Why the Sport Truck is Back

It's been about 20 years since the Chevrolet El Camino passenger car/pickup truck was sold in the U.S., but GM is planning to resurrect the concept for the 2010 model year under its Pontiac brand. Why now? Why Pontiac?

According to Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson, the company decided to launch the G8 Sport Truck in response to changing customer demand, specifically the movement away from traditional pickup trucks to cars.

"We're doing it primarily to explore if there is a market for this," Hopson said. GMC also recently showed a carlike concept truck, dubbed Denali XT, that featured a fuel-saving hybrid drivetrain.

The G8 Sport Truck is one unique vehicle. Its defining characteristics include a 6-foot cargo bed with a composite bedliner that can be covered with a soft tonneau cover. The truck's 1,316-pound maximum payload and 3,500-pound towing capacity are modest by truck standards, but with a 361-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 engine under the hood, the G8 Sport Truck turns in a quick 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds, according to Pontiac. The G8 sedan is also offered with a less powerful but more efficient V-6 engine, but the G8 Sport Truck will only be available with the V-8, Hopson said.

"It's truly a niche vehicle," said John Wolkonowicz, senior automotive analyst at Global Insight. Wolkonowicz expects Pontiac to sell 10,000 G8 Sport Trucks annually, which is one of the reasons he believes the model wasn't given to Chevrolet, where one might have expected it.

"You can't really put something in Chevrolet and then restrict it to 10,000 units," Wolkonowicz said. "Pontiac was chosen for convenience and to save money. I think they wanted to flesh out the G8 product line."

The G8 Sport Truck isn't scheduled to arrive at dealerships until late 2009, and when it does it might have a different name. Pontiac is hosting a contest to name the truck at www.pontiac.com/namethiscar and will select a winner April 15. Hopson says the El Camino name is a possibility, but Wolkonowicz said naming it the Pontiac El Camino would be a “huge mistake." We're interested to hear what you think, so leave us a note in the comments.

Comments

[Keith]

A Pontiac sport truck is not the best idea GM has ever had. Where's the Firebird/Trans Am? Where is the new GTO? Pontiac is a performance CAR company. It should stick to what it does best! Come on, Pontiac! I'm getting worried about you!

[Jay]

How about Pontiac Ute (LOL)? I'm sure this would be an easy way to save money on badging

[J]

Why?

Because GM still has money to burn after the SSR and the coolant related recall.