ORLANDO, Fla. -- General Motors Corp. (GM) announced some additions and subtractions to its Pontiac and Buick lines to dealers here a few days after its sales chief vowed a "renaissance" for the two model lines.

Pontiac dealers will get a new entry-level model, a 2007 G5 coupe, in the fall. The base model target price will be just under $15,000, and a high-performance version also will be available, said Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson. The G5 will be built on the same small-car architecture, the Delta, that's used for the Chevy Cobalt, he said. :eek:

The new Pontiac G5 is designed to get entry-level buyers into the Pontiac, Buick and GMC showroom, Hopson said. He said GM expects first-year sales of the G5 to be about 20,000, if not higher.

Pontiac also will end production of the Montana SV6 minivan, which doesn't fit with Pontiac's image, at the end of the 2006 model year, Hopson said.

Buick, meanwhile, will get an "uplevel version" of the Buick LaCrosse sedan that will include new exterior trim and a new engine, Buick spokesman David Darovitz confirmed Tuesday. He said no price has been decided.

I'm not sure how I feel right now.

On one hand, I'm pissed. They said they were done rebadging their cars, and that's all the "G5" is. A Pontiac Pursuit from Canada, which is just a Chevy Cobalt with G6 tailights, and a twin port grille.

Also, G5. Not ok. I like having inspiring names to go with my cars, and G5 and G6 just don't do it.

If they play their cards right, it could probably come in quietly enough with out too much of a stir, but if its just another rebadge and the same thing as a base and SS/SC Cobalt, it's going to be the same ol same ol.

I'm not sure how I feel right now.

On one hand, I'm pissed. They said they were done rebadging their cars, and that's all the "G5" is. A Pontiac Pursuit from Canada, which is just a Chevy Cobalt with G6 tailights, and a twin port grille.

Also, G5. Not ok. I like having inspiring names to go with my cars, and G5 and G6 just don't do it.

If they play their cards right, it could probably come in quietly enough with out too much of a stir, but if its just another rebadge and the same thing as a base and SS/SC Cobalt, it's going to be the same ol same ol.


Yeah, I agree somewhat. If its just the cobalt with a pontiac badge I'll be really upset. Exterior changes with a new upgraded interior, better suspension tuning, and possibly higher power outputs would help it sit better in the Pontiac lineup. As for the naming convention....I don't mind it.

Its the exact same as a Cobalt, it has been on sale in Canada under the Pursuit name since '05. Blatant badge engineering at GM was supposed to be a thing of the past. From what I've heard this car will offer nothing different from the Cobalt or the Ion. The only thing it will do is prove GM thinks we are all idiots. :mad:

i agree with BigBen, the've been making the car in canada for 2 years and now they want to bring it to our market? i dont get it, i thought the G6 was supposed to be GM's entry leval car, they even did the financing deal in late '05 on them. plus if they call it the G5 people who havent researched cars will think the G6 is another dime a dozen rebadged car like this one will be.

well the link i read earlier (http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8f705) says that the G5 is based on GM's Delta platform, which is their compact front wheel drive automobile platform including Opel and the Saturn Ion.

the G6 is based on GM's Epsilon platform which is their new mid-size front wheel drive automobile platform including the Saab 9-3 and Opel Vectra. contrary to popular belief, the Buick LaCrosse and Saab 9-5 are not on the same platform as the G6 as originally planned. the LaCrosse was switched over to the W platform (similar, but not the same) and the 9-5 was modified just enough to get it off the Epsilon platform.

the G5, although just a gimmick to market the Cobalt with a Pontiac badge, is still a seperate vehicle, at least according to GM's terms it is. G6 was Generation 6 of the Grand Am. the name had meaning. G5 is a smaller G6. they are simply using a play on words type strategy to gather more potential customers.

personally i think it is a low blow to the G6 folks to introduce a G5. not only does it undermine the meaning of the G6, but it also slaves the name out to sell more cars. i think GM should have dug down another rung on the ladder and come up with something better than G5.

what happened to the Cavalier, the Grand Am, and whatever the G5 is supposed to be? all the name changing drives me nuts. to GM's credit though, Suburban is the longest running nameplate in automotive history (thank you 1935).

and on that note, i have also read that the Cobalt, Pontiac Pursuit, and Saturn Ion are all Delta platform cars, so i think the G5 is merely a US version of the candian Pontiac Pursuit. sad.

What's stranger is that the Canadian Pursuit is called the G4 in Mexico. Why is it now G5 in the US?

The canadian Pontiac Pursuit is now rebadged (since the begining of March) as "Pontiac G5 Pursuit" and will be rerebadged as "Pontiac G5" for 2007. So I assume that the US market is getting the regular Pursuit.

I currently own a 2005 Pontiac Pursuit SE and the car is IDENTICAL to a 2005 Cobalt LS with the optional Sport group. Same price and same optional equipement. I got a Pursuit only because I wanted a Pontiac.
Here's a pic of my Pursuit.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/820000-820999/820287_23_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/820000-820999/820287_20_full.jpg

It's a good looking car. I'd get it over the Cobalt just beacuse its a Pontiac, but do we really need two of them?

Here in Canada, especialy in Quebec, the small car category is way more popular than any others. So it's very understandable that GM offer the Cobalt and the G5/Pursuit.
But, in the US, I doubt that you need those 2 cars...

I really don't understand what everyones beef with this whole thing is. It has been happening for years. Cavalier/Sunfire, Grand Prix/Bonneville/Impala/Regal. The Grand Am was never the entry level vehicle it was the sunfire. Now the GA has been replaced by the G6 and the Sunfire and Cavalier are replaced with the G5 and the Cobalt respectively. Granted they should come up with a better name than G5 but I don't think it is that big of a deal.

It's a good looking car. I'd get it over the Cobalt just beacuse its a Pontiac, but do we really need two of them?

that is exactly why there are two of them, because there are people out there that would buy one but not the other so they might as well offer both.

I've seen one that's actually badged a G5 yesterday.

This is exactly why American auto manufacturers are getting stomped on by all their competitors...

I just seen the G5 listed on the pontiac website. The frontend looks a lot better than the G6 imho. However, unlike the cobalt, only a coupe is available.

G5 Website (http://www.pontiac.com/g5/index.jsp)

I just looked at the photo gallery for th g5. Have to say that the center console and the gage cluster look great. Im happy with the 65 gages but the center console sux. Hopefully the g6 will get a cleaner looking center console in the 07 model. I would also like to see a lip spoiler vs the pedistal. They should also make a gxp version with the solstice gxp engine. That thing would haul ass.

I just looked at the photo gallery for th g5. Have to say that the center console and the gage cluster look great. Im happy with the 65 gages but the center console sux. Hopefully the g6 will get a cleaner looking center console in the 07 model. I would also like to see a lip spoiler vs the pedistal. They should also make a gxp version with the solstice gxp engine. That thing would haul ass.

heh, if they did that, no one would buy the G6 GXP coupe ;)

Everyone does badge engineering! The americans, japs, etc, everyone!!! Ever seen an Acura? Rebadged Honda. The Acura EL is a Civic -- the badges are so similar that unless you're standing next to it you can't even tell it's NOT a Civic! The only difference is that they took the terrible cloth seats and slapped on some low-grade leather and upped the price $8,000. Same piece of crap car but some people are stupid enough to pay more for it. TSX or TL, whatever it's called this year, is an Accord. They all look the same. Kia and Hyundai, the cars look even more similar than the Cobalt to the Pursuit/G5!!! Everyone does it. It's smart, you can sell the same product to a more diverse audience. Obviously it works because the majority of us here are not driving Malibu's right ;-)? And for the W-body owners floating around, I dare say not driving a Buick (the car line that SHOULD have been dropped over Oldsmobile)!!

I owned a 2005 Pursuit SE with leather before the G6. I'd never buy a Cobalt -- the grille is ugly, it's a Chevy and the interior color options at the trim level I'd want are ugly. The Pursuit was/is still a far more attractive car to me than the Cobalt -- the subtle change to the front grille is what sold me on the car even before I drove it. Same car, appeals to different people. Costs the manufacturer nothing to do it so why not?

Compared to the G6, I far prefer the interior of the Pursuit. The lighter gray interior combined with the silver trim and minimal black areas are just a lot less depressing/drab to look at. I also prefer the smaller diameter 4-spoke steering wheel on the Pursuit to the three spoke on my G6, and especially the radio/cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. I was spoiled with the MP3 player but the larger radio display was nice -- the artist and song name mostly fit on the screen where you have to scroll on the G6 radio. The LCD on the G6 is easier to read in sunlight though. Also preferred the white gauges on the Pursuit. Did NOT like the fact that the car and trunk opening was so small. Huge trunk, can't get at it. Both cars are fun to drive, comfortable and quiet. But I'm in a tossup as to what my next car will be. If I don't find myself needing the room I do now, I may end up getting a G5. If the interior is redesigned at some point on the G6, I may end up getting another one of those too. We'll see what happens. The Torrent's also on my radar, provided they ditch the 3400 SFI.

Everyone does badge engineering! The americans, japs, etc, everyone!!! Ever seen an Acura? Rebadged Honda. The Acura EL is a Civic -- the badges are so similar that unless you're standing next to it you can't even tell it's NOT a Civic! The only difference is that they took the terrible cloth seats and slapped on some low-grade leather and upped the price $8,000. Same piece of crap car but some people are stupid enough to pay more for it. TSX or TL, whatever it's called this year, is an Accord. They all look the same. Kia and Hyundai, the cars look even more similar than the Cobalt to the Pursuit/G5!!! Everyone does it. It's smart, you can sell the same product to a more diverse audience. Obviously it works because the majority of us here are not driving Malibu's right ;-)? And for the W-body owners floating around, I dare say not driving a Buick (the car line that SHOULD have been dropped over Oldsmobile)!!

I owned a 2005 Pursuit SE with leather before the G6. I'd never buy a Cobalt -- the grille is ugly, it's a Chevy and the interior color options at the trim level I'd want are ugly. The Pursuit was/is still a far more attractive car to me than the Cobalt -- the subtle change to the front grille is what sold me on the car even before I drove it. Same car, appeals to different people. Costs the manufacturer nothing to do it so why not?

Compared to the G6, I far prefer the interior of the Pursuit. The lighter gray interior combined with the silver trim and minimal black areas are just a lot less depressing/drab to look at. I also prefer the smaller diameter 4-spoke steering wheel on the Pursuit to the three spoke on my G6, and especially the radio/cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. I was spoiled with the MP3 player but the larger radio display was nice -- the artist and song name mostly fit on the screen where you have to scroll on the G6 radio. The LCD on the G6 is easier to read in sunlight though. Also preferred the white gauges on the Pursuit. Did NOT like the fact that the car and trunk opening was so small. Huge trunk, can't get at it. Both cars are fun to drive, comfortable and quiet. But I'm in a tossup as to what my next car will be. If I don't find myself needing the room I do now, I may end up getting a G5. If the interior is redesigned at some point on the G6, I may end up getting another one of those too. We'll see what happens. The Torrent's also on my radar, provided they ditch the 3400 SFI.

I thought about getting a torrent myself since we have a baby on the way but the 3400 was a huge turnoff. 185hp isn't enough and the gas mileage is low compaired to the SV6 with the 3500.

i agree with BigBen, the've been making the car in canada for 2 years and now they want to bring it to our market? i dont get it, i thought the G6 was supposed to be GM's entry leval car, they even did the financing deal in late '05 on them. plus if they call it the G5 people who havent researched cars will think the G6 is another dime a dozen rebadged car like this one will be.


Maybe Pontiac's entry level but not GM's

Everyone does badge engineering! The americans, japs, etc, everyone!!! Ever seen an Acura? Rebadged Honda. The Acura EL is a Civic -- the badges are so similar that unless you're standing next to it you can't even tell it's NOT a Civic! The only difference is that they took the terrible cloth seats and slapped on some low-grade leather and upped the price $8,000. Same piece of crap car but some people are stupid enough to pay more for it. TSX or TL, whatever it's called this year, is an Accord.
Honda and pretty much everyone else do it thet right way, the way GM is going with this car is completely wrong. The Acura EL (now CSX) is a Canada only model that tries to sell as a premium small car, it does not compete with the car it is based on directly. The Cobalt and G5 are exactly the same save for the front fascia, they also sell for the same price and are geared towards the same market. That is a horrible idea. It is true that the Accord, TSX, and TL are based off the same platform, but they are no more similar than the G6 is to the other Epsilon based cars (Malibu, 9^3, and to a lesser extent, Aura). You could take the G5 "specific" parts and bolt them right up to a Cobalt in under an hour. The Acord/TL/TSX cars share no exterior parts. There is not one feature that the G5 offers that the Cobalt doesn't, infact the Cobalt offers a whole lot more. The only car the G5 will take sales away from is the Cobalt. GM had committed to stop blatantly badge engineering their cars a few years ago, what happened to that?

heh, if they did that, no one would buy the G6 GXP coupe ;)

Dont get me started on the g6 gxp.... I just want to see Pontiac live up to their "driving excitement" idea. I would love to see a 280 hp g6, 240 hp g5, and a bad ass looking GTO with its 400 hp. Granted hp is def. not the only important satistic in a car, but GM is making progress in upgrading the rest, esp. their interiors. I wish they could move a bit faster...