Hood adornment latest scoop on sedate GTO.

Byline: Jim Mateja

NOVI, Mich. _ Hoping to change jeers to cheers, Pontiac will upgrade the GTO for 2005 by adding a more potent V-8 engine along with hood scoops upfront, twin dual exhausts in the rear and 18-inch wheels underneath.

The scoops, exhausts and wheels are in response to critics who insist the car is too bland for a performance model.

When word got out that Pontiac would bring back the GTO name that launched muscle cars in the `60s, enthusiasts expected the retro look. Think Ford and Thunderbird.

But Pontiac wanted to offer the GTO for many years and insisted the retro look creates strong initial demand that quickly fades, as evidenced by the soon to be discontinued retro Thunderbird.

While Pontiac counted on selling 12,000 to 15,000 GTOs this year, the tally will be 7,000 to 8,000. So GTO will be outsold by the often-criticized Aztek sport-utility vehicle by at least 3 to 1.

To silence those who insist the GTO is a tad bland, Pontiac will offer hood scoops on the `05 model as a no-cost option. Split dual exhausts will be standard while an upgrade to 18-inch wheels from 17 inches will be an extra-cost option.

Bunnell said the upgrade to the GTO should boost the `05 price by $1,000 to $1,500, plus options, which haven't been priced yet. The `04 starts at $32,495.

The `05 GTO goes into production in Australia this fall and arrives in the United States "in December or January, in time for the Chicago Auto Show (February)," said Jim Bunnell, Pontiac/GMC general manager at a preview of the `05 GM lineup.

Pontiac isn't done tweaking the GTO.

"More is in the works. We'll have a customized car at the Woodward Dream Cruise (Aug. 21 in Detroit) to explore other options," Bunnell said.

Sources suggest the GTO may be in line for special-edition versions produced in limited numbers like Ford does with the Mustang.

And though enthusiasts complained about the styling, few griped about the 350-horsepower 5.7 liter V-8 in the `04 GTO.

"The 400-h.p. 6-liter V-8 for `05 is a pleasant surprise for everyone," said Bunnell. This more powerful V-8 wasn't ready when the GTO bowed, and Pontiac added it because they say you can never have too much horsepower in a high-performance car.

It should be no surprise, however, that the 6-liter V-8 probably will carry a $1,000 gas-guzzler tax like the 5.7-liter V-8 does for failing to obtain 22 m.p.g. in combined city/highway mileage. Pontiac said there's no final mileage rating.

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Drive you crazy when an oncoming car has its bright lights on at night? The midsize rear-wheel-/all-wheel-drive `05 Cadillac STS sedan will be offered with Intellibeam headlamps that automatically switch from bright to dim when an approaching motorist gets within 500 feet.

The `05 STS also is multilingual. You can program the on-board navigation system to speak in French, Italian, Spanish, German or English, and that's English as spoken in the U.S. and the Queen's English as spoken in England. You also have the choice of a male or female voice _ unless you choose the Queen's English in which case, of course, only a female voice provides directions.

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Cadillac said the `05 STS, which replaces the Seville, will run about $2,000 more with optional all-wheel-drive. So an AWD STS will start at about $49,495. AWD will be offered in only V-8 models for `05 and added to V-6 models for `06.

General Manager Mark LaNeve said Cadillac moved ahead of Mercedes-Benz into third place in the luxury-vehicle sales for the first six months of `04 and has stayed there through July as Cadillac sales of 129,912 units kept it 7,700 units ahead of Mercedes. But Cadillac has a way to go to move up on second place BMW or first place Lexus. Cadillac trails BMW by 17,000 units and Lexus by 33,000.

"It's possible we could stay ahead of Mercedes for the full year, but passing Lexus or BMW would be a big jump," LaNeve said.

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(Write to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 616 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1523, or send e-mail, including name and hometown, to jmateja@tribune.com.)

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