I'm still in the wilds of Wisconsin, but have non-track camera photos that might be of interest. Last night we got an early look at the all-new Pontiac G8 sedan and Buick Enclave crossover. Check out the photo album for some cell phone shots (we didn't know the cars would be there or we would've brought a better camera) below.

Some initial reactions:

The G8 is really nice. This red G8 we got a look at isn't a production model, but it's the most polished prototype I've ever seen. I can't believe the one that goes on sale at the end of the year will be different in the least. Perhaps, the new emblem will get some alterations. A Pontiac rep said the new, silver one is getting a lot of positive comments though.

The interior is far beyond any Pontiac in a long time, mainly because it's from Australia, but even still, it is an improvement from the GTO's interior. The armrests for example are padded in leather. The rear seats are quite comfy too.

The red really shows off the car's menacing look well, and looks a hundred times better than the grey show car from the Chicago auto show.

We did get some vague comments on the price of the G8 which should be in the low $30,000 range up to "around" $35,000 for the top of the line GT, but no one was announcing anything this far in advance of the on sale date.

The Buick Enclave was exactly what I expected; a very nice adaptation of the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. There isn't more to really say. The layout is identical, the Enclave simply has nicer leather and trim pieces. The most obvious difference is the exterior styling which was quite nice in the maroon color of the display car.

Check out the cell phone photos here. I apologize for the low res. Feel free to ask me more questions in the comments below.

Wednesday 4 July 2007

GM Holden has announced today that the first Pontiac G8 engineering prototypes have been completed at the carmaker’s production site in the Australian state of Victoria, where they’ll undergo testing ahead of the G8’s US market debut early next year.

The first production versions of the G8 are due to roll off the line at the Holden plant in late 2007, with an estimated 620 cars to be completed each day. Along with the US, the Holden built sedans will also be sold in the Middle East, South Africa and parts of Asia. The export program will expand the model range at Holden’s Elizabeth plant to 18 domestic and 15 export vehicle lines.

The new G8 is the first North American model based on GM’s new Zeta RWD architecture, which was developed by a global team of engineers in Australia and will eventually spawn a range of new GM cars.