A few GTO & Holden items
07-13-2002, 05:08 PM
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A few GTO & Holden items
I said I'd make a post on the odds & ends I found out regarding GTO while in Austraila, so here goes:
*GTO's exterior revisions will be limited to revised bumper covers & rear lights. GM has no intentions (rightfully) of investing extra millions of dollars on new stamping equptment on a limited edition car. For those of you who must have it, Holden will have spoilers & other add ons available as dealer options through Pontiac.
*Monaro cost $60 millon to bring to market, but the shocking part is that only $20 million went to engineering. The rest went to the plant. It's going to take more than the initial engineering to make the changes to become a GTO.
*Monaro sells about 2500 cars per year. GTO will sell at least 18,000. You may remember that Holden is set to export 20,000 cars to the US. Currently, that extra 2000 cars is a reserve incase Holden needs to produce more GTO's for the US.
*For those of you who think GTO should look like past GTO's: The designers had no intention of making Monaro look like past Monaros. The intent was to create a concept 2 door Commodore. The public & press tagged it the Monaro, and the same pressure that pushed them to produce it, helped it to wear the Monaro name. The GTO will be more GTO than Monaro is Monaro.
*GTO's fuel tank will be moved. All Commodore based cars except the UTE (this includes the long wheelbase Statesman) has the rear mounted nylon fuel tank. This will likely now be mounted in the trunk, behind the rear seat. A true dual exhaust system will not fit with the current setup, as well as liability concerns (not federal standards). (Just a side note, there is no room whatsoever to put the fuel tank infront of the rear axle. The body structure & exhaust system.. dual till it crosses over in front of the differential.. won't allow it).
*GTO will be a complete package & will come in both Automatic & 6 speed manual. There will be pretty much no options.
A few other things you may want to know:
*Commodore will most certainly NOT be comming to the US. In price & size it's too close to Impala & Regal. However, the Statesman will either come to the US as Holden's next limited edition export (to Chevrolet) or a version may be produced here. There is also a consensus that the UTE will most certainly be headed to the US eventually.
*The money being spent on converting Monaro to GTO will be carried over in another vehicle assuming GTO comes through well. It's just a question of what will be next.
*The next VE (2004) will be a "export friendly" design, meaning it will be alot less trouble to export to (or produce in) the US.
*Though Holden may produce some low volume cars for the US on a semi-permanent basis (most likely the El Camino) the volumes needed for the US means they won't produce any carlines for us.
*Holden also designs cars for other GM subsideraries in the Pacific. They have a virtual reality design studio, and is getting a reputation of bringing out new designs faster than any other studio in the world. Management review of new cars is done in this virtual reality room, and this completely computerized studio is why Monaro only cost $20 million to engineer.
*Finally, though I probally already mentioned it, Ford's upcomming Falcon series will be using what is basically the next gen Mustang's suspension.
More later.
*GTO's exterior revisions will be limited to revised bumper covers & rear lights. GM has no intentions (rightfully) of investing extra millions of dollars on new stamping equptment on a limited edition car. For those of you who must have it, Holden will have spoilers & other add ons available as dealer options through Pontiac.
*Monaro cost $60 millon to bring to market, but the shocking part is that only $20 million went to engineering. The rest went to the plant. It's going to take more than the initial engineering to make the changes to become a GTO.
*Monaro sells about 2500 cars per year. GTO will sell at least 18,000. You may remember that Holden is set to export 20,000 cars to the US. Currently, that extra 2000 cars is a reserve incase Holden needs to produce more GTO's for the US.
*For those of you who think GTO should look like past GTO's: The designers had no intention of making Monaro look like past Monaros. The intent was to create a concept 2 door Commodore. The public & press tagged it the Monaro, and the same pressure that pushed them to produce it, helped it to wear the Monaro name. The GTO will be more GTO than Monaro is Monaro.
*GTO's fuel tank will be moved. All Commodore based cars except the UTE (this includes the long wheelbase Statesman) has the rear mounted nylon fuel tank. This will likely now be mounted in the trunk, behind the rear seat. A true dual exhaust system will not fit with the current setup, as well as liability concerns (not federal standards). (Just a side note, there is no room whatsoever to put the fuel tank infront of the rear axle. The body structure & exhaust system.. dual till it crosses over in front of the differential.. won't allow it).
*GTO will be a complete package & will come in both Automatic & 6 speed manual. There will be pretty much no options.
A few other things you may want to know:
*Commodore will most certainly NOT be comming to the US. In price & size it's too close to Impala & Regal. However, the Statesman will either come to the US as Holden's next limited edition export (to Chevrolet) or a version may be produced here. There is also a consensus that the UTE will most certainly be headed to the US eventually.
*The money being spent on converting Monaro to GTO will be carried over in another vehicle assuming GTO comes through well. It's just a question of what will be next.
*The next VE (2004) will be a "export friendly" design, meaning it will be alot less trouble to export to (or produce in) the US.
*Though Holden may produce some low volume cars for the US on a semi-permanent basis (most likely the El Camino) the volumes needed for the US means they won't produce any carlines for us.
*Holden also designs cars for other GM subsideraries in the Pacific. They have a virtual reality design studio, and is getting a reputation of bringing out new designs faster than any other studio in the world. Management review of new cars is done in this virtual reality room, and this completely computerized studio is why Monaro only cost $20 million to engineer.
*Finally, though I probally already mentioned it, Ford's upcomming Falcon series will be using what is basically the next gen Mustang's suspension.
More later.
07-14-2002, 01:31 PM
#5
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The rear light changes will be done to give it a "Pontiac" identity just as the noise piece does. The rear bumper covers will be redone to allow for a full dual exhaust system.
Don't know anything about the trunk space/ fuel tank issue. On the UTE, the spare tire is mounted where the fuel tank is in other models.
Monaro's fuel tank is mounted offset behind the rear axle just as the pre-1985 Mustangs were, and it seems that it wouldn't be a problem centering it the way post-85 Mustangs have done (there isn't a goverment mandate requiring the fuel tank in front of the axle or in the trunk). But all it takes is one really bad accident and lawsuit involving the fuel tank, and the whole car is sunk.
Side note on Monaro's size. I parked next to a Volvo C70 yesterday, and realized Monaro is almost exactly the same size & proportions except for the hood (Monaro's shorter). Monaro is too big to be a Camaro, and far too small to be a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix. It also takes up about as much space as Mustang, but it seems like it's far away more muscular.
Don't know anything about the trunk space/ fuel tank issue. On the UTE, the spare tire is mounted where the fuel tank is in other models.
Monaro's fuel tank is mounted offset behind the rear axle just as the pre-1985 Mustangs were, and it seems that it wouldn't be a problem centering it the way post-85 Mustangs have done (there isn't a goverment mandate requiring the fuel tank in front of the axle or in the trunk). But all it takes is one really bad accident and lawsuit involving the fuel tank, and the whole car is sunk.
Side note on Monaro's size. I parked next to a Volvo C70 yesterday, and realized Monaro is almost exactly the same size & proportions except for the hood (Monaro's shorter). Monaro is too big to be a Camaro, and far too small to be a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix. It also takes up about as much space as Mustang, but it seems like it's far away more muscular.
07-15-2002, 10:37 AM
#7
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by guionM:
The GTO will be more GTO than Monaro is Monaro.</font>
The GTO will be more GTO than Monaro is Monaro.</font>
Also, I like that you say it's pretty much C70 size.
Jeff
------------------
1996 Black Z28 M6; Stock.
1994 S10 4X4.
My Zed
07-16-2002, 12:20 AM
#8
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I don't get why some of you are asking what the taillights and stuff is gonna look like. You guys know what the rear of the car is gonna look like already. Like the Grand Am/Prix's of course. 
I had to.
IMO its still stupid to let the GTO have no visual ties with the real GTO's.
I had to. IMO its still stupid to let the GTO have no visual ties with the real GTO's.
07-16-2002, 01:32 PM
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To Impala64: Holden already uses the Caprice name on a version of Statesman, so I'd guess it would be a non issue to use it on a version exported here. Also, the Statesman already looks suspiciously like something Chevrolet would make, right down to the grille.
Personally, I think the UTE will make it here before a Caprice does. Once GTO is done, the investment to convert the UTE would be virtually nothing.
Captain Jeff: Actually from the rear quarter, the C70 bears a striking resemblence to Monaro. Monaro looks slicker by far & has bigger wheels & tires, but I'd bet parking them side by side, they're the same size.
Personally, I think the UTE will make it here before a Caprice does. Once GTO is done, the investment to convert the UTE would be virtually nothing.
Captain Jeff: Actually from the rear quarter, the C70 bears a striking resemblence to Monaro. Monaro looks slicker by far & has bigger wheels & tires, but I'd bet parking them side by side, they're the same size.
08-29-2002, 01:48 PM
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by guionM:
*Commodore will most certainly NOT be comming to the US. In price & size it's too close to Impala & Regal. However, the Statesman will either come to the US as Holden's next limited edition export (to Chevrolet) or a version may be produced here. There is also a consensus that the UTE will most certainly be headed to the US eventually.
*The money being spent on converting Monaro to GTO will be carried over in another vehicle assuming GTO comes through well. It's just a question of what will be next.
*The next VE (2004) will be a "export friendly" design, meaning it will be alot less trouble to export to (or produce in) the US.
</font>
*Commodore will most certainly NOT be comming to the US. In price & size it's too close to Impala & Regal. However, the Statesman will either come to the US as Holden's next limited edition export (to Chevrolet) or a version may be produced here. There is also a consensus that the UTE will most certainly be headed to the US eventually.
*The money being spent on converting Monaro to GTO will be carried over in another vehicle assuming GTO comes through well. It's just a question of what will be next.
*The next VE (2004) will be a "export friendly" design, meaning it will be alot less trouble to export to (or produce in) the US.
</font>
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