hyperv6

Here in this note on the Vette future Tom Wallace gives some insight on where the V8 is headed and you can expect the same size and weight reduction for the other cars too. The new CAFE regulations might spell the end for big V8s, but future Corvettes will be packing a similar performance punch with a smaller footprint. Automotive News sat down with the Corvette's vehicle line exec, Tom Wallace, to discuss the future of the iconic coupe and he said that a 700 hp 'Vette is off the table. Instead, Chevy is looking to lighten the Corvette's weight and utilize a smaller V8 in order to keep the same power-to-weight ratio of the current generation models. Although Wallace didn't get into details, that didn't stop AN from speculating that the next Corvette could go on a 300 to 400 pound diet and get motivation from a 4.7-liter V8 (making 150 hp less). However, Wallace's own words are more telling, saying that the next 'Vette could be "more fuel efficient [and] even nimbler than it was before.

I know they have in the past and present but I just don't see that loop hole being left open. There is a good chance I will be wrong but I don't think they will leave this loop hole open if for very long. The people in washing ton are playing with this ball now and the ones that want in want even more blood. I am expecting that this loope hole will be stopped or the penalty will be made in some other way vs a guzzler tax. You just can't assume these wacko's are finished.

So BMW and Benz will sell less cars for more money? I expect the goverment will not just let a lot of cars slip through just on a gas guzzler tax. I expect large corperate penalties that will be more than what can be passed along. As for the truck look for things like better packaged 1/2 ton trucks. there is alot of wasted space under the hood and in the cab. I expect Unibody to take over to remove more weight and a new look at composites. We already had a plastic bed and I expect it to return in better material. There will be trucks and they will be profiable but they will be different than what we have now. Also the SUVs will be replace with unibody cross overs like we are already getting. Besides if gas continues to rise many will give up their large trucks unless they have a need for it. I would estimate 1/3 conservitively of the truck market is held down by people who really don't need a truck or a large one. We already have seen how $3 a gallon has effect large truck sales. From last I read the limited production companies will be exempted as they produce so few cars. I agree GM will contiue to sell trucks and try to find ways to advance them to keep with the times. But I also expect GM not got get caught with their pants down this time and have some small cars that are as good or better than anything else will offer. I think the new Malibu has shown GM can make great cars in classes they never have before. If they can make the Bu w winner there is not reason to expect the next Cobalt to be anything less. Our Ace is Lutz.

They have a better shot at keeping RWD vs BMW and Benz. Cafe is Corperate Average and GM sell a lot of small other cars vs Benz For BMW who sell few if any small cars. With a few tweeks the CTS RWD can get in the twenties and with the limited numbers Caddy sells it would balance out. I see either large companies with large numbers of models at an advantage as they can rely on small car sales to sell some larger cars. I also see companies like Ferrari at a advantage as they sell so limited a number they are exempt. Companies like Mercedes have few small cars and fewer that sell real well. They are the ones in very dire need. I can only think of the smart cars as some of their small diesels as a good mileage Daimler product. We are all sitting here complaining about losing the RWD car when the pick up is the main problem. Full Size Pick Ups and SUV's account for 70% of sales and a greater part of the profits. IF GM can figure how to control the truck milage and keep profits up it releases much of the pressure on the cars. They only then need a profitable line of small or hybrid cars to open up room for the mid size RWD based cars. Lets face it even if Zeta lived it would not have been GM's biggest or most important moving line. Even the 300 and Charger at Chrysler are good selling but not the best selling. Not every one want that kind of car anymore. I still see a window we will still have some cars we like but they will not be cheap or great in number of models as we might have had. Cars selling like a G8 at 40,000 or less a year would be ideal in this kind of market. If shared with oversea models like Holden it would keep lower numbers profitable. Now if you sell 150,000 then the problems would start as their mileage would be hard to offset. I know I am missing something here as I just woke up. But we need to think out side the box and not how car companied have built and sold cars before. This can and will work out but start thinking of all the tools in GM's hands to fix this. The Daewoo may have opened the door for GM to have and make little cars at a profit that people want that will sell in great enough numbers to let a Camaro live. I just don't know what we can do with a 1/2 ton Pickup.

My point is not to phase out anything but that it is to the point if Pontiac is there or not it make little differance. I think they can keep Pontiac alive if they can find a car that is different enough from the other GM products and that being with Buick and GMC take the pressuer off if they do want to keep it sinc it is no longer a full line division. As for not forcing cars that aren't desireable that is just what Lutz is fighting. His mission is to take small car with small engines and make them thinks people want and enjoy. Not an easy task. With Zeta we were almost set to have that. But now GM has little time to rethink and retool to meet the reg. The one thing as I stated GM has in their favor is all MFG are in the same boat. The big problem is coming up with any cars people will want vs a whole corperation of of them. How many ways can you make a Aveo fun?

Please do not over look the fact this 35 MPG is not a GM problem it is a Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda and the like. Even Honda's Fleet average right now is not much better than 23 MPG if the numers I saw were correct. So this is a industry wide problem and GM is not going to go away or fail. GM will have to make some real big changes just as everyone else. There is a good chance we will lose some favorite models and even a brand or two. This is not the end of the world. I am a big Pontiac fan but right now if they quit selling them on Monday It is not really going to impact GM in a large way since they sell so few now anyway. But the truth is Pontiac can live on even in 3 models if need be since Buick and GMC are combind. Also some act as if the expansion of Chevy is a surprise. It has been going on for several years as GM is growing Chevy as a world wide brand in new and old markets. We have Chevy in Europe [mostly Daewoo] South America, Africa, The Middle East, China and we may even see them soon if not already in India. The models vary but the name is the same. In time the models will vary less and less. Like the changes or not they have to happen and GM has to play there stong cards. GM is big enough and strong enough to make it through all of this. There are other companies that are in real trouble now. Chrysler is on the bubble unless they can come up with some winning small cars. Even companies overseas Like Honda and the like have to spend billions for better technology as they today can not meet the standards. Honda can not afford to spend billions with out help of a larger partner. I expect down the road the goverment may give them some room on the milage but the work still needs to be done. We have all heard the end of our favorite cars before in the 60's 70's, and 80's. But we made it thorugh. We will not see the world end just change in some good and bad ways. Kind of sounds like life?

Unless something changes only trucks, Cadillac and the Vette may have a V8. Ford even has pondered a Tubo 6 for the F 150. The changes to make 35 MPG are real unless the goverment flinches. There is not sign of that. The fact is we still will have 300 HP 4 cylinders and 400+ HP out of some V6 engines. If some of the diehards can get over the stigma of 2 less cylinders we will have some very respectable performance cars available. Some of the most powerful F1 and group B cars to date were only small displacment 4 and 6 cylinder cars with well over 1000 HP. They had to kill them because they were getting too powerful for their series. Besides future cars will not be 4000 pounds and less weight is more performance.

They drove the Camaro [ on the back of a semi] past the Challangers press deal on Woodward two years ago. That is about as close as they have been on the road. As of yet they have not brought any Camaros here yet as of about 2 weeks ago.

Less than Zero!! The only reason the CTS wagon may happen is they want it for Europe to be taken as a real car for the European market. They love wagons over there. We may see a limited number of CTS wagons here but the majortity will go to Europe if they are built. There is little market in the US for Wagons and the Magnum proved that. Cross overs rule the market and that has not changed.

No one here should be suprised at this as this web site is about as informed as any out there. We knew the Impala RWD was a no show for Detroit and on the bubble. We knew The GTO was not on Solid ground and not likely. We knew the new CAFE standard threw most plans out the window. We knew that Scott Settlemire said about 2 weeks ago the Camaro was going to be exported. We also saw in the past the Camaro if exported would most likely remain a Camaro. While this is not good news for the Zeta and many new cars short term it is good to see GM react now and not years from now when it is to late. We still have a good shot of RWD car on the Alpha that will be lighter which will still give us performance and better handling and braking. We will now have a Camaro sold world wide that will give it better volume and a better shot at being a 6th gen on a Alpha later. This may have just extended the Camaro's life. The plain fact is we knew the CAFE was coming as did GM and neither of us are happy. All you can do is start plans right now to better place GM in the market as the mileage crunch time arrives. We will have performance in the future but we will have to learn new ways of dealing with it. GM is not the only one to face this and all companies need to react. Ford is well on the way to phase out the V8 in cars and some trucks. Gm can if they prepare now make gains in the market place with this upheavel. We have been hit with the end of the world a few times before. Did anyone back in 1981 ever expect to see a ZR1 like we just go? How would you like to be a product planner tight now? So many Choices and each one could sink you if your wrong!

GM did not miss the boat as even the RWD Chryslers are limited in their impact. It husrts us as enthusiast but car like the Malibu are what the regular joe car buyer wants. It also is the jund of car that makes money. We may have missed out on some cars here but I don't expect Lutz to forget about us with future product. In the past Rodger Smith kind of thinking we would have never gotten the G8, CTS, ZR-1 or Camaro. Even if Bob left today his legacy will carry 5 year of his work and longer with those he leaves in place. The good news he is still here so we just keep getting more time. The bottom line is the CAFE stanndards the goverment passed has screwed all of the enthusiast. We will still have performance and fun cars just we will have to lean new ways of doing it. As for hate let it go if you ignore it, it will go away. Kind of like a tree falling in the woods of was it a bear sh.. oh well you know what I mean.

I think the new CAFE has more to do with the cutting of the Zeta more than anything. While I did like the wagon I really don't think there was enough market to justify bringin it here. America is just not a wagon market anymore. The Magnym took off fast but there just were no long term sales to support it. Americans want Cross overs now and ther is nothing anyone can do about it. Now because of the new CAFE and the hold on the Zeta I expect to see a acceleration of the Alpha and the car it will bring. We will get RWD but it will be smaller and V6 powered. How would you like to be a product planner for car 5-6 years from now with all the flux in it. It is hard to hit a moving target. If GM wants a wagon a small Nomad like shooting break on a Alpha might fit the bill in the future. You know the silence on the RWD Impala is a loud signal of future Zeta. Don't be Suprised if they are already thinking about a new Camaro on the Alpha if there is a 6th Gen.

I would expect no B pillar here as keeping the sticker price down will not be a problem on this car as it is more expensive to start vs the Camaro where it had to compete with the Mustang. The V6 engines now are over 300 HP and we have not even see what more they can and will do to them. I know GM has a NA 3.6 at 320 HP in the wings and I am sure they are also working on Turbo's. We will have a V6 well into the 400 HP range before it is said and done. As for the number of cylinders it is just in your mind as the power output is key not the number of cylinders.

Job well done. If the production car is near this Cadillac has finally arrived as promised by Mr Lutz.

There has yet to be a FWD sports roadster to capture the hearts of drivers. THe Mercury Capri fail, Honda failed with the Del Sol and even Lotus failed with the new Elan. The mini is not a true sport car roadster so it gets a pass. The plain fact is this car will fail in the market as it is not what people want. If Honda and Lotus failed how can we expect Chrysler and Chery to make it work. Chrysler needs a Malibu like car to replace the failed Cloud sedans they just came out with. You have to pay the bills before you worry about sports cars.

The problem shows in your screen name. You appear to be a biased Pontiac fan just as I am. I agree it is a good slogan but it was used up. We need to think in terms as outsiders of the Pontiac circle of trust. We Build Excitment just does not hold the same meaning to the non Pontiac fan that needs to be sold on this car. Pontiac today needs to have a Moto or phrase that will make new buyers look and give Pontiac a chance that before would never had considered them. If you tell a average Acura or Audi owner Pontiac Builds Excitment I don't think your going to get the same reaction as you would get from you or myself. It would have been like naming the Solstice a Fiero. The term is used up in the general public.

Thatt is the problem as the past was not as Exciting as ome want to believe it was. The real Pontiac excitment was one generation before the target buying market was born. They don's think GTO"S and Firebird's. They remember Tacky FWD Grand Am's and Sunbirds. Pontiac is at a crossroad just as it was with the Silver Streaks in the 50's. That is where Bunkie gave Pontiac a new updated image that lead to the rise of the division in the 60's. Pontiac is in need of a new make over and stop trying to live on the past. Most in the general public do not understand the heritage of widetrack and Excitment when you say Pontiac anymore because time has past these catch term by. Bringing back Exciment is like bringing back See the USA in a Cheverolet for Chevy.

With the way this is going I am just glad it did not have vent windows.

I know you could as most marketing and advertising people I know with are total idiots. And I have worked with a lot of them. There are a few good ones but there are 4 bad ones for ever good one.

I think "Our Cars Can Kick the Crap out of your B<W for Much Less" Would be more to the point. 3 Or "We are Not Your Over Promised FWD Excitment Rusted Out Father Grand Am or my Moms Aztec Anymore." And Finally "My Car Can Beat Your Car." Just kidding here but Pontiac needs a fresh start as old slogans of past cars that lost the Excitment in the first place will not work. The key here is ther old gard Pontiac fans are too few anymore and the people we need to sell these cars too were born after Smokey anf the Bandit came out at the Theaters. Pontiac needs to win people who are now buying low end Lexus, Acura and BMW now not Toyota ie Chevy. The Pontiac today is going to be for the people who enjoy the drive and are not just getting there. People who show pride or identify with the car or cars status it brings. The new slogan need Image and swagger. We now have a real car to back it up in the G8 or GXP Solstice. These are the first real Euro styled Pontiac's ever unless you believed them in 1973 with the Grand AM or in 84 with the STE. I was not fooled and few others were to.

As with most advertising little is totally original anymore I would lover to hear Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman or some other big star do the voice over that many would know who it is once he is heard. On the Donald Trump show they used Trace Adkins the country singer for a voice over. He sounded like God. He also would be a good option.

I was never a naysayer on this car and I trust in Settlemire. I expected the car to be close to the show car styling but they got the car even closer than I even expected to the show car. Even with the changes they have captured the show car aura very well and made it a car you can still live with daily. I went back to my photo's of the Bumble Bee Camaro show car I took when we had it at work for a few days and the 24 inch rear tires look kind of cartoonish compared to the production car. Just wait till we see this with all the correct trim added to the car. I would like to see some of the original style Camaro hockey stick fender stripes on this car. Something taste full and not tackey. Thank God GM never used the colors Chrysler used in the 70's. The pink and green are too much on the Chargers.

I don't think you will have to imagine it in about a year from next month if what I am hearing is correct. You can't wear a bow tie when you go out to play can you?

The lights are cheapy Autozone fog lamps and are held in with Velcro and hot glue. They are only there for driving at night till the production units are ready. I expect a little trim for the grill and the bow tie to be added. The Scoop will be there for the V8 but I have not heard for the V6. It als may just be a painted screen or opening with no screen since it is only a Mule. The show car went in and did a 90 degree turn down so if you looked into it fromt he front you would not see much if the screen was off.

The last time I spoke to Scott Settlemire he really was stressing that not all buyers wanted a performance engine and that gave me a thought in Scott talk there for sure would be a lesser powered V6. But that pretty much was a given. He would not say anything on the higher power V6 and to this point I have never seen anything other than the V8 for the SS and a Supercharged V8 for the Z28. As for the standard shift it would have to be available for the V6 as the Mustang offers it and GM is trying to match or better it on all points. With New CAFE rules I would not expect much more than 2 V8 engines. If there is a 300 + V6 there is no need for a V8 under 400 HP. Signs like the Northstar replacment getting the Axe and GM reafirming the 3.6 as the new power plant for many of the new cars I expect to see a lot more out of it in the future.