I was thinking exactly the same thing.

 

If the nature of this proposed relationship is sharing technology and advanced R&D, then I can see the merits. But to actually share the engine, I dunno. Certain things are just 'core' to a brand, something that differentiates them from everyone else, something that reputations are built on. A vehicle's engine is definitely one of those things. Think how much equity there is in Chrysler's Hemi, and that was even before the new ones came out and they'd been out of production for decades. How many songs and other pop culture references are there to various engines like the Hemi, 409, 350, "5.0", etc.? Some people are actually more brand loyal toward an engine than the company that makes them. You don't get this with commodity-like components such as transmissions ... which is why it's okay to share those types of things.

And it's not just outright performance engines that foster such reputations. Honda and Toyota have built reputations on how reliable their 4-cylinder engines are. People buys their cars because of it. Folks that couldn't even point out a spark plug seem to know that 3800s are supposed to be bulletproof. Some engines are so well regarded that their internal designations almost become part of the popular lexicon, e.g. LS1, LT1, B12.

In such a crowded market, at time when automakers are doing all they can to distinguish themselves from their competitors, sharing the very essence of a vehicle just doesn't seem right to me.

 

Just say no to F*rd GM, seriously. It's lousy enough that the brands inside GM share almost everything these days, we don't need the competitors doing it too.

 

If it's a way of survival for both automakers, why not?

 

Then you might be floored to learn that GM & Ford combined resources to create the 6 speed automatic transaxle.

Yes, that six speed automatic in the Malibu is going to be the same that's in the Taurus.

Then you have GM and Toyota sharing quite a few vehicles since the 80s including the current Vibe/Matrix and the Honda V6 engines under the hoods of the Saturn Vue.

Should I get that Valium for you now???

 

When a new motor costs $1 billion and a new trans is $800 million, it is the prudent thing to do. This wont affect the V8s that are out there now, but the power plants of the future, whether they are internal combustion or not.

 

Name a single main stream car company that doesn't do this? Almost every engine/transmission has more than one vehicle it is placed in.

 

im sorry! i dont care what else has been said but the thought of a 3 valve OHC LS# makes me sick

 

I'd only agree with you if GM somehow decided on using the Ford donks.

Seriously, the fact that both companies are working together is clearly a sign of the times and how seriously they view their repective long term future.

 

Uh.....sales of cars that shouldn't be selling.

 

Also it has been proven that a OHC motor of equal displacement will produce more power than a pushrod.

 

I wouldn't mind an all-aluminum 6.X liter 3valve Ohc LsX with vvt and DI coupled with a 6 or 7spd dual-clutch transmission.

 

BINGO!
Full Steam Ahead with this collaboration, I say!

 

GM already has solid drivetrain and engines.... the only thing it could use from ford is some interior design

 

Ford? Interior design? LOL. MAYBE their trucks. Maybe. But cars? Oh no.