In an interview with Australia’s Age newspaper, GM designer Michael Simcoe said there will be another Holden Monaro “eventually, but it won’t be here in the next six months or year or so.” The last Monaro was recently discontinued alongside the Pontiac GTO. The GTO, was, of course, a rebadged version of the Holden coupe.
Mr. Simcoe said the next Monaro will be rebadged in a similar manner. “We’d want to find a sister vehicle to give us some volumes so that you could do the job properly.”
While Simcoe didn’t say if that car would be the GTO, it seems like the most likely scenario. He said the new Monaro is not currently under development, which means it’s very unlikely it will be a clone of the production Camaro, which is already believed to be deep into development.
While the idea of the Monaro and GTO being twins again may irk GM enthusiasts, the act of badge-engineering was not what most analysts feel led to the downfall of the GTO. Rather, common wisdom is that the car’s styling was insufficient in the first place.
Recent rumors have suggested the next GTO will have similar levels of aggressiveness to the 1999 GTO Concept (pictured). If true, this would likely mean an American design will be imported to Australia — the reverse of what happened with the Monaro and GTO.
In March, GM Vice Chariman confirmed the GTO program was a go. He told AutoWeek the new GTO project was only on hold for two months, but had since been revived. While no timeframe was given, most enthusiasts expect the new model in 2009 or 2010.
07/27, 11:37 AM
posted by:
gmlutz
Old news.
07/27, 11:38 AM
posted by:
kmoney
Well as long as it doesnt look like an inflated Cavalier coupe. The mechanicals were great, but the body wasnt. So let it be a lesson learned and hopefully the Monaro will be a copy of the GTO next time.
07/27, 12:07 PM
posted by:
GMrules
Overwraught, heavy, and ugly.
07/27, 12:21 PM
posted by:
mossy
thats a good lookin car in the pict
07/27, 12:29 PM
posted by:
Mike
Compare side-by side shots of the GTO concept and the Camaro concept… striking resemblance.
07/27, 12:33 PM
posted by:
fromes
why can’t the gto have its own styling? I dont think a car with the name like gto should look like a camaro or a holden…it should look like….well…a gto
07/27, 1:10 PM
posted by:
todd
dude this is boreing!!!i think ill go kill some ants or something…
07/27, 2:47 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
what a damn ugly thing
07/27, 2:51 PM
posted by:
al
the last GTO was uglier than anything else in the market
07/27, 2:53 PM
posted by:
al
why do GTO’s HAVE to look ugly??? maybe if they try to make it at least a bit appealing to the eyes it could sell
07/27, 5:08 PM
posted by:
Lou
I loved when the GTO was coming out there was all this hype, and then…….nothing. One of the most uninspired, unoriginal designs of all time. Just kill it already.
07/27, 5:53 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
#7: hahaha…that’s hilarious!
Hopefully they’ll do something about the design so you don’t have to kill ants… 
07/27, 9:27 PM
posted by:
JaggedXJ
If anyone cared to read the post they would know this design concept is from 1999. So if anything the Camaro looks like the GTO concept.
Way to go GM, using a design on a different car before you realize your not done with it! Whoo!
07/27, 10:34 PM
posted by:
Derek
No previous post here made any sense. They will use the same platform, that’s about it. If GM just put a Pontiac badge on a Holden again they deserve to die. But they wont, so don’t worry. Oh that’s right, you guys aren’t worried because you can’t tuck in your bias long enough to notice that GM is coming back, hard. That’s right, I said it.
07/28, 12:31 PM
posted by:
GM number1-4ever
My Mullet would look kicka$$ in that car!!! And my girlfriend (Her “Street name” is “Bubbles”) would look smokin hot riding my **** while I’m cruisin the Miami strip.
As Derek said, GM is back… in a big way. I mean BIG! Like my Lovepole BIG!
07/28, 4:22 PM
posted by:
David Hasselhoff
When are they going to fire all the pontiac designers? Please GM, fire them all, except the guy who did the G6, either that or take their crack pipes away, because it is obvious they have a $1500/day habit.
07/28, 9:17 PM
posted by:
James
this car would look cool if it had a red GTO logo glowing red-moving from left to right, back and forth on the grille-just like a Cylon eye from Battlestar Galactica…
08/04, 9:46 PM
posted by:
Rocky (gto owner)
All these negative comments are comming from people who dont have a gto. Its pretty easy to knock some thing you never drive…..Ill smoke any one in my 04..i luv it
08/06, 2:29 AM
posted by:
Rocky (gto owner)
Everyones always jerkin off over the new mustang,,well just last night a blue 06 gt with mods pulled up and right away u knew what was gonna happen…my stock 04 fed that gay little ponny nothing but tail lights. so much nuts the car almost turned side ways when i got on it….take that gto haters……
08/15, 8:50 AM
posted by:
maximum
#1]For all the ass wipes who think the mustang gt is the better car than the gto…they are as superficial as this cheap ford product!!!My older son has a 1993 t-bird 5.0ho this car has 161k on the motor with flows..it moves and sounds just as good as a 06 gt WE TEST DROVE…We found that all the sounds of cheap RATTLING plastic parts where the same between the two cars!!#2]Let’s not talk about the 2+2 seating in the gto as opposed to the nonexsistent seating in the mustang#3]Or the active drive line ,the beautiful fit and finish in the gto!! Road and track,American muscle,Speed channel test drive,online preformance experts all agree at the end of the day the pontiac gto out performed both the mustang and the hemi charger!!…burnouts gto wins,drifting,balls to the wall fun factor gto, gto ,gto If your a pathetic individual who ony cares about looks and not long term quality go buy a mustang you deserve it ..If you want quality ,performance,great value,and all the fun you can handle buy a gto used even you;ll get more bang for the buck!!!!!!Hey ROCKY THESE GUYS ARE A SLEEP HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,…….OH YEAH THE INSSURANCE IS CHEAPER!!!!
08/20, 1:26 AM
posted by:
Rocky (gto owner)
Finaly someone has a brain besides me..thanx for your inteligent input maximum. i hate to see the gto go away for awhile but it will surely come back.people love to hate it and i love it because you know they still have no choice but to respect it (gto). i just drive down the street and cant even count the number of heads it turns. its beautiful. with a **** load of ponys under the hood(thank you corvette)……..
09/03, 6:00 PM
posted by:
John
GTOownerO6,6.O
My wife and I just purchased a GTO, a brand new GTO and I can asure you that this car is brutal on any thing it sees on the road. It eats anything it sees a life. I am told it will do 200 miles an hour, is this true?
I used to have a Bathurst Holden Monaro in the 7Os in Australia and my GTO has the same brutal mannerisms which distiguishes that musclecar spirituality.
This car is a must for anyone who has any slightest desire for brutal, raw , power!!!
09/05, 6:49 AM
posted by:
maximum
John congrats to you and your wife on purchasing a GTO…..Here is a little something for you and my man Rocky!!!!! #1]streetfire .net for mpegs of people with their cars…burnouts exhaust notes ,races etc. …just put in pontiac ….#2]car domain.com for seeing other peoples cars …again put pontiac after the first page….#3]gto heaven..pontiac mega site..#4]lingenfelter performance site and get alook atthe L-gto#5]arrowhead performance you will not believe the 455 tiger it kicks ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! enjoy and oh by the way peep the new october issue of motor trend ….guess what a 4door gto….ha,ha,ha,ha,ha, seriuosly the new grand prix from guess who???? down under….its a 4door gto go to holden to see it online…the ss-v yeah baby…check it out you could have a gto and a ss-v in your drve way