OT Looks Like North America is Getting a Ute! OT

[PatS....]

Wagon & Ute Will Join The Pontiac G8 RWD Family

Jamie LaReau

Automotive News

November 19, 2007 - 12:01 am ET

DETROIT — General Motors plans a new family of rear-wheel-drive vehicles for Pontiac. The G8 line will include a sedan followed by a wagon and sport truck.

All will be modeled after products sold by GM's Australian subsidiary, Holden, according to three sources familiar with the project. The vehicles will be assembled in Australia.

There was debate within GM about whether to give the sport truck to GMC. GMC won't get it.

Instead, GM's marketers wanted — and will get — a Pontiac sport truck so GM can market the three rwd vehicles as a high-performance family.

The sport truck will have the same drivetrain as the Chevrolet Camaro, and it will use a modified sedan architecture

How a Pontiac G8 Ute could look.

New Holden Sportwagon.

[greg g]

Then they will tell us how much R and D money went ito developing the product. Think of it over a billion dollars for a redesigned grille. Looks like the reduxe of the El Camino to me. Thought we already had a UTE .

OH yea and the Halfalance thing from Chebby.

[Young Ed]

Don't forget the subaru baja which is really similar to that pontiac thing.

[Mr. Belvedere]

A return to rear wheel drive oh happy happy day! Always hated FWD vehicles, the reasons for going that route never made any sense to me and still dont.

[Young Ed]

The one big reason is cheaper manufacturing. You can build and plop the whole drivetrain in as an assembly.

[PatS....]

And when a FWD screws up, which they do much quicker than a RWD, it's very expensive, so they sell more new cars faster.

I think the ute idea, coming from OZ, is great. Even if it is just an elCamino.

[Plymouthy Adams]

think I will wait till it is available in a coloring book..

[Norm's Coupe]

Nothing new about this. Think El Camino, Ranchero, and the 80's version made by Chrysler using the 80's Dodge Charger and Turismo. They also had pickup versions but forgot the names on the Dodge and Plymouth version.

[Don Coatney]

Why is this thing called a "sport" truck? Chalk this up to another vehicle I will not buy because of the name.

What is sporty about a "SUV"?

Why does every 4WD pickup manufacture paste a sign on the tailgait that says "off road" when 90% of the trucks sold never see a gravel road let alone actually driving off road. If I ever bought one of those trucks I would change the decal to read "on road":eek:

[greg g]

Well Don up here the Off Road tag actually has some meaning. You see the people that buy them actually think they can steer and stop as well as they go on snow and ice. Due to this lack of understanding, they usually do end up off road in the winter. Usually just out of reach of the tow truck's recovery cable and wrapped in barbed wire or chain link and fence posts. If they only would read their owners manual, most of them could select low range on the transfer case and extricate themselves, but thats another story.

[Tony WestOZ]

After the disaster of trying to sell the OZ made Holden 2 door coupe (not even available here now) as a Pontiac in the US you would think they would be a bit gun-shy about trying it again.

The ute will never die in OZ. its just a shame Chrysler don`t do one.

PS. Here they are called a sports ute. They are definitely not a truck.

PPS. I don`t understand why someone said, GM`s new range of rwd technology.

Rwd never disappeared in the Holden's (GM) here.

GM Australia along with Mercedes are recognised as the top two in the world at rwd technology.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Chrysler's "ute" was called the Rampage..based on the 2.2 FWD..kinda like that thing..thought about getting one once..I still have my Ramcharger..not a UTE not a SUV..it's a frigging hatchback truck..