A few odds and ends have come my way the past month, and alot of them have me wondering about GM's brag no so long ago about bringing a car to production in 18 months.

By the time the Solstice ends up in showrooms, it will be 36 months since it debuted at the NAIAS. That's after running full speed ahead through the development process! The Colbalt is 8 months away from production, and has already been under development for almost 2 years! The Regal replacement (LaCrosse) was to come out a year after the Grand Prix. It's coming out nearly 2 years later, because of just a restyling (it's based on the Grand Prix's inner structure which was already done). It seems that the length of time it takes to develop a new car from begining to end hasn't changed much, and if in fact GM deos actually have this capability, it doesn't seem like they are using it.

Take the new Impala for instance. It's due for a rebody (also on Grand Prix's structure) next year. That is 3 years after the new Grand Prix debuted. Why?

Another car which was 1st a mule back around 2002 isn't scheduled for production till as late as 2008 or 2009. Another RWD car which was on track just a couple of months ago is also moved back a year.

What brought my rant on? Without going into details, it seems that many of the upcoming great rides GM is planing has been pushed back.

According to GM's brags & the timeline for developing a car, one would think that if you say 18-24 months, and work is moving along, something started today could be done by say February 2006. Instead, there are vehicles started back in 2002 and 2003 that won't be out till late in the decade.

Part of the reason is that GM is using as much time as they can developing cars. Even though the Cobalt is coming out in 8 months, the car they had at the LA debut didn't even have the finalized interior materials, and it will continue undergoing development till at least mid summer!

The other part of the reason is that GM seems to want to squeeze every drop of sales from existing vehicles. The current Impala & MC redesign was pushed back 2 years (evidently to be a part of the RWD VE cars) and instead will be a rebodied W. Instead of this being just a short term car as initially planned, it seems it's going to be around for a regular life cycle. Other cars that need to be out soon or replaced NOW is being pushed back.

I know that GM is taking it's time bringing some of these cars to market because they want to get the public accustomed to volume RWD cars again. At 1st, that seemed like a good & prudent plan. But then I realized that Chrysler (despite having been neutered by Daimler for the past 6 years) has grown some serious gonads and is putting no fewer than 4 rear drive CARS on the road within the next 24 months. Aparently GM won't even have a RWD plant ready by then. GM's going to hedge their bets & wait & see. In the meantime, they are talking like new RWD cars are right around the corner.

As far as the basic engineering, that's done. GM engineering & design is linked by hyperspace. Holden's new RWD cars will be done on schedule and will be out in calender year 2006. Let it suffice to say that GM North America aparently won't share this timetable.

However, Chrysler will have 4 new rear drivers, and even Ford (discounting the upcoming Mustang, Panther cars, and LS redesigns) will have at the very least 2 brand new rear drive models on the streets by then.

Just like in the performance truck market, seems we'll be at the party behind the other 2 guys.






Note: I'm not slaming what GM has in the pipeline, it's actually pretty amazing stuff. It's just simply disheartening that they are moving some things back, while making boasts about development times that seem to be almost meaningless.

 

I guess that explains the OR 08 in your other post.

 

I have to say that I have been very disapointed in GM over the past few years. The 50th anniversary of the Corvette was a big dissapointment. It does not surprise me that they will be late with their rear wheel drive cars. The corvette will be late arriving with 500hp, the camaro is already late. GM just needs to get with the program.

 

I understand the delaying of the RWD Impala to ease people back into RWD, but they need to build the Camaro NOW!!!

I guess I better start saving for a GTO, Lightning, or Mustang Mach1/Cobra, I don't want to wait later than summer 2006 for a new Camaro. Maybe I'll run into some cash and be able to buy a Z51 C6. Please don't let this loyal customer down GM

 

This is why I have never believed the '06-'07 rumors for the new Camaro I believe it will be a few more years down the road, unless they decide to use something that already exists like Holden/GTO chassis. I will be very surprized (and happy) if we see a new Camaro in the '06-'07 time frame, but I just don't see it happening.

 

A day late and a dollar short...

**** poor

 

I think some of this would be to stagger new product introduction... If you introduced teh Grand Prix, Impala, Monte Carlo, LaCrosse, et all to the market all in the same year, they each would lose some thunder...

 

18 - 24 Months from what stage to what stage?

I've just reread the Autoweek Solstice article about 3 times and there are many different e.t.'s mentioned but no way to string them together to say it should take X months from "sparkle in BL's eye to showroom floor".

Based on Solstice ...18 - 24 seems accurate for "approved production ready prototype to showroom floor".

I'd agree that GM takes way too long with their stuff ...how long ago did they announce DOD ....and when will it finally be available?

 

Can you really compare the two? Isn't DoD more tied to dates when certain Federal emission standards need to be achieved? Why push it out on the public until GM absolutely has to? If you bring it on-line too early as an option, and how many will buy a vehicle with DoD technology? (I know I would, but then to me technology is cool.)

As for the 18-24 month thing. I would have to think the Camaro is already secretely in development somewhere under an "assumed" name. Or am I asking for too much?

 

From the hodge-podge of things posted here, and from a second-hand source of mine ( ) the Camaro has been in development for a while now....including a full-size model....but who knows, it's all fun speculation at this point.

 

Odd thing today. I had a heads up the Cadillac DTS will actually be ahead of schedule, coming out shortly after the STS as a 2005 car instead of 2006.

I haven't been following Cadillac closely, but I suspect it's a rebody of the current FWD version. How this fits in with the large RWD Cadillac in the pipeline, I don't know.

 

I find this very unsurprising...it seems to be consistant with the "3 years late to the prom" strategy that GM has been using for, well, ever.

-Jason

 

I read the Auto Week article on the Solstice too and I think what the article says amounts to a revolution at GM. To get a car into showrooms in 18-24 months is possible and some at GM are trying hard to change the old corporate culture. But, it's probably going to take some time to really take hold.

If you consider the Solstice, you really can't go by the 2002 concept as the starting point. That car was built using existing parts wherever they could be found. From the description in the Auto Week article, just about everything in the Solstice has changed except for the body style.

I think there's hope

 

I know that the Solstice at the 2002 show isn't the structure of the car. But that is the most visible start-to-finish example of how long it actually takes a car to get to market at GM. This is a car that had alot of firepower behind it and alot of those very same new systems & methods that GM spoke of was at it's disposal.

GM's claim is that they can get a car from inception to the market in 18-24 months. Something the old Chrysler used to do. IMHO the much bigger GM should be able to repeat that (with much better success in quality than Chrysler used to have).

The Solstice went through GM's system at maximum top speed, and it still is taking 36 months to go from inception to production. Admittedly, the Colbalt took a bit less, but it's using a chassis & components that were already engineered and in use by Saturn here & Opel in Europe, and it still took longer than the 18-24 months advertised.

I know I sound like I'm ranting, but I'm just taken aback that a group of IMHO really great vehicles GM has been working on for at least a year or so is being pushed back. I'm sure there's probally a real good reason, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

 

looks like chrysler 300c for me it is.