Now that General Motors is being forced to do some major downsizing across its range of manufacturers, this news doesn't come as a big shock to us. According to the boys at Jalopnik, Pontiac executives have told their dealer network that the automaker plans to kill the upcoming G8 ST, an American re-badge of the popular Australian Holden Ute.

Pontiac has long tried to badge themselves as GM's performance-oriented brand, and with the introduction of models like the G8 and G8 GXP, we were starting to take them seriously again. The G8 ST (Sport Truck) would have been in a segment of one if sold in America, making us remember the days of the old El Camino and other ute-like vehicles such as the Subaru Brat and Dodge Rampage.

+ Jalopnik: Pontiac G8 ST Officially Dead: GM Kills El Camino... Again

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The Pontiac G8 GXP -- the most powerful production Pontiac ever made -- now has a price tag: $39,995, including a $1700 gas guzzler tax and $685 destination charge. In addition, a six-speed manual transmission can be had for $695 and a sunroof can be added on for $900.

$41,590 seems like a tidy sum for a fully-optioned G8 GXP, what with its 415-horsepower V-8 and rear-drive setup. Pontiac says that the GXP should be able to achieve 0-60 times under five seconds, though fuel economy rings in at 13 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway.

Click through the post to read Pontiac's brief press release and scroll through the gallery above for a full load of images.

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Over the weekend, we caught wind of a very unique auction for a rusty and drivetrain-less 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest. From a modest starting bid of $500, a book-worthy story has sprouted in Harrison, Michigan.

Ah, badge engineering. Where would our automotive marketplace be without it? When Pontiac released their new rear-drive G8, it was no secret that the "American" sport sedan was the product of slapping a new face and some badges on an Australian-market Holden Commodore. However, the folks Down Under at JHP Vehicle Enhancements have now created a kit for North American consumers to transform their G8s back to Commodore style.

A new hood, hood latch, hood insulator, front bumper fascia extension, upper grille radiator, front bar fascia, front bar absorber, and fog lamps round out the whole transformation package, costing just $1990. To get the full effect, we recommend opting for the Holden badges and wheel center caps, which run $150 each for a set of four.

For even more customization, G8 GT owners can spend $3880 and upgrade to a Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) enhancement kit which is essentially the same package of parts, but with a more serious design that mimics the Commodore HSV R8 and GTS.

+ Motor Authority: Holden Commodore conversion kit for Pontiac G8 (via Jalopnik)

While Pontiac's GXP division isn't necessarily known for producing staggeringly fast performance cars, the minor visual and power tweaks are usually enough to move a good amount of GXP-badged vehicles off of GM dealer lots. For this year's SEMA show, however, Pontiac is bringing two new concepts -- the Solstice GXP Coupe and G8 GXP Street Concept.

The Solstice Coupe features a Stage 2 GM Performance Parts kit, intake kit, and a cat-back exhaust system, along with an upgraded sport suspension, graphics kit, iPod interface, custom leather-trimmed seats, and race-inspired pedal covers. While the basic engine mechanics are largely unchanged, the added performance modifications boost horsepower from 260 to 290 ponies.

On the other hand, Pontiac's G8 GXP Street Concept gets a whole raft of performance modifications, including the new LSX454 crate engine from GM Performance Parts. Yep, that's the ZR1's engine, and it will crank out 638 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque under the G8's hood. Stiffer springs have been added as well as the Cadillac CTS-V's brake kit wrapped behind twenty-inch black chrome wheels. A more aggressive front fascia rounds out the front while a new rear fascia incorporates a performance exhaust system and rear diffuser.

Both of these cars will officially be unveiled in Las Vegas next week.

+ Autoblog: Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe Concept
+ Autoblog: 638-horsepower Pontiac G8 GXP Street Concept

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After unveiling the now U.S.-consumable Pontiac G3 earlier this week, the automaker has taken a bit of a beating in the media for what is essentially a slightly facelifted Chevrolet Aveo5. Pontiac communications manager Jim Hopson has taken the criticism to task, responding on General Motors’ FastLane blog with a series of answers to some of the more pointed G3 questions.

While Hopson makes a certain amount of sense in some of his counter arguments, we’re a little disappointed that he chose to give the most lightweight answer to the most important question; namely, “Isn’t the G3 just a re-badged Chevy Aveo?” Hopson admits that, “the G3 and Aveo share a lot of components,” but stops short of giving a real rational for selling what is largely the same item as the Chevy product all under the GM banner.

Click through the link below to read Hopson’s full article and then give us your own G3 feedback, in comments.
 
+ GM FastLane Blog

In a shocking move, General Motors has announced that it has been secretly engaged in the most expansive new vehicle prototype shakedown program in its 100-year history. Its Pontiac division has evidently been cleverly evaluating tens of thousands of Pontiac G3 prototypes on America's roads --many of them driven by actual customers-- cleverly disguised in Chevrolet Aveo5 bodywork. The bold 'hidden in plain sight' initiative has been going on under America's noses for some time now, but only now has GM let the cat out of the bag. 

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When Pontiac launched its G8 sport truck scion to the El Camino nameplate at this year’s New York Auto Show, it also kicked off a contest to pick a name for the vehicle that could fully encompass all of its awesomeness. Four months and 18,000 name submissions from interested parties later, and Pontiac has told us that the official name will be…the G8 ST.

Passing over even the totally obvious Camino handle in favor of a four-character dash of nothingness doesn’t really surprise us, but it doesn’t make us entirely happy either. Fortunately we have little doubt that the self same American public that saw fit to dub the Pontiac GTO “Goat,” various Subaru products “Scooby,” and Volkswagen’s curious Type 181 “The Thing” will come through with a more reasonable moniker well before the ST hits dealerships in late 2009.

Give us your best Sport Truck name, in comments.

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I was on hand in New York today when my Pontiac hosts for the auto show debuted the brand's newest, and best performing model, the 2009 G8 GXP.

The prayers of “camino