GM revives rear-wheel sedans for Chevy, Cadillac
09-24-10, 09:32 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
GM revives rear-wheel sedans for Chevy, Cadillac
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...100929900/1260
DETROIT -- Plans for a sporty, rear-wheel drive Chevrolet sedan have been revived at General Motors Co., Motor Trend reports in its upcoming November issue. The program had been mothballed over a year ago as GM was heading into bankruptcy.
Additionally, a low volume, rear-wheel sedan planned for Cadillac is expected to carry a price of around $130,000, putting it in the company of the Mercedes-Benz S class and BMW 7 Series sedan, www.motortrend.com said.
Both vehicles are expected to be introduced by mid-decade.
The cars will be developed on the automaker's next generation rwd Zeta vehicle platform. The platform will be significantly re-engineered, using high-strength steel to reduce weight, the magazine said. Two wheelbases are planned.
The unnamed Chevrolet will be developed on the shorter of the two Zeta wheelbases. The unnamed Chevrolet sedan will -- conceptually -- be a four-door Camaro, the Web site reported.
The Cadillac's styling is expected to be dramatic in an effort to draw attention to the brand in China and Europe. The car may have a few styling cues from the Cadillac Sixteen concept introduced in 2003.
The long wheelbase Zeta platform will be used for the Cadillac model. A small V-8 is under consideration.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...#ixzz10VpxJMY7
Additionally, a low volume, rear-wheel sedan planned for Cadillac is expected to carry a price of around $130,000, putting it in the company of the Mercedes-Benz S class and BMW 7 Series sedan, www.motortrend.com said.
Both vehicles are expected to be introduced by mid-decade.
The cars will be developed on the automaker's next generation rwd Zeta vehicle platform. The platform will be significantly re-engineered, using high-strength steel to reduce weight, the magazine said. Two wheelbases are planned.
The unnamed Chevrolet will be developed on the shorter of the two Zeta wheelbases. The unnamed Chevrolet sedan will -- conceptually -- be a four-door Camaro, the Web site reported.
The Cadillac's styling is expected to be dramatic in an effort to draw attention to the brand in China and Europe. The car may have a few styling cues from the Cadillac Sixteen concept introduced in 2003.
The long wheelbase Zeta platform will be used for the Cadillac model. A small V-8 is under consideration.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...#ixzz10VpxJMY7
09-24-10, 10:48 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
GM had all this back in the 90's but let it go. The rear drive Impala SS was a hit and could have been refined and exploited further. Now they are backpedalling, much like how they have always done. Once again, we've heard all these wonderful promises before.
09-25-10, 09:22 AM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
Both vehicles are expected to be introduced by mid-decade.
Originally Posted by Fizzboy7
GM had all this back in the 90's but let it go. The rear drive Impala SS was a hit and could have been refined and exploited further. Now they are backpedalling, much like how they have always done. Once again, we've heard all these wonderful promises before.
I agree, from my point of view, it was a mistake.....and I hated to see them go, too. But, from a strictly buisness point of view, the decision did help GM to produce and sell more high-demand, high-profit Silverados, Tahoes, Suburbans, etc.... Few people, at the time, were actually buying those full-size, full-frame, RWD, V8 models outside of police departments, some safety-conerned senior-citizens, and some taxi firms. However, Ford, of course, benefitted from the decision because, from 1996 on, they now had that market all to themselves.
09-25-10, 09:27 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
The GTO (and the later Pontiac G8), unlike the Mustang, Camaro, Charger, and Challenger, were American in name only (except for the big GM-sourced V8). The rest of the GTO was a redone Australian Holden Monaro, and the G8 a Holden commodore.
And even the Charger/Challenger were done with a Mercedes E-Class-derived chassis/transmission....and American Hemi powerplants.
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09-25-10, 10:03 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Forget the old ideas of American, European, Japanese, and Korean. Those days are clearly gone....today's auto-buisness is global. In fact, in the last couple of posts above, I just gave you several examples of cars with "American" nameplates that had parts-sourcing and engineering from other countries.
09-25-10, 12:25 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Forget the old ideas of American, European, Japanese, and Korean. Those days are clearly gone....today's auto-buisness is global. In fact, in the last couple of posts above, I just gave you several examples of cars with "American" nameplates that had parts-sourcing and engineering from other countries.
He's talking about the successful and highly regarded premium brands currently known as Lexus/Mercedes/BMW/Porsche being Japanese/German as prime examples. Cadillac is not in that company of premium tier 1 automakers.
But this is interesting development at GM.
09-25-10, 01:39 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
09-25-10, 07:06 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Agreed arguable like anything else on CHIT CHAT, even if not commonly accepted by those actually in these markets for real. I'm not talking about specific models, I'm talking about established Tier 1 brands though and Cadillac is sub-Tier1.
Last edited by IS-SV; 09-26-10 at 10:28 AM. Reason: sp
09-25-10, 07:15 PM
#12
Pay $130,000 for a Cadillac? Why? It will probably have a salvage value of $25,000 after 5 years... Horrible investment.
Sure, all cars depreciate to a point, but Cadillac cars become worthless after only several years. It's a joke to say the least.
Sure, all cars depreciate to a point, but Cadillac cars become worthless after only several years. It's a joke to say the least.
09-25-10, 09:55 PM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
Cadlillac would be much better off investing moneys on developing a legit 7-series/A8/S-Class competitor. What's coming up looks like another glizty art and science joke that will become outdated a year after going on sale.
09-26-10, 10:26 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
I'm already tired of the Escalade-derived non-aero so-called Art and Science look of the current lineup. With the CTS as the only strong seller (and that's been fading somewhat lately), a focus on its mainstream products would be more productive. The sales resistance to a $100K+ Cadillac is obvious to those that buy premium cars for a variety of reasons (many of which have been mentioned already).
