RSS
Home
Pontiac dubs G8-based sport truck the Pontiac G8 ST
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The 2010 Pontiac G8-based “sport truck” has a name: It will be known as (cue drum roll) the Pontiac G8 ST.
There it is, just about exciting as waiting for the nomination of the vice-presidential candidates, except without the white smoke from the chimney. No, wait. That's the pope...Anyway, Pontiac had made a contest of it, actually: “As an important part of the G8 family, we know that ‘sport truck’ doesn’t fully describe the vehicle’s ability to blur the lines between sports car and truck,” Craig Bierley, Pontiac's marketing director, back on March 15 at the New York auto show when the truck ws announced as a coming production reality. “Because its fans will surely be as unique as the vehicle itself, we’re giving them a voice in selecting a name that reflects its appeal.”
The winning entry was to have been announced April 15. Whoops, not until August? Trying to build exceitement, Pontiac?
Anyway, they actually received more than 18,000 entries. One of the more popular was “El Camino,” because the truck resembles the late and lamented Chevrolet sporty pickup of that name. Pontiac turned that down, of course, because, well, it’s a Chevy name and you just don’t do that sort of thing.
So G8 ST it is.
Like the original El Camino, the G8 ST will be a two-door—meaning that there will limited in-cab cargo room and just two seats—but the rear-drive ST will have genuine truck capabilities, with a 1000-lb payload and a tow rating of 3500 lbs. It will have a 73.9-inch cargo bed with 42.7 cubic feet of cargo space.
The ST will come only with the 361-horse V8 used in the Pontiac G8 GT, and only with the six-speed automatic transmission. Which means, as Pontiac notes, “the G8 ST should offer some of the best fuel economy numbers for V8-powered vehicles with similar cargo/towing ratings while still turning in zero-to-60 times of 5.4 seconds.”
We still see a fairly narrow market for what is, to use the old nickname of the El Camino, a “Cowboy Cadillac." With limited cab room, almost everything besides the people will have to go into the bed, exposed to weather and sticky fingers. We see a big market in lockable bed covers.
We also wish Pontiac better luck than a similar recent idea had with two more doors, four fewer cylinders, two more driven wheels and the same no-lid trunk—a most certainly different psychographic—but, we think, a much cooler name. But “Subaru Baja” was already taken.
Still, we’d like to know what the best (and worst) rejected names were. Any ideas out there?
Illustration: 2010 Pontiac G8 ST. Photo courtesy GM.
New car reviews available at carbuzzard.com.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg){kind=logo}
Volvo will become the first major automaker to become Chinese-owned, according to a statements by Geely Holding Group and Ford Motor Company, the …
The Aston Martin One-77 hit a top speed of 220.007 mph in testing at a top secret facility in southern Europe, Aston Martin reported today. The speed, …
- 2011 Kia Sorento EX V6
- 2010 Reviews
- 2010 Audi A5 2.0 TFSI
- 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10
- 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet
- 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT RS
- 2010 Chevrolet Equinox AWD 2LT
- 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
- 2010 Ford Taurus Limited AWD
- 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
- 2010 GMC Terrain SLT1 FWD
- 2010 Hyundai Elantra SE
- 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track
- 2010 Kia Forte
- 2010 Kia Soul
- 2010 Lexus HS 250h
- 2010 Lexus IS 350 C
- 2010 Lexus RX350
- 2010 Lexus RX 450h
- 2010 Mazda CX-7 i Sport
- 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed3
- 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata
- 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart
- 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic
- 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster
- 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid
- 2010 Nissan Cube 1.8 Krom
- 2010 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL Hatchback
- 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S
- 2010 Toyota Prius
- 2010 Toyota Prius II
- 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI
- 2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
- 2009 Reviews
- 2009 Acura TSX
- 2009 Audi A4 Avant 2.0T quattro
- 2009 Audi A6 3.0 TSFI
- 2009 BMW 135i Coupe
- 2009 BMW Z4 sDrive 3.5i
- 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 4WD
- 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT
- 2009 Chevrolet Kodiak pickup truck
- 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
- 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
- 2009 Chevrolet Traverse FWD LTZ
- 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic
- 2009 Dodge Journey SXT AWD
- 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad 4x4
- 2009 Ford Fiesta
- 2009 Ford Flex Limited AWD
- 2009 Ford Fusion SEL I-4
- 2009 GMC Acadia SLT-2
- 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid
- 2009 Honda Fit Sport w/Nav
- 2009 Honda Ridgeline RTL
- 2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8
- 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible
- 2009 Infiniti M45x
- 2009 Jaguar XF Premium Luxury
- 2009 Jaguar XKR Porfolio Coupe
- 2009 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4
- 2009 Kia Borrego
- 2009 Kia Borrego EX 4x4
- 2009 Land Rover LR3
- 2009 Lincoln MKZ
- 2009 Lotus Exige S 260 Sport
- 2009 Lotus Exige S
- 2009 Maserati Quattroporte S
- 2009 Mazda Mazda6 s Grand Touring
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK300
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
- 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
- 2009 Nissan 350Z Roadster Touring
- 2009 Nissan 370Z Sport
- 2009 Nissan Murano SL AWD
- 2009 Nissan NISMO 370Z
- 2009 Pontiac G6 4-cyl
- 2009 Pontiac G8
- 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
- 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD
- 2009 Porsche Boxster RS60
- 2009 Saturn Aura XR 4-cyl
- 2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid
- 2009 Scion xB
- 2009 Subaru Legacy 3.0R Limited
- 2009 Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD Technology
- 2009 Toyota 4Runner Sport Urban Runner
- 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
- 2009 Toyota Highlander/Hybrid
- 2009 Toyota Matrix XRS
- 2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited 4-cyl. 4WD
- 2009 Toyota Sequoia Platinum
- 2009 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD
- 2009 Toyota Venza 4-cyl. AWD
- 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
- 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Matic
- 2009 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI
- 2008 Reviews
- 2008 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell
- 2008 Bentley Continental GT
- 2008 BMW X6 xDrive 5.0i
- 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
- 2008 Kia Amanti
- 2008 Lexus IS-F
- 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT
- 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
- 2008 Nissan Cube JDM
- 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line
- 2008 Scion xD
- 2008 Volkswagen Passat Turbo
- 2008 Volkswagen Toureg V8
- 2008 Volvo XC70 3.2
- 2008 Volvo XC70 D5
- 1971 Honda N600
