hyperv6

It was the pace truck for the NASCAR Truck race there. Note the Camaro was also the pace car for one of the other races in Red too. Their are many races there including the ARCA race and on the back stretch they also had two nights of Modified NASCAR races and late NASCAR Late Model races in the super stretch area. If you go there is a whole week of racing outside the cup races that also are more than one with the open and qualifying races. All were televised and GM got seen often.

The V6 contingency is what Tadge stated and I am only the messenger Since he is in charge of this party and really wants to stay with the V8, I suspect he knows much more than anyone here what he may have to deal with in the future hence the Contingency. Like it or not guys on this program know more about the topic than we vs. other programs. AWD to me is so over done. It is great on cars like the Veyron where they have more power than the car needs or can put down. The parasitic loss and added weight are non factors. On cars like the Vette they are still able to use their power and put it down with out the need. Winter driving not really a factor since few people drive Vette in the cold or snow more due to salt and stone chips vs traction. AWD is nice for winter driving for people with few slippery road skills but letting it hang out and drifting a Vette only enhances the fun. When I was auto Crossing a Z06 letting the rear drift out was the whole point. Taking the driver out of a sports car just for numbers is counter productive on the fun to drive meter. The GT86 has smaller tires to let the drive slide it around vs. just planting it. With the lower power they chose to keep the driver engaged. As for the V6 like it or not it may be an option at some point even if it is only for overseas markets. If what I hear is true the Mustang that is going global will only get a Ecoboost Turbo V6 in Europe no V8. In dealing with higher and higher CAFE regs and global markets all the cards will be on the table for the C8.

I did see the number were adjusted since I saw the other posted that Tadge gave on this. Either way this is a car that used to sell 20K-30K units as an average for many years. As time has gone on it has continued to drop. more and more for an average. Yes Porsche would not be here if it were just the 911 only. the fact is contrary to your conjecture the Icon status is good but still not enough to make the Vette fight for its life on several occasions in the past and according to Tadge fight again if he can not increase sales. In these competitive times nothing is sacred anymore. If you read the Dave McClelland book Inside the Corvette you will find it has not always been an easy ride for the Vette and it has had to fight for its life several times. Tadge today as the leader of the Vette team stressed in his interview that they can not afford to lose anymore sales if they expect to have a future. His goal to double production is to secure the future and not let the car be left in jeopardy on his watch, Even if it does not get killed off the loss of extra funding would be a major issue for any future product development. The goal now it to get this thing back on track as work for looking into the C8 has already been looked at. From what was stated before the C7 is not expected to be here as long as past C models and they would like to get a C8 here much sooner. If sales do not increase and GM still needed money in many other higher volume areas it would constrict the money going to a low volume project like the vette. I used to think the Icon title was enough but I have since seen from those in the Vette program that it is not a give for a free pass any more than any other car at GM. They may have more people fighting for it from the Vette team but again they still have to make the same business case to GM as everyone else and they really want to see a return on the dollar invested. Even other past Vette leaders have pointed this out. Now they do get a little more attention and have a little more fight than most model teams but they still have to earn their place. Volume, Profits and image, no one rides free. Also to consider the Vette team does not want to go to a V6 but Tadge stated there is a contingency plan in place if it has to be done. Could this lower priced car be put in place so that if they have to do it they can replace the V8 with a V6 later on and still offer the higher end cars and not tarnish the image totally. I am not sure if this is the plan but we have other factors that we much consider that we are not apprised of to think about.

I see today the SRT group are now going to offer discontented products to lower cost and expand sales. I guess that GM is not the only one thinking this.

I really do not see any cross selling here with the engine. But yes the upgrade in the aftermarket would be great and GM could even offer many dealer installed SPO parts that would keep it with the warranty for those who worry about these things and make a buck or two for the dealers. We sell a ton of parts for the LS engines as it is and will do the same for the LT engine once the parts are ready I do know they are working on a LT4 package but unsure what car will get it. I have heard it will be the ZO6 The key here is different level of performance cars has never hurt most of them. Camaro, Bird, Mustang etc all have had expanded sales with different models at different price ranges. The key here is price as to make it low enough to appeal to more buyers for sales but high enough to include content that would make it still worth buying. You discontent it too much and you will only attract the weekend racers for a few hundred sales.

The Corvette will always be special so I see no issue there. We are talking about adding about 5,000-10,000 cars to the mix. As for the engine more power is there you just have to pay more. I am sure they can keep the weight down and lets face it 375-400 HP is not any kind of a dog on the road and if that is not enough just slap a Magnusson Supercharger or Edlebrock Charger on it. A car like this would be a boon to my line of work. We will see some parts for the C7 Vette in the next year but we already have a ton of new parts for the Toyota F86. If anything I see the decontented car as being the best to modify for the most performance. No electronic suspension and electric exhaust to deal with etc. I see it as a canvas real car guys can build their own Vette on. To me this is the kind of car that will let you take the Vette back to its roots if you like. In the old days people used to race their Vettes at the track and strip and then drive it home. My boss started his company buying parts for his 67 427 Vette he still own. He drag raced it for years and it was restored back to mostly stock last year. It has a lot more power under the hood than stock and the Chevy rally's are 17". You see little of that today with a stock Vette. Also having a kid with braces coming and collage a little later it may be my best shot at getting a new Vette anytime soon. I also see the tuners all over this one as they can offer a cheaper car with a lot of power at a lesser price than many of their other creations. Imagine what Lingenfelter could do? The original Shelby was just a base Mustang at one point.

Here is the issues at hand. The goal of the Corvette group are two with the C7. #1 is to double sales from last years 12,000 units. They state they can get by with 12,000 but if they continue to drop they could face issues with the business case for the C8 #2 They want to increase appeal to younger buyers and owners of other brands. To offer a lower priced model will open the door to many people who can only afford a used Vette. It also opens the door to more advanced expensive models with better features that sell at lower volumes. The key it to do this right. They need to make this car so while it is a Vette there is no mistaking it for a Z06 or Stingray. The Vette today has really become a brand within a brand and I think Chevy is looking for ways to expand the brand to more potential buyers. Also a lower priced model like this would appeal to weekend racers, track time drivers and auto crossers. Keep the car simple fast, lighter and cheaper. In other words get back to what a true sports car once was and not hurt sales of the top end models. Many of the younger buyers and racers would be more than happy to build these cars with performance parts and add as much power and suspension improvements as they desire. They can build a car GM could never offer. While there has been talk of a smaller cheaper sports car at Chevy the truth is do they need two sports cars when you have a Corvette? Just make a special package that has more appeal to other buyers not interested in a $75,000 Vette. The 911 for years has been a sports car for the masses in many versions from a base car to a full blown awd twin turbo model that sells well into the 6 figures. Porsche managed and marketed it right and it only added sales to the line. GM can do this but they have to give the base car it's own appeal. Add to this the smaller sub Alpha Turbo coupe would help fill a need below the Camaro and the Camaro will still offer the performance if you need more than two seats. I am willing to see just what is planned as if done correctly this could really be a good thing. If mismanaged it could back fire. This is a chance where Chevy can offer that low end car for racing that many have asked for years. Also the owner base of the Vette is much like what Cadillac saw as they get older and die off and are not being replaced by younger owners. The young buyers are now going else where as they are not automatic Vette lover like we had in the past and two not all of them can afford the inflated prices. While the Vette is a good car for the money it is still not cheap to buy like you could in the past. The price of performance is how fast you want to be is based on how much are you willing to spend.

I too expect the Chinese car to be 98% what we get. While it may change it will be much in the kind of change we saw in the trucks. The devil will be in the details. I am afraid that the will hold back too much on the styling changed to reflect on many other changes they will have unseen by the eye.

The XTS has some of the nicest seats I have been in. It make my in-laws DTS feel like a truck.

The Lacrosse and Regal do not look like much of a change. Mild refresh like too many cars of late. The Lacrosse may face a stiff challenge from the Impala. While the Lacrosse is very nice the Impala just has more room and just as much comfort.

Yes there is a small but growing segment in this country and larger segments in the rest of the world for the Spark. The Spark has two things going for it. Good MPG and it is a car that you can buy pretty cheap and have a full warranty on vs a used car with a lot of miles that could cost a lot of money to repair. Many of todays cars are pretty much disposable and not everyone can afford a new car let alone a good used car and still repair it. Add in the electric sales. Now if you ask me if the Spark should only be sold in the NA market I would say are you nuts. But with the global market what ever they sell will help in CAFE and profits. Just with what they sell in China more than pays off the development so I see most other markets as pure profit. But It still pains me to see a Chevy like this. Note too on the new Spark and the Encore they are using a new head rest in the back seat that folds down over the seat for short people and Children. If you sit in it without moving it up it is a pain in the back. It is just one of those things if you are over 5 foot you need to look before you sit.

What they need to do is put some more power and GM Performance Tuning to the RS packages. The Formula they did with the Cobalt Turbo and HHR Turbo were great but so unknown due to the lack of marketing. I do not need a SS badge or a bunch of decals on the car, just give me a car that handles and performance in a world class form as my HHR SS does. The Cobalt SS and HHR SS were tuned to the degree that you could go down a back road and not have to white knuckle it on a uneven surface. The Cruze RS could use a 2.0 Turbo out of the Malibu SS. The Sonic needs the 220 HP 2.0 out of the Regal. Price these cars at $24,995 and $19,995 and you could get some attention. Offer the GM Performance upgrades to add 50 HP to these cars with only two MAP sensors and a computer flash with the drivetrain warranty in place you could really be onto something here. If GM could offer a cheaper Turbo 4 in a RWD car under 30K they could fill a major gap. Lets face it the Camaro is not going to get cheaper so they need to fill the lower niche. It also has to have sporting styling that appeals to all not just to a segment. Time to think outside the box and make a new Chevy Classic vs. just living in the past. With a new model and new name it is not tapped by what is expected. Not sure on the Spark RS. Not much you can do there. That is a car with on porpoise. Buick need the small Opel OPC hatch and the Adam. these could take on the Mini and the top end Fiat 500.

Tried the Cue system. Not bad if you already understand the Mylink or GMC Intllelink systems and own a Apple phone. The real issue is many who are buying these cars are older and not as tech savvy so I can see where they can get lost. I see it often at work where we get in older people to train that have little PC time and they are lost for a while and learn at a slower rate. The blue on the Hot Wheels Camaro is amazing. Not a fan of the wheels but the color should not be limited to six months let alone just the Camaro. As for Kia I could have said hoedown but that has a different meaning in Chicago, NY and Detroit. The Fusion is like my Malibu but improved. It is like Ford did what Chevy should have done and benchmarked the older Malibu and improved it. Might note there is no comparison between the Impala and new Bu. they may have some similar looks and even more similar looks to come but the size is totally different. There is so much more room in the Impala. It is a much larger car than you think if you have not seen it. It is XTS big not Lacrosse big. GM now has a good base for their products once they fix the Malibu and get the new Camaro and Cruze out. It is time for them to make some fun affordable cars as only Toyota, Subaru, Hyundai and a couple others have anything cheap and fun. GM has fun cars but not till you almost hit $40K. If I had to buy a car today under $30K I would have a hard time looking to GM. The Regal GS is about all there is that is cool looking and fun to drive under 40K. The ATS is good but once you add things to it you are over $40K. I still like the Camaro but it is so late in life I would be hard pressed to buy one now. I would rather wait for the new one to see what it will bring to the table. I see it making a big change to the line. Then there is the Sub Alpha car if it should ever come. I also hope we may see a Alpha based Ute at some point once the Zeta goes away. Anyway GM looks to be in a state of change and they still have much to do on product and marketing levels.

Here are some notes of what I found at the auto show this year. the Cadillac line was placed in and with Benz, BMW, Porsche and Audi. It was removed from all the other GM products. T The ATS and XTC were generating a lot of interest at the display. The Buick display was near empty less for the Encore. The Encore had many older buyers looking. As for the Encore it was the first time I was in it. It is a very nice car if you do not want a large ready cargo area. you can configure it to carry things but you had best be alone. It has a similar feel inside of my HHR less the cargo area and the much better interior. The GMC display was busy with the Acadia. They did have a new truck there that did look nice but it was lost in the crowd. I think many did not even notice it. The GMC Terrain Denali is a waste of money. For what little they offer is really is not a good value at the added cost. The new 3.6 is available in the SLT so why bother for a little more trim that did not work. Note the satin trim make the chrome wheels and nose look like my mine but dirty. But if they can generate more profits then more power to em. The Chevy display. notes. The Spark is small cheap and as good as anything else in the segment. It has a larger than expected draw. The Malibu in LTZ trim is nice and comes across much better than the Eco. It was a mistake not to have the LTZ there at intro. The rear seat room will get better but the small door frame will still be an issues for people with longer legs. The car will have to wait for a redo to fix this all together. The Sonic had a line to get in it after it was over looked at last years event. Nice to see people taking interest. The ZL1 had the line that normally was reserved for the Vettes since they only had one ZR1 there. The star of the show was the 2014 Truck? No It had even less people looking at it than the GMC. I know the devil is in the details but with looks that are similar to the untrained eye it gets lost in the crowd. The real star of the show for most companies was the Impala. There was a very long line for the Impala. The new styling really is amazing in person and makes a great impression. It is a shame that they only had one there. The car really lost in the crowd was the Cruze Diesel. It does not look much different vs the old one and other than a few small signs few people noticed or cared. GM had a comment in the book they gave me on the car and they had better follow their own advice. "258 lb-ft of low end torque you'll have to experience to believe" . Looks alone will not sell this car as they will need to get butts behind the wheel. The new Lincoln drew a crowd but I think the styling and large roof were the big draw. It will be interesting to see if they can turn that into to sales. Hyundai had a large crowd. Not sure why but they had the most people. I did get to take a ATS AWD Turbo for a drive. It was amazing. In fact the best Cadillac I have ever driven. Not as powerful feeling as my HHR but a good car. The ATS V will be something to look forward too. The XTS was very nice. It has some of the best seats for comfort I have been in. Not my kind of car but one that should get more credit than it deserves. I drove a Volt again. The jump in speed from 20 MPH to 80 MPH is amazing. Ride is very nice and is one of the few environmentally friendly cars I really love to drive. I just wish it had a little more steering feel. I know it is not a sport sedan but the steering feels disconnected like a car from the 60's. The crowd around the Subaru and Toyota coupes had a line. Lots of interest there but little elsewhere in their display. Kia had a hootenanny with some singers. This was the first return of entertainment I have seen. Not sure if it would sell many cars but it is what it is. I did get two free hats from Chevy. Nearly all there had one or two hats. We will see them in this area for a good time to come. People keep and use these vs a bag. Just a few things I picked up at the GM displays. I just wish I had more time there but my time was limited. My son wants a ZR1. Maybe there is hope for him after Transformers. LOL!

Many things are never tossed out at GM. The Fiero was based on GM engineering proposal of a V6 mid engine Vette that was rejected by the Vette program and Chevy. The 4th gen F body was a recycle of the 1990 Fiero GT that was canceled. There are many other ideas that were rejected and brought back. Note the Corvette designer was with the program in 1986-89 and rejoined them in 2000. I am sure he looked to many of the proposal of the last couple gens to see what was considered and what may work for today. Often may proposals are just too far out to bring to market without looking a little too odd. You some times have to wait for the market to catch up. As for the vents they are there, they are functional and they are not going away.

I just hope they really are committed to a larger RWD platform and don't just use Epsilon II 'lwb' for all future 'large' models.. GM is committed to RWD the only questions remains will the VF global replacement be a enlarges Alpha or a smaller Omega based platform. I get the feeling the Omega may be used as GM needs more use than just one Cadillac. Ford and GM down under are no longer even a contest as the Falcon sales have really tanked. While the Holden may not still be a #1 car in the market they still sell a lot more RWD vehicles than Ford. The economics will improve for more models here if they can build it here. No matter what market they sell the new car in the numbers will never great but as a whole globally they will be good enough. The key is to build these cars to where they can be sent to where the profits are greater vs. less with an export. I have been dealing with several customers in Australia and have been picking their brains on cars and the market there. Keep in mind these are two Chevy owning diehard car guys but they admit the market in Australia has shifted in a great way. What once was cool is now being replaced with Asian imports. They both would not have any issue with the next car being a Chevy or a Holden just as long as it is RWD and offers a V8. They both would love to have a Camaro. One owns a 67 SS now.

This car will be very soon and the ZR1 will not be far behind. The is also some speaking of a base sub Stingray Corvette that may have a 5.3 in the low 400 HP range. This car would have a fixed roof and not be loaded up. The intent of this car is one to give the club racers and modifiers a cheaper car to base a race car or play car on. The second intent is to attract younger buyers that they sorely lack. The Corvette is much like Cadillac and needs to attract new and non traditional buyers that will lower the average age of the buyer. The future lies in the hands of those now buying these cars now. Also the HP on these cars is expected to be spaced out once the ZR1 is locked in. GM intends to make the 700 HP mark and if so insiders expect the Z06 to fall in the 600 ranger and the ZL1 and CTS V to slot in near 600 HP also. Getting the power to the ground is not an issues with electronic controls. The present ZR1 engine can do all of GM's Warranty test and emissions test up to 725 now so a DI version should have no problem. The simple fact is there is no need for this much power as few will ever come near to using it all. Even the race cars from Pratt and Miller are not even this high but it sells cars to have large magic numbers. The Vette team wishes the automakers would come to a limit on power and work in other areas to increase performance but they know that is not going to happen.

The nose is more like I was expecting on the new car. The rest while nice looks a bit dated like for better or worse a old Bitter.

Right, but the Germans don't try to operate on a business model of trying to undercut the Japanese and match the Koreans on price like GM tried to do in the 90s and 2000s. Not even Volkswagen did that. The average Golf and Jettas were $2K more than the Civics & Sentras, while being about 4~5K more than the Hyundai's of the day. And those were Puebla, Mexico, made Golfs and Jettas. If they tried, they would have failed. I believe the ATS-V will get LT1 power; there is no reason to move to a less powerful, heavier, yet more expensive engine which is arguably less desirable to at least half the buyers of this type of vehicle. The ATS getting a 2.0T - 3.6 - 6.2 engine options spread allows the CTS to logically move to a 3.6 - 3.6TT - 6.2SC engine spread. Alternatively, the ATS can go to 2.0T - 3.6TT - 6.2, which allows the non-V cars to meet BMW head on, whereas the 6.2 out do the M3's I6T in every respect (weight, mass, power, cost and fuel economy) Yet again you leave out other factors. Again it is not just numbers but what it would take to steal buyers from Audi, Benz, BMW and Lexus. You are not stealing buyers from Chevy or Ford here. It come to what they expect and want in a car. Many are automotive snobs and reject simple yet good engine. Logical no but if you need to fancy up the engines to sell them then that is what you do. As for the CTS wagon failing the cargo capacity has nothing to do with it as if that is a factor they will buy a SUV every time. The simple fact is even if the CTS was a large Volvo like box it would have failed just the same. The only thing that would have saved it was the Euro market that failed to materialize with the distributor issues at the time of intro. As for the coupe the interior was not any worse than the rest of the line. Yes it still could improve some but it was not much worse than most others in class.

I think Top Gear [Clarkson] Summed up this car last night. The simple truth is this car was not made to kill the Corvette, Mustang or Camaro. This car was made to be fun to drive. Like a go cart the car is given ample power but with a chassis and tire combo that let you hang it out. It is not a car that will challenge super cars, that is not it's goal. The goal is to make a affordable car that is economic to operate and has a truly fun to drive. Americans may not understand it but most people of the world find satisfaction in a well balanced car that is fun to drive. While many Americans are still hung up on a must for 8 cylinders and 500 HP more are finding the fun in a cheaper car that is just fun to let hang out. Toyota and Subaru have made a good car and just used smaller tires to help tune the car to be fun. I have run 500 Plus stock cars, Drag Raced cars with over 500 HP and auto crossed cars with anywhere from 190 HP to over 500 HP. To be honest this car is much like the 190 HP car on a auto cross track where you can let it go and have a blast but the power is not something that is always missed. It is a car that can put many into controlling a car with out over powering it and needing controls to keep it in control. It is hard to explain if you have not been there but anyone who has auto crossed knows what I mean. Sliding through a box section with all 4 wheels drifting in through and out then doing a slide through the lights across the line is a thrill. The best way to describe it as being in full control of a car that is out of control car. That is what I see this car as delivering. This is more of a true sports car and not a over powered muscle car or super car.

Door handles have been a cost savings area for years. Many GM cars used the same handles from 1955 through the mid to late 70's. I can remember buying the new handles for my 68 SS for $7 apiece from the dealer with out the buttons. My originals has scars but the stainless buttons were fine. I could not have had the originals re chromed for what I paid for the new ones. I would not get too excited over this story with out more information. If they are cheap and flimsy then you can complain but low cost does not always mean cheap or flimsy in simple parts like this. Hell even the cost of the scent of the leather is a factor too. That was one cost area that came up on the Camaro with focus groups. They were asked if they needed the smell or not. It is something that is added and adds to the cost of the car.

Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Hyundai all have the two tier solution....the camry+avalon, maxima+altima....etc. the two models together = great volume. where ford may sell 200,000 fusions and 60,000 taurus, GM may sell 150,000 malibus and 150,000 impalas. The Impala is unique for GM because it has been able or had to sell at lower prices. Now they are trying to move up, the Malibu sales should be geared towards the value set a little more. But GM will never give up being able to make the large Impala affordable for a big set of the population. To divert from the 4 sedan solution would be suicide. And to give up one of the two brands, Impala or Malibu just for the sake of reducing a model would be suicide. And Cruze is establishing itself as a nameplate possibly with legs. You cannot redefine the size classes of those cars. Gm has buick because some love GM but don't want a Chevy. In order to keep the showroom doors open, you have to offer enough variety and models to give people a somewhat full lineup (trust me i know what happens to a brand and dealers when the brand does not have enough segments of the market filled). Buick needs at least 3 sedans. Older folks always will believe Buick will have a large car and Buick needs a small cheap car like the Verano to keep the doors open and traffic coming in. The Regal is still the best Buick but it needs to repackage and reprice everything and refocus the car. Maybe the next Regal is actually something different. If anything, Chevy is lacking models and variety in its lineup. Look at Hyundai. SS is here to give RWD fans a GM RWD choice, and to basically prop up Holden and Austrialia a bit. I really doubt GM cares whether Zeta dies off but re-doing the commodore had more to do with throwing a bone to the Aussies so they could sell other Holdens and not lose the business. GM is just trying to get back to where they need to be and get the base solid models to where they can support the companies. It takes time and money so once they reach that they will widen the variety more. Buick really has yet to get s full clean sheet of paper car yet as most investment is going into Chevy and Cadillac first. GM just does not have the money to fix everything at once let alone the man power. This deal is going to take at least a decade to pull off if nothing goes wrong. The Zeta is at the end of it's life and GM just did a mild refresh on the car. Chevy needed a new stock car and to secure a slot for a larger RWD. I can see with the point of development they are at the real interest is in the new RWD in 2016. That car will more than likely be built here and be able to do more things and be more car for more buyers. Holden is really the Chevy down under anymore and each will have mostly the same line up. They are about 80% there now.

I too like the Impala nose better but I think they were locked in to what Holden had and just had to adapt. This is one Holden that is a Holden first and Chevy second. That will change in 2 years with the new global platform.

While some body styles should not be abandon they still need to earn their keep. The coupe was not great in numbers but it was great enough to live. As for the wagon like it or not it just did not sell. For a wagon to live Cadillac needs to return to Europe or export them to a market that will buy them. Different body styles are great but they really have to produce. Anything you keep around has to earn its keep and make a profit. Sentimental concepts do not pay the bills. The two things that kill the wagon is Americans hate conventional wagons and the price. I am sad to say if they had made it a tall wagon like BMW people would have flocked to it even with silly car/truck looks.

It will be interesting to see why GM claims no Manual? As for the Zeta how much of a waste will be decided by the 2016 as I see more ground being gained with a new platform. The coming Camaro will be proof of this very soon. As for Malibu You either need to combine the Impala and Bu or the Bu and Cruze. Buick also has an issue with the Verano, Regal and Lacrosse. Some how I expect a realignment with these brands once the RWD sub Alpha is here or if it gets here. With Buick already making noise with a RWD midsize and Chevy making noise of a possible small RWD there is some major changes coming. We need to remember the Regal and Bu are pre Chapter 11 cars and for the most part were used just because Chevy needed a new Bu ASAP and the Regal was a easy fix for Buick that had no real product or anything close. The key is very much in what we do not know but either way GM did drop the ball here. They will be able to nurse this for two years but they had better get it right on the new clean sheet of paper. I just hope the cost cutting is not in play here or it will send a very poor signal to the public. The greatest key will be where the 2016 is built and I would keep an eye on the Lansing Plant.