RWD Pontiac G8 will be dead in five years

It looks like things will be getting a lot less exciting at Pontiac, as some reports indicate that the erstwhile performance brand will be losing its best performers. Despite the fact that the G8 sedan has seen nothing but positive press from the media, including your humble scribes here at Autoblog, the realities of fuel economy and the global economy appear set to kill off the rear-wheel drive performance sedan in the prime of its short life. GM will reportedly not renew the G8 after its Holden-sourced chassis architecture is redesigned following a planned five-year run.

The Pontiac Solstice in both coupe and convertible forms is also unlikely to see a second generation. Unfortunately, the Solstice, Saturn Sky and their Opel spin-off don't generate enough sales to support another go-round, which could leave Pontiac with exactly zero vehicles with overtly sporting pretensions. While the G6 may be a decent car, it and a Cobalt derivative in the form of the G5 and a rebadged Aveo known as the G3 do not a BMW competitor make. What does this mean for the future of Pontiac as a brand? We'll see.

[Source: Inside Line]