other 45 -- and falling....

 

I was going to post thoughts in the 'Monza' thread, but instead I'll put them here.

The Delta II Cruze will be built alongside the Delta I Cobalt Coupe. We know the Cobalt is now getting aged and needs a replacement - yet for all we've seen of the Cruze sedan, no Delta II Coupe yet? That strikes me as a little odd.

And on the matter of replacing the HHR, the Orlando (from what we've seen of it) looks more like a boxy SUV Crossover with 3 rows of seating than a sporty vehicle that seats 5. Cruze is global. A Cruze wagon would likely do better in Europe than an SUV looking thing. Other places? Not sure, but I look at Orlando as more of an SUV/Minivan replacement than an HHR/Sporty wagon replacement. Maybe I'm wrong though.

 

That is a fake. http://jalopnik.com/5386718/chevy-cr...on-not-spotted

 

You're right. I suspect GM is going to try to get every dime they can out of the Cobalt coupe. Remember they originally said the Cobalt coupe would continue to be sold alongside a slightly more upscale Cruze sedan. However, they're going to need a Cruze coupe at some point.
Sorry but I don't agree. They already have Equinox as their small crossover, they don't need a similar sized Orlando. Everything we've seen about Orlando has suggested (and there were even claims to this effect) that it would replace the HHR. So we're talking FWD only, HHR size minus the retro styling. The only question is whether its coming stateside. (First it was "no", then "yes", now it doesn't even seem to be on the immediate radar.)
Well that solves that riddle. As much as the Malibu Maxx was a failure, I can't see GM making the same mistake twice. Crossovers are today's mini-vans which were yesterday's station-wagons. Maybe we'll see a hatchback 5-door version of Cruze at somepoint, but not before we see a coupe.

 

Volt SS?

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/10/l...a-possibility/

 

So would a Volt "SS" use lightning bolts for the esses?

 

Careful with that....

 

That could be a problem...

 

Holden are working on a 5 door hatch for the Australian market that is supposed to hit production once they get their Delta line up and going in mid-2010. Word is it will have different sheetmetal than the Cruze, though.

I'm not sure if a hatch version of the Cruze is necessary in the U.S. with the Orlando. Orlando will be the "Cruze Wagon" just like the HHR is currently the "Cobalt Wagon" even though they have different styling.

I'm hoping GM will surprise us with a coupe sooner rather than later. I remember an article (I believe it was in Car and Driver, but I can't find it online for the life of me) about the Cobalt a year or two prior to its release saying that unlike the Cavalier, Cobalt would likely be sedan only - that there wasn't any word on a coupe. Obviously that didn't turn out to be true. I'm hoping that GM are (for once) just playing their cards close to their vest on this one.

 

Everything I've heard seems to indicate sedan only as well.