Section: Pontiac
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 16th, 2008 9:00 AM
.
Despite recent reports from United Auto Workers officials and industry pundits, General Motors said yesterday that it would not soon run out of axles for its Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 sedans.
GM’s group vice president for purchasing and supply chain, Bo Andersson (pictured), indicated that the automaker was in solid shape for continued production, responding to a question of when the axle supply would run out by saying, “Based on the way I see it now, never.” Andersson declined to provide the specifics but said that GM has, “a good plan for handling the potential shortage.”
The automaker had been thought to be running low on a key component for the rear suspensions of the Chevy and Pontiac sedans, and shutdowns were predicted for the GM plants in Orion, Michigan and Fairfax, Kansas. With dealer inventories of the sedans running to about 40-days, the prevailing thinking had been that GM would need to step in and broker a deal between American Axle and the UAW.
+ Automotive News: GM doesn’t expect axle shortage for sedans (subscription required)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 3rd, 2008 5:00 PM
.
While most peopled who attended the New York Auto Show launch of the Pontiac Solstice GXP admired the curvaceous silhouette of the coupe, fewer mentioned the car’s performance potential. That could soon change as new rumors tell us that Pontiac is planning turbo-charged version of the Solstice’s Ecotec four-cylinder that could be good for 300 or more horsepower. That kind of power would seemingly put the Solstice Coupe into far closer competition with cars like Nissan’s Z.
If such a performance variant does come about, look for the engine to find its way into the Saturn Sky Redline as well as the convertible Solstice, and to be hooked up to a manual five-speed transmission. The high-po model is said to be slated for just after the coupe goes on sale next year.
+ Autoblog: Pontiac Solstice Coupe to pack 300 horses?
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Winding Road Staff
April 2nd, 2008 1:00 PM
.
From Australia, with love and 361 horsepower, comes a whole new kind of Pontiac sedan.
Continue –>
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 2nd, 2008 11:00 AM
.
While it wouldn’t be likely to carry an evocative name like Firebird or GTO, new reports indicate that plans for a G8-based Pontiac coupe aren’t yet dead.
With a battle raging within Pontiac between groups concerned with fast-approaching CAFE mandates, and groups wanting to continue the company’s resurgence in the performance car sector, sources are saying that a G8 coupe has slightly less than a fifty-percent chance of making it to production. If the coupe is green-lighted for production it will be based on the Holden Coupe 60 concept (seen above) recently shown at the Melbourne auto show.
A G8 coupe would seem to be a natural extension of the G8 line, slotting in nicely as the performance leader amongst the V-8 powered G8 GXP sedan and new sport truck.
+ Edmunds Inside Line: Pontiac Ponders G8 GXP Coupe
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 19th, 2008 4:00 PM
.
I was on hand in New York today when my Pontiac hosts for the auto show debuted the brand’s newest, and best performing model, the 2009 G8 GXP.
From the spec sheet it seems clear that the most obviously laudable part of the new sports sedan is the 6.2-liter small block V-8 at the heart of the action. The beastly mill will kick out 402 horsepower and a matching 402 foot-pounds of torque, shoveling the car from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.7 seconds. Nearly as exciting as those significant performance features is the fact that the new GXP will be available with a six-speed manual transmission.
Have a look at the G8 GXP in the stock and live galleries we have available below, or follow the jump to read Pontiac’s official press release. Then take a moment to tell us how you feel about the latest G8 in comments.
continued →
Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 19th, 2008 3:30 PM
.
The prayers of “camino” fans across the country were answered today, when Pontiac pulled the wraps off of its anticipated G8 Sport Truck.
Pontiac, my host for this New York adventure, are looking for some help from those same fans in naming the G8 truck, saying that “Sport Truck” doesn’t do enough to sum up the blending of sports car and pickup. Potential names should be directed to Pontiac’s “Tame The Name” website, from which the winner will be chosen.
(Click on the thumbnails below to launch live and stock galleries of the G8 sport truck, or on the jump to read more.)
continued →
Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 19th, 2008 12:45 PM
.
Pontiac just brought out its brand new and stirringly styled 2009 Solstice Coupe as a main feature of the lovely event they’re putting together for us.
Revealed with a two-set performance by The Young Lords still ringing in our ears, and with hip-hop star 50 Cent fawning over the new Coupe, Pontiac struck a distinctly youth oriented vibe here at the Javits Center. The rapper was obviously taken with the Coupe, repeatedly pointed to the new Solstice saying “this one here” with a rather large grin on his face.
We understand where 50 was coming from, as the Solstice Coupe was just as sexy in the sheet metal as it had appeared to be in early photos. Complete with the slick removable roof panel, this may just be the cream of the Solstice crop.
Written By: Evan McCausland
March 19th, 2008 7:00 AM
.
We’ll admit it - as good as Pontiac’s Solstice roadster may look, we’ve always admired the lines of the original coupe concept shown off in 2002. If you’re in our camp, you’ll be happy to see many of the concept’s cues made their way to the 2009 Solstice Coupe, the semi-fixed roof variant that’s debuting this week at the New York Auto Show.
Unlike the concept, the Solstice Coupe adds a removable roof panel over the cockpit, allowing for some open-air motoring. That hard panel, made of a plastic skin wrapped around a magnesium frame, weighs just 31 pounds. We’re all for the tapering fastback - especially since it adds some much-needed storage space, but we’re disappointed to hear the aforementioned hard roof panel won’t fit inside. If you’re expecting cloudbursts during a long drive, a folding soft-top panel can be stowed away and deployed in case of meteorological emergencies.
(Click through for more on Pontiac’s fastback Solstice)
continued →
Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 15th, 2008 11:00 AM
.
WINDING ROAD readers of a certain vintage will undoubtedly remember playing the classic racing/shooting game Spy Hunter. While it wasn’t exactly a Gran Turismo for the 1980’s, we certainly remember wasting our time, and our parent’s quarters, while blasting through levels at the arcade.
Pontiac has cleverly woven its new ad for the G8 into the fabric of the game, causing us to wonder what sort of missile payload the new sedan could handle. We’ll get back to you on that.
+ Joystiq: Pontiac ad is glorious homage to Spy Hunter(via Autoblog)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 6th, 2008 3:00 PM
.
It’s being reported that General Motors will be bringing a hardtop version of its Pontiac Solstice to this month’s New York Auto Show.
We reported back in July that Pontiac was indeed bringing a fastback coupe version to the market in 2009. Now, maybe that version will actually be the Solstice Coupe. According to Leftlane News, production of the Solstice Coupe will commence in 2009 at GM’s Wilmington, Delaware. plant, with a speculated capacity limited to 10,000 annually.
(More details after the jump)
continued →
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 3rd, 2008 9:00 AM
.
General Motors has said that the Pontiac G8 will be the most heavily advertised vehicle this year, according to Automotive News. GM will be using traditional media outlets opposed to the new-age internet ad blitz most automakers are starting to utilize.
“It’s not that we won’t do Internet, but being a flagship product, we want to be making an extreme statement,” G8 product manager, Brian Shipman said. “The G8 is worthy of having our best effort in advertising.”
(More details after the jump)
continued →
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 23rd, 2008 3:30 PM
.
The first eight episodes of the reality racing show Setup aired on Speed last night. Like season one, the second season will feature aspiring drivers competing in Pontiac Solstice GXP-R’s against each other – all for a $100,000 reward and a chance to test with Team Pontiac.
This year, there will be 12 competing teams. Yes, teams of two drivers. Each episode will feature two races with one team being eliminated after the events, according to Edmund’s Inside Line.
Setup Producer Scott Gillen says, “This will be an extremely competitive season. If you don’t lose, you’ll stay in this thing until the end — and anyone has a chance to win the championship in the final episode.”
Setup airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on Speed.
+ Edmund’s Inside Line: Reality Racing Show, Setup is Back in Action on Speed
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Next >
Diesel with Attitude: The Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro
Report: Volkswagen Working on Driverless Self-Parking System for Production
More Spied Images of New Camaro Interior
Early Scoop on Volkswagen Tiguan's U.S. Launch, Diesel Delayed? Not Coming? 
Report: Mercedes-Benz to Leverage Aluminum for Next E-class
