Start with what the Pontiac G6 is: a 2-door convertible / 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan with Petrol engine, built from 2004 to 2010, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Jelani Aliyu.
The background
The Pontiac G6 is a mid-size car that was produced by General Motors under the Pontiac brand. It was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year to replace the Grand Am. The G6 shared the GM Epsilon platform with the Chevrolet Malibu, Saab 9-3, and other General Motors vehicles. Features included a remote starting system (standard on GT, optional on base model), traction control/ABS, electronic stability control, automatic headlights, as well as a panoramic sunroof option.
A retractable hardtop convertible was offered for model years 2006-2009. Production ended in 2010 with the discontinuation of the Pontiac line. The final Pontiac branded vehicle was a white G6. With the G6, Pontiac introduced a two-digit naming convention, with the Pontiac G8 a class above the G6 and the Pontiac G5 a class below. In the case of the G6, the nameplate designated it as the sixth generation of its predecessor, the Pontiac Grand Am.
The engineering
The engine is Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3305 lb. Drive goes through a 4-speed GM 4T40 transmission / 4T45 automatic / 6-speed GM 6T40 transmission / 6T40 automatic / 6-speed GM-Ford 6-speed automatic transmission / 6T70 automatic / 6-speed GM F40 / F. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 112.3 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Pontiac line-up the Pontiac G6 has a clear place: it replaced the Pontiac Grand Am; the factory was Lake Orion, Michigan (Orion Assembly), United States. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Chrysler 300, the Ford Mustang, the Hyundai Tucson. Its Pontiac stablemates include the Pontiac 2+2 and the Pontiac 6.