The Pickup Formerly Known as 'Sport Truck'
The contest to name Pontiac’s G8 Sport Truck concept is over.; From the many impassioned cries to name the truck ‘El Camino’ or any other sort of retro-creative nomenclature, the marketing gurus chose this: the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST.
How clever.; As you’ve already surmised, the ‘ST’ stands not for ‘Standard Transmission’ (no manual here, folks, only a five-speed auto) or ‘Super Thrust’ (a GXP version isn’t currently in the cards), but ‘Sport Truck.’; Hey, isn’t that what it was originally called?; Crazy.
Although we’re not fans of the alphabet soup naming system used by many automakers, this does make sense.; Yes, the car’s got sport – what, with a 361-hp 6.0-liter V-8 and rear-wheel-drive.; And certainly, it’s a truck.; Okay, at least it is somewhat – there may be a 73.9-inch long cargo bed out back, but don’t mistake it for something built for stump pulling.
And we do prefer the ST name over ‘El Camino.’; Although the die-hard Elky fans may wish for a revival of their nameplate, it’d be rather unusual to see a Chevrolet moniker on a Pontiac vehicle.; We’ve seen the opposite happen in Europe (Chevrolet Trans Sport, anyone?); the result is anything but pretty.
The G8 ST is technically a 2010 model, but expect to see the ‘ute’ in Pontiac showrooms in early 2009.
