hyperv6

I am a long time Pontiac fan and owner. I have driven many of the best Pontiacs ever made and agree that Pontiac needs to rethink styling, names and many traditional things they have carried much too long. Pontiac needs to make changes much like they did with the 68 to 69 GP. This was a radical move from full size to mid size and styling that set them apart from the rest of the GM cars. A radical move like this would generate new life into the brand. Also if they would follow much like what John Delorean wanted to do back in the 60's with leading edge technology in performance sedans and coupes. He origianlly wanted 4 wheel disc brakes, OHC V8 engines with fuel injection, radial tires and etc long before you saw it on any American built sedans or coupes. Delorean knew what the world leading sport sedans had and wanted to bring it to Pontiac but was stopped by GM. Imagine what Pontiac and GM would have been like with such foward thinking if implimented in the mid and late 60's. I know it would take time to fix Pontiac and being sold in with Buick would make it less of a burden on the dealer network if the product line is weak for a few more years vs being a stand alone dealer with out product. Also being in with Buick and with a weak line up you have little to lose with a big shake up. Bunkie removed the silver streaks and added real performance. Removing the twin grills and adding true leading performance could work again. It is time to make it fun to own a Pontiac and not just feel like you own a fancy Chevy. As for ticking off the traditional Pontiac owner, I do not think that would be much of a worry as many hard core Pontiac fans have never accepted any of the new Pontiac since they stopped the 400 in 1979. You can see two different groups those who don't feel a Pontiac has been built since 1979 and the later fan who likes Pontiac but would just as easily buy a Chevy too. If you want Pontiac to live it needs to be much more different from Chevy and appeal much to a Import performance car buyer. Losing FWD would only help sell the performance sedan aspect and help sell Pontiac to a more expensive crowd. It is hard to sell mid to larger performance sedan over $35K if it is FWD. The group that would buy that car could care less about snow. You also would need to be price aware not to go too high as to get into the CTS price range. A poor mans V8 CTS V like sedan for under 40K would be nice. Also if they can hold out for a Kappa 2 if it ever happens it could spawn many different small performance cars including a Mini fighter in the low 20K range. At this point you can kill it and gain little or invest in a new look and feel and gain a lot if it works. Keep in mind how many call to kill Saturn and said it could not be saved, they are now poised on a rebound not seen in Detroit in years. I think it would be worth at least a effort to make Pontiac work and if little improves you can still kill it. There is more to gain in saving Pontiac vs what would be gained if it is killed. Even if they wanted to park the name for a few years they always have the option to bring the name back when they decide what they want it to be. It is time to think outside the box!

Cut their medical insurance and it would speed up the process.

One step and one day at a time! Once we get the Delpi deal done there will room for a breath but they still have some work to do. Things can unravel much faster than they mend. But they are moving in the right direction and this is a positive sign. Keep it up GM!

The last I was told there will be three models and 3 engines. Also I was told the planned 3 engines are not even on the market yet. So the new DI V6 coming most likely will be our V6 and the new V8's will see just over 400 HP and 500 HP as the Vette will move up [blue Devil]. Lutz has backed the boys in powertrain division to give them what ever they need to top the Mustang no matter what they produce. Ford just did 500 HP so we can expect more as long as Lutz has the wheel. Don't expect the up level car or the Convert for at least a year from the fall of 08, but they are well into the mix already. I have not heard for a while if the SS and Z28 will switch places or not. It has been up to debate with in GM and they have not given any clear winner as of yet which they favor. I expect the SS will be made the top choice but we will have to wait and see.

I love to shift gears as much as any one who like manual trannys. But the 11% of buyers buy Manual trannys and the number goes down more each year. Enthusiast are the main sole buyers of these vehicles for the most part and many of the general public is moving away. If you want GM to sell a Manual your first going to have to convince the general public to put down the cell phone and the Big Mac and learn to drive a manual. Lets face it many can barely drive an auto as it is. People by and large just don't care to shift gears anymore and less and less bother to even learn or want to learn to drive one. GM would be foolish to make a general mass production car with few being sold. BMW is smaller and geared more for the enthusiast and can afford to make the car as they sell a larger percentage. The Impala never was and will never be a car that would sell in large number with a manual. With numbers still slipping on overall manual sales I dont see it changing. It's about making money, not pleasing only 3-5% of buyers. On the GP Tap shift, its not a big deal. with more gears it would be fun but it far from the Ferrari system they are using in many of their new cars. Yes the day may not be far off there will not be any clutch pedal in a Ferarri. There semi Auto is that good and fast. Just read about the new 640 HP 599 coupe. Few complaints there.

But who really won? Dawoo or Chevy? Either way I am glad it's at leat positive news for GM.

This is the future Camaro V6. as well as many of the other RWD cars. If priced well the V6 Camaro the most important Camaro would be the home run they need. The more lines they can apply it too the cheaper they will be to build. Much the same way the Ecotech has been a well priced high tech engine. Now one must ask how long till Direct Injection will show up on the new V8 engines?

You have a choice low cost, 5 star rating and 3600 pounds or High cost, 5 star rating and 2800 pound car. Once you add the light weight metals to make it strong and light your going to have to pay for it. GM is going to do much the same on as they did for the Solstice and for go some extra weight to keep the price in check. Heck if you want 2800 and a Eco buy a Solstice anyway. I can not say this enough GM will do any and all things to keep this car solid but also to retain cost to keep the price down. I am sure there is much in fighting as there was with Kappa on price line.

They will never do the 4 cylinder mistake again on the Camaro. There is just no appeal in a 3600 pound 4 cylinder even if it is a Ecotech. I have no clue on a V6 they plan, but I could see a base V6 and a High output V6 being offered to make a affordable performace coupe at some point in production down the road. In the end I see the Holden formula of one good performance V6 with several V8 options is what I expect they will start with. The bottom line we will not see all the cards when the car comes out as usual. I expect to see upgrades and options added to keep interest up. Keep in mind no matter what engines are used cost is a major factor in building this car. We may not see or get all we wish for as to keep cost down on the more base models. Lutz will force them the meet or beat the Mustang price and they will have to find ways to do it. You can get all the toys in a SS but your going to have to pay for it just as you do with a Shelby GT 500.

100,000 is lower than I expected. Six figures yearly can be obtain if they do the following Price it with the Mustang Give us a near 300 HP V6 coupe that will sell in greater volume than the V8 Keep the car so that also appeals to women as much as men or you lose 50% of the buying market. Keep the insurance rate down on the V6 car with 5 star ratings. Get the interest of ther youth market, they can't drift in a FWD. The young is what made the Camaro strong in the 60's and 70's just as they did with the Mustang in the 80's and 90's. The V8 Z28 and SS will take care of itself just make them the fastest, best handleing and best riding on the market for the money. Ford is selling 160,000 Mustangs this year and will do the same in the future. The Mustang is not really a great car as it is a fun to drive good value and that is what GM need to accomplish. If Ford can do it GM can too, there is no excuse not to meet this figure for 4 years with no major updates. Now major update will be need in 4 years and not 8+ years like the old car. With the proper car and feeding they can make it grow and bring back this market that was lost. The sport compact market is not growing as it once was and a new trend could take if marketed right.

What of the mentioned V12 Sixteen like car mentioned in this weeks Autoweek story?? Is it truly on again? Also how well will a NG CTS coupe will play? I know GM has other areas that need addressed first. Can they do these properly while dealing with the other problems?

I am shocked they are selling that well. I have only seen one on the road. The stories I read on it have not been that flattering either. They sanked it like a GM car in their review.

Caddy is going in the right direction and may not have all the tools yet but they will compete with the best in due time. You have to walk before you run and they were not even standing a few years ago. If Caddy had not changed direction they would be just as Lincoln is now, on life support!

To put it in New York terms, the old car had a 4 dead body trunk and the new is a 6 body from what has been discribed. [ha ha] As for price nothing has been said but I would not expect a large increase over what we now have for comparable car but I could see an increase in more performance SRT like models. This would keep them in the Charger price range or just under. People who love car love standard trannys but as a whole the general public could care less for them and don't even know how to drive one. Add to ths the extra work to meet emisssions it is hard to justify the cost of development and easier to add paddle manuel auto 6 speeds. Find a way to make the public more interested in them and you will see more standard trannys in sedans I don't expect to see much on this car till GM is ready or someone leaks info till next January where we might see a concept.

The next gen Impala RWD and FWD Malibu are going to be the most important vehicles built at GM in the next few years. The are in two of the largest growing segments and with gas prices rising they will bear many of those who abandon SUV's. If GM can give these two cars would class quality in build and materials then price them at just below the imports they will have a hit Now if GM can do all the abouve and give them knock em dead styling something the cars from Japan lack it will be hard to keep people away. Lets face it looks go a long way. The strong card both the PT and HHR play is styling. People are tired of the plain washing machine look and like to be noiticed without spending $60K or more. The Camaro is just window dressing and a good way to get people to notice your cars while making a profit. But the Malibu and Impala are what pay the bills and in this case pay legacy cost that have gone too long unpaind by the present line up. I think in the end even if Quality is close, styling is the trumph card in this new conceded society. Lets face it look at the shows on TV, everyone wants to be rich and famous or at least look like it. Japan has gotten better with styling but even the Koreans have passed them by. If the Element, Scion and others are their best efforts God help them. Their best cars were styled in the States or Italy in most cases. GM can style cars better than most anyone out there and if they don't dumb them down. They can with this part of the game easily if they let the designers do their job. I think Lutz is finally the one who is letting them do what they are paid to do. If every thing I have heard about the Malibu and Impala is true we should have a good fight in the show rooms. It would be nice to see people want cars like these like they did in the 50's and 60's That was when they offered classy styling like a Caddy but at a value price.

I like the droop for what it's worth. But no one should get too excited about the GTO photo either way it is only a shopped photo and only someones idea of what they would like to see. The Holden is base on the photo and a lot closer to what we might see.

Holden and what it may look like uncovered. And a what if GTO Pontiac. All images from a GM insider Monaro SS

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.

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?

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.

I think this has been posted somewhere? But thanks for posting. The engine is goint to be 550 HP at 450 FT LBS in a 2.0. Looks like good stuff.

I think the car is bigger than it looks. I see GM/Holden, BMW, Audi/VW Styling in different parts of this car. Here are the drawings of the car shown a few weeks back to compare

Here is a link to photo's of one of the first line built Zetas testing down under. This is the first nearly clear look at the new pilot production VE Commadore. I beleieve this is the car due in August. CARS GUIDE .com au Tubo HMM?

Looks like something GuionM would have posted. He has a lot informitive post, I wished he posted over here more often.

The Hot Rod story with a Z06 engine is killer. This will be a 3 parter with one more issue to go. The RSK was a bit much for me too.