[1]The short-lived Pontiac G8 gave General Motor’s American customers a fleeting taste of what its Australian subsidiary, Holden, was capable of building. Alas, rising gas prices and GM’s imminent bankruptcy brought to an end the entire Pontiac line, and the sport sedan quickly faded from dealership lots, if not customer’s hearts. But Americans might yet see this Aussie sport sedan return.
GM Inside News [2]reports that, after a long internal struggle, the General has approved for production a project codenamed the “SS sedan” to debut in 2013 as a 2014 model. There also might be an El Camino variant in the works.
That may seem like a long time off, but it is not without good reason. A 2013 launch would mean we could get the next-generation Commodore as the “SS sedan” rather than the soon-to-be-replaced model. With Chevrolet bringing a Police Pursuit Vehicle to the fleet sales division, we knew it was only a matter of time before we got another sports sedan for public purchase.
Also of note is that the General is considering an El Camino and SportWagon variants, though unlike the sedan these have not been greenlit so far. Their fate likely hangs with gas prices, as well as GM’s ability to meet the 34 MPG mandate by 2016. No doubt GM has proven that sportwagons can be profitable with the Cadillac CTS version, and their lineup is sorely lacking in the wagon department. But the lessons from bankruptcy are certainly still hanging over GM’s head, and last time around the Commodore’s reception was lukewarm at best. We know we’re excited at the prospect of a new GM sports sedan; how about you?