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.

(Source) NY Times

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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.

via autoblog

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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.

(Source) The NY Times

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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.

(Source) Press

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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.

(Source) Press

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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?

Read (KickingTires)

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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.

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Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe

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.

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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.

(Source) Khabrein

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Joel Piaskowski has been responsible for a lot of concept designs over at Hyundai’s North American design studios. However, since his resignation, no one had a clue where this former Hyundai Chief Designer was hedaed. Apparently Piaskowski has moved over to Mercedes Benz and is now the official head of the new Advanced Design facility in Southern California.

A graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Piaskowski began his career 20 years ago at General Motors working on production exterior and interior design for the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Opel/ Vauxhall/ Holden and Buick brands.

Expect more great new designs to the various classes of Mercedes Benz to come out soon with Piaskowski’s signature.

(Source) Car Design News

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The best thing to expect right now as far as new cars scheduled to be available in the market is concerned, is to see if they will really come out at all. Thank the financial crunch for all of it. A lot of the lined-up concept cars seem to be put on hold as major car companies are trying to find ways to make it through these rough economic times.

General Motors, a prime figure in the celebrated auto bailout issue, has reportedly cancelled the production of the Pontiac “sport truck”. Despite promising figures shown by GM Holden bosses, it is apparent that the proper assessment of the economy at the moment has become the main reason for placing the ultimate boy toy with a six-litre V8 engine on the shelf.

“Carmakers in the US are being especially hard hit due to the global financial crisis and the sports truck is unfortunately one of the casualties,” Senator Carr said. “The US economy is considerably weaker today, than it was when the sports truck was launched early last year.”

(Source) The Australian

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The 2010 Pontiac G8 ST concept car in the picture looks remarkable. Is it a Sedan? Is it a light truck? Is it both? Whatever it is, it’s ready for SEMA. We’re going to see it later down the road, read 2009, in various dealerships too.

Here are some of the features this G8 ST will include:

• Liquid Hot exterior color with enhanced clear coat
• Lowered ride height
• Custom 20-inch wheels
• Leather-trimmed seats with red inserts
• G8 GXP steering wheel with red inserts
• G8 GXP shift knob with red inserts
• Custom interior trim kit (proposed GM Accessories part)
• Hard tonneau cover (proposed GM Accessories part)
• 6.0L small-block V-8
• 361 horsepower (269 kW)
• 385 lb.-ft. of torque (522 Nm)
• Active Fuel Management technology
• Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic.

I know, I had you at the picture above right? All I need is a price now…

via Press

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Are you ready for SEMA? Pontiac sure is and it has a wild concept for it. The Pontiac Solstice has bee seen before at the Sostice Weekend Club Racer back in 2005. The Solstice GXP-R has been seen in 2006. The Solstice SD-290 concept was shown last year.

2008 is the year in which Pontiac is going to show you the Solstice GXP Coupe Concept. If you’re in Vegas next week then go ahead and take a live look at it. If not, then wait for our coverage of the event itself to find out more about the the GXP.

via gminsidenews

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Well Pontiac how do I tell you this… Your 2009 Pontiac G3 Wave is right down to Earth ugly. I mean couldn’t you convince your God, General Motors not to approve it? But then again, that’s what expensive fuel makes out of cars!

In the press release they say “More than ever, fuel economy is an important factor in Pontiac’s formula of style and performance.”

The G3 Wave will get you 106 horsepowers and you can choose from a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic. It will get you some 30 mpg which isn’t that bad. However, I wouldn’t date this car if it was the last one available in the whole known universe and beyond.

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How’s your Pontiac doing? Are you thinking about getting a new one? How about the G8 GXP?

Next year’s Pontiac G8 GXP is going to get you an extra 13 horses and 15 lbs.-ft. of torque which means you will get a total of 415 horsepowers out of that 6.2 liter LS3 V8 engine. There are 19 inch HSV wheels framing 14 inch in the front and 12.76 inch in the rear discs and Brembo calipers. There’s a standard LSD and a stiffened suspension to go along with that extra power.

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