I'm not completely sure of the what/why regarding the cost difference between the Bel Air and SSR. But there are some obvious differences. The Bel Air was based off the dirt cheap GMT355. The SSR off the more expensive and sophisticated GMT360. The Bel Air had a conventional soft top, the SSR had an extremely expensive and complex foldable steel top. Stuff like that I suppose.

The other thing is, manufacturers don't necessarily calculate their manufactring costs on a vehicle, add 10% (or whatever), and come up with MSRP. It's really more a factor of what the market will bear (or what they think it'll bear). The Corvette for example, is one of the most profitable vehicles that GM sells. I mean, how much less than the $51+K asking price does it cost to make a Tahoe LTZ?

If you can buy a base Colorado for $15,590, I see no reason not to believe that the Bel Air would have cost $20K-$25K.

Oh....and I betcha a smallblock would have been even cheaper than the turbo I5 in the concept, too.

 

I recall that the SSR was more expensive than GM had originally anticipated, and also that you could get them with big discounts after some time. I think volume is critical for low pricing and that they wouldn't have hit it with the Bel Air, which would have meant higher pricing.

But who knows? People who do know wouldn't tell me.

Btw, how much more sophisticated is the GMT360 than the GMT355? The former is bigger, but they're both solid axle, body on frame.

 

If I remember right GMT360 uses a more spophisticated rear suspension and it also uses a hydroformed frame whereas 355 uses leaf springs and standard cast frame.

 

Before we go overboard on the GMT-355 being dirt cheap....

I just built a loaded up a 4-door Colorado on www.chevy.com .... It was almost $31,000.

 

I agree. And you sure wouldn't get that volume from a stand alone convertible. So maybe some creative product planning would be required. A way to "sneak" in versions that low buck enthusiasts would find desirable.

I've mentioned the Nomad previously. Perhaps a Nomad could be developed under the auspices of a work or delivery truck to create volume. Kind of a partial replacement for the discontinued Astro/Safari. As a "truck" it would also add to GM's truck CAFE credits.

And it would of course, share mechanicals with the other GMT355's. Things like the uprated for '07 I4 and I5.....and certainly the upcoming 5.3.

So that's the deal. I can imagine the knowledgeable enthusiast going into a Chevy dealer, ordering a cool looking, (YES, it must look cool!), Nomad, and checking off the "Engine, Vortec 5300 SFI" box for $945, and the "Suspension Package, Sport (ZQ8)" for $450....and getting a pretty bitchin', RWD, V8, hotrod....for the price of a nicely equipped Caliber R/T.

 

You have been pretty stuck on this idea for awhile now, and truth be told, it is starting to grow on me some. Is there any merit to this? You have been bringing this up alot. Is this just your idle mind wandering, or has GM been brainstorming?

Even based off of a truck platform, a RWD v8 car/truck with a sport suspension package for the price of a well optioned Caliber would be hard to beat. I would see this vehicle selling pretty well. This is the kind of abstract thinking GM should be doing more of, if they aren't doing so already. Fresh new ideas.

 

I'm still not convinced a "Cheap V8" coupe is necessary. Sure, many here would love one, but unless it has dead sexy styling and charisma, no one is going to buy it. If GM decides to go that route, I'd think it would be more important to built an ultra cheap performance econobox first.

 

I think it would depend largely on how well GM makes a car with truck underpinnings peform and feel like a car, and not a small truck. Small rwd cars have sold in the past. 240SXs are still sought after by alot of young guys, with one of the big reasons being that they are rwd, and very cheap. If GM could offer a v8 options at a really low price point, it would only sweeten the deal. The vehicle Z284ever is describing would not likely have to sell in high volume, or at least that is how I take it when he used the word niche in the title.

 

Honestly.. I don't think this niche exists.. My hunch is if you go further down the pricerange, most people in this bracket would rather want more interior and overall refinment, rather than a bastardized truck platform under chassis'd car with a cheap V8.. When a properly designed platform from the beginning with a healthy V6 or even I4 would probably be better in all aspects, and may even be closer than you'd expect in straight line accel performance.

 

I'm not convinced we need a coupe either, (or a even convertible, for that matter),...much too much overlap with other products. I think we need something else, something different...that's why I keep bringing up this Nomad, since it seems just about perfect for what I'm thinking of - for all the reasons I've already stated.

I mean look at the Scion xB. That thing was an old Japan market product at the very end of it's life cycle. Scion brings it here, gives it a snappy new name with a repackaged image....and BAM!...they're all over the place. And that's because, Toyota successfully tapped into what X-many-thousand people per year consider "cool", with an extremely cheap, different....almost whimsical product.

 

i want a RWD nomad.

 

Funny thing.....I was just reading how the introduction of a v8 in a small cheap car saved Pontiac back in the 50's....

Doesn't matter though, we'll never get a cheap v8 from GM again. I don't seem to sound too harsh, but you have guys with only a highschool education getting paid great amounts of money and getting insane benefits for their education level. And as long as they eat up at GM profits GM will continue to over price cars, and make less money.

 

I see. I don't think leaf springs would be taken seriously on any sort of sporty car, would it? (yes, I know the Corvette is a leaf, but it's not the same as a pickup)

 

In this case, I don't think that would matter much. THIS, is all about, cool, cheap and smallblock pipe music.

 

No merit to this anymore. There was a time afew years ago, where it looked like something like this could possibly happen....but that time has past.

Perhaps the V8 Colorado can fill that role .