Sky GM's first true world car?

[hyperv6]

Saturn Sky rebadged as a Daewoo? Yes the G2X roadster was intro'd at the Busan Motor Show.

Like the Sky and the Solstice, Daewoo will be using the vehicle as a halo and a way to lure younger buyers as it tries narrows the market share between it and Kia. We now have a Opel's version of the Sky sold in Europe as the GT and word has it a Holden model may be sold sometime in Australia in the future?

Any way the G2X will only be offered and sold as a Daewoo in Asia.

This will help add capacity and lower the cost per unit at the Wilmington plant and may make a second Gen more viable if it is sold world wide in greater numbers.

Also before any one crys badge engineering the only Kappa market with two cars will be the States. All other cars will be sold in one region only. This is no different than what Honda does with Acura. Acura in Japan is sold as Honda not Acura. As long as GM does not import the Daewoo I see no problem with this.

This is not badge engineering so much as it really is good marketing that we have not seen from GM in the past.

One thought is who will offer rebadge kits for the Sky so owners can rebadge and regrille bar their Sky's as Opel GT or the like models sold in the US market. You know how many always want what they can't have.

Note grill has Daewoo emblem.

Edited May 7, 2006 by hyperv6

[Croc]

I hope this is true...would really make me like Kappa more...

[Guest Josh]

Sure is true! Daewoo gets a version too.

[Croc]

We already knew about the Daewoo...I'm thinking more along the lines of Holden. I can see Aussies loving this thing...

Really, though, anything that supplies more volume with minimal costs is fine by me.

ETA: I'm torn though on which Kappa I'd want in Oz...on the one hand the Solstice has a very distinctive design, and blacking out the grille and adding a holden badge wouldn't look too out of place...but the SKY interior is superior and is also the international vehicle...I know they will likely go for the SKY, but while I do like the SKY better overall, the Solstice is more expressive.

Edited May 7, 2006 by Croc

[hyperv6]

Is Vauxhall still going to get one?

I have not seen any pictures of one or is GM going to send the Opel GT to England?

[Croc]

I'd assume they will...I mean they used the VX Lightning concept for the SKY.

[ToniCipriani]

But didn't GM mention already that there won't be a RHD version?

[Croc]

But didn't GM mention already that there won't be a RHD version?

Did they? Well that rules out Oz then...

[hyperv6]

I think the key will be if end up doing a RHD Vauxhall. If they go that far I would expect them to go down under.

We will just have to wait and see if they stick to the original statment about no RHD or will change it later.

RHN could be sent to Japan too where I think this car would sell well in a Turbo form.

RHD I am sure comes down to how many would they sell vs the cost to put it into production.

[Trimnell1]

This is why there was so much argument on the S.O.S. thread, if GM had taken the time to develop Kappa into a very flexible platform capable of both LHD and RHD, a variety of engines, and different bodystyles in the first place, then there would not be any discussion over what might have been. On one hand, I absolutely love the Sky and Solstice for what they are and what they represent for GM, I would buy one in an instant if I was in the market. On the other hand, I can see why Kappa from a business and numbers standpoint could be considered a big disappointment. In order to make Kappa II into the platform it should have been in the first place, GM would have to totally redesign it which means a big investment in money, resources, and time.

If Kappa was highly flexible from the onset, they could have taken an evolutionary upgrade path like the Corvette C5 to C6. Like others have mentioned before, the Holden Torana concept was a great idea being based on Kappa. However, it was modified so much that what emerged could no longer be considered Kappa anymore, it essentially became a new platform that was nicknamed "Beta". Also, the Nomad and Curve concepts were great ideas but still showed the basic limitations of Kappa. Hopefully, this Daewoo will sell well so that the business case for Kappa II makes financial sense to GM.

I'm all for a Kappa II platform that would give GM a huge advantage over the competition, but does GM have enough money and resources to devote to this project, being as it would have to be pretty much all-new?

[Guest Josh]

It's all about the $$$$ Trimnell1 and this quote "Hopefully, this Daewoo will sell well so that the business case for Kappa II makes financial sense to GM."

Already has started to happen. But, might be quite a while off.

[Newbiewar]

It's all about the $$$$ Trimnell1 and this quote "Hopefully, this Daewoo will sell well so that the business case for Kappa II makes financial sense to GM."

Already has started to happen. But, might be quite a while off.

wow i thought orriginal capacity was around 30k... its clear to me, at least, that this plant will see at least two or three times that amount with the global sales...

[thegriffon]

I don't believe there are any global sales planned beside the Opel GT. Any other vehicles shown are simply concepts to add a little excitement to autoshow displays, much as was done with the Opel Speedster, also shown with Holden and Daewoo badges, but never produced as such. With capacity limited by the production process there really isn't any gain with expanding export markets unless US sales tank.

[Croc]

Thanks for injecting some reality into the situation, griffon. Just as I was hoping that Kappa wasn't a business disaster after all...

[ZL-1]

They're preparing for US demand to go down after the first model year, IMO.

[thegriffon]

Thanks for injecting some reality into the situation, griffon.  Just as I was hoping that Kappa wasn't a business disaster after all...

The limited capacity is a direct result of GM attempting to avoid a business disaster. The problem was "How can we build a very low volume vehicle and still make money?" This is the result. Adding flexibility and the potential for much higher capacity would have cost miuch more money, and in that case Kappa wouldn't have happenned at all. Sales are strong now but they can't be expected to stay that way for very long. In a few years they have to expect sales to fall to several hundred a month, so the addition of the Saturn and later the Opel GT will just help sustain volumes, as does the 2.0 Turbo. The business case for Kappa was completely unproven, as is the build process. If it all works and they can make money, then maybe they will look at expanding flexibility with a second generation and spending money on addressing the current architecture's shortcomings. Then again they may change tack altogether and base the next gen roadsters on a new small rwd platform underpinned by higher-volume models.