DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk K-9 Consensus Should Pontiac G-8 be revived ?

GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz is keen to revive the G8 as the Chevy Caprice.

Good idea or no? single choice

No (20%, 3 Votes)

Yes (33%, 5 Votes)

Yes, but the name Caprice sucks (47%, 7 Votes)

Total Votes: 15 Voting on this poll ends: 07/20/09 11:59 PM

Yes, yes, 110 percent YES

Yes, but the name "caprice" sucks for todays market. Ah, heck, it sucks in any market.

Yes, but I'm with arch: dump the name "Caprice." It's a dumb name that I think a lot of people associate with ugly cars that were of marginal quality. Actually, come to think of it, "Camaro," "Corvette" and the more successful "Malibu" would probably be the only models names I'd retain in the Chevy line.

Sure, but they should go with the name Chevette, which just radiates the image of quality and performance.

Yes but get rid of the name Caprice... it's too feminine.

And don't use G8 either, it brings to mind a small group of mindless autocrats plotting to take over the world.

You can always bring back the "Chevelle" name.....Personally I don't care what they name it as long as they keep it...

I like Yugo.

Naming the cars G6 and G8 ruined the Pontiac line, IMO. There was a brand identity with Grand Am and Grand Prix.

I'm gonna miss Pontiac, to be honest.

And the G8 is dead according to this report:

Well, so much for the Pontiac G8 coming back as the Chevrolet Caprice.

General Motors Vice-Chairman Robert A. "Bob" Lutz had a keen eye to bring the beloved Pontiac G8 back to the U.S. market as a Caprice. BusinessWeek first reported the story on July 10.

But the company has decided against it. Bringing the car from Australia, where it is sold as the Holden Commodore, is just too expensive. Plus, the car's big V6 and V8 engine options make meeting fuel-economy rules tougher, says GM spokesman Pat Morrissey.

It seems Lutz had been out when the idea of reprising the G8 as a Caprice was nixed by other members of management. The cost of shipping the car from Australia to the U.S. hurts the car's profitability, especially since it sells in low volumes. While the G8 was well-liked, and outsold sporty models in the same $28,000-$40,000 price range like the Infiniti G37 and Acura TL, its low sales volumes make for a tough business case.

GM may still bring the G8/Commodore to the U.S., but only as a police car. And analysts think it could be a success. Ford's (F) Crown Victoria goes away after 2010, says James N. Hall, principal of auto consulting firm 2953 Analytics. That leaves only the Dodge Charger as a rear-wheel-drive police cruiser.

But as a sports sedan for the general public, "you'd have to differentiate it more to make it a Chevy," Hall says. "In the environment GM has to work in, it doesn't make sense to spend the money on that car."

BusinessWeek article

The best Pontiac was the '78 Firebird with the 403 V8. Google "Black Echo" on the Internet.

A lot of kids back in the day crashed them after too much jumping because they'd seen Rockford Files too much and thought they could do the same with their birds.

The '82 Knight Rider Trans Am was awesome to look at, but it was still a 305 V8 T/A. You need a 350 to wake it up.

Caprice is a name synonymous with the last big American RWD sedan that could run like an '88-93 5.0 Mustang. It was even faster than the (slower) '94-95 SN95 Mustangs that came out later.

The '94-96 LT1 Police Package (9C1) Caprices were great cars. 140mph in the top end, 24mpg on the highway and 0-60 in the high sixes or low sevens.