So does Saab and Hummer, the new 9-5 were just awesome, H4 could be a great alternative to Jeep wrangler. And they are all murdered. May you rest in peace, or make one hell of a come back in the future. And rub it on GM's face.
though sadly, it does make sense, GM simply has way too many brands, all they need is chevy for the basic cars and then trucks/basic SUV's, Cadillac for their luxury lineup, and then possibly buick just for a middle ground, but even that is pushing it, most other companies need only 2 brands, one normal, and one for a more luxury market, like Honda and Acura, Ford and Lincoln (even ford declared their middle ground mercury to be pointless when they killed it) or even Nissan and Infiniti, I could go on, but i'm sure you get my point. GM simply had too many brands to the point of where they were competing against themselves (GMC versus Chevy, Saab versus Buick, and in some cases even Pontiac versus Chevy) and as for what you said about the H4, there was a Hummer concept (i cannot think of the name off hand) back in the early 2000's that was based on a Chevy Trailblazer. however, it kinda looked like a Grand Cherokee clone more than just a hummer
Justin Noker Now they just have the Cadillac brand chase after performance figures and sporty driving dynamics. Buick has been what Cadillac used to be for a while.
@@cpufreak101 GM killed Oldsmobile just as they were beginning to make some of their best cars. At the same time, the best Buick had was the Riviera, a lame version of the much better Oldsmobile Aurora. GM should have killed off Buick, which was viewed as nothing but a brand for old people, instead of Oldsmobile. The problem is that old people still bought Buicks in droves, and Buick likely could have made just about any pile of crap and it would still have sold reasonably well. Buick also became insanely popular in China for some reason, and to give GM some credit, there have at least been some very interesting Buick concept cars over the last decade or so, with some actual production bright spots like the Regal Turbo, which isn't a bad car at all, but Buick is still largely a dull, generic brand with dull, generic cars. Oldsmobile, surprisingly enough given its name, was WAY more compelling at the time they axed the brand. It's really odd, because there are the oddball Buicks that really stand out but the vast majority of their lineup looks like badge-engineered turds.
As somebody that avoids GM products like the plague, I'd do nasty things for a mint G8 GXP and/or 6.0 GTO. If I was an eccentric billionaire, Pontiac and Holden would be back in full production.
5 лет назад
So what was your preference for cars or automobiles?
@@marioluigi6024 I've seen GXPs for almost the same cost as an SS. GXPs didn't drop in price much at all. I'd rather have the SS just for the new tech stuff.
Holden ceased all car manufacturing in November 2017. They now just import vehicles themselves and badge brand them as Holdens. Nobody manufactures cars in Australia any more.
@@basshead. I believe the grille on the G8 gives the car a distinctive appearance. On the SS, it looks too similar to lower Chevrolet models, especially for the price GM commanded.
Yeah. But you should have said 1996 Impala SS. but I appreciate that you are also a fan of the RWD V8 Sport sedans. Everybody always wants the 2 doors.
I swear I can't stop watching this video. I watch it like twice a week. Alothough I have the 06 Grand Prix GXP, and not any of the G8 models, I still love the G8s. FPPF (Forever Pontiac Pontiac Forever).
@Potato Puffs GM's marketing in recent years has been just terrible there also was the Chevy SS maybe the best compromise between a family car and performance car ever made by any manufacture until the Tesla P85D came along. Their present CEO is an idiot.
Damn, this car is amazing. I'm a huge Pontiac fan. I know they've since updated the design for the Chevy SS but I'll always be a fan of the pontiac performance and aesthetic, whether it's Holden or GM making the car. This is an all time amazing car
GM phased out Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, and Saab because they filed bankruptcy in 2010; they restructured and became Government-owned. In order to get a loan from the U.S. Government, they were told to drop the brands that were not profitable. GM retained Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac
@@jayelbee1111Yes, I remember. In the restructuring they did not have to kill Pontiac but chose to anyway. Pontiac was an excellent performance brand.
@BabyBugBug They should at least kept Pontiac; Pontiac did in fact has become a performance brand. As a matter of fact, Pontiac had plans to release new models, but GM phased out Pontiac, and the supposedly redesigned G6 became the all-new Cadillac CTS-V while the redesigned Torrent crossover became the GMC Terrain. The all new Firebird became the generation five Chevrolet Camaro, and the G8 became the Chevrolet SS
I swear American car manufacturers that can truly throw the crown for Japanese competition is killed off so that Japan has it made here in the states. GM never favored pontiac when it came to their trans am and worst they kill them off. I mean damn Toyota has the world over at its finger tips and GM just keeps on bending over. This car was awesome and had the right looks. I always wanted one of these cars and i never really cared for the domestic autos.
@@forgedsteelwrench9249 I would say it's even worse now. All GM does anymore is offshore its production with parts, that or just do even more re-branding hell.
@@lukerinderknecht2982 holden is an american company dickhead. Owned by General Motors. There was never a Holden Company listed on the Australian stock exchange.
It was only the G8 GXP, unfortunately. G8 and G8 GT were auto only, which was an immense disservice to the platform and intention with importing it in the first place :/
Look John H. Davis is getting older, but he's always been the best american automotive journalist, ever...... "welcome again to motorweek, we're glad to have you with us"... the opening words that davis never changed for decades...
These held their value well over the years. A clean low/mid mileage example can set you back 28-30 plus grand. Might be a good contender for a classic Maybe??
What a great car. GM should have been looking to Holden long before they finally did. And they also shouldn't have killed off the Pontiac brand right after making them relevant again.
But eventually, in November 2017 they killed off Holden as a car manufacturer too. Holden itself, is now only a badge branded vehicle importer. Nobody makes cars in Australia anymore.
There’s absolutely no reason why GM couldn’t have moved the Commodore production to Oshawa... the Buick Regal based Commodore flopped so hard, it’s actually kind of hilarious. Chrysler builds their large RWD cars in Canada and they sell well world wide, why couldn’t GM do it? Oh wait, Mary is a bean counter...
I was tempted but the GXP was ten grand more, so I settled for the GT. Still looks and runs great. Down 40 hp but same size tires, suspension, and my stock brakes stop shorter from 60 than those Brembos lol.
GM didn’t do enough with this platform. It should have been the basis for the Impala, not just the SS. I have the V6 version of the G8 and it’s a great car.
@TheBlessedbabi , Holden is a subsidiary of parent company GM and has been since the early 1930s. Whether you wanna call it a Pontiac or a Holden, it was still a product of GM.
We bought our 2009 G8 GT Halloween night 2008. At the time I couldn’t justify spending another $4k+ for a GXP. Had I only known Pontiac was about to die and they’d only build 1829 of them! Thought about selling my GT for a few years if I found a GXP, but after a while decided I could only be the original owner of these once. So my GT is still here in 2019 with about 44,000 miles. Love this car! Magnetic Gray Metallic GT with Sport package and red inserts in the interior. No sunroof.
Just what people demanded after the people were broke from the 2008 crisis. RIP pontiac. (I mean sadly there was probably not a lot of demand due to that).
I'd love to find one with a stick that didn't have a million miles and wasn't beat to hell... Hmm... There's a bit of googling I can do at work tomorrow lol
One of the best driving and most balanced ~400hp RWD V8 sedans out there, second only to the newer Zeta cars that replaced it (SS Sedan) and the E39 M5. Beauty !
@ssj02 There was an older version of the Holden Special Vehicles GTO coupe (tuned Monaro) that did have AWD, but they were only a one-model run. There was also an AWD version of the earlier model VZ Commodore that had an AWD station wagon, crew cab and flatbed ute version, in both V6 and V8.
OMG has it been 9 years! I do agree Pontiac had finally gotten it's grove together after decades of decay. Still this wasn't GM doing this this was the government saying if we give you this then you must do that. At any rate it is done now......such good product gone down the tubes. Prius lovers were like we have to trash these muscle cars if you want our cash....now and going forward. Do you guys remember we were about to get the UTE? I still melt at the prospect.
I've been a long time Pontiac fan since the 1964 Pontiac GTO. Broke my heart when GM trashed Pontiac. :( I've owned 6 Pontiacs; a 1986 A3 5.0L Trans Am, two 3.4L auto engines in both a '88 & 89 Grand Prix, an auto 3.8L '92 auto Bonneville, a M6 5.7L 300 HP LT1 Firebird Trans Am GT, and a M6 400 HP 2005 Pontiac GTO. I still own the '94 Trans Am & the 2005 GTO. :)
G8 GXP is awesome! I had a 2011 Taurus SHO with performance package, was dissappointed, sold SHO for 09 G8 GXP. GXP lacks technology and options but makes up for it in performance! Buy SHO for technology and fresh styling. Buy GXP if you like to drive!
@atekido Same base car yes, but the Vauxhall VXR8 is a rebadged Holden Special Vehicles VE Club Sport R8. The only things Vauxhall changed were making the speedo MPH, some badges, and some trim bits
I think the 2009 CTS-V is the better sedan (: However, I love my G8 GT. I didn't have the extra money for the GXP, but I think I got a great car anyway.
