Camaro concept on the way?!
10-01-2002, 05:16 PM
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Camaro concept on the way?!
Performance unit trots out GM track stars
Detroit Free Press 10/01/02
author: Jim Mateja / Chicago Tribune
Copyright 2001 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved.
MILAN -- The parking lot was filled with toys, production models engineers had tinkered with to eke a bit more muscle from under the hood.
A Pontiac Grand Am sedan with a 275-horsepower V-6 and a compact Chevrolet S-10 pickup with a 403-h.p. V-6 rested alongside a Chevy Monte Carlo coupe with a 371-h.p. V-8 and a full-size Chevy Silverado pickup with a 480-h.p. V-8.
The Grand Am normally has a 175-horsepower engine; the S-10, 190; Monte Carlo, 200; and Silverado, 300. Nice, but not all that strange a show of power considering the setting is a Michigan drag strip and the addition of a turbocharger or a supercharger to the standard V-6 or V-8 helped boost h.p. 100 or more.
A little odd were the compact Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire: one turbocharged (Cavalier) to 220 h.p. and one supercharged (Sunfire) to 260 h.p.; both up from 140 h.p.; and both sporting a 2.2-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine, the powerplant offered in the Saturn car lineup.
What was truly strange is that Cavalier/Sunfire are reaching the end of the line and soon will be replaced. So why tinker as replacements await? GM is counting on the new 2.2-liter Ecotec to be its high-mileage yet high-power engine for small vehicles.
"We've tried in the past to do small cars profitably, but it's tough to make a buck on small cars," said Mark Reuss, executive director of GM's new Performance Division, the group in charge of producing performance versions of GM vehicles as well as the parts (turbos to superchargers, suspensions and exhausts) and accessories (spoilers to plastic ground effects) consumers need to customize their GM vehicles to look and act like high-performance machines.
"High-performance variants help get people excited in our cars and help bring in revenue to the corporation," he said, pointing to potent customized versions of GM vehicles lined up at the track, such as the Pontiac Grand AM SC/T, Pontiac Bonneville GXP, Pontiac Grand Prix G-Force, Chevy Cavalier Turbo Sport, Chevy Silverado SST and Chevy S-10 Xtreme Force.
"And high-performance 4-cylinder variants demonstrate that small cars can get very good fuel economy, but still can be a lot of fun to drive. And if we offer high-performance versions for those looking for more fun when driving, we can offer less expensive base models for those looking more for high mileage from a small car," said Reuss, son of retired GM President Lloyd Reuss.
In doing so, "even low-volume niche vehicles like these would make money" for GM and its dealers, Reuss said.
In addition to customizing Cavaliers, Sunfires and Grand Ams, the Performance Group helped GM develop the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Chevy Bel Air concept cars that the automaker is evaluating for possible production as limited-edition high-performance (Solstice roadster) or high-profile (Sky/Bel Air convertibles) niche vehicles.
The Performance Division, like the industry, is looking at niche trucks to take advantage of their popularity.
"Chevy needs a high-performance version of a small truck," Reuss said. "Remember when GMC had the Syclone (a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive version of the compact (GMC) S-15 pickup truck in the early '90s) and the Typhoon (a turbocharged, AWD version of the compact Jimmy sport-ute also in in the early '90s). It would be viable and make a lot of sense today to put the power to the pavement in a four-wheel-drive, fun-to-drive small truck."
Because GM has a replacement for the compact S-10 pickup coming for '04, a midsize called Colorado developed with Isuzu, Reuss' idea may be a bit prophetic.
The Performance Division also may be called on to fill the void left by the demise of the Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird coupes that brought youth into showrooms.
"A 2-plus-2, rear-wheel-drive platform still makes for a strong package for performance. This year or next you'll see a concept that sniffs around that formula again," Reuss said.
The other stuff is mostly good news too, but I bet none of them are stickshift...
Detroit Free Press 10/01/02
author: Jim Mateja / Chicago Tribune
Copyright 2001 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved.
MILAN -- The parking lot was filled with toys, production models engineers had tinkered with to eke a bit more muscle from under the hood.
A Pontiac Grand Am sedan with a 275-horsepower V-6 and a compact Chevrolet S-10 pickup with a 403-h.p. V-6 rested alongside a Chevy Monte Carlo coupe with a 371-h.p. V-8 and a full-size Chevy Silverado pickup with a 480-h.p. V-8.
The Grand Am normally has a 175-horsepower engine; the S-10, 190; Monte Carlo, 200; and Silverado, 300. Nice, but not all that strange a show of power considering the setting is a Michigan drag strip and the addition of a turbocharger or a supercharger to the standard V-6 or V-8 helped boost h.p. 100 or more.
A little odd were the compact Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire: one turbocharged (Cavalier) to 220 h.p. and one supercharged (Sunfire) to 260 h.p.; both up from 140 h.p.; and both sporting a 2.2-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine, the powerplant offered in the Saturn car lineup.
What was truly strange is that Cavalier/Sunfire are reaching the end of the line and soon will be replaced. So why tinker as replacements await? GM is counting on the new 2.2-liter Ecotec to be its high-mileage yet high-power engine for small vehicles.
"We've tried in the past to do small cars profitably, but it's tough to make a buck on small cars," said Mark Reuss, executive director of GM's new Performance Division, the group in charge of producing performance versions of GM vehicles as well as the parts (turbos to superchargers, suspensions and exhausts) and accessories (spoilers to plastic ground effects) consumers need to customize their GM vehicles to look and act like high-performance machines.
"High-performance variants help get people excited in our cars and help bring in revenue to the corporation," he said, pointing to potent customized versions of GM vehicles lined up at the track, such as the Pontiac Grand AM SC/T, Pontiac Bonneville GXP, Pontiac Grand Prix G-Force, Chevy Cavalier Turbo Sport, Chevy Silverado SST and Chevy S-10 Xtreme Force.
"And high-performance 4-cylinder variants demonstrate that small cars can get very good fuel economy, but still can be a lot of fun to drive. And if we offer high-performance versions for those looking for more fun when driving, we can offer less expensive base models for those looking more for high mileage from a small car," said Reuss, son of retired GM President Lloyd Reuss.
In doing so, "even low-volume niche vehicles like these would make money" for GM and its dealers, Reuss said.
In addition to customizing Cavaliers, Sunfires and Grand Ams, the Performance Group helped GM develop the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Chevy Bel Air concept cars that the automaker is evaluating for possible production as limited-edition high-performance (Solstice roadster) or high-profile (Sky/Bel Air convertibles) niche vehicles.
The Performance Division, like the industry, is looking at niche trucks to take advantage of their popularity.
"Chevy needs a high-performance version of a small truck," Reuss said. "Remember when GMC had the Syclone (a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive version of the compact (GMC) S-15 pickup truck in the early '90s) and the Typhoon (a turbocharged, AWD version of the compact Jimmy sport-ute also in in the early '90s). It would be viable and make a lot of sense today to put the power to the pavement in a four-wheel-drive, fun-to-drive small truck."
Because GM has a replacement for the compact S-10 pickup coming for '04, a midsize called Colorado developed with Isuzu, Reuss' idea may be a bit prophetic.
The Performance Division also may be called on to fill the void left by the demise of the Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird coupes that brought youth into showrooms.
"A 2-plus-2, rear-wheel-drive platform still makes for a strong package for performance. This year or next you'll see a concept that sniffs around that formula again," Reuss said.
The other stuff is mostly good news too, but I bet none of them are stickshift...
10-01-2002, 05:39 PM
#2
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They should stop beating around the bush and put some of those babies on the market already. Dam GM get a clue. You test and test but never actually produce. You should have at least produced the ZL1 for its finally as the camaro laid to rest but noooo. 
10-01-2002, 07:13 PM
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I hope that means Camaro, but you never know about GM. Hopefully when the 5th gen comes out, we will know more about the reasons they are being so secretive about what's going on now. It's still very frusrating, but I guess you gotta have faith.
10-01-2002, 08:26 PM
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Gag order: True. It's been mentioned on other sites. I think Redplanet even mentioned it here. 
Camaro concept: True..kinda. Some time ago, Jon Moss mentioned there would be a concept Camaro about the time F-body production ended, and there was a concept Camaro. It's just that it was a modified 4th gen.
2+2 concept: Almost definately. Chevrolet is supposed to have a RWD coupe at this year's NAIAS. Could be anything from a Camaro to a revised Belair or Monte Carlo.
Among Ford's 9 (!) concepts scheduled to be displayed so far (right from Nick Scheele himself) is buzz that one of them's a version of the next Mustang. :EEK:
Camaro concept: True..kinda. Some time ago, Jon Moss mentioned there would be a concept Camaro about the time F-body production ended, and there was a concept Camaro. It's just that it was a modified 4th gen.
2+2 concept: Almost definately. Chevrolet is supposed to have a RWD coupe at this year's NAIAS. Could be anything from a Camaro to a revised Belair or Monte Carlo.
Among Ford's 9 (!) concepts scheduled to be displayed so far (right from Nick Scheele himself) is buzz that one of them's a version of the next Mustang. :EEK:
10-01-2002, 09:24 PM
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"A 2-plus-2, rear-wheel-drive platform still makes for a strong package for performance. This year or next you'll see a concept that sniffs around that formula again," Reuss said.
So what's the concept? A Monaro/GTO rebadged as a Chevy?
No thanks!
10-01-2002, 10:26 PM
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GTO is not 2+2, its got a fullsize rear seat. Well, we know that a 4 door Chevy SS concept will be shown. Hopefully we'll get a look at a TT'd Atlas I6 powered Trailblazer or Colorado. That would be cool.
10-02-2002, 12:56 PM
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Originally posted by Sixer-Bird
GTO is not 2+2, its got a fullsize rear seat. ...
GTO is not 2+2, its got a fullsize rear seat. ...
I supposed you could stick someone in the middle back there, but they wouldn't be very happy about it.
10-02-2002, 02:21 PM
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Originally posted by Sixer-Bird
True, but it still is alot bigger than most 2+2 coupes out there now. And I wouldn't call the Monaro a 2+2.
True, but it still is alot bigger than most 2+2 coupes out there now. And I wouldn't call the Monaro a 2+2.
maybe this is really a camaro concept
At what auto show is supposed to be?
10-02-2002, 10:17 PM
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I think the 2+2 coming will be the Chevy SS, whose fat-fender front end I dislike (strangely, I read in Car & Driver today that if the SS is produced it will probably wear a Malibu nameplate). But I also think a Camaro concept will be displayed before the next Mustang hits dealers showrooms.
sixer - The Monaro has 2 buckets in the rear. Having enough rear legroom for adults does not preclude it from being a 2+2, IMO, although I agree most people think of an "afterthought back seat" when they hear the term.
Folks, note he said we'd see a concept in a year or two. I don't think any Monaro-GTO they show anytime soon will be classified as a "concept"... it would be pre-production.
sixer - The Monaro has 2 buckets in the rear. Having enough rear legroom for adults does not preclude it from being a 2+2, IMO, although I agree most people think of an "afterthought back seat" when they hear the term.
Folks, note he said we'd see a concept in a year or two. I don't think any Monaro-GTO they show anytime soon will be classified as a "concept"... it would be pre-production.