2 more new Pontiacs

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2008 7:27 pm

George Bright is today's winner of the internetz!!!!!

Congrats George!!!!! :toast:

Must be all the Dr. McGuillicutties (sp)!!!!

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 8:34 am

GM news on downsizing, buyouts, truck/SUV inventory, etc: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/AUTO01/805300370

Chuck Frank · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 2:08 pm

Sorry to have started such an uproar by paraphrasing a GM press release about the new G8s in the pipeline.
I posted it as info for performance enthusiasts who keep saying they can't buy any US performance vehicle, NOT as a champion of GM, Pontiac or anyone else. I never said GM was positioning the G8 GXP(over the vette, caddy or any other nameplate) as their performance flagship just as the performance flagship of the Pontiac brand. They chose the G8 over the Sostice because the G8 target vehicle the BMW far outsells the Solstice target vehicles the Miata and S2K together.
The Ute is easy: already being built and is wildly popular in Ausie land so change a little trim and badges and ship it to the US too along with the G8 sedan. GM was missing a small pickup and hopes to make a few loyal Pontiac buyers by offering a fun entry level alternative to the kids who like trucks and as a second vehicle with some utilitarian value to the urban family. The CUVs definitely lack much space for any serious cargo hauling especially tall loads.
The LS7 engine may be a technological high for a pushrod engine, but it still has to go a ways to equal the GXP engine: 260 HP (with a chip available from GMPP to take it to 300 HP with no hardware changes) out of 2.0 L with a 100K mile warrantee!
With the dollar devaluing, the US manufacturers will be able to compete with the Japanese without having to take a loss. We see the excess inventory here especially this time of the year when shutdown for changeover is taking place becuse it's under our nose. We don't have an idea how much a backlog the Japanese et al have since it is out of sight overseas. The price and financing cost reduction sales I see advertised for their makes tells me they are pretty much in the same boat (pun unintentional). The Japanese are restructuring and eating a larger share of their leasing costs to lower the monthly costs below the US prices.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 2:46 pm

Chuck (or whoever can answer this),

You mention the US dollar situation and how it will help US manufactures compete against the Japanese. I don’t know the balance of US vs. Japanese factories and how many cars are made here vs. there and how much content is made here vs. there, but my understanding is that a lot of "Japanese cars" are built here with US content (no empirical statistical data at my fingertips). So a weak US dollar is not going to help a great deal unless you are talking about the models that are built outside of the US or have a larger percent of foreign content? This would also mean that there is not much “backlog overseas” that is out of sight as the backlog would be here in the US at the US factories? Granted, I know a number of models are build overseas.

I think that this might make more sense with the Korean manufactures who are just now starting to build plants in the US if I remember correctly, so they are probably hurt more via the US dollar than the Japanese manufactures? And I think it is probably Honda/Toyota that is eating GM/Ford/Chrysler’s lunch and not so much Kia, etc.

Richard

PS: It wouldn’t be the THSCC forum if we didn’t have You, Donnie, Aaron and others posting on a regular basis.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 6:54 pm

Chuck Frank wrote:

Sorry to have started such an uproar by paraphrasing a GM press release about the new G8s in the pipeline.

I don't think you did. The folks who got their noses out of joint when I gave GM a hard time did.

I'd add to Richard's questions with a curiosity as well...I wonder what percentage of US manufacturer cars are built here versus overseas. What percentage are sold here versus overseas. And then the same question about the big foreign companies who build cars here. Basically, I wonder how big our "deficit" is in that regard.

--Donnie

Chuck Frank · **Posted:** Sat May 31, 2008 12:07 am

AFAIK even tho some are assembled here, the Foreign owned vehicles are built primarily from parts manufactured overseas and shipped here. The profits shipped back to the parent companies still have to be converted to their currency. Even if they are still realizing the same US$ profits on units built here it is worth less to them by the time it's in their bank acct. Some like Toyota and Honda are strong enough to weather thru even if they have to take a loss, but others like Mazda will need to raise prices. The G8s are currently being built in Australia, but next year they will start building them along with the Camaro in Canada.

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

We haven't annexed Canada yet, have we? :wink:

MartynWheeler · **Joined:** Mon Jan 02, 2006 9:30 pm **Posts:** 303

Wes Eargle wrote:

We haven't annexed Canada yet, have we? :wink:

<can of worms>
No, but at least it's union labor
</can of worms>

Personally I like GM overall and I particularly like Pontiacs. Yeah, they're usually dressed up Chevies, but they're dressed up in exactly the way I like it. I'd be disappointed if GM dropped the brand.

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

Speaking of Pontiac ... http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/ ... -pontiacs/

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

Ah... the First V8 RWD G6!

I saw a metallic orange G8 in Holly Springs yesterday. It pains me to say that it looked pretty good.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:14 am

Arthur McDonald wrote:

Ah... the First V8 RWD G6!

I saw a metallic orange G8 in Holly Springs yesterday. It pains me to say that it looked pretty good.

Art, the ROotWHGM club called and wants their decoder ring back.

--Donnie

(ROotWHGM == Royal Order of the We Hate GM)

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:04 am

You have to give GM credit (?) for copying all of the BMW styling cues I guess...including the Hofmeister kink. The fender vent and kink look exactly like they were pulled straight off a BMW. In fact the b-pillar design, door handles, and side skirt look like a direct lift too. They did a pretty good job on copying the latest version of the Bangle butt too (lower rear).

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

You have to give GM credit (?) for copying all of the BMW styling cues I guess...including the Hofmeister kink. The fender vent and kink look exactly like they were pulled straight off a BMW. In fact the b-pillar design, door handles, and side skirt look like a direct lift too. They did a pretty good job on copying the latest version of the Bangle butt too (lower rear).

So THAT'S why I like it so much!

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

You have to give GM credit (?) for copying all of the BMW styling cues I guess...including the Hofmeister kink. The fender vent and kink look exactly like they were pulled straight off a BMW. In fact the b-pillar design, door handles, and side skirt look like a direct lift too. They did a pretty good job on copying the latest version of the Bangle butt too (lower rear).

Yeah, I had thought that before, but seeing the pictures side by side its remarkable.

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