It's an AUSTRALIAN MADE AND DESIGNED Holden Commodore SS Ute. We've had them here for years and years. So here we have Pontiac coming to Australia to revive their dying car lineup.
If you don't make a car, then people can't buy it.
You will never know how many might have bought it.
It's safer not to make things, because they might not sell.
Safe isn't where real profit lives, though.
I still think the real answer is addressing the regulatory burden of certifying the new cars. Fix that, then companies could start to experiment again. Imagine all the new things that could be tried on a shoestring, if you didn't need to sell 8000 of them to break even.
Let's just slap the South African/Middle East Chevy badges on the G8 and replace the Impala with it... and then promptly lead Pontiac behind the fuckin' barn.
Seriously, Saturn's got its own (albeit ugly) Kappa, the G8's all Pontiac has left.
@FuzzyPlushroom: I took my Saturn in for servicing yesterday, and the rumors going around that dealership were that they were going to lose the battle of survival to Buick, as future Opel products will be branded as Buicks instead of Saturns.
I am thinking that is the likely outcome. Although Saturn dealerships are rated as GM's best, and they have traditionally had high customer satisfaction ratings, Saturn just does not have as much history or brand equity; it s also one step closer to being an "international" brand, if you count the Chinese market.
Technically, since the thing wasn't put into serial production, it was never really born - thus making GM's action more of an abortion than an outright killing.
This vehicle would've made more sense as a Chevy. Not just b/c of the El Camino name, but like someone else said...it's just kind of out of Pontiac's (future) brand image.
The only way it would've made sense would've been as a semi-practical light-duty pickup. The performance models would've just been icing on the cake.
Hopefully they'll redirect efforts towards the G8 SportWagon, which would be the GM product I'd most likely buy any time in the next few years.
This probably COULD have been done cheaply enough. Sell all of them on pre-order, slightly modify then in Oz, bring them over. Sell nothing out of inventory except the demo model.
It's not like the HHR, Aztek, or some other ill-conceived idea. It's a direct variant of an existing car, already built elsewhere. They could theoretically stop the "flow" at any time, based on demand.
The HHR actually wasn't all that bad of an idea, either. It shares the same basic Delta platform as the Cobalt, Ion, Astra, and G5, meaning that development costs were minimal, and it seems to be selling reasonably well for them. And lord knows it is lightyears ahead of the PT Cruiser.
@Ash78: I was just thinking this. They already have all the parts, it's just a matter of bolting them onto the Ute chassis instead of the sedan chassis in Aus.
Make it a custom order, you order one exactly how you want it (Holden or Pontiac bodywork, Engine option, Trans option, etc), put down a couple grand as a non-refundable deposit, and a month or so later you get your car
I watch the El Camino soaring high in excitement looking for its arrival day. The Camnio's the most incredible car/truck to deliver stuff without delay. No wonder G.M. chose to rebuild this valliant V8 machine. The noble Camino showed G.M.s courage as it drove on stage appearing mean. The day has come when the Camino has fallen, but will rise again. It will come back like the Phoenix rising from the ashes as it ascends. For it's the greatest Cowboy Cadillac that came out of G.M.'s creation. And Like G.M., our Camino will rise again to drive once more across the North American Nations.
@boosted-lego-wagon: 'E's NOT pining, 'e's PASSED ON! This Pontiac is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If they hadn't nailed 'im to Perth 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!!
Speaking of G8s. I went to a Bay Area Pontiac dealership on 1/1 to look at the G8. The sticker had a $4,000 dealer markup. Thing is, the mark-up was handwritten in pen and the ink was faded by the sun. So the numbnuts there probably got the car in the Spring of 08, marked it up $4,000, and are wondering why they can't sell a G8 for $35,000 when a used one with less than 10,000 miles can be had for $24,000.
The G8 was hot for about 3 weeks. I was the finance director of a Buick Pontiac GMC dealer when they first hit the lot and after about 3 weeks no one even cared about the car. It's a shame though because it's actually a really nice car both inside and out.
@xxF1xx: Around here, a G8 GT has a shelf life of a couple hours. I got a call a while ago that one had arrived on the lot at a local dealership. By the time I left work and got there, it was sold. Meanwhile, V6 models are sitting on the lot for months at a time.
Im in the DE MD PA NJ area... And the only one I managed to see actually for sale.. was this red jobbie sitting under a carport.. back in June / July.
With that exact same sharpie.. It was hot.. for a short time.
Ive seen a white one Ive seen a red one..
I dont actually know if those Ive seen are 8s or 6s..
But I can tell ya, I feel bad for it. Its a here today, gone tomorrow idea.
But what can ya expect from Pontiac, when it has copies of the SKY, Aveo, and Cobalt?! I mean honestly. I was watching the college football game with Penn State and SMU. And I was honestly taken back by the blatency in it all.
I mean I know advertising is the big deal.. but Pontiac Performance.. as part of a football game?
What about PONTIAC... is PERFORMANCE?
Especially when ya got garbage like the Cobalt, Aveo and SKY in razor blade drag?!
I feel bad for PBG dealerships.. bet they havent had a good hot vehicle.. in the longest time.
@Accordforall: Solstice came out first, so the Sky is the one in drag.
The way you tell if it's a V8 or a V6 is by the taillights. V6 models have red taillights, V8s have clear-on-black taillights. (I'm really hoping you didn't mean you weren't sure if they were G8s or G6s!)
And if you don't know what about Pontiac is performance, please research the letters GXP, and while you're at it, GTO. I seriously shouldn't have to point things like this out to you. Solstice GXP is a kick-ass car. G8 GT is a kick-ass car. G6 GXP is a kick-ass car. G8 GXP will be MY car, and I have had a loathing for GM products for decades.
Hmmm GM makes a single or two of every vehicle they've ever wanted to mass produce.
So.. I wonder if they will have one in their massive archive collection...
Maybe one might be up for sale at Barrett-Jackson this January in Scottsdale..
I had a feeling they'd do this
Bring it over based on the Holden Commodore. Graft on the Pontiac front clip. Supposedly sell it along side the G8 / Commodore. Have a big to-do about the name...
Then release the Aveo and Cobalt for Pontiac..
AND BAM... goes the gavel on this.. beautiful baby!
So sad. Time for a country song. Holden Ute, by Gretchen Wilson
I don't need Chevy to drown out the pain Or some F-150 to hold off the rain Don't have a crossover that holds all my wares All that I need is right here
Holden Ute holds me together When holding on gets just a little too hard With no tire grip, I travel I lift and unravel then I feel like some snap oversteer
01/24/09
It's an AUSTRALIAN MADE AND DESIGNED Holden Commodore SS Ute. We've had them here for years and years. So here we have Pontiac coming to Australia to revive their dying car lineup.
Interesting, isn't it?
01/27/09
[jalopnik.com]
01/06/09
You will never know how many might have bought it.
It's safer not to make things, because they might not sell.
Safe isn't where real profit lives, though.
I still think the real answer is addressing the regulatory burden of certifying the new cars. Fix that, then companies could start to experiment again. Imagine all the new things that could be tried on a shoestring, if you didn't need to sell 8000 of them to break even.
01/06/09
Malaise II just got Malaisier.
01/06/09
Seriously, Saturn's got its own (albeit ugly) Kappa, the G8's all Pontiac has left.
01/06/09
01/06/09
Seriously, though, it's either that or kill Saturn, G3/5/6, and rebadge the Astra and maybe Aura as Pontiacs, too...?
01/06/09
I am thinking that is the likely outcome. Although Saturn dealerships are rated as GM's best, and they have traditionally had high customer satisfaction ratings, Saturn just does not have as much history or brand equity; it s also one step closer to being an "international" brand, if you count the Chinese market.
01/06/09
01/06/09
Ya no puede caminar
Porque no tiene, porque le falta
Una compañía con la gerencia competente
01/06/09
01/06/09
The only way it would've made sense would've been as a semi-practical light-duty pickup. The performance models would've just been icing on the cake.
Hopefully they'll redirect efforts towards the G8 SportWagon, which would be the GM product I'd most likely buy any time in the next few years.
01/06/09
It's not like the HHR, Aztek, or some other ill-conceived idea. It's a direct variant of an existing car, already built elsewhere. They could theoretically stop the "flow" at any time, based on demand.
01/06/09
The HHR actually wasn't all that bad of an idea, either. It shares the same basic Delta platform as the Cobalt, Ion, Astra, and G5, meaning that development costs were minimal, and it seems to be selling reasonably well for them. And lord knows it is lightyears ahead of the PT Cruiser.
01/06/09
I'd love an Edit button, as would everyone else.
01/06/09
Make it a custom order, you order one exactly how you want it (Holden or Pontiac bodywork, Engine option, Trans option, etc), put down a couple grand as a non-refundable deposit, and a month or so later you get your car
01/06/09
The Camnio's the most incredible car/truck to deliver stuff without delay.
No wonder G.M. chose to rebuild this valliant V8 machine.
The noble Camino showed G.M.s courage as it drove on stage appearing mean.
The day has come when the Camino has fallen, but will rise again.
It will come back like the Phoenix rising from the ashes as it ascends.
For it's the greatest Cowboy Cadillac
that came out of G.M.'s creation.
And
Like G.M., our Camino will rise again
to drive once more across the North American Nations.
01/06/09
Maybe it will return carrying the once and future king.
But no, we shall not weep just yet, nor sink hopelessly into depression and sardonic commentary, for we are the faithful, and in El Camino we trust.
I really hope that a few years down the road, if things are looking up enough, that they will reconsider this decision.
01/06/09
01/06/09
01/06/09
01/06/09
THIS is an EX-PONTIAC!
01/06/09
01/06/09
The G8 was hot for about 3 weeks. I was the finance director of a Buick Pontiac GMC dealer when they first hit the lot and after about 3 weeks no one even cared about the car. It's a shame though because it's actually a really nice car both inside and out.
01/06/09
01/06/09
Im in the DE MD PA NJ area...
And the only one I managed to see actually for sale.. was this red jobbie sitting under a carport.. back in June / July.
With that exact same sharpie..
It was hot.. for a short time.
Ive seen a white one
Ive seen a red one..
I dont actually know if those Ive seen are 8s or 6s..
But I can tell ya, I feel bad for it. Its a here today, gone tomorrow idea.
But what can ya expect from Pontiac, when it has copies of the SKY, Aveo, and Cobalt?! I mean honestly. I was watching the college football game with Penn State and SMU. And I was honestly taken back by the blatency in it all.
I mean I know advertising is the big deal.. but Pontiac Performance.. as part of a football game?
What about PONTIAC... is PERFORMANCE?
Especially when ya got garbage like the Cobalt, Aveo and SKY in razor blade drag?!
I feel bad for PBG dealerships.. bet they havent had a good hot vehicle.. in the longest time.
01/06/09
The way you tell if it's a V8 or a V6 is by the taillights. V6 models have red taillights, V8s have clear-on-black taillights. (I'm really hoping you didn't mean you weren't sure if they were G8s or G6s!)
And if you don't know what about Pontiac is performance, please research the letters GXP, and while you're at it, GTO. I seriously shouldn't have to point things like this out to you. Solstice GXP is a kick-ass car. G8 GT is a kick-ass car. G6 GXP is a kick-ass car. G8 GXP will be MY car, and I have had a loathing for GM products for decades.
01/06/09
Then again, maybe part of the appeal of Caminos is that they are vintage, and not new.
Here's a QOTD suggestion: Which model hurt its brand more than helped it by making it to production?
Those who respond with Aztek aren't trying hard enough.
01/06/09
01/06/09
The current car, on the other hand, is a nail in the coffin.
01/06/09
GM makes a single or two of every vehicle they've ever wanted to mass produce.
So..
I wonder if they will have one in their massive archive collection...
Maybe one might be up for sale at Barrett-Jackson this January in Scottsdale..
I had a feeling they'd do this
Bring it over based on the Holden Commodore.
Graft on the Pontiac front clip.
Supposedly sell it along side the G8 / Commodore.
Have a big to-do about the name...
Then release the Aveo and Cobalt for Pontiac..
AND BAM... goes the gavel on this.. beautiful baby!
01/06/09
Hmmm
But in a few months LUTZ is going to come out saying how every European car he managed to bring to the US has failed.
This failed.. cause of the company thats its taking up.. SEE CURRENT MESS FROM PONTIAC.
Aura FAIL because its sold alongside Malibu.
GTO failed... cause the body is boring... PLAIN AND SIMPLE
01/06/09
I bet it goes for more than the now-defunct next-gen NSX prototype.
01/06/09
01/06/09
Holden Ute, by Gretchen Wilson
I don't need Chevy to drown out the pain
Or some F-150 to hold off the rain
Don't have a crossover that holds all my wares
All that I need is right here
Holden Ute holds me together
When holding on gets just a little too hard
With no tire grip, I travel
I lift and unravel then I feel like
some snap oversteer
Holden Ute holds me together