Ummm. G6 coupe anyone? Mustang ring a bell? Eclipse, Sebring, Solara... The 30K midsize coupe market is actually kind of full right now. Throw in a Camaro to take MC's place and GM has 2 entrants vs most companies that only have 1.

 

Exactly. And a GTO coupe fits in where? Aren't there rumors of a Caddy coupe as well?

 

Go sit in the back of ANY of those cars, and tell me how midsize ANY of them are. The Sebring coupe is dead, the Eclipse is as small as a Camaro inside (would YOU call a Camaro a midsize coupe?????????????), the Solara I can't comment on, but a G6 coupe is definitely not as big in or out as my Grand Prix...I sit in one on the showroom floor every Saturday.

Also, the GTO costs more than $30k...so again, other than a MC, show me a midsize coupe (with the added caveat that someone can fit in the back...I'm 5' 6", and my head hits the headliner in a G6!!!) under $30k...

You helped me prove my point...thank you

 

I too am not convinced the "Chevelle" Zeta is dead.

 

go on......

 

Jason you work for Pontiac and you think the G6 is not midsize? Seriously it is directly midsize. I have a 97 MC, pretty much the same floor pan as the current MC, and I think the G6 is darn close to the same rear leg room, head room is definately less. So are we going by objectivity or by subjectivity?

Pontiac.com
G6 coupe
Head room, rear, inches 36.3
Shoulder room, rear, inches 51.1
Hip room, rear, inches 49.9
Leg room, rear, inches 35.8

GP
Head room, rear, inches 36.2
Shoulder room, rear, inches 54.8
Hip room, rear, inches 54.3
Leg room, rear, inches 36.2

So the G6 is down in every area but that doesn't make it midsize. Also the GP is coupe only so it would likely loose some areas if it were a coupe.

 

I hate to burst your bubble, but F-bodies have competed in upper level NASCAR sanctioned events in the past.

 

GTO and Camaro had different program codes, meaning they weren't the same car. The "Chevelle" was to be Chevy's GTO, and would have beaten Camaro to market.

Most all projects were moved to this upcoming chassis being done for Chevy. but I can't see GM investing seemingly every penny and engineer they can muster just for a Camaro, Chevy sedan, and a couple of reskinned sedans for Buick & Pontiac. Also, not sure why Holden is doing work on Camaro, but not Belair, or why the Monaro (and GTO) replacement was done at Holden so early in the game.

I'm also aware there is/was 3 Zetas.

Things are going to be pretty intresting later this year.

 

Right now....GM has a "periphial" vehicle concepts designed for Zeta that could easily be be brought to market if-

1) The cash starts flowing after the initial Zetas and GMT-900's hit full swing. Right now,,,GM could not a not justify spending $100 million (guess) on a Firebird to sell say 20,000 units over what it would have done with just Camaro. The financial situation gets better and GM doesn't have everyone breathing down their neck...it becomes a much better preposition. [My opinion] If Pontiac/Buick/GMC will be their own sales channel...and Pontiac is the performance brand....then no Firebird would be insane when you look at economies of scale.

and

2) The public demands it. The public is demanding Camaro...and look where it is.


In short a Firebird or Chevelle may be nothing more than computer engieering (if that) at this point....but once the initial engineering is done on Zeta....they can be brought to market VERY quickly.

 

To the best of my research, the Monte Carlo is the only car you can buy today with 2 doors, five seat belts and a V-8. From that perspective, it has NO competition. I hope GM keeps it, but it's hard to justify this many coupes for one brand: Cobalt, Monte Carlo, Camaro, Corvette. As for NASCAR, I predict Chevy would switch to the Impala. Charger, Fusion and Camry are all four-doors anyway. That could be a reason why the '06 Monte and Impala front ends are almost identical; change the shape of the side window and the tail light decals, and voila, you have an Impala racer.

 

The previous gen GP has identical headroom whether its a sedan or coupe...I used to recite that constantly when they were new So just because a 4 door is made a coupe does not mean it automatically looses headroom.

I understand the G6 is classified as a midsize. It has the width, but does not have the length, and nowhere NEAR the rear seat headroom to be considered a true midsize coupe, IMO. I was driving my GP earlier, and thinking of this very question. My GP can COMFORTABLY have 3 people in the back, and so long as the rear seats aren't all the way back, they're fine. Do that in a G6. There's no middle seatbelt, and ZERO headroom. I don't know WHERE Pontiac gets its headroom # from...I sit in the back of a new GP 4 door fine...I demo them all the time.

I know where you're coming from, and don't mean to disrespect your opinion. But trust me...a G6 coupe is more like a compact inside because of the roofline, and more like a compact outside because of its length. Its a full foot shorter than my GP, and a new MC.

I guess what I needed to say is what Chevy Ryan said...the MC is the only FIVE PASSENGER, LARGER MIDSIZED coupe under $30k. 10 years ago? We had the GP, the MC, the Cutlass Supreme, the Regal, the T-bird...I miss my comfy, larger coupes. I HATE SEDANS. Period.

All the other coupes you mentioned, outside of the Solara, are 2+2s and nothing more...

 

No offense, but what does that have to do with anything? An F body was classified as a subcompact by the EPA despite being 6" longer than a G6, which is a "midsize"...so?

 

One thing you gotta say about the Monte Carlo is, it sure keeps chugging along sales-wise. Last year it outsold the last Camaro by about 25%. And the new one is even up from last year, +17% YTD.

I run into plenty of people who think the Monte Carlo is the cat's meow. And as we said, it's a roomy, full sized, 5 passenger coupe. I wonder though, if people would sour on it if it weren't FWD?

Anyway, with that said, I'd doubt we'll see another one after the W-car runs it's course.

 

The only name that could replace Monte Carlo would be Chevelle.

 

You just stated the exact case for bringing the car (if not the name) back.
Unfortunately, outside of Bob Lutz comments that it will return (meaning he's cleared it for final approval) I don't know exactly where it is in development, or it's timetable like I do the sedans and the Camaro & GTO.


Actually the reason was that the Monte Carlo would be replaced well before Impala was. When that nose was penned, the Monte Carlo was scheduled to be replaced for 2008MY (a year to a year and a half from now). Impala wasn't initially scheduled till 2010MY. That's why MC only got the new nose and dash, while Impy got the whole thing.