That's not bad looking actually.

 

I wonder if the BA concept was more a peak into the future of the I5 everyone seems to trash, rather than Camaro! A 315 hp turbo I5 would be a big step up IMO? And help the I5 gain some much needed respect!

 

Sure is alot nicer, than the current one!

 

to get back on topic, I believe the other concept at the show will be RWD, 2 seater, and a limited edition.

 

This isn't a 4dr/quad cpe GTO, is it? I know it's been mentioned GM was toying with this notion.

Buick could also use a RWD sedan and seems to be in the rebuilding phase.

 

Unfortunately, I'm starting to get the feeling that the extremely light backlash Dodge got for the 4-door Charger may have changed Pontiac's view of what a GTO should (or needs to) be.

I will forever be stumped as to how the new Charger got off so easy while the GTO got hammered...and was actually closer to the basic original formula.

 

You're not the only one!

 

The Aveo has sold 47,497 this year through the end of August. Is that meeting GM's sales goal?

 

In the US it may not reach 50K but worldwide it is doing AWESOME.

 

But does the Charger really deviate that much from it's original formula? Charger was originally a large, sporty,affordable, in your face Dodge, with optional trim/powertrain choices that let you build your own car...........mild to wild. Okay, the four door thing, sure....you've got me there. But four doors are far more acceptable today on certain types of performance cars than they used to be.

The GTO, on the other hand keeps it's two doors....but in most other respects, deviates completely from it's classic formula. 2+2 vs 5 or 6 passenger. No choice of body styles, (hardtop, coupe, convertible). No choice of options and powertrains, (from entry level cruiser to a fully optioned street terror). Limited availability. No entry level model.

I like both cars, but let's be fair here, both of these cars have rewritten their classic formulas to some extent.

 

2 extra doors = bigger change than not having a rear bench seat.

 

You could also argue that the "Charger" nameplate is less revered than "GTO" and had already been through an image-challenging transformation in the '80s. The GTO, being away longer, may still hold more warm-fuzzies in people's minds. That, and the same nostalgia-types might have wasted all of their angst the year before on the GTO and said, "aww, screw it" when it came to protesting the Charger. And then there is the HEMI popularity to band-aid complaints.

It'd be interesting to turn back the clock and introduce the '04 with the hood scoops and dual tips of the '05-06 and see if there was as much public backlash. The limited options, model offerings, and production might have changed in following years if it had gotten off to a fast start.

Personally, I don't have a major problem with either incarnation. For most, you can bet the current GTO will not be remembered as fondly.

 

All that Bel-Air inuendo is maddening. Can all current F-body owners get a said copy of "The Book" delivered to us the opening day of NAIAS.

 

In all seriousness, it is a nice improvement over the current one.


-Mike

 

I agree. I also agree that the "Hemi" brand may be so powerful it helped to cover up any would-be complaints about the Charger's layout. Charlie, I'll give you the fact that both cars have deviated somewhat from the originals. But whereas I still see the new GTO as a "muscle car" much like the original Goat was, I see the Charger as a family sedan with an "I'm trying real hard to be tough" front fascia and little else. JMO.