Pontiac Asks: What's in a Name?

And the winner is…

That's the question everyone wants answered when it comes to the 2010 car/truck rendition of the Pontiac G8. And the answer is: All those inquiring minds will have to wait.

The deadline for consumers to submit names for the upcoming two-door car/truck version of the G8 sedan came and passed last week, but don't expect the winning moniker to be revealed until the end of May at the earliest, says Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson. 

Pontiac unveiled the car/truck at the New York auto show last month, and it brought to mind the days of the Chevy El Camino that last sold in the '80s. At the show, Pontiac launched a contest inviting folks to submit names for the model that reportedly will go on sale in the fall of 2009 as a 2010 model.

The reason it will take time to chose the winning moniker, Hopson said, is that more than 10,000 different names were submitted. Now the fun begins. Pontiac has to sort through all the names to weed out the goofy ones, those legally committed to another company or product, or those, which, in a foreign language, could possibly translate into swear words or, worse, into "Aztek."

While 10,000 different names were submitted, there's no tally on just how many people submitted duplicate names. Regardless of which name is chosen, everyone who submitted a name will have his or her name tossed in a hat, and one will be pulled out and awarded one of the first copies of whatever the car/truck is named.

"I can confirm, however, that one of the names is El Camino," Hopson said.

Hopson refused to say which names were frontrunners because Pontiac still hasn't been determined which names are the legal property of others, and which may actually be worse than heck, darn, or Aztek.

He wouldn't say how many submitted El Camino but did say that no matter which name received the most vote, that name would not automatically be picked. Marketing types— who supposedly know which names prompt people to buy or not — will still have a say on the name chosen, he said.   

There has also been internal debate at GM whether the name of a former Chevy last sold in the '80s could or would be used on a new Pontiac.

Hold tight — we'll have to wait to find out.

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Comments

[ziggy]

I can't believe they're actually going to produce this thing.

[Judas9mm]

How about the Pontiac Shoehorn?

[L]

I so hope they go with El Camino!!

[ziggy]

Call it Cash Back. That's what they'll have to offer in order to sell it.

[woogie]

The first time around it had two names, the Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp.

[Red]

Cashback, I like that. How about Cashback SE?

[Steve]

Pontiac Cashback! I love it! Knowing GM they'll offer a sister version named Chevy Rebate.

Why anyone would buy a GM-Ford-Chrysler product today is beyond me.

[L]

I would buy them because they are good cars, Steve.

And just because one person might not see the point of this particular car doesn't mean the next person won't. We currently own a Subaru Baja so this vehicle would be a perfect replacement for that. We don't need a big gas thirsty truck so this is perfect for us. I'm sure their are other people who would find it practical for them too.

[Brad W.]

L - You sould go work for General Motors. I see Subaru is burning up the sales charts with that Baja...Oh, that's right they discontinued it back in 2006.

[Ryan]

As an Aussie who sees these on a daily basis, I have to say that these vehicles aren't as ridiculous as you may think they are. This truck is sporty, fast, handles like a car (because it's based on one)and is very comfortable. Hmmm...I see what you guys mean. Who would want that when you can have a massive truck that can't handle, can't fit into parking spaces, and has the aerodynamics of a brick?

[Tony]

I don't see why they started associating Pontiac with this in the first place (other than its sister G8 is one) because its rightful name should be El Camino...as in Chevrolet.