GM

[cyrus buelton]

It would be an impossibility now; there's no way short term paper for GM would be triple-A rated.

I am guessing it is Z-Rated now

My buddy has an early Solstice and I think it has something like 171hp. To put it in perspective, I wooped up on him with my wife's V8 Touareg...

So your 5000lbs SUV can do 0-60 in 5.2 seconds?

bulllllshitttttt

[NAKID]

Hello Jud, you need to improve your reading skills. I said he has an early Solstice with a 171hp engine, not the 262hp Sky that was mentioned above.

Attention to detail is key

[cyrus buelton]

Hello Jud, you need to improve your reading skills. I said he has an early Solstice with a 171hp engine, not the 262hp Sky that was mentioned above.

Attention to detail is key

I can't read!!!!!!!

at least you spelled my name right 

[NAKID]

at least you spelled my name right 

[Sinister]

at least you spelled my name right 

That will elevate you to BFF status, right there.  I'm still lamenting spelling it right, several years ago. 

[Randimus Maximus]

pretty sad....

between the G8 and the solstice, they were starting to make some cars I would be willing to buy again

But nobody is buying the G8.

From autoblog.com:

Even though the G8 has generally been considered an excellent vehicle by the press and enthusiasts alike, it hasn't sold well in the US. About half of the 25,000 G8s shipped Stateside have yet to leave the dealer lot. The collapse of auto sales in the US have a lot to do with that, but we'd add that marketing efforts of the G8 have been less than stellar as well. It's hard to buy a G8 when you don't know it exists. March was a bright spot for the G8, though, as nearly 3,000 models were sold; the vehicle's best month ever.

[junior varsity]

I think the problem there, as the article hints at, is that it isn't just the G8 that isn't selling. Cars aren't selling. Autozone, National Tire & Battery, and the other fix-it shops are having a great time with all the vehicle repairs people are making. I read recently that the majority of folks are fixing their older cars and foregoing the luxury of getting into a new ride. I certainly am not thinking about buying a new ride anytime soon, fixing my paid off vehicle is far cheaper than buying a new car - no matter what the incentives are (up to now).

[duccarlos]

It's definitely a buyers market if you have the cash. All car dealers are practically giving away their inventory. Why buy a G8 when you can get a great deal on a Cadi?

[the_Journeyman]

Only if I can get a CTS-V for the price of a G8!

JM

[duccarlos]

You could probably get a V at a pretty reasonable price, not likely the same as a G8.

[Le Pirate]

But nobody is buying the G8.

From autoblog.com:

Even though the G8 has generally been considered an excellent vehicle by the press and enthusiasts alike, it hasn't sold well in the US. About half of the 25,000 G8s shipped Stateside have yet to leave the dealer lot. The collapse of auto sales in the US have a lot to do with that, but we'd add that marketing efforts of the G8 have been less than stellar as well. It's hard to buy a G8 when you don't know it exists. March was a bright spot for the G8, though, as nearly 3,000 models were sold; the vehicle's best month ever.

I read that on autoblog too...

I think the car came out at a bad time (when gas was super high, and no one wanted a V8)...plus GM did an overly shitty job of marketing it. I didn't even know it existed till I pulled up next to one in traffic one day and did a double take.

I'd love to buy one right now, but I'm not looking at a new car for another 2-3 years as I bought one a couple years ago. I'd like to help them out, but I can't afford a new car every year 

[Duck-Stew]

There was a debate back in '01 about whether GM should dump Olds or Pontiac so this is no suprise for me.  And yes, the Chevy trucks/GM trucks thing even boggles my mind.  Especially since they're the same truck, have been for years and the GM's cost more $$ than the Chevy's do. 

For those that don't know, GM has been re-badging & re-bodying the same worn out chassis' and turned out homogenized bull-shit cars/trucks for like 50 years now.

Not to say anything of the Big-3 buying up engine/fuel system/driveline patents just to 'sit' on them while claiming they can't make better performing/more fuel efficient cars.   

The entire US auto industry sat way too long on it's laurels (when did they get those again?!?) and now the bubble has burst.  Everyone knows (if they admit is another thing) that the best cars in the world don't come from the US.

[derby]

...says the man from detroit. 

[bluemoco]

Peter DeLorenzo wrote a very thoughtful commentary about Pontiac's demise at his Autoextremist site.  He's always fun to read, and this column is no exception.

A couple of quotes:

Referring to the '60's heyday:  "On any given day, Pontiac was always pissing someone off down at GM headquarters because they just couldn't help themselves from pregnant dog-slapping Chevrolet and sending Chevy executives whining to the 14th floor like little school girls over some perceived transgression. Everything Chevy did Pontiac would take pride in doing better, or faster, or with more style, and then they’d promote it more expertly too. And it drove Chevy executives crazy."

On recent history:  "In recent years GM's maverick division has been relegated to cribbing seconds from Chevrolet or sharing with Saturn - a revolting development that must have Bunkie Knudsen and John DeLorean spinning in their graves. "

Edit:  This commentary on BMW is priceless, too.  :

BMW. From "There's A Sucker Born Every Minute" File comes word that when the BMW X5 M and X6 M go on sale this fall as 2010 models, they will retail for $86,225 and $89,725 respectively (including $825 Destination & Handling). You gots to be kidding.

[mitt]

They are planning to sell Saturn, Hummer, and Saab, but scrap Pontiac.  It seems like the Pontiac name would have more value than Hummer at the moment, and maybe even Saturn. 

I could see a TPG like company buy Pontiac, devote it to street legal rwd/awd performance cars, and be feasible.  I can't imagine a capital group seriously looking at buying the Hummer brand.  GM would have to pay someone to take it in the current state of the economy.

mitt