****
The big, robust Brembos on all four corners don't quite communicate like a true sports car's would, and they're annoyingly grabby at low speeds, but twitchiness and fade are never going to be problems. I never did get the antilock system to intrude; nice, that.

Ride: ****
It's worth mentioning that the chassis designers not only got the comfort/handling balance right, they apparently pulled off the rare trick of making the ride smoother and more supple as the car fills up with passengers and luggage. Still not a featherbed by any means, but certainly better than expected.

Handling: *****
Very balanced, very neutral, very predictable, with the only nitpick being the rather light steering. Nitpick indeed, because this doesn't in any way feel like a two-ton five-passenger car. Unlike most modern performance cars, and muscle cars in particular, the GXP doesn't mistake grip for handling. Where many cars would settle for merely clinging to the road as hard as they can, the GXP also changes direction quickly, communicates where the limits of grip lie at any given moment, and allows a driver to go confidently and safely up to those limits and beyond whenever they please. That's good, because with this engine, you'll want to try beyond a few times. Believe it.

Gearbox: ****
Our car had two options, the lousy $900 sunroof and the admirable and mandatory $695 Tremec six-speed. This box has good positive feel, great ratios, and nice short throws. Points off for the GM Skip-Shift, which for reasons of fuel economy forces you to go from first gear directly to fourth at part-throttle and which makes many drivers, including me, furious enough to pulp week-old puppies in my clenched fists when I'm just trying to drive in a civilized fashion and suddenly second gear is just not there anymore. And I'm a dog person.

Audio: *****
Now this is a pleasant surprise. Right or wrong, I associate GM with Bose audio, which many seem to think is perfectly fine but I think is treble-heavy with too much muddy, booming, overdriven subwoofing. The 230-watt 11-speaker Blaupunkt system in the GXP was clear and defined throughout the scale, and good rich balanced bass seemed to come from everywhere at once. I really only used the aux-in jack, but XM radio and a six-disc changer with a color info screen are right there.

Toys: ***
There's nothing really cool and unusual here, but all the stuff you'd expect is standard with the exception of a nav system. Apparently the Australian nav is illegal here by some quirk of screen angle. Instead, there's OnStar and its turn-by-turn navigation, which is frankly brilliant as it saves weight and lets you deal with actual real live people when you're lost in Baltimore, a city where at one point 40th and 41st street not only cross but eventually converge to become one and the same street for a couple miles. Staring at that on a dashboard screen would not have helped, but being talked down by an actual human voice does.

Value: ****
Not only does it make the fabled mid-90s Impala SS look like a half-hearted hot-rod taxi, it provides the performance of an M3 sedan or an Audi RS4, and then some, for two-thirds the price. Or, if you like, half the price of an M5. A small deduction must be made for the disappointing interior and because at least one quality issue (flimsy handbrake) seems like a potentially serious problem in the making.

Overall: *****
Yes, indeed, five stars for a car with some definite problems. Yes, the fabrics, plastics, and miscellaneous materials of the cabin are such that when I gave a ride to a textile designer (no, really) she couldn't believe I could actually like the car. And yes, my head was thoroughly turned by the GXP's excellent engine and suspension and by the sheer competence with which it went down any road I cared to take. But I believe that's how this is supposed to work. A good car is greater than the sum of its parts, yet all equivocating aside, as a driver's car it's so very good that it's a little hard to believe. You could probably own and enjoy the GXP, flaws and all, for the rest of your life. So be warned: Pontiac may be dead, but if you have the opportunity to acquire one of these now and you let it go, you'll take that with you to your grave.

Also see:
• Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part One

It's nothing less than a triumph, really, that a company like GM could overcome their considerable shortcomings and come out with a reasonably priced world-beating sports sedan like the Pontiac G8 GXP. Whatever their recent successes, the company has history of taking careful aim at a performance target and hitting themselves squarely in the foot, so some skepticism is only natural. Yet there's no denying the monumentally good news: for a few weeks at least, Pontiac could deliver a daily-drivable four-door Corvette for not that much more than a fully-optioned minivan.

But bad news is everywhere these days. Due to recent global events, Pontiac is dead, and the G8 GXP with it. And that, speaking strictly from my recent personal experience of driving the G8 GXP, is just not fair.

I was trying to be upbeat about my time with the LS3-equipped GXP. After all, it's the most powerful Pontiac ever and the first to be fine-tuned on the Nürburgring. Unfortunately, instead of wringing the car out in the Hudson River Valley, I had to spend quite a lot of that time at a wedding in moderately distant Baltimore, meaning I would be droning along on the New Jersey Turnpike. Well, fair enough. Brian and Karen are very dear friends for whom I would sacrifice a lot, and were well worth the minor sacrifice of driving Pontiac's four-door Corvette the way most of its buyers probably would have, had it but lived. And in these times, we take our celebrations where we can get them.

But seriously, I thought as I sized up the Lincoln Tunnel from GXP's driver's seat, it is-was? It's difficult to discuss the recently departed — the most powerful Pontiac ever. Nothing with a flaming chicken or a superfluous tachometer on its hood ever had the 415 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque this car gets out of its aluminum 6.2-liter small-block. It's almost certainly the best handling, as well, and with the very good Tremec 6-speed my car was blessed with, potentially quite a lot of fun. Certainly worth mulling over, because right away, you can't tell.

The loud pedal isn't, really; there's a potentially magnificent eight-cylinder rumble in there, but it's less of a bang than a whisper and you have to be listening for it, especially around town. The styling is also quiet, if unspectacular; the GXP has a somewhat more aggressive nose, a small spoiler, 19-inch wheels and some understated badging to set it apart from the mere G8 GTs out there, and although both cars have the suggestive hood vents, neither one exactly screams world-shattering performance. And driving it in Manhattan traffic provided no immediate clues, because the ride is direct but supple, the steering is a bit light, the big Brembos only the slightest tad grabby, and the clutch perfectly manageable.

All of this is actually very good manners for a sports sedan, and it speaks to a high degree of well-engineered tractability and civilized behavior in what is a very powerful car. If it was this good in its youth, I would have really enjoyed seeing what it was like when it grew up.

Unfortunately, inevitably, there are still growing pains in this stillborn enfant terrible, as I noticed when I became bored with stop-and-go traffic and began puttering around the cabin. Now, General Motors earns a lot of flak for its cheap interiors, so it should be pointed out that this one at least looks pretty okay. There are four very readable dials in front of you framing a red-on-black information panel. The steering wheel is thick and nicely padded, the shifter is in exactly the right place, decent leather seats are standard, and probably most importantly for soothing my traffic-fueled temper, the Blaupunkt stereo is a truly excellent conduit for your music player.

But for the love of all that's holy, don't let anything but the steering wheel or the shifter come into contact with your skin. This cabin was designed by someone who had learned a basic sense of ergonomics and design, but the materials were evidently spec'd by someone born with no sense of touch. The dash doesn't feel so much like plastic as some sort of depressing plastic-maché. The shifter boot is made of some oily synthetic so horrendous that I had fun daring passengers to touch it. The sliding sunroof cover is obviously a piece of brittle old linoleum Kryloned flat black. Worst of all may be parking-brake lever, which wouldn't pass the quality check for a three-dollar umbrella handle. At times it was like riding in a car made of cheap bathroom tile and fungus.

But most times it simply does not matter, because it was, and perhaps always will be, the most powerful Pontiac ever. Not just that-this car, had it but lived, would have been one of the great bargains of our time. The 6.2 liter LS3 engine under the hood is not just good but magnificent, a tame avalanche, a volcano in harness, the final argument of kings. And yes, we must get our superlatives in while we can. We may not have much time.

Well, then. Simply put, anything that allows you to actually enjoy the New Jersey Turnpike, even for only a few scant minutes, is a triumph of human achievement. Rationally, the G8 GXP may be considered as only a perfectly adequate car wrapped around a Z51drivetrain. But after driving it, it's hard to consider it rationally at all, because this car is Hell's own hammer in a brown paper bag. You can pass a semi before your passengers can read the writing on the trailer. You can make them motion-sick just by going in a straight line. You can cross New Jersey so quickly, as it turns out, that you don't have time to complain about being in New Jersey. Relativity may come into play.

It had certainly came into play by the time we arrived in Baltimore, where I must admit I made my passengers ill by rodding about the city streets in a not altogether sedate fashion. It wasn't a twisty back road, but since Baltimore is one of those Eastern cities apparently laid out by generations of morons, it was just curvy enough to demonstrate how good the GXP's chassis is. Nürburgring or no, this car is so neutral, predictable, and downright pleasant-handling that in less dire circumstances it would give me great hope for the American auto industry.

And what do you know? It still does. It may have been an Australian platform with a Mexican drivetrain, a German stereo, and a lowly 4% domestic-parts content, but a solid V8 sedan is as American as it is anything. And an American company at least thought to build one. That was a good start. So maybe the GXP, as a product, is dead and gone before it could do any good, and that may turn out to be as tragic and shortsighted as taking Old Yeller out behind the barn and shooting him when he was still a puppy-Who knows? It might just have grown up to save GM from the bear market. But more importantly, the idea of the GXP, as a set of blueprints, as a testament to what the company could do when it wanted and may with a little luck do again, can't die. It was, and is, a damn fine automobile that provided a little bit of hope and a hell of a lot of fun. Long live the GXP.

Well, probably because enthusiasts are like, the least important of GM's list of stakeholders at the moment and there's little desire on the part of the administration, the biggest of the new stakeholders, for building a high-horsepower super-sedan. Which is a shame.

So although it'll never happen, even with Pontiac now dead, that won't stop us from dreaming high-horsepower Corvette-engined dreams from a platform that's birthed the greatest Pontiac ever built. But not as a Camaro SS — rather, we'd prefer this bad boy become an Impala SS. Either way, in our fantasy world, we'd be pleased as punch. But what say you?

[via Edmunds Straightline]

Illustrations: Nick Wilcox

We all knew the G8 ST would be a niche product, with a concentrated but rabid fan base, us included—it was so close we could almost smell the burning rubber. Unfortunately, forces beyond the control of the General have colluded with forces within its control to put an end to the not-El Camino. But why? We took a half hour and talked to General Motors Vice President for Marketing at Buick, Pontiac and GMC, Susan Docherty.

First and foremost we had to ask if it was a postponement or a permanent cancellation. We're sorry to report it is a permanent cancellation. As part of the recovery plan submitted to Congress, Pontiac will "focus the brand on useful, sporty, passenger cars," the G8 ST just didn't fit into that definition. She further went on to note that, although it was a car enthusiasts were waiting for, it was a prudent business move to cancel the program.

But what of Pontiac? Well, the pointy-arrow brand is in for some shake ups. Just as Buick has been paired down to a leaner, meaner product portfolio over the last few years with the stylish Enclave and the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse set to unveil at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, so too will Pontiac be slimmed down. The current lineup includes six nameplates if you include the to-be-released Pontiac G3 and GM now believes this is too many. Beginning immediately, Pontiac is evaluating its portfolio and examining product plans to determine what the brand will look like in the years to come.

Dealers are apparently behind the culling as well. After the announcement of the cancellation of the G8 ST and a refocusing of the brand, Docherty says she received emails from dealers stating their support for the move. She's believes they'll be happy with fewer models if the trimmed down product line is as good at Pontiac as it has been at Buick. Docherty also doesn't believe that a Pontiac full of "useful, sporty, passenger cars" will necessarily abandon the longterm "Driving Excitement" mantra at Pontiac. The decision to include the Pontiac G3 in the US lineup to satisfy the demand for a fuel miser makes us pause at that assertion, but we'll grudgingly admit it makes sense from a dollars and cents perspective in today's automotive climate.

It's a tough moment for GM, and it's requiring tough decisions. Painful as it may be to see products like the G8 ST fall under the knife, Pontiac, and in the larger picture GM, will probably be healthier in the long run. We don't have to like it though.

In comparison, the E60 BMW M5’s record lap is 8:13. That car starts at $85,100 and betters the G8 GXP by 92 HP. The Porsche Boxster S is two seconds slower than the G8, despite weighing over 800 Lbs less and retailing for $15,700 more.

So basically, the G8 GXP gives you the performance of a Porsche Boxster S and the practicality of an M5 with the price tag of a Pontiac. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out our Pontiac G8 GXP First Drive.

Driving in LA is a strange mix of sitting still in hellish traffic and driving flat out on the best roads in the world. Get on one of the highways at the wrong time and it’ll take you three hours to go 30 miles, but hit the canyon roads to the North or East and it’s easy to forget that you’re within mere miles of the most populous metropolitan area in the country. The G8 GXP excels in both environments.

In the city it’s easy to drive and comfortable, belying the potential of its performance. LA’s rutted concrete highways and constant construction fail to upset the suspension or disturb the peace of the quiet interior. Keep it below 3,000 RPM and, with the aid of its anonymous styling, you’ll probably avoid speeding tickets too.

But after four days spent trying to keep my temper in check in traffic it was time to head for the hills. More specifically Deer Creek Road in Malibu. Mostly first and second gear hairpins with no guardrails and 500-foot drops into rocky gorges, it’s not the kind of place you’d typically want to drive a traditional GM product. But it is the kind of place you’ll want to drive this GXP.

This isn’t just some overpowered muscle car, the GXP can seriously handle. Throw it into a sharp corner and it’ll hold its line tightly without even a hint of understeer; pushing the tail wide on exit with the immense torque before rocketing down the short straights. Nothing in here feels wallowy; instead the overall impression is of lithe performance.

That’s thanks to lower, stiffer FE3 suspension over the 2008 Pontiac GT’s FE2 setup. GM tuned the handling, as is the fashion these days, on the Nurburgring, where the engineering team set an unofficial fastest time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s a similar suspension setup to the CTS-V, with which the GXP also shares its Brembo front brake calipers and Tremec 6060 6-speed.

Of course, the GXP isn’t all perfect. It doesn’t have SatNav (based on an Aussie-market Holden, the screen violates some pointless US angle regulation and the G8 is too small a production run to reengineer the interior) and the interior isn’t up to the standard of contemporary European or Japanese competitors. But with an estimated MSRP of $37,000 (excluding gas guzzler tax and destination, figure $40k to drive it off a lot) we’re prepared to forgive those foibles and instead concentrate on the performance: 0-60 comes in 4.7 seconds and it’ll run the quarter in 13.0 seconds at 108mph. All while carrying five people and plenty of their luggage in comfort. Fuel mileage is estimated to be 14 MPG city, 20 highway.

So where does BMW come into this? There was a time when — before exclusively focusing on overweight, overcomplicated, boring-to-drive, ugly cars — that it produced vehicles that rightfully deserved the “Ultimate Driving Machine” title. They were simple, well-engineered and put driving first. They had solid, well-built black plastic interiors, manual transmissions and pretty big engines driving only the rear wheels. They don’t any more. They used to combine practicality with fun in just the right proportions. They don’t any more. This Pontiac does. So do the Cadillac CTS, the CTS-V, the G8 GT, the Corvette and the best car in the world, the ZR1. But, unlike even the old BMW, all of the above are, for their classes, very affordable. GM isn’t just the new BMW; it’s better than that.

This review has to come with a slight disclaimer. The G8 GXP is scheduled to go on-sale in February. At this point, we don’t know for certain if GM will still be in business then. I’m not of the opinion that GM and its counterparts are the wisest place to invest our tax money, nor do I entirely believe their apocalyptic forecasts of job losses and economic collapse should we allow them to go out of business. I'm wearing my Save GM T-Shirt for one reason and one reason only: If they're going to keep making cars like this, I really want to keep driving them.

The conversion kit includes a new hood, hood latch, hood insulator, front bumper fascia, upper grille, front bar fascia and fog lamps. All the badges will cost you extra, but by our estimation are well worth the extra $150. The price of a full upgrade? $1,990 for the base G8 or $3,880 to convert your GT into an HSV model. [via Autofiends]

With the Pontiac G6 in refresh limbo and a probable Pontiac G5 based on the Chevy Cruze, it's a hard to argue the case for an all-rear-wheel-drive lineup at the moment. MotorAuthority contradicts an earlier GM statement saying we wouldn't be seeing the Pontiac G3 in the US. They go one step further and imagine a car between the G3 and the G5 — we're no rocket scientists, but "G4" is a good bet for a name. So, lets count it all up: No rear-wheel-drive lineup and a rebadged Aveo? We don't like this story; put it back. [MotorAuthority]

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: When we speculated on the success of the Pontiac G8 ST with only a big honkin' 361 HP V8, we wondered aloud if a V6 option might not make a lot of sense. Given the disintegration of the full size truck market, and a largely unserved compact truck market, a 3.6-liter V6-powered El Camino G8 ST could be a huge success. Is it wrong that we're almost more excited about a well designed V6 in the truck-car than the tire melting power of a V8? Note we said "almost."