Influenced by the decreasing demand for large pick-ups, due to their poor fuel consumption, General Motors has decided to bring the El Camino back to life. To do this, they chose the Holden Ute, a pick-up built by GM Australian division. Here however, it will be rebadged and sold as the Pontiac G8 ST (or Sport Truck).
All car enthusiasts remember the Chevrolet El Camino, produced in 1959 and 1960 and again in 1964 and 1987. The El Camino was a crossover vehicle, halfway between a car and a pickup truck.
The new G8 ST will share the Ute's long wheelbase variation of the Commodore chassis, and this two seater pick-up will naturally have a long cargo box.
Introduced at the New York Auto Show, the Sport Truck instantly beguiled automotive press and consumers alike, which prompted GM to start production on the vehicle. A detail still needed to be settled though: its name! The American giant analyzed over 18,000 names and finally decided on Pontiac G8 ST, preferring to forgo "El Camino" as it is associated with Chevrolet.
The Pontiac G8 ST will be powered by a 361-horsepower, V8 engine coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission. GM says the beast will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. Apart from these impressive numbers, the G8 ST and its six-foot box will be able to carry a payload of 1,074 pounds and have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
It will be available in 2009 as a 2010 model. GM hasn't announced the selling price yet.
photo:General Motors
All car enthusiasts remember the Chevrolet El Camino, produced in 1959 and 1960 and again in 1964 and 1987. The El Camino was a crossover vehicle, halfway between a car and a pickup truck.
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The new G8 ST will share the Ute's long wheelbase variation of the Commodore chassis, and this two seater pick-up will naturally have a long cargo box.
Introduced at the New York Auto Show, the Sport Truck instantly beguiled automotive press and consumers alike, which prompted GM to start production on the vehicle. A detail still needed to be settled though: its name! The American giant analyzed over 18,000 names and finally decided on Pontiac G8 ST, preferring to forgo "El Camino" as it is associated with Chevrolet.
The Pontiac G8 ST will be powered by a 361-horsepower, V8 engine coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission. GM says the beast will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. Apart from these impressive numbers, the G8 ST and its six-foot box will be able to carry a payload of 1,074 pounds and have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
It will be available in 2009 as a 2010 model. GM hasn't announced the selling price yet.
photo:General Motors