Whilst Pontiac introduced its all-new, Holden Ute based vehicle to the public at the New York Auto Show as the G8 Sport Truck  that will not be the car’s name when it enters the North American market in late 2009. As many of our readers are already aware, Pontiac has launched an online competition where consumers can propose a name for the G8 Sport Truck. According to GM, the winning entry will be announced on April 30.

Today’s recall concerns 207,542 MY 1997-2003 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8L supercharged V6 engine. According to GM, engine oil can leak from the valve cover and migrate during manoeuvres such as hard braking. If by any chance the oil reaches the hot exhaust manifold, it may ignite causing an underhood fire.

We seriously doubt that anyone will recognize this moderately tricked out 2006 Pontiac Solstice as one of the gazillion project cars that participated at the 2006 SEMA show. However, if you’re the kind of person that likes tale-telling, then this Solstice might temporarily score you a few points with your friends. According to the seller, the Soltice features a custom made one-off body kit, 20-inch TSW alloy wheels wrapped in 235/30/20 Pirelli tires, a custom yellow paint job, an AEM cold air intake, a Magnaflow performance exhaust and KW sport springs.

Much to the misfortune of our Jalop friends and despite a huge online competition  that saw more than 18,000 different names being entered, GM decided to stick with the totally bland “G8 ST” where ST stands for -you guessed it- Sport Truck. “Frankly, we were blown away by both the volume and quality of the names that were submitted,” said Craig Bierley, BPG product marketing director for cars and crossovers. “G8 ST was one of the most popular suggestions, plus we noticed a far broader trend toward simple, easy-to-remember names.”

Now repeat after us: hip, hip hurray for General Motors’ badge engineering! For all you folks that don’t like the bowtie logo and the split grille of the Chevy Aveo5 which itself is a rebaged version of the Korean market Daewoo Gentra (previously known as the Kalos), GM has stuck BMW-esque nostrils and a Pontiac logo to the Aveo5 and renamed it the G3. Available exclusively in five-door hatchback form, the Korean econobox will hill Pontiac showrooms in the U.S. in spring 2009.

General Motors will not replace the Holden Commodore based, rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8 sedan with a new model when it goes out of production in about five year’s time, Edmund’s Insideline reported today citing unnamed sources. If true, then with the rumored demise of the Solstice Roadster, Pontiac that is supposed to be a sporty brand, will be left without any exciting rear-wheel-drive vehicle in its range.

If someone could please tell us what exactly is so cool or special about this travesty of a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster that could possibly justify the “Buy it Now” price of $70,000 on eBay, we’d deeply appreciate it because as hard as we tried, we couldn’t find anything attractive about this car. The only reason we would could think of that someone would buy this ex Pontiac Solstice is to play a nasty joke on a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster owner by switching cars in the parking lot.

A GM spokesman confirmed earlier rumors today that the company will indeed scrap a financing incentive used-car program earlier than planned because of “a lack of credit funding” - that means no money in plain English. The General had informed its dealers through GMAC Financial Services that it would offer an incentive program on certified-used 2004-2009 models of Chevrolet Impala, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra and Pontiac G6 with 3.9 percent consumer loans for terms up to 60 months.

Since the Holden-based Pontiac G8 ST -where ST stands for Sport Truck- isn’t due to arrive in dealers’ showrooms before late 2009, General Motors decided to keep up the excitement with the introduction of a so-called concept version loaded with factory accessories at this week’s SEMA Show. Highlights of GM-accessorized Pontiac G8 ST Concept include a custom red paint job with enhanced clear coat, lowered ride height, chunky 20-inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats with red inserts, custom interior trim kit, G8 GXP steering wheel and shift knob with red inserts and a hard tonneau cover.

Like they say, there’s nothing like the original. However, if you want our opinion, in the case of the Holden Commodore we prefer the twin nostril fascia of its Americanized sibling, the Pontiac G8. The HSV GTS is another story as Holden’s officially designated performance division has done wonders on the Commodore’s appearance. Either way, if you happen to own a Pontiac G8 and dig the original look of its ‘down-under’ comrade or the kick-ass sporty looks of the HSV model, an Australian company called JHP Vehicle Enhancements will ship you a complete kit to perform the conversion.