Pontiac G8 Is Coming Back as a Chevrolet

With rear wheel drive and a beefy V8 under the hood, the Pontiac G8 was the first real sports sedan from Pontiac in a long time, but we saw it killed off when GM closed Pontiac, its Excitement Division, as part of a post-bankruptcy model streamlining.

However, the G8 will be making a comeback as an American version of the Australian-built Holden Commodore SS sports saloon. According to Australian Drive magazine, this time the car will sport Chevrolet badges instead of Pontiac ones.

"We are definitely looking at that, although we have made no official announcement as yet," a senior engineer for General Motors, Al Oppenheiser, confirmed to Drive at the Los Angeles motor show. "We are definitely looking at doing something with Holden for the retail market."

As all the certification and engineering work needed to transform the Holden Commodore into a Pontiac had already been paid for by the old GM, it is a surprise it has taken such a long time to bring the plan to fruition. The badge swap should happen within the lifespan of the current Commodore. Probably the biggest obstacle right now is the high Australian dollar, which is almost on par with the US dollar.

Holden spokesman, Jonathan Rose, sounded a little less sure about the project: "We have made no secret of the fact that we're pursuing new export opportunities for our local product," he says. "At this point in time our focus is on exporting the Caprice to North America as a law enforcement vehicle... beyond that we don't have anything to add right now."