Autoblog

click above image to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8

Today in New York during what we believed would be a mundane media event, General Motors dropped a mini-bomb on us when it announced pricing for its highly anticipated rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8 sedan. The V6 model will arrive with a base price of $27,595, while the G8 GT with a V8 will begin at $29,995. Yep, they somehow managed to get the price of the performance model below $30,000, which, considering this car is basically imported from Australia, is amazing.

The base model is of course powered by GM's excellent 3.6L V6, though the direct inject version that's available with the Cadillac CTS. Expect around 260 HP for the V6, and it's mated to a five-speed automatic. The G8 GT, meanwhile, gets the General's 6.0L V8 paired with a six-speed automatic. Sorry, there's no rowing your own boat in a Pontiac G8, as no manual transmission appears to be offered.

We're pretty impressed that GM managed to keep the base price below $28,000, and that there's only $2,400 separating the two models. Mark our words, this car will sell out, at least in its first year of production and perhaps one or two after that.

[Source: GM]