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Pontiac G8 prototype in Adelaide. (Australia) GM Holden celebrated today as the first Pontiac G8 engineering prototypes to be produced at Holden Vehicle Operations in Elizabeth rolled off the line. The Pontiac G8 will be available in Pontiac dealerships in the United States in early 2008 to take its place among General Motors' flagship high performance vehicles. The 2008 Pontiac G8 performance sedan will be the first North American product to be based on GM’s new global rear wheel drive architecture, developed by the global team based here in Australia. Production of the 2008 Pontiac G8 is scheduled to commence at the Holden plant in late 2007, bringing the production line to a maximum capacity rate of 620 cars per day. Announcing this production milestone was Holden Executive Director of Manufacturing, Rod Keane. He was joined at the media event at the Elizabeth plant by government and industry officials including The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism a...

The summer solstice is the day it stays light the longest and marks the official beginning of summer, usually June 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. ACDelco’s “Summer Solstice” promotion, which lasts for three months, offers eligible customers the opportunity to win prizes. And, one lucky winner will drive away with the Grand Prize: a . The promotion is open to registered ACDelco WISE (Web Integrated Service Environment) and WIP (WISE Internet Parts) customers. Eligible customers will be grouped into one of three program levels based on their best monthly purchase history during the 12 months preceding the promotion, with that month then multiplied by three. New vehicle dealerships are not eligible for the promotion. Contestants with the highest percentage increase in qualifying ACDelco product purchases using WISE or WIP between June 1 and August 31, 2007 will win the prize for their purchasing level. Prizes include a $1,000 gift certificate, a Plasma TV and a 2008 Pontiac Solstice...

BERERA, Ohio — Mallett Cars already offers more power for the Pontiac Solstice with its LS2/LS7 V8 engine conversion kits. Now it's adding more show to the go with its aggressive-looking Pitbull wide-body kit . It adds 4 inches of width to the front and 5 inches in the rear, giving the Solstice a considerably more menacing look. More importantly, the six-piece body kit allows the use of ultrawide wheels so you can put all that V8 power to good use. The specially designed front fascia also improves airflow to the engine. The fiberglass upgrade is expected to cost $16,000-18,000 fully installed and painted. A carbon-fiber package will also be available by special order. Only a limited number of Pitbull Edition Solstices will be built. The official debut is scheduled for the 2007 SEMA show.

In many millennia, when the aliens finally take over, they will look back on the 1980s as a golden period of human culture. Rubiks cubes, Donkey Kong... and of course KITT from Knight Rider. And here's your chance to own the coolest car since, erm, ever. KITT is being sold by Kassabian Motors in California with an asking price just shy of $150,000. That's a mere £75,000 to be the Hoff. One of only four 'camera cars' used for close-up shots in Knight Rider, the Pontiac TransAm has been restored to full Season 1 specification. Sadly, that specification seems unlikely to include KITT 's molecular bonded shell (impenetrable to almost all forms of conventional firearms and explosives), pyroclastic lamination, etymotic equaliser or ultramagnesium charges, which all appeared at some point during Knight Rider. However, KITT does feature a pair of operational dashboard televisions - one connected to a camera on the nose of the car, and another hooked up to a hidden DVD p...

2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) announced today that it has selected the product engineering and manufacturing team of the 2007 Pontiac Solstice for its inaugural Great Designs in Steel Automotive Excellence Award for the innovative and cost-effective use of advanced high-strength steels. The award recognizes individuals or teams from automaker, supplier and academic ranks who embrace innovation and make significant contributions to the advancement of steel in the automotive marketplace. "The 2007 Pontiac Solstice redefines shape and styling with a crisp, sleek design that offers both outstanding appearance and engineering performance at a reasonable price," said Brian Aranha, vice president of Dofasco, Inc. and chairman of AISI's Automotive Applications Committee. "The fact that General Motors Corporation utilized advanced high-strength steels for a stylish, affordable, low-volume vehicle, clearly demonstrates how recent advanc...

DETROIT — Until now, moviegoers only got a quick glimpse of the Chevrolet Camaro that stars in Paramount's upcoming Transformers movie via a trailer that hit theaters late last year. The brief clip also offers teaser images of the GMC TopKick truck, Hummer H2 and Pontiac Solstice that will star in what is likely to be the blockbuster film of the summer. But General Motors took the edge off this weekend, releasing several images of its four Transformer vehicles. The Chevrolet Camaro is undoubtedly the über-Transformer, dubbed "Bumblebee," a major character in the saga of aliens who take mechanical forms when on earth. GM said it will "roll out a fully integrated marketing and promotional effort around the film in the near future, including a major Chevrolet promotion." Insiders say this effort may include specially badged vehicles to commemorate the film, as well as the usual line of toys, posters and other movie-related accessories. GM vehicles are not...

Auto Shows Pontiac chases down the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300C with a rear-wheel-drive V-8–powered sedan. Bye-bye, Grand Prix. Pontiac has been pushing itself as a performance brand for years while peddling not much more than plastic ribs and dual-nostril snouts pasted onto underwhelming Chevrolets. Woo hoo. The 400-hp, rear-wheel-drive GTO was a good start, but looked like everything else on the road all rolled into one large, formless blob. It foundered, died, and may or may not return, depending on whom you ask. Then Pontiac rolled out the Solstice, a delightfully tossable little treat with oh-my-god good looks and performance to match. We started to pay attention to Pontiac. After all these years, is Pontiac going to try to capture our attention with product, rather than marketing? At the Chicago Auto Show this week, the Poncho crew is doing just that with the G8 GT. A little extra show for Chicago, but still exciting in the showroom The G8 GT Pontiac showed in Chicago is not, ...

MONTREAL — The goal of the Canadian customizing team working on the neon green Pontiac Top Tuner Solstice was simple: Take a stock car to the "tuning extreme." The result is a hardtop showstopper decked out in Vivacious Candy Green, with a red suede interior and a custom Pioneer audio/entertainment system. GM says the Top Tuner Solstice is projected to have a street value of $500,000. Although the Detroit automaker doesn't specify the output on the tuned Solstice, which is equipped with a tuned 2.0-liter crate engine donated to the project by GM Performance Parts, the word on the street is that it's good for 500 horses. The tuners added such goodies as LSJ connecting rods, a piston set for LSJ rods, adjustable cam gears, a high-performance cam set, an aluminum fabricated intake manifold and a CTS-V rear differential gearset. Leading the project was Tajai Das from Elite Tuners of Canada, who is the brains behind the 1994 Acura Integra "Acurabot." Das tur...

(from General Motors Press Release) Pontiac unveiled the GXP.R racecar , which will compete in the GT class of the 2007 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve. The GXP.R hits the track running later this month at the famed Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race in Florida. With the bodywork inspired by the Pontiac G6 GXP Street edition coupe, the GXP.R is the next step in the evolution of a successful racing program that began with the purpose-built GTO.R. The GTO.R was retired after winning the 2006 GT championship; the new GXP.R is built on the same winning foundation as the GTO.R. “The GXP.R begins the next chapter in a very successful racing campaign that has put Pontiac over Porsche and BMW in the highly competitive GT class,” said John Larson, Pontiac general manager. “The GXP.R promises to pick up the GTO.R’s momentum and carry it into another winning season.” Built to the specifications of the Grand American GT class, the GXP.R features...

(from General Motors Press Release) Pontiac announced new 2008 Torrent GXP and 2008 G6 GXP models at the North American International Auto Show. These high-performance variants join the popular Grand Prix GXP and Solstice GXP models, affirming Pontiac 's commitment to progressive design and balanced performance. The G6 GXP is available in coupe and sedan models, broadening the G6 lineup with performance and style not typically found in the midsize segment. G6 GXP models receive a sophisticated, 3.6L DOHC V-6 VVT that produces approximately 252 horsepower (188 kW) and 251 lb.-ft. of torque (341 Nm). The engine is backed by a Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission and complemented with a performance-tuned suspension, 18-inch wheels and specific exterior and interior appointments. The Torrent GXP delivers an exciting, sporting competitor to the SUV market, with a lowered suspension, 18-inch wheels, unique exterior appointments and a potent 263-horsepower (196 kW) 3...