For those of you Pontiac fans who’ve been gravely saddened by the loss of the Pontiac brand, and thus the loss of the Trans Am forever, cheer up.
I know that nothing can replace your favorite Trans Am, but Lingenfelter sure took a crack at it with their Lingenfelter TA.
They started with a 2010 Chevy Camaro body and resculptured the chassis, including a lot of the features that Trans Am buyers always enjoyed in their previous incarnations. The demo model they showed was painted white with a single blue stripe, intended to evoke memories of the Super Duty Trans Am. They even got original fabric for the interior from the original supplier! Now tell me that’s not devotion to detail!
We’ve got video footage of this new incarnation of an old favorite below, and though nothing can ever really replace the loss of the Trans Am, the Lingenfelter TA will certainly try its level best.
GM will revive the Chevrolet Caprice brand in 2011. However it will not cater to the private vehicle groups but rather towards law enforcement. The Caprice will be brought back for a new fleet of North American Police cars which will not be based on any current GM model. They will come in V6 and V8 engines and will pick up of from the expected exit of old brands, G8 and Pontiac. The Caprice was a popular choice for law enforcement until it stopped production in 1996.
Dealers will start taking down orders by the fourth quarter of 2010 and delivery of the vehicles will commence in 2011. No word on the pricing though.
If recent reports are to be believed we may be seeing a police cruiser based on the late and great Pontiac G8 get unveiled at some point on Monday, October 5th. Make note that back in April we told you that GM would be killing off the Pontiac brand by 2011 but perhaps one of its models will live on.
The reason we point to Monday as its assumed release is because that is when the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention will go down in Denver, CO.
Of course, GM hasn’t actually said that this new cop car would be based on the G8 so until they do we will stamp this as a rumor.
Established in 1984, this Toyota plant situated in Fremont, California was a joint venture between them and General Motors. Apparently the plant was aimed to aid in Toyota’s experiment on building cars for the North American market and General Motors’ way of studying efficient car production techniques. Sad to say, that same plant which employs over 4,700 United Automobile Workers has been closed down by Toyota as voted upon by its board of directors.
The decision was expected since General Motors went bankrupt. This officially becomes Toyota’s first experience in shutting down a manufacturing plant in the U.S. despite the effort of California lawmakers to come up with an amicable package.
With the closure, 40,000 jobs stand to be lost. But lawmakers are still hoping for the best to keep the plant up despite the decision handed down by the Toyota execs. There were two vehicles being manufactured at the California plant; the Toyota Corolla and the Tacoma pickup truck.
G.M. stopped building the Pontiac Vibe, a small crossover vehicle, there last week.
We all know that General Motors will be downsizing their brand lineup. The only question is nothing is definite on which will stay and which will go. But if the people were to be asked, they are clamoring for two brands to stay. These are the Hummers and the Pontiacs.
This was based on a survey conducted by CarGurus. Almost half of them preferred that the Pontiac to remain while a quarter wanted the Hummers. Only a few cared about the others like the Saab and the Saturn.
Pontiac – 44%
Hummer – 27%
Saab – 20%
Saturn – 9%
So while the people have spoken, will these figures be useful in the downsizing efforts of General Motors? Well if they are concerned about the consumer purchasing power, these should something worth taking into account. Besides, they are concerned about their future and cars which will perform better after the downsizing right? Then again, this is just one survey. Perhaps 2 to 3 more will help them decide.
The ruckus today seems on who is in and who is out as far as dealerships for Chrysler and General Motors is concerned. And as far as the Asbury Automotive Group is concerned, 1 Chrysler and 2 GM dealerships are out.
The company today announced that its Nalley Chrysler/Jeep dealership in Roswell, Georgia is on Chrysler LLC’s list of stores that it intends to reject as part of its dealer consolidation plan. In addition, General Motors has notified the Company that it will not renew the franchise agreements for two Asbury dealerships in Kissimmee, Florida – a Chevrolet franchise and a combined Pontiac/Buick/GMC store – when they expire in November 2010.
The three dealerships generated revenues of approximately $105 million in 2008, or about 2% of Asbury’s total revenues of $4.6 billion.
Immediately following the announcement that Pontiac would cease to exist, GM released to the public that their Saturn and Hummer brands are to follow suit.
GM has said that after the 2009 model year, they will not be producing anymore Saturn vehicles meaning. As for Hummer, 2009 will be the last year for the dying brand. However, Saturn and Hummer might not be gone forever as GM has detailed their intentions to sell the dying brands to anyone who wants them.
Sure this is a perfect example of how badly the economy is shafting everyone, but this announcement is no where near as sad as the one about Pontiac. I mean Hummers are just gas guzzlers, right?
The 2009 Pontiac G5 is quite a sporty two-door coupe that gets good fuel economy and is comfy and pleasant for daily commuting. There is plenty of legroom for two people up front. The driver’s seat is adjustable for height but it seems to work better for elevating short drivers than it does lowering down taller folks to add headroom. Generally the G5 will be more comfortable for people of average or shorter stature than it is for those who are tall.
The interior controls are easy to find and use but there is a deficit of storage trays and bins. The ride in the Pontiac G5 GT is somewhat firm and the steering is tight although somewhat heavy and the effort step-ups during turns. The G5 GT feels safe and responsive on gentle turns but when the turns are tighter and the speed increases the GT feels nose-heavy and not sporty. Overall, this seems to be a fun and comfortable commuter car.
As you look over the sexy lines of the Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe you may wonder “what’s not to like” but unfortunately there are more than a few things. This coupe’s targa-style top is bothersome and some of the controls seem to be designed for tiny, double-jointed acrobats.
Many buttons are located with out much thought to actual human accessibility. The rear side windows are very small so much so that outward visibility is practically nonexistent. While the GXP is definitely quick and generally corners well, the suspension feels too soft and the steering and chassis can feel non-communicative. The overall ride is fairly comfortable but the seats are not. Basically the connection between driver and machine is sorely lacking.
Hyundai will be unveiling its Hyundai Santa Fe, a mid-sized SUV similar to the Honda CRV. The Hyundai Santa Fe is a mid-size crossover SUV based on the Hyundai Sonata platform. It was introduced for the 2001 model year as Hyundai’s first SUV, released at the same time as the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute and Pontiac Aztek.
The Hyundai Santa Fe was a milestone in the company’s restructuring program of the late 1990s because, despite receiving criticism from journalists for its obscure looks, the car was a hit with the American buyers. The car was so popular that at times, Hyundai had trouble supplying the demand.
The rugged SUV Santa Fe seems to borrow its style and design from coupe and promises to quench the thirst of a buyer for sportiness as well as style. It will possess the ground clearance and power of a SUV but the visual appeal of a stylish coupe.
