Holden Slashing Pontiac G8 Production By 97%

Sprint XR8 · 12-02-2009, 07:55 PM

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/11/r...duction-by-97/
The Pontiac G8 has received mainly positive reviews since it first hit roads here in the U.S. last year. Unfortunately, what it hasn't gotten a lot of is actual sales. The usual combination of high gas prices in the first half of 2008 and the financial crisis in the second half has hit the G8 particularly hard. It looks like Pontiac will give the G8 almost the same treatment as it gave the Saturn Astra. While Saturn chose to skip the entire 2009 model year because of the high number of left-over '08 Astras they still had on hand, the 2009 G8 is at least being built, but barely.

According to an insider at the GM Source, it now appears that Feb-June 2009 production volumes of the G8 are being cut from a planned 10,000 units to under 1,000. That's a 97% reduction versus projection, and July-October volumes are evidently also being cut by 79% from earlier production schedules. As much as the hardcore among us may have cheered Maximum Bob Lutz's plan to transform Pontiac into a rear-drive performance brand, it looks like the marketplace just isn't interested. Perhaps if GM had the spare cash to market the brand properly, it could be viable. In all likelihood, the G8's days are numbered just like the GTO before it, and possibly the Pontiac brand as well.

Wally · 12-02-2009, 08:18 PM

No suprises on the reduction, but how is the 97% calculated?

Yellow_Festiva · 12-02-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wally

No suprises on the reduction, but how is the 97% calculated?

Well, if you cut 10,000 units by 90%, you come to 1,000 units.

Seeing as the article loosely states "under 1,000" than a 97% reduction means they only plan to produce 300 units.

Dave_au · 12-02-2009, 08:31 PM

Heard in the press that Pontiac had over 283 days stock of G8s on the books; that is to say, on average it takes them 283 days to move the car from being on it's books to sold.

Wally · 12-02-2009, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Well, if you cut 10,000 units by 90%, you come to 1,000 units.

Seeing as the article loosely states "under 1,000" than a 97% reduction means they only plan to produce 300 units.

Ok so just journalistic waffle, when he could have easily written 10,000 down to 300.

homegrown · 13-02-2009, 12:35 AM

Im kinda surprised the G8 isn't doing that well. I thought for a "loaded up SS" and just under 30k was pretty cheap for a brand new V8 car.
Also I was wondering why we weren't building as many lately. Its funny you work there and your always the last to find out.

**ebxr8240** · 13-02-2009, 02:09 PM

My brother has one of the them over there.. He says G.M hardly / doesn't advertise them..Compared to local models..
Most people don't even know what his car is??
Most of them are reasonably car nuts too..