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2008 Pontiac G8
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Comments
I don't think I'm following your train of thought here. What does the price of oil have to do with where the engine is manufactured?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I will go out on ** MY ** limb & predict:
1) That the 2008 G8 will sell very well.
2) That the 2009 will include some of the ‘missing items’ some people are looking for \ waiting for. The M6, among them. And XM. And a wider array of interior colors.
3) That HIDs & a heated steering wheel are not in the cards - at least for '08 or '09.
4) That we will not see oil at $55/bbl again in our lifetime . . . If ever.
Cheers,
- Ray
We’ll see how accurate we both are – in a year or so . . .
i hope i'm wrong on my predictions as far as the sales go, there can't be too many rwd v6/v8 platforms in my book. i just don't think the car will sell in numbers that gm will support the vehicle...they will bail on it...on the other hand, what else will they have to offer, to replace the grand prix.
jackg
06sts6
Well, I'm sure the bean counters watch that stuff very closely. If it becomes more expensive to manufacture in Mexico than the US, you can be sure they would change that. I believe oil would have to surpass its current cost by a very very wide margin to make that a reality, however, given what I am assuming are remarkably low labor costs in Mexico compared to the UAW.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
1) Pontiac needs a sales success. The G8 needs to sell, needs to live up to the pre-introduction expectations regarding performance, quality, etc.
2) In addition to a very competent Sports Sedan, aggressive pricing is also part of what Pontiac probably needs to begin to (re-)establish itself as a Performance Division of GM.
3) If the G8 is not a success for Pontiac, I expect that in 3 to 5 years, then the Pontiac Brand will go the way of the Dodo – and Oldsmobile.
Regarding sales numbers & “support the vehicle”: Keep in mind that the G8 is ( only ) a N.A. version of a platform that is expected to sell in relatively large numbers, globally.
http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0709_2008_pontiac_g8
And there is an expectation that production of North American destined G8s will move to the Oshawa, Canada plant at some point. Where the GP has been built.
Even if the G8 is not a terrific sales success initially, GM simply cannot afford to ‘bail’ on the platform.
- Ray
End predictions . . .
It looks great. It drives and handles very well and is plenty fast (I drove a Commodore when I visited Oz). It has a functional interior with a decent sized back seat. And the price is reasonable.
I expect the G8 GT will be 98% the same. It's the GM-flavored rear-drive sports sedan a lot of us have been waiting for for a long time.
To the 6'5" driver concerned about the 6-ways: No problem. Aussies are big, so you're within the design envelope. I'm 6'2" myself and I had plenty of space to spare. I don't remember needing to put the seat all the way back and the telescopic wheel pulled plenty out far enough.
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
I am posting this without specific reference to the fact that this test is on the “UTE” version, because I am going to focus on what I see as likely predictors of what I’d actually buy: A G8 GT with automatic.
The 0 – 60 time is a bit less quick than GM \ Pontiac is advertising.
But the Quarter Mile time of 13.8 is reasonable. Wonder what the trap speed was?
Anyway – this is the first US based [ test by a US based publication ] test I have seen that seems to tell me something about what a G8 GT will likely produce for acceleration numbers.
AND: “throttle blips on downshifts” I find very encouraging.
- Ray
Waiting, still . . .
I will def. look into the G8's in another year or 2 when I'll be ready to trade again, but only if they keep the styling typical of pontiac, and the price is competitive.
Remember the GTO? Same formula to me.
If not made in the US, how can it compete against the other imports?
Regards,
OW
I felt EXACTLY the same way. Since I already owned a GTP, I declined Pontiac altogether back in 2006. I'll check out the G8 but it does look promising. If they play the same game as the GTO with pricing, I simply will walk away.
"
Regards,
OW<
Hmmm.
Apparently I am dense.
If the G8 is ( for a while, at least ) built in Australia & imported, how does that make it unable to compete against other imports?
Whether made in Japan, Korea, Germany or England – how does that mean a better competitive position vs a sedan made in Australia?
And I have read quotes from Lutz indication that GM \ Pontiac has learned from some ( unfortunate ) GTO experience.
Dealers still have final say in setting actual transaction pricing, but MSRPs for the 2008 model run of G8 GTs appear reasonable & competitive, to me.
Can you help me understand what you mean in your statement?
Thanks,
- Ray
Confused, as usual . . .
I assume the other import brands that produce in the US. Some of them do not have union contracts so I am thinking it will be harder to compete on price.
I hope they did learn from the GTO. But I need to feel that when I walk into a dealer. I have super-high expectation form the OLD big 3 so please excuse my obvious skepticism. Everyone deserves a second chance but blunder after blunder got real old to me and I am full.
Also, it might be just me but I see a Saturn-like resemblance from the rear view of this car.?
Regards,
OW
So what RWD V8 imports are they not competitively priced against at $30k?
Or are we talking about bread n' butter V6 models? In which case, considering something like an Accord is over $30k full loaded, that would indicate to me that I could step over to the Pontiac dealer and get a RWD V8 for the same money. Seems good to me.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I'm the guy who buys an STi and takes off the wing and big scoop, takes off the gold wheels, and paints the gold brakes black.
-mike
well that's just good taste on your part. ;b
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
So what RWD V8 imports are they not competitively priced against at $30k?”
Exactly. The MSRP has been set. For now, I think we need to set aside speculation about what dealers might charge. Pontiac has set what I see as aggressive pricing, given the basic specifications & the reports I have read.
The G8 V8 looks likely to post acceleration numbers comparable to a BMW 545 \ 550 V8 or an Infiniti M45.
It would clearly be unrealistic to expect BMW 5 series levels of ** EVERYTHING **, but the remaining questions in my mind are:
Will the G8 GT provide something that is ‘good enough’ ( for me ) in the areas of ride, handling & braking. Rev matching on manumatic downshifts. Interior materials, fit & finish. Ergonomics. Front seat comfort, support & adjustability. Control relationships & ‘feel’. Outward vision. Etc.
All stuff that requires I actually drive one.
The first question, more generally, is going to be whether or not Pontiac is able to provide both very good acceleration numbers ( looks very likely ) in combination with something like 85 or 90% of the “BMW goodness” in things like feel and refinement – for a very substantially reduced price.
And, if the answer to the first question is: Yes. Then the second question is what dealers will actually ( try to ) charge.
For several reasons, when I last purchased a Pontiac ( 2005 ) I ended up disgusted with all local dealers here near Atlanta & I negotiated via e-mail & telephone with a “$49 over invoice & no additional fees” dealer just over 100 miles north of where I live. The deal when very smoothly, and if I do buy a G8 I will likely buy from them again.
We shall see . . .
- Ray
Waiting to see . . .
Thats one of the biggest reasons I will never own a "foreign" car, is because of the styling. If you line them all up side by side, they all blend in with everything else on the road and have no details that make them stand out in a crowd. I for one still love to look out in my driveway and see my GXP all shined up just sitting there, as well as driving it. How many people can say that about their Honda or Toyota? LOL
I still turn my head when I see a nicely styled car on the road, or drive by a dealership and something catches my eye, even though it doesnt happen as much as it used to because lets face it, car styling isnt what it used to be, thats why I still stay with Pontiac. Im not a big Dodge fan, but over the summer a dealership nearby had a lime-green Charger SRT sitting out by the road, and I could spot it from half a mile away! It was a nice looking car, something that would look cool driving down the street, as well as turn a few heads in the process. To me, THAT is cool.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/FREE/71129001/1065
-mike
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
-mike
Here is the context I see for these ( now ‘official’ ) EPA numbers:
G8 A6 = 15 \ 24 [ 2008 ]
Corvette A6 = 15 \ 25 [ 2008 ]
Corvette A6 [ 2007 ] WAS 17 \ 27
Would have been 15 \ 25 under the new \ 2008 EPA scheme
So.
I happened to fill my Corvette ( 2007 with essentially the same A6 trans. as the G8 GT \ V8 will have ) with gas on Wednesday morning & drove from where I live, northeast of Atlanta, to Macon & back. As I was approaching Atlanta on the return leg – after approx. 185 miles, the Driver Information Center AVG MPG read just over 31. This was driving ‘with traffic’ – mostly 65 to 75 MPH on the highway portions, with 10 or 15 miles of in-town traffic driving thrown in. Looking at the both the run down & back cancels out any effect of elevation change.
Thus, if the EPA highway rating for the G8 is accurate, I could expect roughly 30 MPG, in an identical run.
That’d be OK with me . . .
- Ray
We’ll see what owners report in the real world . . .
25 mpg is also unlikely, based on my GTO-naro 6-spd experience.
Regards,
OW
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
ReGARDS,
ow
He warned me that the car would be in "high demand" and that it would be hot! I could see the $$$ signs dripping from his eyes.
The interesting point is that he claimed his dealership had an allocation of only 20 GT models in the 2008 model year, and that only because they are the leading Pontiac dealer in the PacNW (the latter is a factual claim). So, does anyone know what the production volume for the GTs is expected to be? The numbers would argue no more than 15,000. Can anyone confirm or rebut?
Nothing new, really.
BMW's will look like a bargain vs. the G8 in '08!!
Regards,
OW
I read that the first shipment of cars has left Austalia already. They have already run print ads in magazines so I am thinking you will see cars on lots by the end of January. I just want to know when it will be tested by magazines.
I will wager that when the dealers do get in their measly allocations, the MSRP will be exceeded by a few grand, as was during the advent of the GTO.
Any takers?
Regards,
OW
Now, they are rotting on the lots!
Regards,
OW
GM expects about half of the vehicles made at the plant will be for export, something Holden has been wanting. "For 60 years, we have been producing world class vehicles primarily for the Australian market. That market has developed into one of the most crowded in the world with almost 50 brands now competing for a share of only 1 million new vehicles annually," GM Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey told Just-Auto.
Gubbey continued: "GM has recognized Holden's expertise and has entrusted the design and engineering of the group's large rear-wheel drive cars to us."
The G8 is expected to hit Pontiac showrooms in the first quarter of 2008.
That about sums it up...limited supply = higher price.
Regards,
OW
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
They shouldn't but if dealers follow the GTO strategy, the same fate awaits, IMO. GM does not hold the cache for a limited edition sedan and never will.. all shell games aside. You can jack the price up based on limited supply just so far in a market flooded with other choices in this price range. Like the CTS, it's easy to shop Infinity, Lexus or BMW when the price gets too high.
Regards,
OW
Besides, this car looks a lot like the Saturn Aura. Pretty boring. Where's the creativity?? OTOH, the Camaro and Challenger are VERY interesting.
Regards,
OW
we waited 7 months for ours....and yes...we did pay MSRP for it.....but in the long run the dealer gave us a great deal on our next car purchase...so really cant complain......
Enjoy your car with best of luck.
Regards,
OW
Pontiac's potential customers just walk away from such utter nonsense. To think paying MSRP for A U.S. CAR and when you drive it off the lot, you loose thousands in the first couple of miles!!!
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW