Pontiac G8 ST: officially cancelled

[SVT666]

Pontiac G8 ST: officially cancelled

In a broadcast to dealers Tuesday morning, General Motors officially announced its G8 ST has been cancelled. The news comes less than a month after Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, publicly stated the program was under review.

The low-volume two-door pickup model had projected U.S. sales of just 5,000 units a year, making the business case difficult to justify. On the surface, turning the Holden Ute into a G8 ST seems like a pretty simple case of badge-engineering, but when you take the left-hand-drive retooling and other U.S.-specific modifications into account, it?s easy to see why it was a hard sell for GM management given current economic conditions.

The sport truck was to be powered by the same 6.0-liter V8 used in the G8 GT sedan. The motor puts out 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. Combined with a six-speed automatic it promised a zero to 60 mph time of 5.4 seconds.

Like the Ute, the ST would seat only two occupants. Behind the seats a large interior cargo area was expected to offer more than 8.5 cubic feet (245 liters) of storage space. A 73.9-inch cargo bed promised 42.7 cubic feet of space and a payload capacity of more than 1,074 pounds, plus the ability to tow a 3,500-pound trailer.

The termination of the G8 ST dashes hopes for a modern-day El Camino indefinitely, though it?s clear such a vehicle would only appeal to a very small demographic. It?s possible GMC?sDenali XT ? also based on the Holden Ute ? could one day see production, but at the moment there?s nothing to indicate that will ever happen.

[the Teuton]

GM is officially on my do-not-like list with this one.

This sucks.

[SVT666]

GM is officially on my do-not-like list with this one.

This sucks.

It doesn't make financial sense, and that's what matters right now.

[the Teuton]

It doesn't make financial sense, and that's what matters right now.

You're exactly right, but it's still a car that has been widely advertised that will now be nothing more than a concept.

I wonder where the few photo G8 ST prototype trucks will be going.  I hope at least one of them makes it out to the public at some point for some collector.

[sportyaccordy]

GM is officially on my do-not-like list with this one.

This sucks.

Were u gonna buy one....

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Were u gonna buy one....

I think HotRodAlex had his eye on one!

[Laconian]

I don't blame GM, the R&D costs involved must be astronomical.  Just look at how much it cost Tramuadog to convert his GTO to a Holden.

[GoCougs]

Given the disaster of the G8, this would have been epic fail.

[Laconian]

The G8 is good, solid product. I wish their market timing was better.

[Raza]

Makes sense.  This was going to be a waste of money and a wound to the G8 line.  The El Camino is not exactly held in high regard as a sought-after classic. 

[Catman]

Didn't see this one coming!                   

[280Z Turbo]

Makes sense.  This was going to be a waste of money and a wound to the G8 line.  The El Camino is not exactly held in high regard as a sought-after classic. 

Uh oh. You're about to be flamed by Chris V.

[MX793]

Makes sense.  This was going to be a waste of money and a wound to the G8 line.  The El Camino is not exactly held in high regard as a sought-after classic. 

Actually, they've been catching on in recent years.  Partly because they are mechanically the same as the much more highly sought after Malibu/Chevelle but at a lower price point.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Didn't see this one coming!                   

You too????

I had to do a search on the net to double check the source. I'm shocked.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I hate to say it but i'm kind of expecting to hear a similar conclusion to the camaro.

Look no furthur than the challengers lackluster impact on the market compared to the goldenboy of the retro muscle car redeux(the mustang).

If GM is smart they will jettison(sp) the camaro. Sure it will sell, for a year or two. It will be a brief splash with dealer markups and magazine writeups. However after a few years it will tumble and be just another GTO or G8. It will be heavily discounted and rot on dealer lots, and i'm sure GM knows this. A car like the Cruze is alot more important and really is more important image wise to the general car buying market.

[omicron]

Uh oh. You're about to be flamed by Chris V.

Even I was tempted to post four hundred photos of wonderfully desirable El Caminos! A 1970 El Camino SS454 is not to be sneezed at, nor is the glitzy glamour of a '59 or the crisp lines of a '68.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I love the '70!

Even I was tempted to post four hundred photos of wonderfully desirable El Caminos! A 1970 El Camino SS454 is not to be sneezed at, nor is the glitzy glamour of a '59 or the crisp lines of a '68.

[Soup DeVille]

Makes sense.  This was going to be a waste of money and a wound to the G8 line.  The El Camino is not exactly held in high regard as a sought-after classic. 

Its a perennial second tier muscle car, with a unique following. Its no worse than any of dozens of nameplates that are still regularly resotored and traded.

[Raza]

Its a perennial second tier muscle car, with a unique following. Its no worse than any of dozens of nameplates that are still regularly resotored and traded.

I'm just saying that evoking the El Camino bodystyle in a new GM isn't going to shake up the perceptions that are hurting GM. 

Utes work in Australia.  I don't think they'll work here.

[2o6]

I'm just saying that evoking the El Camino bodystyle in a new GM isn't going to shake up the perceptions that are hurting GM. 

Utes work in Australia.  I don't think they'll work here.

It was going to marketed as a niche vehicle here. Maybe two years of production, tops.

[the Teuton]

Its a perennial second tier muscle car, with a unique following. Its no worse than any of dozens of nameplates that are still regularly resotored and traded.

Wasn't it basically a Chevelle with less weight and less seats?

[Raza]

Wasn't it basically a Chevelle with less weight and less fewer seats?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Soup DeVille]

Wasn't it basically a Chevelle with less weight and less seats?

The early ones were, the later ones were based on the same platform as the Monte carlo.

[Soup DeVille]

I'm just saying that evoking the El Camino bodystyle in a new GM isn't going to shake up the perceptions that are hurting GM. 

Utes work in Australia.  I don't think they'll work here.

I think a four door version would work well here.

[Raza]

I think a four door version would work well here.

That's certainly more viable.

[Tave]

Says what: the Subaru Baja?

[Soup DeVille]

Says what: the Subaru Baja?

No, that was a Subaru.

[Raza]

Says what: the Subaru Baja?

I never said it would be a runaway success.  But I kind of like Bajas.

[Tave]

They might have marketed it as a replacement for the SSR.

[Soup DeVille]

They might have marketed it as a replacement for the SSR.

Well, that would be a certain death knell.