General Motors' announcement last week to build the Camaro and other rear-wheel-drive product at its soon-revamped Oshawa facility is a perfect ignition source for all sorts of RWD product rumors, so let's get things started with talk about the Pontiac G8. The cancellation of the Bonneville has left the Poncho brand without a full-size vehicle, and the end of the GTO's run means that a combination of RWD and a V8 can no longer be found at a Pontiac dealer. So much for being the "excitement" division, huh?
Well, that may quickly change, as Pontiac wants to build a full-size RWD vehicle on the Camaro's Zeta platform. This would provide a flagship vehicle for the faltering brand, and would likely be the sportiest RWD GM sedan this side of Cadillac's V-series (Buick and Chevrolet are also likely to be receiving Zeta-based four-doors). Such a vehicle would likely follow the Camaro's showroom appearance in late 2008.
To us, this seems like a no-brainer. SUV buyers seem to be looking to migrate to a car without giving up much in the way of size or performance, and of course vehicles like the Chrysler 300C are doing well because of this market trend. Such a vehicle would give GM a way to flex its V8 powertrain prowess, would help Pontiac live up to its billing, and should be a strong contender in that oh-so-densely-packed $35-40K near-luxury segment.
[Source: Chicago Tribune]
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