PONTIAC WILL GET ENTRY LEVEL CAR!

Automotive News / February 13, 2006 - 6:00 am

DETROIT -- General Motors will give Pontiac an entry-level coupe as a stopgap measure until the division gets more brand-focused products, sources close to Pontiac say. In the process, Pontiac dealers will lose the Montana SV6 minivan.The coupe will be a high-performance relative of the Chevrolet Cobalt coupe with some Pontiac influences. The vehicle will give the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel a shot at the small-car market, a source close to GM says. GM is still considering names for it. One option might be the G5, sources say.Pontiac intends to launch the coupe as a 2007 model and likely will start production this fall in Lordstown, Ohio. The car will be priced similarly to the Chevrolet Cobalt SS supercharged coupe, which starts at $20,490, including shipping.Pontiac eventually will lose the Montana SV6 minivan, which has seen sluggish sales and does not fit Pontiac's performance-brand image, sources say. U.S. sales of the SV6 for January fell to 1,450 units, an 11.5 percent drop from 1,638 in the year-ago period.Pontiac has lacked an entry-level car since the Sunfire died last year. In Canada, GM sells a Cobalt sibling called the Pontiac Pursuit.