Pontiac G3, coming to U.S.

[VforVIBE]

Our Northern Neighbors know it as the Wave.Quote »Pontiac subcompact may come to U.S.General Motors wants to raise its fuel economy by adding a Pontiac subcompact.Dealer sources say GM plans to bring to the United States the Pontiac G3, a platform mate of the Chevrolet Aveo that is sold in Canada and Mexico.GM also hopes to boost sales of the redesigned Aveo5 five-door when it arrives in showrooms in July, a spokesman says.The EPA has approved for sale the Pontiac G3 and G3 five-door, twins of the Aveo. The G3 is certified as a 2009 model, according to the agency's Web site.The site says both G3s and the 2009 Aveo5 are powered by a 1.6-liter engine and four-speed automatic transmission. They are EPA-rated at 25 mpg city and 34 highway.Pontiac sells the current version of the G3 in Canada, where it is called the Wave, and in Mexico. News of the G3's 2009 EPA ratings caught some Pontiac executives by surprise.Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson said executives learned over Memorial Day weekend that the EPA had certified the G3.One dealer told Automotive News that a GM executive confirmed to him this year that Pontiac would get a G3 compact based on the Aveo. The dealer says many dealers don't want a small economy car in Pontiac's lineup. Others inside GM say it's a move to round out the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel.Hopson says dealers have not asked for the car and already have a small economy car, the Pontiac Vibe five-door hatchback. The 2008 Vibe's EPA ratings are nearly the same as the G3.But the G3 would cost less than the Toyota-built Vibe, which starts at $15,895, including shipping. The 2008 Chevy Aveo five-door starts at $10,895, although a Pontiac version likely will cost more.For Chevy, the Aveo5 "is an important car," says Terry Rhadigan, a Chevrolet spokesman. "The market is about 75 percent five-doors now."

[WaveAction]

they've been out for a few yrs here..but they're alright...great on gas..i wouldnt be caught driving one though..we had a red hatchback come in with 17" rims..tinted windows..was kinda interesting to see a modded wave/G3

[ColonelPanic]

Great, another job well done by GM's department of redundancy department. What will they think of next? I do like the Pontiac version of the 5-door more than the Chevy though, it looks like a lil' first gen Vibe from the front end, how cute! First thing I'd do though is pull off the fenders and fill in those fricken holes from the ridiculously stupid fake chrome vents. This thing confuses me, it is totally anti-Pontiac at this point. They wanted so bad to focus the brand on RWD tire smoking fuel sucking pigs... But with the way the economy is headed and fuel prices ever increasing, I guess somebody had enough sense to offer a cheap econobox to the lineup.

Attached files

[joatmon]

I think the "G" names are boring, especially in a brand supposed to be linked to "excitement"THe car may match the 08 Vibe's mpg's, but that means it's better than the 09 vibe's

[tribalman]

Quote, originally posted by WaveAction »we had a red hatchback come in with 17" rims..tinted windows..was kinda interesting to see a modded wave/G3isn't that a vibe then? lol. at first glance it does look a lot like a vibe.

[WaveAction]

Quote, originally posted by tribalman »isn't that a vibe then? lol. at first glance it does look a lot like a vibe.no..it's a wave...i didnt post up the red wave up a few post^^^ but this one i saw was an older version..believe it was an '06..here's a pic of an older versionhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/2...80691/i also found an old thread of someone asking about if anyone heard of a pontiac wavehttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=18387

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by tribalman »isn't that a vibe then? Think smaller

[bull77]

i was actually looking into getting a wave as a second car, but the one i was looking at got sold

[kunkstyle]

I had no idea that these weren't available in the US. The pics don't look bad, but up close they don't look much bigger than a Honda Fit. Fine for a commuter only car, but next to no storage. I figure in a few years they'll have the same fate as the Geo Metro.

[ColonelPanic]

We have had them here, they've just been the Chevy version.

[MRCN RCE]

it looks like a sentra with a poorly done pontiac grille.

[northvibe]

why bring a rebadged poor selling pos reliability car to showroom floors?!

[ZubenElGenubi]

Just got a Pontiac email with a link to a website about the G3:http://www.pontiac.com/showFutureG3.doLooks a lot like the Saturn Aura 4-door hatchback. Bleh.

[zionzr2]

Looks like and probably is the Daewoo made Chevy Aveo!

[ramenboy...]

yuck. take a step forward with the G8, step backward with this thing