The Pontiac G8 was a full-size sedan built by Holden in Australia and sold by Pontiac in the United States. A rebadged Holden Commodore on the Zeta platform, it replaced both the Bonneville and the Grand Prix in the range and lasted only two model years before GM closed Pontiac.
Pontiac G8 at a glance
| Maker | Holden, Australia, sold by Pontiac |
|---|---|
| Model years | 2008–2009 |
| Based on | Holden Commodore (VE), GM Zeta platform |
| Model number | GMX557 |
| Class | full-size sedan |
| Base engine | 3.6 L High Feature V6, 256 hp |
| GT engine | 6.0 L V8, 361 hp |
| Transmission | five-speed automatic (V6), six-speed automatic (V8) |
| GT acceleration | 0–60 mph in 5.2 s |
| Built at | Holden Elizabeth plant, South Australia |
| Production | December 2007 – mid 2009 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the G8.
History of the Pontiac G8
An Australian import
The G8 was based on the GM Zeta platform that Holden created for the VE Commodore, and differed from it mainly in frontal styling and interior details. At the January 2007 North American International Auto Show Bob Lutz confirmed that GM would import Commodores as Pontiac G8s; the first prototypes left the Elizabeth plant in Australia on 4 July 2007 and series production began on 18 December 2007. The car was released in the United States in early 2008 for the 2008 model year and in Canada for 2009. It was the first rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan sold as a Pontiac since the 1986 Bonneville and Parisienne, and it took the place of both the Bonneville and the Grand Prix.
Engines and equipment
The base G8 used a 3.6 litre High Feature V6 of 256 hp with a five-speed automatic, rated at 17 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway, with six airbags, traction and stability control, 18-inch alloys and a seven-speaker audio system. The G8 GT added a 6.0 litre Generation IV V8 of 361 hp with a six-speed automatic and Active Fuel Management, reaching 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and averaging 15/24 mpg, along with quad tailpipes, clear tail lights, dual-zone climate control and an 11-speaker Blaupunkt system. A six-speed manual was considered for the GT but reserved for the GXP. Midway through 2009 the GT gained extra catalytic converters, cutting output to 355 hp, and received Bluetooth and pull-out rear cup holders.
Sales and the end
By December 2008 the rear-wheel-drive G8 had not become the sales replacement GM expected: 11,000 cars sat unsold against 13,000 sold, and during the downturn prices fell $3,000–5,000 below sticker. By July 2009 only 5,000 were left unsold and almost 30,700 had been sold. With Pontiac’s closure after GM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, production stopped in mid-2009. Bob Lutz once suggested the car would return as a Chevrolet Caprice and then retracted it, but GM did launch the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, which Car and Driver called its successor, and later the Chevrolet SS on the VF Commodore.
Design and features
- Zeta platform: Holden’s rear-wheel-drive architecture for the VE Commodore.
- V8 option: a 6.0 litre engine of 361 hp in the GT, with Active Fuel Management.
- Rear-wheel drive: the first Pontiac four-door sedan of that layout since 1986.
- Well equipped: six airbags and stability control even in the base car.
- Short life: two model years, ended by the closure of Pontiac.
Pontiac G8 versions
- G8 Sedan: the 3.6 litre V6 base car.
- G8 GT: the 6.0 litre V8 with the six-speed automatic.
- G8 GXP: the version offered with the six-speed manual.
- Comfort And Sound and Premium packages: option groups adding climate control, leather and better audio.
The G8 replaced the Bonneville and the Grand Prix and sat above the G6. More Pontiacs are in the Pontiac collection.
Sources
- Pontiac G8, English Wikipedia: origins, engines, sales
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