okay the GTO in Zeta trim is no more..so does that mean that GTO is done for real??? Why can they not still import it?? thats one question...

and 2

Camaro would be more proffitable to have a stablemate right?? like it did in the past Camaro and Firebird, well since the bird is dead and GTO needs to go on is the next gen GTO going to be possibly built on the "Mr Petatahead" platform??

or am I speculating to much, I would hate to see the GTO go after GM got a car RIGHT AGAIN!

 

Or maybe the Firebird returns...............

 

yea only if...though it could be possible????

anythings a go now...its a clean slate as far as Im concerned..

 

This is from www.goauto.com.au and it should appear on the site in a day or 2.

GM axes
American
rear-drive
program
Shock decision casts
doubt over Holden's
global engineering role

By JOHN MELLOR
HOLDEN’S role in the worldwide General
Motors rear-wheel drive program, codenamed
Zeta, has been thrown into disarray following a
decision by the corporation not to proceed with
the rear-drive architecture for cars to be sold in
North America.
The engineering program for the American
car divisions, which was to have been run out
of Fishermens Bend, has been put on indefinite
hold because GM has more pressing problems to
solve – especially in the area of sports utility
vehicles for the US domestic market.
With the corporation bleeding to the
point where it is now predicting losses to
the international investment community,
with income said to be some 80 per cent less
than expectations, GM has been forced to allocate
its priorities – and SUVs won the day.
A boost in sales of SUVs in the truck-focused
US market is more likely to send more profit to
the bottom line than a boost in sales for mid-range
cars the size of the Commodore.
The cars were to be the next-generation
Pontiac GTO and mid-sized rear-drive cars and
cross-overs for Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick. A
concept for the Buick Velite was shown at
last year's New York motor show.
The decision, made by GM product chief
Bob Lutz – a strong proponent of rear-drive
cars for the US – was also said to be based
upon doubt that GM could make money on the
Zeta-based cars sold in America.
Holden management has been surprised by the
move and is still attempting to find out what it
all means.
But officials are emphatic all development
of the Zeta architecture for the Holden VE
Commodore, for both the Australian market and
for Holden export markets, will not be affected by
the change in direction.
While GM has said Holden will continue to be
responsible for development of the Zeta program,
Holden is now saying chairman and managing
director, Denny Mooney, will not be commenting
until his group has learned just exactly what the
impact of the announcement means to their total
involvement in Zeta.
At this stage, Holden believes its role in global
engineering and design for GM is unchanged
and that Holden would continue to be a centre of
expertise for GM in engineering and design for
rear-drive cars.
Continued next page
Continued from previous page
But the establishment of a so-called
“homeroom” in Melbourne to house the global
development team is unlikely to go ahead.
The man appointed to be the vehicle line
executive in charge of the rear-drive platform
project, Gene Stefanyshyn, is now unlikely to
take up his post in Australia.
Holden’s acting national manager – media
relations, Emily Perry, said: “We are still working
through that to determine what his role will be and
what the (future) requirements will be for Zeta.”
Under the planned homeroom, the Holden
team was not just working on the Holden VE
platform, but was performing the engineering for
the various models to be put into production for
each of the North American GM divisions. That
work is now indefinitely on hold.
But the team was also working on versions
for Europe and for Asia-Pacific and the future of
those programs still has to be clarified.
“Our position is that this is not the end of
the story,” Ms Perry said. “We are still working
through it and it really is too early to make any
definitive statements about what the future
holds.”
Given GM does not intend to proceed with
any North American-based vehicles off the Zeta
platform, there are those who see the decision as
an opportunity, especially where the Pontiac GTO
is concerned.
Under the Zeta plans for North America,
Holden was getting the role of engineering the
Pontiac GTO. But, unlike the current export
arrangement, the GTO was going to be built in
North America and not in Australia.
If the US decides it still wants a GTO, the
possibility could exist that the Monaro could get
another life on the Zeta platform and be exported
to the States out of Elizabeth, South Australia,
using Australian parts.
But volumes would remain limited because
of the restrictions placed on the program by
the United Auto Workers union in the US and
production capacity at Elizabeth.
It may also be that the US divisions could
cherry-pick other limited-volume offerings
from the Commodore range to ginger-up GM’s
mainstream brands.

 

GTO is a done deal design wise (everyone says it is a hot car), and with the right platform, and place to make it could come to market quickly. What could that platform be?

Sigma II is my guess. That would also explain the later than 2007 timeframe. My guess is Sigma II is even more flexible than the first Sigma, and will have the Buick flagship, GTO, and Big Caddy sedan in addition to current Sigma cars.

As I stated in the other thread....the the GTO will come to market if there is a Pontiac (hope GM does not go bankrupt)....there will likely be a hiatus though...unless something changes.

Camaro seems to be either Sigma or Beta, or a hybrid...who knows..