Starting in the Spring of 2009, GM will begin stacking the dealerships with its newest gas sipper, the 2009 Pontiac G3. Conceived by the GM-owned Korean Daewoo brand, the G3 is the fraternal twin of the Chevy Aveo -- the struggling auto giant's only other mini-hatch.

As expected, the most troubling aspect of the upcoming G3 has nothing to do with its intrinsic qualities as it is already wielding commercial success in Canada and elsewhere as Pontiac Wave. Instead it is the way in which the car has been universally rejected by the likes of Jalopnik and Autoblog -- both writing it off as the "car you CAN ignore" and "Daewoo-sourced trashback".

I have never been one to pander to the status quo and will not start today. Sharing Aveo's 1.6L four-cylinder 4-banger translates into similarly lackluster performance, but also spells out equally frugal 34-plus mpg. In addition, the two cars are different inside. Just look at the dash: The Aveo screams Korea, while the G3 whispers Mazda3.

Of course, my esteemed colleagues' gripe with the new G3 is that its lack of G8-like mojo breaks with Pontiac's long-standing "driving excitement" adage. Good! With dwindling domestic sales, huge legacy costs, creeping competition, and bailout-hungry hands stretched in humiliation, I say both GM and what's left of its U.S. market share have had just about enough 'excitement' already. Perhaps "driving excitement" is the thing of the past -- empty consumer folklore that should be abandoned for "efficiency", "convenience", and "value".

So here is to the new credo: "Good Things Come in Small Packages!"