Crystal-Ball Gazing

[Cortazzo]

The LS was on Dew98 which the Mustang's DC2 was supposed be a cheaper version of, if memory serves, but with all the changes that were made Ford'd DC2 is effectively totally different than Dew98.  That is a crying shame because Dew98 could have created a whole group of RWD Lincoln and Mercury RWD sedans, coupes, and wagons but Jag didn't want any part of that and wanted to keep it in the PAG only.

I used to be a big Ford (Lincoln) fan, but they threw away that brand's credibility in the market place with uninspiring products and designs. They had the answer for lincoln based on their late 90s concept cars (MkIX and contintental), but they squandered it 4 turnarounds ago. They have the worst product planners in the industry, they come out with hit products, then let them rot instead of significantly improving them to keep up with competition. The Escape, Focus, Lincoln LS, Navigator, Taurus, Ranger were all class leading products at one time, but for some reason Ford decided to let them implode instead of cashing in on the brands they've created and keeping their products relevant.

[Cortazzo]

Why couldn't they use LSx engines?

If the Northstar fits in the STS I'm sure it could fit in a Buick Zeta.

Why would you want a Northstar? The new smallblocks are much more powerful, have advanced features like DoD, and get better fuel economy. Besides, the buicks are so stuffed full of insulation that the smoothness advantage of the northstar might be a moot point.

Maybe by the time the Zetas actually hit the road, GM will come out with 3 valve heads for the LS engines and shrink displacement to offer class leading economy out of powerful v8 engines! :-D

[evok]

An oversight on GM's part. Something that will be fixed in '08.

I would not count on that one.

[Chazman]

I would not count on that one.

Oh, I don't think it'll get the Northstar....but I think they'll give the engine compartment that extra inch or so of clearance for one.

[guionM]

I've read it before, a while ago, and I am pretty sure the author will read it here and comment on it.

Yep. Just a matter of time before I stumbled on it.

I know for a fact without even doubting it's Guy....

...Forgot one thing. The Camaro is going to be the quickest vehicle ever produced.

1. Meebee.

2. Don't forget the Corvette that's being screwed together as we speak.

Like i said before we are going to see Zeta sooner than we think we will see the camaro and GTO next year for the 2008 model year and then the GP and Impala replacement the following year.

I think we'll see Camaro & maybe GTO quicker than expected. Everything else needs plant space which I don't see till no earlier than 2009.

I don't know what YOUR source is, but MY source (General Motors) doesn't have a Pontiac in the plan for production in North America and doesn't have a Camaro ready for the 2008 model year.

And what if the next Pontiac (including GTO) wasn't made in North America?

.... afterall, Saturn is becoming Opel with certain models made overseas.

And to all here, this conversation will be much more constructive if respect can be shown for the information Hudson, evok, Hogansheroes, chazman, thegriffon, guion, and fbodfather have to share. They know what they are talking about.

The right hand of GM doesn't know what the left is doing (remember this analogy in the future, I promise you'll see a glaring example of this), so it's best to take a composite of what we say, and draw your own conclusions. GM today isn't the same as it was last year, let alone a few years ago. There are so many fragment teams, skunkworks, side decisions, and back doors being used that it's impossible for anyone of us to say definitively what is or isn't happening without help from someone high up in product.

Then there's that issue of GM's dwindling funds and that pesky Delphi situation that can screw things up even worse.

Bob Lutz is actually a dead on source of information as to what's happening at the moment, and can be used as a very vivid window into what the different development arms are doing. Lutz is prone to confuse figures, and when he 1st got to GM, he regularly misjudged how GM operated and ate crow alot. He may confuse 160K Camaros with 160K RWD coupes, but if he says the GTO is "on", it's safe to take it to the bank.

All of us (from me to fbodfather, and everyone in between) has struck out on some information or another. Best thing to do is take it all in, and watch what happens.

[SimonDavid]

Also the Chevy portfolio will have to accomodate the volume decrease in the Impala because of the switch to rwd and price premium compared to the current vehicle.  These means that the Malibu plan would have to be tweaked for its new position in the portfolio as the theoretical volume leader.

Evok, how is the Malibu going to take up this slack if the 2008 refresh is still on the current SWB Ep1? It's a bit of a gamble isn't it? Do GM have something up their sleeve on this?

[evok]

Evok, how is the Malibu going to take up this slack if the 2008 refresh is still on the current SWB Ep1?  It's a bit of a gamble isn't it?  Do GM have something up their sleeve on this?

Nope it is a gamble plain and simple!

[Croc]

Well the Zetas will be 2010, right? And the Malibu switch to the longer EpsilionII is in 2011. Shouldn't be much of a problem.

[Hudson]

Makes a lot of sense if they don't build a pontiac sedan to replace the grand prix there.  I think oshawa has 400k unit capacity.  Between impala and camaro that would be 300-350k units w/ enough extra for a buick or something.

I had hope that gm could squeeze camaro in one of its many sites w/ its flexible prodduction system before my 2009, but i guess not.

Actually, Chevrolet won't take up even 300,000 units of the plant, but the other two models will fill the rest of the plant's 500,000 (yes, five hundred thousand) unit capacity.

[91z4me]

Actually, Chevrolet won't take up even 300,000 units of the plant, but the other two models will fill the rest of the plant's 500,000 (yes, five hundred thousand) unit capacity.

Would the plant possibly be used for exporting, say to AUS, since the dollar is dropping like a rock and the AUS dollar is rising (as are many other currencies against the dollar)?

[Hudson]

Would the plant possibly be used for exporting, say to AUS, since the dollar is dropping like a rock and the AUS dollar is rising (as are many other currencies against the dollar)?

All of the production seems earmarked for North American sale.