Keep Pontiac G8, US car fans tell GM

US CAR fans have voted overwhelmingly for General Motors to retain the Holden-built Pontiac G8 in its revised line-up after the Pontiac brand is killed off in the GM restructuring.

In a fillip for GM Holden as it battles to convince its parent company to keep its major export earner in the American market, almost 70 per cent of respondents to an online poll by the leading US motoring industry news magazine, Automotive News, voted for the Commodore-based G8 to be kept by GM as a Chevrolet or Buick.

The largest group – 37 per cent – voted for the G8 to be reborn as the next Chevrolet Impala SS, while 27 per cent said it should be given to Buick and re-christened the Grand National.

Another 13 per cent said it should be offered to Roger Penske as a flagship for his newly-acquired Saturn network, while three per cent said it should be offered to law enforcement agencies as a high-performance cruiser.

Only 20 per cent voted for it to be allowed to die with Pontiac.

The declaration of support for the Melbourne-designed, Adelaide-built sedan comes as GM re-considers the car’s future in the ‘New GM’ line-up after previously indicating there was “no chance” the Pontiac model would be retained.

GoAuto understands that the door has been left ajar for Holden to plead its case for a new life for the G8 under different badges in North America, perhaps as a Cadillac in short and long-wheelbase versions.

This position was reinforced by GM vice-president of global product development Tom Stephens who told Automotive News: “I know there are still discussions on it.” Mr Stephens indicated that the G8 was unlikely to end up in the Chevrolet range.

The widespread outcry by car fans over the planned demise of the Pontiac G8 is in contrast to the luke-warm response in internet chat rooms for Holden’s previous export offering in North American, the Monaro-based Pontiac GTO, when it was discontinued.

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