Pontiac May Axe G8 ST

As part of GM's quest for federal funds, it had been mentioned that the Pontiac brand could be dropped completely to free up cash flow. News today suggests that GM may look to keep the brand intact but heavily reduce the vehicles offered under the nameplate.

Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, recently hinted that the Pontiac G8 ST, our Holden Commodore SS Ute, could be on the chopping block (a possibility we had earlier raised on TMR):

"We would be foolish if we didn't take a second look at whether or not that is the right thing to do."

Docherty went on to explain that there is no intention to spend up on product development and that the Pontiac Torrent, an SUV, is already confirmed to be dumped in '09.

There's no word on Pontiac's plans for its G6 range of mid-sized vehicles, the Pontiac Vibe, the sporty Solstice, or the upcoming G3 but, according to Docherty, the most likely candidate for a single car attack would be the Pontiac G8.

Can Pontiac survive as a specialty niche brand? And what is the future for Holden's G8 export program? Only time will tell.