With 08/08/08 coming up on the calendar, G8Nation wondered what the PR team at Pontiac had planned for the G8. It turns out that there was something HUGE planned. Apparently, the BIG plan was to kick off the production of the highly-anticipated 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP.

The “traditional” GM production cycle, usually involves more than a 1 year period between the production of the middle-of-the-road volume model and the really desirable performance model. The G8 GXP will be on the streets in far less than a year after the sedan and GT hit showroom floors, so that’s exceptional by GM standards. The entire G8 production cycle has been rapid when compared to the traditional GM production cycle, going from vehicle reveal to market in only 14 months.

As much as Pontiac wanted to get the GXP to the streets sooner, we’re told that they simply refused to compromise quality and performance to do it. According to Jim Hopson, “If you want 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, push-your-brain-to-the-back-of-your-skull acceleration, Brembo-assisted stopping power and Nurburgring-tuned suspension tuning, all I can ask is that you give the G8 GXP a drive.”

Sure Pontiac could have taken some shortcuts to ensure a PR event for 8/8/8 announcing the production of the GXP. They could have ditched the Tremec 6 speed manual transmission, or stripped the Brembos, but we all know that would not have gone over too well.

The long and short of it is that Pontiac is a performance brand, and they’re about to unleash a “no apologies” performance car that, frankly, isn’t going to be for everyone. But, for those who want the ultimate in performance for the dollar, the GXP is going to be worth the wait.

Pontiac - you have our sincere thanks for not sacrificing performance for the sake of a PR opportunity.

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