We're not sure what hurts the most: the existence of the Pontiac G8 we're never going to get, the Sportwagon we'd have killed for, or the fact that these are all essentially GXP-spec vehicles. Prices range from approximately $41,600 for the Ute to $50,000 for the Sportwagon. It hurts to look.

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]

Holden Special Vehicles, the performance unit from GM's Australian-owned subsidiary Holden, has officially unveiled its E-Series 2 lineup, showcasing its first major mechanical and styling update for the VE Commodore-based range of sports sedans. Recognize that twin-nostriled bonnet? You should. It's borrowed directly from the Pontiac G8. Basically, this lineup is what a performance lineup for GM's recently-killed Pontiac brand could have looked like.

Given our love of what could have been real "driving excitement," we've taken four of the new models and put together what could have been a real performance-based Pontiac brand for GM here in the United States. Welcome to the Cars of Future Past.

NAME: HSV Clubsport R8
FEATURES:
• All new front and rear design encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
• 317kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Competition Mode ESC
• Extended Cruise Control
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Four piston front and rear brakes.
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels
• Sports cloth seating as standard.
• SV Enhanced options include Performance suspension, bi-modal exhaust,
• Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: An up-powered, Corvette-engined Pontiac G8 GT

NAME: HSV GTS
FEATURES:
• All new front and rear appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
• Upgraded 325kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Hi-flow intermediate exhaust with bi-modal mufflers.
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) Performance suspension, stiffer and recalibrated.
• Four piston front and rear brakes. All new E2 Performance 20 inch wheels.
• Performance leather seats.
• SV Enhanced options include six-piston front brake callipers, finished in SV Enhance yellow with black HSV insignia and four-piston rears with unique wheel accenting.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 GXP

NAME: HSV Clubsport R8 Tourer
FEATURES:
• All new front appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme
• 317kW LS3 V8 engine
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Four piston front and rear brakes.
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels.
• Sports cloth seats as standard.
• SV Enhanced options include bi-modal exhaust, Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 GT Wagon

NAME: HSV Maloo R8
FEATURES:
• All new front appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
317kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels.
• Sports cloth seats as standard.
• Driver & passenger front airbags now include front, seat side & curtain side airbags.
• Addition of dual 8" subwoofers located in the rear cabin quarter trims. Audio output 170W.
• SV Enhanced options include bi-modal exhaust, Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 "El Camino" ST

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]

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

OK, I have some late-breaking news for you from the world of GM, where things are indeed moving quickly, and what I'm about to say is proof.

In fact, we're moving so fast, we're going back in time to, oh, about four or five days ago, when the Pontiac G8 was going away and was not going to become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

And therein lies the news: The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste.

That's all still true. But I have to say that, with my new "marketing" hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be.

I know that we'll get a lot of complaints from G8 lovers, because I'm one of them. And the product guy in me is complaining as loudly as anyone. But the marketing guy says there's no case. With budgets being what they are for the time being, the resources must be allocated elsewhere.

In no way, and this is very important, in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive. Look no further for proof than the Corvette, the Camaro, the CTS or many other present and future Cadillacs. We have a strong lineup of RWD vehicles already and we will continue to have it.

And we have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's New GM 1 and Fun GM 0. [via GM Fastlane Blog]

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]

If you haven't guessed, or you've been living under a rock since our inception, we love us some ute's and when Pontiac showed us the Pontiac G8 ST concept last year, we just about wet ourselves. They took our dreams away (They killed Kenny, you bastards!), but we're once again hopeful for its return.

It's said platform designer Holden will potentially lose close to $1 billion in annual profit if the long wheelbase (the short wheelbase underpins the Camaro) Zeta platform leaves our shores, which is why GM is trying to find another way to keep the platform alive. Our first idea would be to re-style and re-brand the Pontiac G8 ST as the GMC Denali ST depicted above, especially given the currently shaky full-size truck market and considering the mid-size truck market is somewhat pointless right now. A light-duty truck is just what GMC needs.

Other examples of where the long-wheelbase Zeta platform could be used is to underpin the next generation STS/DTS replacement. This was initially in the playbook, but when gas prices rose, GM quickly shoved that idea under the rug. We say it's still a viable plan. Another idea in need of a case study would be to bring the Middle-Eastern/South American market Chevy Caprice/Lumina over or just give the Pontiac G8 a quick face lift. We've previously had wet dreams of a big-bodied, LS3-powered Chevy SS model to go with our techno-retro new Camaro thank-you-very-much.

Another option would be to bring the Chinese-market Buick Park Avenue to our shores, though we're not quite sure how Grandma and Grandpa would feel about switching from their plush Lucerne to a semi-rough riding rear-wheel-drive sedan. Hell, maybe they'd just remember the good ol' days of luxo-motoring and like it.

However GM decides to market the Zeta platform, we'll welcome it because as we all know, they need to put a little more excitement in their product lineup and with plenty of other FWD econo-boxes in the portfolio a nice V8 RWD sedan (or Ute!) would supplement nicely. [via goauto]

This after the folks at Melbourne's National Safety Agency put together the above LAPD-liveried Chevy-badged Commodore for the 2009 APCO Australasia Conference & Exhibition last month in Sydney. The expectation is the LAPD would be the first police force to buy the new vehicle, with more exports potentially going to Canada, the UK and the Middle East.

Here's what the Aussies at GoAuto have to say about the potential plan. A plan, which, by the way, we wholeheartedly support:

"...a plan to supply hi-tech Australian-made patrol cars to US law enforcement agencies – led by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) – could be joined by lucrative police vehicle exports to Canada, the UK and the Middle East.

And while the prospects of reviving plans to sell the Holden Ute in the US as a GMC continue to exist, it is understood the now-defunct Commodore-based Pontiac G8 has a good chance of morphing into a full-time Chevrolet model for US public consumption.

In an ironic twist, if green-lighted, the police project could see Holden's Commodore effectively replace Ford's aged Crown Victoria as the vehicle of choice for many US police departments, which require large, V8-powered rear-drive sedans.

The Crown Victoria, which was discontinued from public sale in 2008 and will be phased out of production for US fleet customers next year, has long been touted as Ford Australia's most obvious US export opportunity for the Falcon.

Some US police departments have already adopted Dodge's new Charger, but the Crown Victoria still attracts 60,000 annual sales for Ford, representing a potentially massive export opportunity for Holden.

Officially, Holden remains cautious about spruiking the prospects of sending Commodores to the US as part of a police vehicle export program, but national media relations manager Scott Whiffin admitted to GoAuto this week that a Pontiac G8-based LAPD prototype produced by Port Melbourne-based National Safety Agency (NSA) has "enormous" potential.

[via GoAuto]

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

Not too shabby if you ask us. Here's the news from Pontiac:

Pontiac today confirmed pricing for the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP will start at $39,995, including $685 destination and freight charges and $1,700 in applicable federal gas guzzler taxes. With 415 horsepower and 0-60 times well under 5.0 seconds, the G8 GXPs is the most powerful production Pontiac ever created and comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission or an optional ($695) six-speed manual transmission. A $900 sunroof option is also available.

Final EPA fuel economy ratings for the G8 GXP are 13 miles per gallon in the city, 20 miles per gallon on the highway.

Here's the full price breakdown for those interested:

$37,610 - base price
$685 - DFC
$1,700 - Federal gas guzzler
$39,995: TOTAL MSRP
$695 - Six-speed manual tranny
$40,690: TOTAL MSRP for MANUAL TRANNY

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]

Another glut of cheap gasoline, a marked change in GM's fortunes (like winning the lotto — in all 50 states) or a management shakeup could rapidly result in a wave of new rear-wheel-drive Pontiacs, including a next-gen G8. Those are the least-likely options, however. In the short term, don't discount the effect a Chrysler purchase might have on the Pontiac brand; GM could decide Dodge has more performance credibility than Pontiac — and we wouldn't necessarily argue — resulting in the Excitement Division getting dumped for Dodge. Crazy talk, but these are crazy times. [Edmunds Inside Line]

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."