Lights Out: GM Minivan plant closes up shop

Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac

The last aardvark inspired minivan has passed through the doors of GM’s Doraville, GA assembly facility. The plant, which opened in 1947, has four developers vying to get their hands on the 165-acre parcel. About 1,500 workers have been idled due to the closing, which was a long time coming. The Doraville plant’s closing is an unfortunate consequence of the old GM, and its divestiture is intended to aid General Motors as it continues clawing its way back from the brink.

We can’t say the U-Platform vans will be missed. Though significantly changed from its inception as the Lumina APV with its odd styling, the Uplander was a swing of the pendulum to the other side of weird. Smack dab in the middle was the normal, yet lackluster, Venture. None of the platform’s iterations managed to ignite buyer passions, coming up short against the competition, and lately completely crushed by the Odyssey/Sienna 1-2 punch, with a kick in the head from the Grand Caravan for good measure.

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

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Plans for an all-RWD Pontiac shelved?

Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Pontiac, Rumormill

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT

A quick glance at Pontiac’s (rumored) future product plans reveals just how much fuel prices have affected plans for an all rear-wheel drive lineup. Let’s see, we’ve got the Solstice and the G8, and, um… that’s it. Sure, we’re expecting the G8 ST soon, but the El Camino-come-lively will never sell enough to keep bean counters happily sliding their abaci beads in their cubicles. The Solstice also plays to a relatively small crowd, so its future could be up in the air, as well.

As for the rest of the brand’s lineup, the Grand Am G6 will remain on the same front-wheel drive platform for the foreseeable future as there’s just not enough funds to switch it to a rear-wheel-drive platform. Meanwhile, the G5 is tied to the Cobalt and the future Cruze from Chevrolet that uses the FWD Delta platform. The Vibe comes from Toyota and is based on the Corolla’s underpinnings. Please, don’t get us started on a possible Aveo-based subcompact from GM’s “Performance Division”. As our esteemed editor says, “So sad, G8 rules.” Indeed it does, and it may be the best we’ll get from Pontiac for a while.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

 

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Officially Official: Pontiac G8 ST it is

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, GM, Pontiac

Click above for hi-res gallery of the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST

We often go poking around General Motors’ media resources, so imagine our surprise when we were searching for something totally unrelated and found fresh images of Pontiac’s iteration of the Holden Ute. Still warm like just-baked cookies, the images show off a great looking dark-hued modern-day El camino. And for what do we deserve a new batch of G8 ute pics? They accompany word from on high that the official name for this trucklet has been decided. Meet the Pontiac G8 ST.

You may remember that GM solicited submissions, or rather suggestions, for what the G8 ST should be named. But after months of waiting and however many submissions, the best they could do was G8 ST? That’s the name they started with! Now we feel all cheap and used, like GM knew what they were going to call this thing all along. Whatever, it will be holding court as the king of awesome in your local Pontiac dealer’s showroom in late 2009 as a 2010 model. The 74-inch cargo bed and 3,500 lb towing capacity will allow you to haul more than just ass, though the V8 will surely facilitate that nicely. Pontiac’s official press release can be found after the jump, and those new high-res images are in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2010 Pontiac G8 ST

[Source: GM]

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Pre-pro Pontiac G8 GXP spotted in Australia

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Pontiac, Australia

Click above for more spy shots of the G8 GXP from G8 Nation

Although we thoroughly enjoyed the fleeting time we spent with the Pontiac G8 GT, what whith its 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque and all, it’s the upcoming GXP model that truly looks to catapult the Australian-bred sedan back into musclecar territory. We, along with just about every other gearhead, are especially looking forward to the six-speed stick and clutch pedal with which the 6.2-liter LS3 V8 making 402 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque will be paired. Of course, the rest of the car needs to be up to snuff too, so we are happy to take a gander at these spy photos of a pre-production prototype in Australia that indicate the nineteen-inch GXP-specific wheels and big Brembo disc brakes are present and accounted for. A slightly revised front fascia with a lower splitter combine with the rear diffuser to further signify that this is the high-zoot version of Pontiac’s sport sedan.

[Source: LS1.com.au via G8 Nation]

 

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Ultimate Fiero resurrection: Lamborghini Reventon replica

Filed under: Time Warp, Etc., Lamborghini, Pontiac

What to do when you want the style of a Lamborghini without the obscene payment? Seek refuge in GM’s stunted program of 1980s awesomeness, the Fiero, that’s what. Armed with time and skill, a steel fabricator from Canada named Woody has done an incredible job transforming a $60 mid-engined Pontiac wedge into an amazing homage to the Reventon. Obviously talented, the finished Woodighini is going to be incredible, Woody’s done a fine job of transferring the Reventon’s proportions to the Fiero’s chassis.

When you’re rocking Sant’Agata styling, you can’t make do with an Iron Puke or even the L44 V6. Woody’s tucking a hotted-up GM small-block under the engine hatch, fed pressurized atmosphere by a pair of turbos. The blow-through carburetor is a bit too stone age for our tastes, but we’re sure it’s not going to stand in the way of this car being a wheeled rocket. Flat out amazing work, and it’s likely to have the same amount of attention lavished on it by passerby as a real Lamborghini gets; it’s sure had as much extreme care in its crafting as anything wearing the Bull.

[Source: Hub Garage(reg. req.) via Motorfoot]

 

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