A measured response

The joint announcement from Holden and Pontiac over the weekend has just confirmed what had been rumoured in online forums for the past several months.

Holden will build a G8 GXP sedan and the G8 'sport truck' for Pontiac to on-sell in North America.

Many expected the GXP to be based on a HSV ClubSport, so it was a surprise -- and not always of the pleasant variety -- to learn that the GXP would not have the high-performance LS2 engine, but rather, a slightly de-tuned LS3 from the standard Corvette would suffice.

In the main, however, response to the G8 GXP from the other side of the Pacific has been warm. Would that were the case with the Ute-based G8 sport truck.

The Ute has polarised opinion, with many respondents scorning the vehicle for lacking -- variously -- looks, payload, a bench seat for three persons, roadholding (?), all-wheel drive, a crew cab option, a solid chassis and, most importantly, broad-based market appeal.

Some are concerned that the G8 Ute will be a repeat of the Chevrolet SSR (pictured), an attempt by Chevrolet to jump on the retro bandwagon with a vehicle -- resembling the FJ Holden around the front -- that fulfilled both goods-carrying and aspirational roles. Arguments to the contrary highlight the SSR's full chassis dynamics, relatively low performance and high price tag as reasons for that car's failure.

Most often compared with the Chevrolet El Camino or the Ford Ranchero -- both of which have been absent from the American market for decades -- the Ute is also being tarred with a 'bogan' association in the US. That wouldn't be a problem in Australia, but inverted snobbery doesn't play in America, it seems.

Not everyone participating in America's online community is as wary of the Ute G8. One site has welcomed the announcement with an audio-visual treat comprising a montage of old El Camino models and panning footage sliding off the angles of the G8 model -- all to the tune of Richard Strauss's 'Also Sprach Zarathustra', perhaps better known as the theme music from '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

To comment on this article click here