Looks like the folks from GM are really busy these days. After unveiling the new Volt a few days ago, today they released details on another new car for the United States, the 2009 Pontiac G3. Basically a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Aveo, the G3 will be powered by the 106 hp (79 kW) 1.6 liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission.

“The small car segment has literally exploded in recent months, with sales up nearly 33 percent in the first six months of 2008 alone,” said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. “With its proven success in other markets, we felt the time was right to bring the G3 into the BPG portfolio for our U.S. customers.”

The 2009 Pontiac G3 will be available in the US starting with spring 2009 as a 2009 model and will be backed by GM’s five-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

Check out more photos after the jump. Read More: "GM announces the 2009 Pontiac G3"

With the “Tame the Name” promotion, GM tried to find the best name for the Pontiac G8 sport truck and their final decision was the “G8 ST”. Not very complicated, huh? Though a lot of us were expecting the “El Camino” name to be adopted, it seems that they’ve decided not to choose that name. “We actually thought very long about El Camino,” said Craig Bierley, BPG product marketing director for cars and crossovers. “In the end, we felt it was more appropriate to honor the El Camino’s unique place as part of Chevy’s heritage and not use that nameplate on a Pontiac.” After sifting through more than 18,000 possibilities, Pontiac has chosen to keep it simple, naming the recently revealed G8 sport truck the “ G8 ST.”

The Pontiac G8 ST basically creates a new niche, a sports car with truck-like cargo and towing capabilities. Sharing the basic architecture and 361 hp V8 engine as the G8 GT performance sedan, it will offer a 73.9-inch cargo bed that has 42.7 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry a payload of 1,000 pounds (453 kg) or tow a 3,500-pound (1,587 kg) trailer. The G8 ST will be available in late 2009 as a 2010 model and will be backed by GM’s industry best 100,000 mile, 5-year powertrain warranty. Pricing will be announced closer to availability.

After a few days ago it showed up on the Pontiac website (Pontiac mistake or not?), the Pontiac Solstice Coupe was unveiled today at the New York Auto Show. Based on the roadster’s success and inspired by classic cars, the Solstice Coupe was created starting from the concept presented six years ago at Detroit.

The coupe is powered by a standard 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine that generates 173 horsepower (129 kW), while the GXP version is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec engine with 260 horsepower (194 kW). What’s interesting about the car also features a removable roof panel, which fully opens the cockpit.

Jim Bunnell, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager said: “Today’s Solstice is the top-selling roadster in the U.S., and we believe this new model has even broader appeal […] The coupe has all the design cues and pleasing performance of the original roadster, and is an all-season alternative for people who enjoy open-air driving.”

Check out more photos of the Pontiac Solstice Coupe after the jump.

Read More: "Pontiac Solstice Coupe unveiled at New York"

At the New York Auto Show, which will start on Wednesday, among a lot of premieres, Pontiac will also unveil the new Pontiac Solstice. Ok, so far so good. However, guess what an autoblog reader found, while he was taking a look around the official Pontiac website. Yup, the Solstice. Not a very impressive image (it’s small and shows the rear of the car) but at least we’ve got something to look at until Wednesday. For more info on the Solstice, stay tuned as we’ll bring you more details after the official announcement.

Read More: "Pontiac Solstice shows up on the Pontiac website"

Remember the GMC Terrain, which debuted at the Dubai Motor Show. We wrote about it here. If the first impression was that this is just another rebadged Opel Antara/Chevrolet Captiva/Saturn Vue for the Asian market, it seems this model is more important than that. Because the GMC Terrain is also going to be sold in the US, where it will replace the Pontiac Torrent. Interesting move from GM.

Read More: "GMC Terrain to replace the Pontiac Torrent"

GM announced today that in January they will recall about 57,100 vehicles due to some safety issues occurred. The cars affected by this recall are the 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent which are not equipped with optional roof rail airbags or optional sunroof.

The safety problems showed up during NHTSA impact tests, which indicated a possibility of an increased risk of head injury in a crash. To fix the problem, dealers will install an energy absorbing foam piece to each of the a-pillar trim assemblies.

Read More: "GM recalls 57,100 Chevrolet and Pontiac SUVs"

Pontiac has announced the pricing for its upcoming 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The starting price tag for the Vibe will be $15,895, while the AWD version will start at $19,495 and the more powerful GT version will start at $19,895. Prices include a $585 destination and freight charge. The first deliveries will be made in February 2008.

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe will be powered by a 1.8-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission for the standard version and a 158 hp 2.4 liter engine for the AWD and GT models. It will have standard safety features like four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, six airbags and OnStar.

If you want to see more details on the 2009 Vibe, you can get it from www.pontiac.com/2009vibe. Meanwhile, check out more photos after the jump.

Read More: "2009 Pontiac Vibe pricing announced"

Motown’s artists, including poets, musicians and spoken word artists came together for the first ever Vibe Slam at the Fillmore Theater. This is some interesting video and I’m sure everyone knows about the Pontiac Vibe and if you don’t, you can find out more from our previous post (click here). Enjoy!

Thanks, Sarah!

After Pontiac showed us, some time ago, this teaser photo and after its cousin, the Toyota Corolla Matrix, was released last week, today the all new 2009 Pontiac Vibe was unveiled, with just a few days ahead of its world debut, at next week’s LA Auto Show. The Vibe will come with a 132 hp 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine (with an estimated fuel consumption of 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway) and with a 158 hp 2.4 liter (25 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway). The 2.4 liter engine will come standard for the GT and AWD versions and optional on the rest of the range. Also, a 4 speed automatic transmission is standard on AWD models, while the FWD versions customers will be able to choose from a 5 speed manual or a 5 speed automatic transmission with DSC (Direct Shift Control).

You can see more details of the new Pontiac Vibe here and also can check out our photo gallery after the jump.
Read More: "2009 Pontiac Vibe is official"

Here’s a cool video, made by autoblog, of the Pontiac Soltice concept car which was introduced at the 2007 SEMA Show. The video also features an interview with Jim Hunter, GM Marketing Product Manager, which gives more info on the concept.

Even if he put up his chromed Lamborghini for sale on eBay some time ago, 50 Cent still has some cool cars in his garage. This modified Pontiac G8 is a perfect example. Created by New York based tuner Unique Autosports, the G8 is powered by an 500 hp LSX 427 engine and all the components are from GM Performance Parts, including a forged steel crankshaft, lightweight titanium connecting rods, racing-derived aluminum cylinder heads and a complete LS7 intake/throttle body/fuel injection system. and in the process created a one-of-a-kind G8 performance sedan.

The car also features custom paint and exterior appointments and for the interior perforated red leather inserts were added to the standard leather seats, plus matching trim was used for the door inserts and armrests. And of course, because it’s a musician were talking about, the car features an 800-watt JBL audio system, with complementing amps and a subwoofer.

Read More: "SEMA 2007: 50 Cent’s Pontiac G8"

After Ford showed us the 9 modified Ford Focus and the 9 modified crossover, which it’ll bring to this month’s SEMA, it’s time for GM to let us know what they’ll present. This year, GM decided to go on a “eco-friendly” theme, so most of the cars are capable of using E85 ethanol or are ultra-efficient sports cars.

We’ll get to see a 500 hp FlexFuel Chevy hot-rod created by GM’s Performance Division, Jay Leno’s E85-powered Corvette Z06 powered by an 8.2L E85-powered V8 engine that develops over 600hp, some new concepts like the Pontiac Solstice SD-290 concept (presented in the photo) and two new G8 performance sedans modified by Pirelli and Unique Autosports, which will be presented by 50 Cent. Oh, and we’ll also have some new stuff from Chevrolet, like the Impala SS NASCAR and Camaro Convertible concepts and modified versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and Chevrolet Subaurban.
Read More: "GM to present 28 models at SEMA"

Well, not exactly a teaser photo, as we actually get to see all the car’s details, I mean, we all remember Subaru’s teasers, those were real teasers. Scheduled to debut at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show and with sales starting early 2008, the new Pontiac Vibe is the American producer’s return to “popular all-wheel-drive and performance-oriented GT models”.
Read More: "2009 Pontiac Vibe Teaser Photo"

GM has announced the pricing for one its most anticipated new sedans, the rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8, which will hit showrooms at the start of 2008. Pricing start at $27,595 for the the V6 model and at $29,995 for the V8 GT model. The 3.6 liter V6 develops 260 hp and is transmission is made through a five-speed automatic gearbox. The Pontiac G8 GT is powered by a 361 hp 6.0 liter V8 engine, which is mated with a six-speed automatic. GM official brag about the G8 GT being “the most powerful vehicle available for under $30,000″. View some more photos of the Pontiac G8 after the jump.
Read More: "2008 Pontiac G8 Pricing"