GM studies continuing Pontiac G8 as a Chevrolet

DETROIT, July 13 (Reuters) - General Motors Co, which plans to wind down the Pontiac brand, is considering bringing the Pontiac G8 full-size sedan into the Chevrolet brand, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said on Monday.

The G8, which is assembled in Australia, could be a casualty of a GM restructuring that is trimming the number of brands it offers and concentrating on four core brands: Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac.

However, Lutz said in a Web chat that the G8 had finally been discovered by a broader percentage of the public.

"We consider it too good to waste," Lutz said. "So we're studying the feasibility of bringing it in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public."

Sales of the G8 have jumped in recent months and were up 150 percent at nearly 16,000 vehicles in the first half of 2009 compared with last year.

A version of the Chevrolet Caprice was a mainstay of U.S. law enforcement agencies.

The G8 is built in Australia, but contains numerous U.S.-built components and it is "so American in character that I don't believe the law enforcement agencies would have any problems with the assembly origin of the vehicle," he said. (Reporting by David Bailey and Soyoung Kim; Editing Bernard Orr)