Automakers use car shows for several key purposes:
- Create excitement for the brand with both future production models and sheetmetal-rendered hyperbole.
- Stimulate shareholder interest, as a good promise can often temper a painful reality.
- Introduce a future design language, preparing the world for a new look or product that could bring a dramatic change to the portfolio.
- Appease the dealers who demand a steady flow of new, interesting products and enthused consumers drawn to the brand virtues.
- Feel out public, media, and investor interest in a new model, technology, or design direction.
This last reason always seems the most exciting, when true, as it provides a unique opportunity for consumers to give feedback to an automaker and influence a future product, as Honda is doing with the CR-Z concept. The latest example is with the 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck to be shown this week at the New York International Auto Show.
At this point, Pontiac has made the decision to build the car. That much is locked in stone. What the GM division seeks now is to excite the public and get some quality name suggestions. (Learn more about the car name game from CNN.) That’s where you come in.
Consumers can visit www.pontiac.com/namethiscar and submit their name ideas. The winning entry will be announced April 15.
Now before you click over and submit “El Camino,” let’s take a closer look at this interesting model. Blending a car and a pickup truck, Pontiac G8 sedan variant is more like the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero of old, than the Volkswagen Rabbit pickup, complete with rear drive and a big V-8. It has a four-inch longer wheelbase than the G8, and overall, it is six inches longer. To fortify the G8 platform for crossover pickup duty, more than 60 new components were added to strengthen the structure. This sport truck shares the four-wheel independent suspension with the G8, promising sport sedan agility. A color-coordinated, soft tonneau covers the cargo bed and protects items in the cargo bed from the weather. The doors, roof and exterior panels aft of the B-pillars are unique from the G8 sedan.
Underhood is a mighty 6.0-liter, 361-horsepower V-8 shared with the G8 GT, with Active Fuel Management technology to help with fuel economy. Teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission, the powertrain can deliver a promised 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds.
While these performance numbers are respectable by sports car standards, the G8 sport truck offers flexibility unlike that of a sports car. A 73.9-inch (1878 mm) cargo bed has 42.7 cubic feet (1208 L) of cargo space and a durable composite bed liner. It also can carry a payload of more than 1,074 pounds (488 kg) and tow a 3,500-pound (1,600 kg) trailer.
The G8 sport truck is expected to arrive in dealers’ showrooms in late 2009, and its name depends on your creativity. When go to cast your vote, remember “autoMedia” would make a great name…
Research Pontiac in the buyer’s guide.