Pontiac to Build Compact SUV Wagon

General Motors Corp.’s Pontiac division confirmed that it will begin building a new compact sport-utility wagon in California next year. The Pontiac Vibe, a so-called crossover that blends aspects of the passenger car and sport-utility vehicle, will be built at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a Fremont factory owned jointly by GM and Toyota Motor Corp. The new Pontiac, unveiled at a press preview at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, will share a platform with a similar-sized Toyota to be unveiled next week in Detroit. In other previews at the L.A. show, Ford Motor Co.’s Jaguar unit confirmed that it will build a production version of its F-Type roadster, and DaimlerChrysler’s Dodge brand displayed a hybrid gasoline-electric concept called the PowerBox that it says offers the performance of a full-size SUV with the fuel economy of a small V-6 engine. One insider suggested that the PowerBox concept could take shape as a production vehicle in time to help DaimlerChrysler meet California’s low-emissions vehicle mandate in 2003.