When speaking at the Paris motor show, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said that the Holden Commodore, which he praised as "one of the best vehicles GM has produced," will be unveiled as a Pontiac at the Chicago Auto Show in early February next year.
Lutz has essentially confirmed months of rumors about the Commodore heading to North America as a Pontiac, although the actual model to ultimately be used is still unknown. The new car is likely to replace the current Grand Prix or badge it as the “G8”, a model that has been rumored since the death of the Bonneville.
We reported earlier that GM plans to build a Zeta-platform based car in North America. Given the fairly limited capacity of Holden's Commodore plant in Australia, it is almost certain that the aforementioned Zeta car will be the Commodore.
Expect the new Pontiac to go on sale shortly after its unveiling in Chicago.
Our take? This is great news. The current Grand Prix is aging and is in need of a replacement. Hopefully GM’s designers don't overdo the Pontiac styling elements when they rebadge it. The signature Pontiac twin-nostril grille, for example, didn't work well on the Holden Monaro when it was brought to the United States as the Pontiac GTO. Personally, GM should also drop the Grand Prix name and go with the G8 designation.