Attn: Fbodfather- Will GM save the Pontiac G8 for the U.S. market via rebadge?

[stovt001]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Name or otherwise, the car simply wasn't selling. I wasn't talking about whether people like it; that doesn't matter. What matters is whether people buy it. I don't think the Pontiac stigma (I had no idea that there is one) would turn someone off from buying a car that they want. I suppose that people could be weird that way, though.



I implied no such thing. I was merely stating, in response to the implication that the practice was responsible for GM's problem, that Ford wasn't destroyed by that practice despite doing it far worse than GM.

Seriously? You're not aware of the Pontiac stigma? This place really is becoming a little fanboy bubble. This really isn't rocket science. Mainstream branding outsells niche branding. End of story. It is what it is. What sold more, the G5 or the Cobalt? The G6 or the Malibu (disregard fleet sales)? Even better - Camaro or Firebird? Chevy models always have higher volume than Pontiac. More visibility, more dealers = more sales. It really is that simple.

And Ford was damaged just as much as GM was by the practice of producing obsolete cars. You think they're doing well right now? They're not performing much better than GM, and they're alive because of credit taken out early, not because selling antiquated vehicles isn't bad. It is. They have turned things around and they should be well positioned, but that doesn't mean selling outdated cars didn't hurt them. Nonsense.

[Black5thgen]

It would make sense to let the G8 die in 2009 as a Pontiac, then bring it back in 2011 as a Chevy built in Oshawa along side the Camaro. They could build it as a Chevelle or Lumina and sell base cars to police and cab companies. I think it would very profitable if done right.

[stovt001]

I'm really hoping this whole "we're not rebading the G8" really is just a technicality because they're really going to bring over the next-gen version. The only thing is, when manufacturers have something cool up their sleeves like that, they often hint at it, much like the whole thing with the Z28. With the G8, you get none of that, just a very firm "NO". So I won't get my hopes up.

[Amwellls1]

Love my G8, Hopefully it stays around or comes back again.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by stovt001

Seriously? You're not aware of the Pontiac stigma? This place really is becoming a little fanboy bubble. This really isn't rocket science. Mainstream branding outsells niche branding. End of story. It is what it is. What sold more, the G5 or the Cobalt? The G6 or the Malibu (disregard fleet sales)? Even better - Camaro or Firebird? Chevy models always have higher volume than Pontiac. More visibility, more dealers = more sales. It really is that simple.

So, which badge-engineered Chevy G8 sold better than the Pontiac G8?

I think you're the one in a bubble; most people wouldn't care about brand name so much (note, I said brand name not manufacturer) as long as they're getting the car they like. If someone wants a RWD 6MT V8 family sedan and the G8 is it, will they really care that it's got a Pontiac logo on it? It's not like there's plenty of other cars like that available, there's not much competition.

I just don't see brand name as a big detriment for a unique car. Sure, for a badge-engineered car they might choose the mainstream name, but the G8 had no badge-engineered Chevy equivalent.

It didn't sell, and the Pontiac name isn't why. It didn't sell because not enough people appreciate the things we appreciate here, and too many don't believe that GM can make a decent car. That's the fanboy bubble, not some GM fanboy thing (BTW, my DD is a 2008 Volkswagen, though I do usually prefer GM for larger vehicles).

Originally Posted by stovt001

I'm really hoping this whole "we're not rebading the G8" really is just a technicality because they're really going to bring over the next-gen version.

[stovt001]

The Charger has had better success. I see them all the time on the road. So I don't think demand for V6 and V8 large RWD sedans is the problem. My argument is not that people knew all about the G8 and turned away only because it was a Pontiac. My argument is that most people actually didn't know about it, and that was the cause of its lack of sales. Chevy has more dealers, meaning a non-committed customer is more likely to walk into a Chevy dealer just to see what they have. Also, before the meltdown when all GM advertisement ceased, Chevy had more ads than Pontiac. The casual car buyer doesn't know all about new cars by being hooked into the car community like we are. They find out from advertisements, seeing them on the street, and just going to a dealer to see what they have. And at those things, Chevy is simply better.

[FenwickHockey65]

The G8 had horrible marketing...the only people who knew about it were those who were in the market for a RWD sedan or people who liked cars. I always brought Motortrend to school with me and people would always pick up my magazine and ask what the cool looking sedan on the back cover was.

[bballr4567]

Originally Posted by stovt001

The Charger has had better success. I see them all the time on the road. So I don't think demand for V6 and V8 large RWD sedans is the problem. My argument is not that people knew all about the G8 and turned away only because it was a Pontiac. My argument is that most people actually didn't know about it, and that was the cause of its lack of sales. Chevy has more dealers, meaning a non-committed customer is more likely to walk into a Chevy dealer just to see what they have. Also, before the meltdown when all GM advertisement ceased, Chevy had more ads than Pontiac. The casual car buyer doesn't know all about new cars by being hooked into the car community like we are. They find out from advertisements, seeing them on the street, and just going to a dealer to see what they have. And at those things, Chevy is simply better.

Charger is selling at the exact same rate as the G8. Charger sold about 600 more than the G8 in May. Theyve just been around for 2 years more so you there are literally more.

I wouldnt say Chevy is better but that they had more money to spend than Pontiac.

[888GT#31]

[QUOTE=FenwickHockey65;600499]..............The G8 had horrible marketing...the only people who knew about it were those who were in the market for a RWD sedan or people who liked cars.............QUOTE]

EXACTLY!

[chevydude26]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Believe me, buddy, we've discussed this thoroughly over at GMI...even got our own photoshop which IMO is better than the Middle Eastern Lumina...





Photoshops done by camaro_freak on GMI.

thats hot!

chevy needs a better sedan to compliment the camaro...the impala is lacking and while the malibu looks pretty decent eh...can't you guys strip down the cts a little bit t make it a chevy or something similar to a Cadillac

[chevydude26]

I personally think the g8 is lacking in the looks department and looks like a souped up cobalt...

[cozbyrt]

Fbodfather can you give us the latest information regarding bringing the G8 back? There have been some new rumors and supposed confirmations. Any chance it will be at NAIAS?

[MikeSVX]

Originally Posted by Urthman

That just means my '08 White Hot G8 GT will be worth more in the future! I found out earlier that they only made 2,216 of that color.

Don't count on that. My Subaru SVX is 1 of 1500 made the same model year. That includes all colors. It's worth a wopping $3000.

[djinva]

http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...evy/index.html

Check out this link, looks promising for the new Chevy G-8!