Not saying the G8 is a bad car just not what I really wanted. I had planned on buying Pontiac'* next luxury sedan but sure as heck am not buying a rebadged holden. Has it gotten so bad for the car manufacturers that they have to import older models from other countries rather then create new exciting models here? The Aurora was a show stopper and I bought one then I bought a GXP Bonneville which was good but not great.

I dont mind cars sharing parts but I had high hopes for the next Pontiac flagship. I guess for all you Bonneville faithfuls the G8 is your knight in shining armor since the Bonneville is dead.
I love my TGP and wish GM made more specialty cars like that.

Its not just GM many of the new car manufactures are bringing over models and rebadging them so in time I will be ok with it but for now my BMW aint going anywhere.

Again......I am not ******* the G8. Its a great car but all that car shows me is GM cant get it right in the US anymore.

Yeah I test drove one a few weeks ago and the dealer would not let me take it alone and also we could only do an around the block test drive :?

This G8 / Holden Commodore is an all new car from the ground up that was only released in '07 or '06. Sure, the name Commodore has been around for a long time, but the new model is fresh and was designed right from the start with U.*. export in mind. It was the first car to be designed on GM'* rear drive Zeta platform.

Now, on to this whole "not even a real Pontiac" thing..... hmmm, lets see here.... Have ANY of the recent Pontiacs been "real" Pontiacs? If you go by saying that it is not a real Pontiac ONLY because it was a Commodore first, or a rebadged Commodore, then you have some thinking to do.... When was the last time that Pontiac actually had it'* own design studio? I bet it was a LONG time ago. RIght now, Cadillac is the ONLY GM brand to have it'* own design studio. So, by saying that the G8 isn't a real Pontiac, you have to also look at the H body Bonnevilles as well. Are they a "real" Pontiac by that standard? Isn't a Bonneville just a rebadged LeSabre or Park Ave? What about the G5 / Cobalt, or G6 / Aura / Malibu.... Must not be real Pontiacs either?

What actually makes a Pontiac a "real" Pontiac? Is it a real Pontiac if the guys that make it don't wear shirts that say Pontiac on them?

People can say that the G8 isn't a "real" Pontiac all they want... I look at it this way.... It has a Pontiac badge on it and it is actually designed as a Pontiac for the U.*. market. It is a GM vehicle with the Pontiac name on it. How can it be any MORE a "real" Pontiac?

I'm gonna side with Ryan on this one

I think the reason people are saying that it isn't a Pontiac is that they're not used to this kind of car. The G8 is European in every sense, save the engine. People that usually buy Pontiacs are looking for that reliable FWD muscle that'* been around for two decades, but now they're seeing this European-like car that isn't like a Pontiac (or any other GM, for that matter) at all. They're not used to it, but I have a feeling that once it catches on, they will be... Pontiac is trying to reinvent themselves, and they're starting with the G8. Whenever any company changes its formula, people that are used to the old formula disapprove, while the people that they're aiming for barely notice it. That will change soon, though...

Agreed. Also, don't forget about the Vibe, which is actually a Toyota, or the Torrent, which is a restyled Equinox, and it has a Chinese engine.

Pontiac isn't trying to reinvent themselves, their just trying to get back to making cars that actually live up to the "we build excitement" motto. I love Bonnevilles and Grand Prixs, but, let'* face it, compared to other performance machines, their really not very exciting. The G8 is a great step in that direction!

this is acctually the other way around, GM designed and owns the rights to the car, Toyoto pays for the use of the design, while GM uses there motor.

^By that token, the Corolla is a GM design?

Matrix = Corolla wagon on a Corolla chassis
Vibe = Matrix

I sat in one and my mom is drooling over one.

I really like how the door handles are. They're chrome with a color matched insert, awesome!

yeah I notice these things