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Fresh off the Boat: 2008 Pontiac G8 Arriving in the U.S.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With Job 1 officially behind them, the first shipment of 2008 Pontiac G8s is currently floating its way from Australia to the United States. A total of four ships will soon arrive in Northern California's Benicia port, with the first ship expected on January 28. Aboard will be 1,800 new G8 sedans, a 50/50 mix of the 3.6-liter V6 G8 and the 362-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 G8 GT.
The G8 is expected to arrive in Pontiac showrooms by March 1, with West Coast dealers likely to receive their cars first due to the San Francisco Bay Area arrival port. General Motors used the same port for the Australian-built Pontiac GTO that GM imported briefly from 2004-'06. Pontiac says it will have 7,000 G8s on U.S. soil at launch, and expects to reach an annual sales volume of 40,000 cars in a full production year.
Customers won't necessarily have to wait for the G8 of their choice to be configured on the Australian production line, but instead may choose a G8 that is already in transit. Craig Bierley, Pontiac marketing director said, "The dealers and plant are so far apart, orders would take a lot of time. Instead, we've configured cars 11 different ways, and dealers will be able to use a "tagging tool" to choose cars that are already on the boat and reduce the order lead time."
With few available options, the top-of-the-line G8 GT tops out just under $33,000.
What this means to you: Pontiac is anxious to get the G8 from Down Under to your local dealer as quickly as possible. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor
The G8 is expected to arrive in Pontiac showrooms by March 1, with West Coast dealers likely to receive their cars first due to the San Francisco Bay Area arrival port. General Motors used the same port for the Australian-built Pontiac GTO that GM imported briefly from 2004-'06. Pontiac says it will have 7,000 G8s on U.S. soil at launch, and expects to reach an annual sales volume of 40,000 cars in a full production year.
Customers won't necessarily have to wait for the G8 of their choice to be configured on the Australian production line, but instead may choose a G8 that is already in transit. Craig Bierley, Pontiac marketing director said, "The dealers and plant are so far apart, orders would take a lot of time. Instead, we've configured cars 11 different ways, and dealers will be able to use a "tagging tool" to choose cars that are already on the boat and reduce the order lead time."
With few available options, the top-of-the-line G8 GT tops out just under $33,000.
What this means to you: Pontiac is anxious to get the G8 from Down Under to your local dealer as quickly as possible. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor
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