DETROIT - Bob Lutz, marketing chief for General Motors, confirmed the former Pontiac-brand G8 will not be carried over to the Chevrolet Division as a Caprice model, in his July 16 FastLane Blog.

"The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste," Lutz wrote. From a marketing standpoint, GM "simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be."

"With budgets being what they are for the time being, the resources must be allocated elsewhere," said Lutz.

However, "in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive," Lutz said. "Look no further for proof than the Corvette, the Camaro, the CTS or many other present and future Cadillacs. We have a strong lineup of RWD vehicles already and we will continue to have it."

"And we have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now.".

Reports circulated this past week regarding the G8's rebadging.