What you see above is something that has long existed in other parts of the world. Based on a sports saloon but with a pick-up truck bed in the back, sport trucks have also generated a cult following in some country’s.  One of these country’s is Australia. In fact, this is were Pontiac’s latest baby comes from.

Dubbed the G8 Sport Truck, the new car/truck hybrid is essentially a G8 Sedan from the B-pillar forward, the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck comes standard with the same 6.0-liter V8 found in the GT sedan. 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque are sent through a six-speed automatic transmission only (sorry clutch pedal fans). According to Pontiac, the setup is good for a 0-60-mph time of 5.4 seconds which is mighty impressive. A V6 is still being considered, but GM hopes it can sell enough V8’s to offer only that engine in a competitive price.

Suspension layout remains unchanged from the sedan save a few tweaks. MacPherson struts still reside up front and a four-link independent rear end which is a bit unusual for a truck. Fear not, the rear springs were stiffened up to give the sport truck some actual hauling capability in the tune of a 1,074-pound payload capacity and 3,500-pound tow rating. A 1mm-thicker front antiroll bar helps restore the handling balance of a super light tail. The brakes are carried over directly from the G8 GT sedan, with 18-inch wheels and P245/45R18 summer performance tires standard and 19’s optional but a body-color soft tonneau cover is standard.

Look for them to be on dealer lots at the earliest in late summer 2009. No word on pricing yet, but if it’s priced right than expect it to go over well with the outdoor and extreme sports crowd. I for one have a sport bike and this would be a great way for me to haul the bike when I need to and drive a sports car the rest of the time. Hmmm…me likes!

Above: Now you can haul stuff while you haulin’ ass….!