GM to Cancel Some Chevy, Pontiac and Cadillac Models

The ax just keeps falling at GM and the hatchet job now includes several more key, even iconic, models from the once-dominant but now withering Detroit automaker.

GM has announced it will be killing the Pontiac G6 GXP sedan and coupe, the Chevrolet Impala SS, Cobalt SS sedan and the Cadillac STS-V, all by the end of the 2009 model year.

The company had already decided to fold the Pontiac brand, which was set to be phased-out by the end of 2010, but had hoped to save some of the brands more successful models. But as the model cuts keep coming, it seems likely that if any Pontiac models survive, they will have to be integrated into GM's surviving Chevrolet name-plate.

The Chevy Cobalt SS coupe may go on for "a while longer -- to be determined," says Terry Rhadigan, a Chevrolet spokesman, in the Automotive News story. Not the most confidence-inspiring statement for a press official to make.

The bad news from GM has no end to it and it seems that it's only a matter of time before that automaker will be forced to follow Chrysler into insolvency. When that happens, that's when consumers will see the real slashing of GM models taking place.

What's your favorite GM car? Keep your fingers crossed if you hope for it to survive.