After 18,000 submissions in the Tame the Name promotion, several months of waiting, polls of G8 enthusiasts and El Camino loyalists, Pontiac has officially announced that the new segment-defining G8 Ute will be called the “G8 ST“. We love the name, however, we’re thinking that Pontiac will need the entire width of the tailgate should they decide to release a “Pontiac G8 ST GXP”. Alphabet soup anyone?

“Frankly, we were blown away by both the volume and quality of the names that were submitted,” said Craig Bierley, BPG product marketing director for cars and crossovers. “‘G8 ST’ was one of the most popular suggestions, plus we noticed a far broader trend toward simple, easy-to-remember names.”

So what about the El Camino nameplate? According to Pontiac, it was one of the more popular entries submitted as a moniker for the G8 ST. However, after months of consideration and feedback from people like you, GM has decided to honor the El Camino’s unique place as part of Chevy’s heritage and not use that nameplate on a Pontiac.”

[Source: GM]

Read the full story

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Since the unveiling of the Pontiac G8 ST Ute at the New York Auto Show, Pontiac has communicated that the El Camino, ST, or whatever it will be named, would be offered with the identical the 361-hp 6.0L V8 power plant that is found in the Pontiac G8 GT.

G8 Nation has been told that Pontiac is now considering an additional power plant offering. It’s no surprise that this would be the same 3.6L 256-hp V6 found in the G8 V6 sedan, and would have the same 17/25 mpg fuel economy as the V6 sedan.

Pontiac Communications Manager, Jim Hopson said, “I understand there is some discussion about possibly offering the V6 engine in the sport truck. Again, I’d like to know your readers’ opinion, which I will pass on to the marketing and engineering teams.“

Time for another vote and our results will be shared directly with the Pontiac marketing and engineering teams.

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[source: GM]

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In a brief Q&A article by Jim Mateja of the Chicago Tribune, there is one question that was posted by a reader of the Chicago Tribune columnist that relates to the Pontiac G8 ST Ute that was recently spied down under.

“R.H.” of St Chalres asked, “When will General Motors start taking orders for the new El Camino-like Pontiac G8 from Australia?”

The question was directed to Pontiac Communications Manager, Jim Hopson. Jim replied, “You can start placing orders in late summer of 2009 for the two-seat car/truck that comes out that fall as a 2010. Contact a dealer to get on the list”.

Mark your calendars guys, only 15 months to go.

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

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Mike Freeman is currently down under on a business trip. While heading back to his hotel for a little R&R, he peeped a car hauler with two camouflaged utes loaded on it. He noticed that they had Holden wheels and Pontiac grills.

As any G8phile would do, Mike reached for his trusty camera phone and snapped a few shots. He has been kind enough to allow G8Nation access to all of his photos for viewing on G8Nation.com.

In an e-mail from Mike to G8Nation, he said “The only one (photo) that really shows that it is a Pontiac grille is the one where the truck is driving away, and even then it is hard to make out. Trust me though, in person, it was VERY clear.

[Source: Mike Freeman]

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This time, a Pontiac G8 crash test was conducted with intention and without a Pontiac engineer in the car. For those of you who have an interest in getting your hands on the upcoming G8 (name goes here) ST, when they come to the US, we have good news. In a recent crash test comparison in Australia, the Holden Commodore Ute walked away with a perfect 5 star rating; beating out the Ford Ranger-based Mazda BT50 and the Indian Mahindra pickup.

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There are several reason to be excited about the NY Auto Show this March, and the list of reasons just got better. The crew 2 pickUpTruck.com is reporting that Pontiac will debut a production ST pickup.

The Pontiac ST pickup is based on the Holden VE Ute that recently debuted down under. The level of effort to “Pontiac-ize” the VE is minimal and involves little more than transplanting a G8 front clip onto the VE to transform it to a Pontiac ST

PickUpTruck.com is also reporting that the Pontiac ST will be offered with a 256-HP V6, as well as a 361-HP V8. The engine choices are due to two factors. First, the rumored Pontiac Sport Wagon has been cancelled so the General has decided to use that V6. Also, by offering both the V6 & V8 on the ST, Pontiac is able to balance out the effect it has on GM’s CAFE rating.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

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Automotive News is reporting what we’ve all thought for a while: The General has plans to spin off the G8 into a Ute and wagon and have them here in the states in 2008…though they may be 2009 models. Automotive News has referenced three sources “very close to the project”.

The move comes in an attempt to bring back the sporting credentials sorely lacking in GM’s excitement division, so there are no plans to offer the Ute in GMC-guise. It also appears as though timing is great with the recent announcement of the demise of the Dodge Magnum. The sports truck will use the same platform as its G8 sibling and will be powered by the drivetrain from the Camaro.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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I am posting this a little later than I wanted to…but I needed to give time for my tears to dry up. I don’t know how anyone can fall asleep behind the wheel of what is touted as being one of the most exciting cars that Pontiac has ever badged, but it looks like one of the engineers from down under has done just that.

Engineer Rolf Glenk was bringing up the rear in a convoy of G8s that was turning heads on Highway 82 in Colorado. Because he was last in line, the driver of the preceding G8 did not notice Glenk’s absence for a few minutes. The group went back and found the totaled G8 flipped upside down at the bottom of an embankment.

As the story goes, the drowsy Aussie dosed-off behind the wheel of a G8 test car and took it south down a 100+ foot embankment, going nose first into a boulder and flipping the G8 end over end.

Fortunately, Aussie Engineer Rolf Glenk was only treated for minor injuries. Glad to hear he is OK and that the G8 is pretty darn safe!

[Source: Aspen Daily News via Jalopnik]

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