First Pontiac G8 Prototypes Roll Off the Line in Adelaide, Australia

Pontiac G8 prototype in Adelaide. (Australia)

GM Holden celebrated today as the first Pontiac G8 engineering prototypes to be produced at Holden Vehicle Operations in Elizabeth rolled off the line.

The Pontiac G8 will be available in Pontiac dealerships in the United States in early 2008 to take its place among General Motors' flagship high performance vehicles.

The 2008 Pontiac G8 performance sedan will be the first North American product to be based on GM’s new global rear wheel drive architecture, developed by the global team based here in Australia.

Production of the 2008 Pontiac G8 is scheduled to commence at the Holden plant in late 2007, bringing the production line to a maximum capacity rate of 620 cars per day.

Announcing this production milestone was Holden Executive Director of Manufacturing, Rod Keane.

He was joined at the media event at the Elizabeth plant by government and industry officials including The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources and the Hon Kevin Foley MP, Deputy Premier of South Australia and Minister for Industry.

Mr Keane said, “The Pontiac G8 highlights GM Holden’s rear-wheel drive expertise. It shows that international borders pose no limits on the creativity and expertise demonstrated by a global team based here in Australia.

“General Motors is drawing on Holden’s recognised leadership in rear-wheel drive cars to be able to deliver uniquely tailored vehicles for markets in Australia, the United States, the Middle East and South Africa.

"With exports integral to GM Holden’s future business strategy, the flexibility we have here at the Elizabeth plant is central to achieving that. When full production of the 2008 Pontiac G8 gets underway we will be building cars here at Elizabeth for every continent except Antarctica.”

The export program will expand the model range at Holden’s Elizabeth plant to 18 domestic and 15 export vehicle lines.

Holden has Australia's longest running and largest automotive export program which has delivered more than 772,000 vehicles over the last 50 years.

Source: Holden

New 2008 Pontiac Solstice Is Grand Prize in ACDelco's "Summer Solstice" Promotion

The summer solstice is the day it stays light the longest and marks the official beginning of summer, usually June 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. ACDelco’s “Summer Solstice” promotion, which lasts for three months, offers eligible customers the opportunity to win prizes. And, one lucky winner will drive away with the Grand Prize: a .

The promotion is open to registered ACDelco WISE (Web Integrated Service Environment) and WIP (WISE Internet Parts) customers. Eligible customers will be grouped into one of three program levels based on their best monthly purchase history during the 12 months preceding the promotion, with that month then multiplied by three. New vehicle dealerships are not eligible for the promotion.

Contestants with the highest percentage increase in qualifying ACDelco product purchases using WISE or WIP between June 1 and August 31, 2007 will win the prize for their purchasing level. Prizes include a $1,000 gift certificate, a Plasma TV and a 2008 Pontiac Solstice.

The “Summer Solstice” promotion is the first of what ACDelco Marketing Manager John Eck feels will be a trend toward electronic promotions.

“We have the tools in place now, so we anticipate doing more e-Promotions,” Eck said. “We can do more with e-Tools because we can display and market to our customers so quickly. Because the ‘Summer Solstice’ promotion is electronic, it just shows up on customers’ screens the next day.”

* Customers must register for the promotion from a link that is located on their WIP / WISE screen; they also can register from a link on acdelcotechconnect.com. Once registered, customers will see their individual program levels, as well as their current standings, which are updated daily on their WIP / WISE promotional dashboards.

Eck said e-Promotions can also be more efficient, not just for ACDelco but for enrollees as well. “By running e-Promotions, ACDelco can provide customers with their program standings on a daily basis rather than through monthly reports. This affords them the opportunity to change their purchasing behavior accordingly, leading to better, more effective participation.”

Participants can sign up anytime during the “Summer Solstice” promotion, and their purchases will be tracked back to June 1. Eck is hoping a high percentage of WISE and WIP users will participate in the promotion.

“We would love to have all eligible customer participants sign up for the promotion,” he said. “Enrollment is quick and easy; there is no cost to participate and they are already using the e-Business tool. What would be unfortunate is if someone chooses not to participate in the promotion, then finds out he or she would have won when it’s over.”

Visit www.acdelcotechconnect.com for the official program rules and for additional details of the “Summer Solstice” promotion.

About ACDelco:

ACDelco markets quality parts for Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, GM and most vehicles on the road today. To find an ACDelco parts retailer near you, visit www.acdelco.com or call 1-800-ACDelco.

About GM:

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.

More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com

Genuine GM Parts and accessories are sold under the GM, GM Performance Parts, GM Goodwrench and ACDelco brands through GM Service and Parts Operations, which supplies GM dealerships and distributors worldwide. GM engines and transmissions are marketed through GM Powertrain.

Source: GM

Mallett Cars Beefs Up Pontiac Solstice

BERERA, Ohio — Mallett Cars already offers more power for the Pontiac Solstice with its LS2/LS7 V8 engine conversion kits. Now it's adding more show to the go with its aggressive-looking Pitbull wide-body kit.

It adds 4 inches of width to the front and 5 inches in the rear, giving the Solstice a considerably more menacing look. More importantly, the six-piece body kit allows the use of ultrawide wheels so you can put all that V8 power to good use. The specially designed front fascia also improves airflow to the engine.

The fiberglass upgrade is expected to cost $16,000-18,000 fully installed and painted. A carbon-fiber package will also be available by special order.

Only a limited number of Pitbull Edition Solstices will be built. The official debut is scheduled for the 2007 SEMA show.