What We Know for Sure; Made-for-Oprah Pontiac G6 gets oomph.(News)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

** Pontiac has toyed with performance for years, while occasionally delivering on that promise.

But General Motors' so-called excitement division may be onto something with its GXP line of sedans, the most recent of which is the G6 GXP concept shown at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.

The G6 GXP concept is most likely the third production model in a sport-tuned family that debuted in showrooms earlier this year with the introduction of the 2004 Bonneville GXP. The performance Bonney has Cadillac's 4.6-liter Northstar V8 stuffed underhood, a suspension tuned to tackle the twisties, and other goodies. Last month at the California International Auto Show, Pontiac followed that with a V8-powered Grand Prix GXP, which goes on sale next spring (AW, Nov. 1). More on that later.

All this enthusiast momentum owes its existence to a small group of go-fast engineers commonly known as GM's Performance Division. These guys have been busy tooling these tuners in-house since 2002, when they first got their marching orders. (Pontiac marketing folks are quick to point out, however, that GXP's genesis came before the Performance Division existed. Get a sense there are some territorial issues here?)

Want the best news about GXP? Considering the Bonneville GXP accounts for almost 30 percent of all Bonneville sales, GM accountants must be on board with Pontiac's performance sedan movement.

The G6 GXP at SEMA is technically a concept, but given Pontiac's record of converting GXP concepts to production cars since the 2002 SEMA show, it's a good bet the production trigger will get pulled. Pontiac executives note positive public response to Bonneville and Grand Prix GXP concepts led to their production.