Start with what the Pontiac G8 is: a 4-door sedan with 3.6 , built from 2007 to 2009, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer.
Where it came from
The Pontiac G8 is a full-size sedan that was produced by Holden in Australia for export to the United States, where it was sold by Pontiac. The G8, a rebadged Holden Commodore, was released in early 2008 for the 2008 model year in the United States, and in 2008 for the 2009 model year in Canada. Production stopped in mid-2009, following the decision by GM to discontinue Pontiac. While available, the G8 took the place in the Pontiac lineup of both the Pontiac Bonneville, which ceased production after the 2005 model year, and the Pontiac Grand Prix, which ceased production after the 2008 model year. By December 2008, the rear wheel drive G8 had not become the expected sales replacement for the previous front-drive models, with 11,000 unsold G8s in the inventory and just 13,000 sold. During the 2009 global economic downturn, market prices had dropped by $3000–5000 below GM's sticker price for the car.
By July 2009, there were only 5,000 unsold G8s in inventory, with almost 30,700 sold. With the imminent demise of the Pontiac brand, a result of GM's Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the 2009 model year marked the end of all Pontiacs, including the G8. However, in July 2009, Bob Lutz made an off-hand comment during a press review that the G8 would be revived as the Chevrolet Caprice. Subsequently, Lutz retracted this statement, citing market conditions. Nevertheless, General Motors announced the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) in 2009, which Car and Driver described as a successor to the G8. To fill the gap left by the G8, GM announced the Chevrolet SS, a RWD V8 powered seda
Under the skin
The engine is 3.6 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3946 lb. Drive goes through a 5-speed 5L40-E automatic / 6-speed 6L80-E automatic / 6-speed Tremec TR-6060 manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 114.7 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Pontiac line-up the Pontiac G8 has a clear place: it replaced the Pontiac Bonneville (2005) / Pontiac Grand Prix (2008); it handed the line to the Chevrolet SS (U.S.); the factory was Adelaide (Holden Elizabeth Plant), Australia. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Hyundai i30, the Nissan GT-R, the Volkswagen Tiguan. Nearby in the Pontiac catalogue sit the Pontiac 2+2 and the Pontiac 6.