So does this mean no Pontiac G8? Maybe someone should tell the Pontiac division cause they are still touting its release as early 08'.

I expect eventually GM will stop marketing "mild hybrids" and go the BMW route and call it an engineering direction rather than a type of vehicle. BMW is including what GM call's "Mild Hybrid" technology on just about all of their cars, but they call it the "Efficient Dynamics" program and say its not a hybrid but just efficient.

The Camaro Hybrid may not play out well, but I could see it selling. The Camaro itself is kind of the embodiment of pig-iron clad, snarling V8 design and engineering, giving it a "green" logo is a bit like giving a Peace Prize to Genghis Khan.

RWD Impala, well I never expected it anyway. GM will eventually just have to stop building carbon copy cars: the RWD Impala would just of been a rebadged, slightly re-trimmed G8. What good would that be? It'd probably just steal sales from the G8, as not to many car buyers (new car buyers, at least, and those less than 40 years old) are unaware of badge engineering. The idea that you are driving a car that just looks different from a cheaper one isn't hooking many buyers who were not even born when the old Impala was still RWD. Hence making a new RWD Impala would, to them, seem like taking the old FWD version and just scrapping it to slam a Chevy badge on a Pontiac car. Which it would be.

As far as a RWD LaCrosse, since no one other than really old people seems to buy Buick, all a competitive Buick might do is steal sales from Cadillac. Cadillac is at the level that it competes with Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti. Buick might be better positioned to take on Toyota and Honda. Recently those to brands have gone more upscale, with the Interior of the new Camry having as luxurious an interior as Lexus did pre-2006. Lexus has since moved with the luxury segment into the phase where today's luxury is about technology and not just wood and leather.

Chevrolet might be better going downscale from Toyota and instead aiming at Kia, Subaru, Hyundai, Suzuki and the like. Those cars are still decidedly not luxurious, they are pretty much just cars. No wood or leather in any of em, hence Chevrolet could easily compete against them. Buick could take on Toyota, as both cars follow the "wood and leather, but not high-tech" approach to car building, and Cadillac could take on the new style of luxury cars like Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus by offering premium vehicles that do not just offer wood and leather, but high technology as well.

This leaves a sorry spot for Saturn, Pontiac, and GMC though. My thoughts would be to take GMC into the commercial vehicles only territory, and Pontiac could remain a sport brand. Saturn might be a new idea to kill off (GM still has to many brands), as its point of attacking European manufacturers by offering Euro-style has just outright failed. No one considers much of anything in Saturn except long-standing GM families, of which, obviously are not numerous enough to make it profitable.

Pontiac could continue on with the Solstice, and G line of cars. They would need their own platforms and engineering to be sure, as their purpose would be to achieve performance and not really be as much a cushy day car like Chevrolet might be, or a mid-upscale car like Buick. It definitely has not broken any ground on the Europeans and Lexus in terms of luxury, as it was supposed to do with its styling direction.

-OR- GM could kill Buick and continue on with Saturn going after Toyota. I think that'd be a harder sale though, because Saturn would need to raise its game, where as Buick now is already hitting the interior quality marks, they would just need to re-size to fit into Toyota's segment.

carluver57

Reread the article...it states the next generation G8, not this generation.

carluver57

Reread the article...it states the next generation G8, not this generation.

man.... bush would sign that stupid cafe bill.just to please a buch of those "green" people. they're still gonna hate him!

Read the article folks-this is not the Mild Hybrid system featured in the Saturn Vue and 2008 Malibu-this is the new Dual-Mode system from the new Tahoe and Yukon hybrids which is truly a hybrid in its efficiency and operation. Like the Camaro, the Malibu will switch to this sytem in 09.

The CAFE bill was a good thing. That's what is pushing Ford and GM kicking and screaming into the 21st century. If they can't compete then they deserve to be spanked by Toyota, Honda and yes, Hyundai.

We used to be technology leaders, and we have to be again. Personally I don't care if the Camaro runs on daisies, as long as it hauls ass. I don't like being dependent on the Middle East.

If I were GM looking for Camaro powertrains, I would look into:

1. 275hp DI turbodiesel, like Ford's
2. The 300hp DI V6, a la CTS (turbo?)
3. 450hp V8 with cylinder deactivation

A hybrid battery setup would add too much weight IMO. Keep the car light, tight and simple.

@Kell

"The CAFE bill was a good thing. That's what is pushing Ford and GM kicking and screaming into the 21st century. If they can't compete then they deserve to be spanked by Toyota, Honda and yes, Hyundai."

If you read anything about the CAFE bill as it was being discussed by congress you'd realize Toyota didn't even think it was a good idea. GM vehicles get just as good if not better gas milage as an equivalent Toyota vehicles. By this I mean comparing a V6 to a V6.

All the large manufacturers new it would cost a lot of money to put the technology in cars to follow CAFE standards. Do you really think if Toyota has to spend more on each car to improve gas mileage that they are going to bite the bullet on cost. Car buyers are inevitably going to pay for CAFE.

Why don't they just stop the ridiculous HP race that has been going on for a while now. Seriously, unless its a true sports car, it doesn't need more than 250-300HP. That pretty much means that V8s are unnecessary. They should also start making more super efficient SmartCar type vehicles. If they start making those and selling them uber cheap, they would sell well and bring down their averages.

I have a 2001 z28 and a 1996 Chevy Impala SS and I love my V8 cars.

I don't mind upping the mileage a little but not at the expense of having power. Why couldn't they put DOD in all of their V8 cars.

Nothing against V6s but I like my HP and torque. My wife even said she couldn't go back to a V6 because it's so much fun mashing on the gas and hauling booty.

We go the the track BTW.

@Ted

No car company likes CAFE, because it cuts into their profit margin. If you have competent engineers and designers you will still make a ton of money. There is a reason markup on cars is top secret. I don't believe the "invoice" price.

The domestics need to come out with successful small cars to increase their CAFE averages. All of the Japanese car companies have that advantage.

Engine technologies are comparable, especially with the new domestic direct-injection stuff, but you have to sell the whole car. I would love to see a best-selling domestic small car, but there are just mediocre designs year after year. Hopefully that will change, as it will be impossible to retain market share otherwise.

The only good small car made by a domestic manufacturer that I can think of is the Euro Focus.

@JT

The article is wrong. This is what it says:

"and the replacement for the Pontiac G8 due this spring–all have been dropped along with a new V-8 engine GM was contemplating building."

What they probably meant to say, was the replacement for the Grand Prix (which is the G8) has been cancelled, as the G8 is based on the same platform as the Camaro and is due this spring. However, this is wrong as well obviously. The first shipment of G8's has just reached the US shores, with planned showroom appearances at some point in March. How could there be a replacement for it due this spring? The replacement for the still unavailable 2008 G8 is the 2009 G8 which is scheduled for production in March as well and most certainly has not been cancelled. The 2009 should be out by summer. The new model is already up on dealerworld with color options and other new options, including the big news that a GXP version is going to be released with an LS3.

No, the G8 has not been cancelled nor has its never existed replacement "due this spring."