Yesterday we urged GM CEO Fritz Henderson to sit down with his new Vice Chairman Bob Lutz to get their stories about the future of the Pontiac G8 straight. Now they have, and the news isn't good.
Bob Lutz posted on GM's corporate Fastlane Blog that the G8 will not live on as the Chevrolet Caprice. In fact, it won't live on at all. "The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste," wrote Lutz, who continued: "But I have to say that, with my new 'marketing' hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be."
Lutz then expressed his personal disappointment, but said there was just no way to make the car happen and that the company's resources had to be placed elsewhere.
He then tried to reassure rear-wheel drive, performance enthusiasts saying that "in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive." He applauded the Holden team in Australia and said that he would like to look to their products to bring another RWD vehicle over in the future, but not now.
Sadly, the G8 will bow out after a short stay in the North American marketplace, an emotional product that fell victim to "further review and careful study."
How about an apology for getting our hopes up Bob?
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Report: Pontiac G8 Has No Future at New GM Says Lutz on AutoGuide.com
Report: Pontiac G8 Has No Future at New GM Says Lutz
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