According to auto.com the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Buick Bengal will be officially released by 2006 or 2007. http://www.auto.com/industry/iwirc10_20021210.htm

Is this the official death-nail in the Camaro coffin, at least until the next decade?

 

Camaro's dead already. Question is if a case can be made to bring it back.

One thing to really note in all of this is that Chevrolet is not mentioned in all this and is the only division not mentioned (not counting Cadillac). Doesn't this seem to you to be a glaring omission of a division known for performance?

Mark my words, things aren't as bad as they may look. Something's definately up with Chevrolet.....I smell it!

 

While the solstice convertible is only a 2 seater I wonder if the solstice coupe (if they build it) could be made to have back seats (small ones of course).

Maybe a coupe that seats four might be saved to become the new Camaro in 2006 or 2007?

 

I agree. As long as there is a M*****g out there selling good, there's people that know the Camaro is the only real answer. Camaro vs. M*****g, its the way its been since later 66, and I'd say its gonna be that way again. Chevrolet has to answer sooner or later and a Chevelle is not it.

 

Chevy needs something bad Caddy and Pontiac are destroying the good ol bowtie.

 

This is still not official...

Well, article says the Saturn and Buick versions are 4-seaters (though with quirky third door). Man, did you even read the story you posted!

 

Z284Ever just reminded me of something in the other thread about this. Do we really want a Camaro with J-body and minivan suspension pieces? When it comes to Camaro I don't want to just take what we can get at this point.

 

If the Bengal and Sky are 2+2 cars, there's the answer. The inclusion of the Buick is VERY good news.

Why?

Because a Buick halo car IS NOT going to be powered by an I4 or I5. It's going to have a V6 at the minimum because two portholes on each side would look stupid (hehehehe....). That's really good news as a DOHC V6 is WIDER AND TALLER THAN an OHV V8. The 3800 is JUST AS WIDE and JUST AS TALL as an LS1. Here's the other good news... a DOHC I4 is just as long as an LS1.

The packaging space for an LS1/LS6/LSx is going to have to be there, merely to build the iterations involved with the other powertrains.

RedPlanet knows us well enough (and the target market) to understand that the car is going to have to remain true to its heritage for the performance option cars to be called a Camaro SS or Z28 - V8, 2+2, rwd. An I4 or I5 would be just fine for lots of folks, but the molten core of owners is going to demand a V8.

Solstice - RWD 2 seat roadster, N/A I4, supercharged I4, 6-speed and automatic available.

Sky - RWD 2+2 coupe, N/A I4, supercharged I4, 6-speed and automatic available.

Bengal - RWD 2+2 roadster, N/A V6, supercharged V6, automatic only.

Camaro - RWD 2+2 coupe or roadster, N/A V6, LSx V-8, 6-speed and automatic available.

All off of the same platform. Probably 100,000 to 120,000 units total for the platform if Camaro is thrown in to the mix. More if the Camaro is finally advertised and the rest of the package comes together... 150,000? 170,000? I think a new Camaro could support 100,000 units a year alone easily with some support from the marketing department.

 

Yes PacerX, it all sounds great but what about that proposed suspension setup? I don't claim to know much at all about chassis engineering or suspension geometry but from some of your past posts you seem to know your stuff. Is this parts-bin platform going to be suitable for what we want---no require---the next Camaro to be?

 

I posted the Soltice would be made last week *cough**cough*

 

"Yes PacerX, it all sounds great but what about that proposed suspension setup? I don't claim to know much at all about chassis engineering or suspension geometry but from some of your past posts you seem to know your stuff. Is this parts-bin platform going to be suitable for what we want---no require---the next Camaro to be?"

FWD and RWD cars can't really share much of anything where suspensions are concerned, so there isn't much danger of the Solstice being a J-car (Cavalier and Sunfire) underneath.

Most of the true parts-bin stuff is stuff you wouldn't care too much about anyway...

Alternators, A/C compressors, radios, seat tracks, seat belts, etc...


This paragraph in the article is downright stupid:

"The delay could be due to the difficulty of selling the Solstice at Lutz's target price of around $20,000 and converting the front-wheel drive components used for GM's current small cars to the rear-wheel and all-wheel drive sports cars."

Like what? And how to you "convert" a part??? You don't convert parts, you make new tools, which make new parts. If the Ecotech is the engine they are looking at, it's already "converted" to work with RWD as it was designed that way in the first place.

 

I don't see Redplanet clicking his heels in joy at the though of a Miata/S2000 type car being the basis for the next Camaro. Matter of fact I would love to see his face if you mentioned the two in the same sentence

I wanna see how big this car is gonna be..the 5.7L designation will be dead soon...what would they use a 4.8L or 5.3L. One has to think that it would destroy the cars weight and any performance gains over a high power V6 or even supercharged Ecotech. Plus the driving dynamics would be way skewed in such front heavy car.

Chevy wont get a version because they already have a two seat roadster...may you have heard of it....the Corvette? I can't think of one mainsteam car maker with two two seat roadsters ...regardless of price. Chevrolet knows they need a 2+2 car, not a Corvette pretender.

That being said the Solstice will be small if it stays true to its concept, and in all reality, do we want GM to try and fit a backseat in there? Wasn't that one of the biggest complaints about the current Camaro that it didn't have any interior room. A 2+2 based off the Solstice might somehow be even worse interior wise. We are talking about a car that will have roots in the Delta platform.

If we get a Camaro, it will be a high volume car based off of GM's upcoming midsized RWD global architecture which will be part Sigma, part Holden V-car. It will return to compete with the Mustang and be much better ergonomicly..The Mustang has proven there is still a pony car market...and with the SUV craze wearing off people will start to come back to performance cars. GM didn't give up on the Camaro...they just realized it will take them a few years to right years of wrongs and design a viable product.

Is the Camaro GM's #1 prioity...no...
Can you blame them for fixing other car lines first...no again..

Anyway in the end I have a gut feeling the Soltice cars will be more like a Miata/MR2 than anything you guys are invisioning.

 

I think the car's wheelbase and size, though it may allow it run an ls1, would you want it to? The car would be all over the road unless it's bigger then it looks to me. 350hp/350tq in a car that's not much bigger then a miata? Also the suspension and chassis I doubt will be able to handle the power of a modded powerplant, and I should hope Lutz wont let that happen... Yeah. Take the ls1, swap a cam, lifters, headers, catback, and a procharger to like 6psi. Floor it, and the rear end breaks, the car shears in half, and the driveshaft pokes you in the eye...

I'd want a bigger, more "evil" looking car.

 

heh some food for thought.. the last time I checked, the latest Cavalier has a longer wheelbase than the F-bod's!!!

 

It might have a longer wheelbase, but can you imagine a LS1 in a Cavalier.

That car couldn't support the power of a stock LS1 no matter what you do to it.

The right transmission and rear axle would be needed, but of course neither would fit and the LS1 is too big for the engine bay anyway.