Is there any grounds to the notion that, just maybe, GM ended production in 2002 and exaggerated the numbers a little, to escape a contract with the CAW that would keep the Camaro from evolving from a Co-Venture with Holden. Those clever ba$t@rds!...

 

mmmmm, no. Getting involved with Holden seems to be Lutz's idea. The F-bod was doomed waaaay before he came on board to GM.

 

Here is the truth...I killed the fbody. I had to put it out of its missery cause the 4th gens are so damn ugly.

 

And a Malibu Maxx isn't ugly??

 

Nope, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...and judging by Malibu sales, I guess you are in the minority?

 

There was no logical chassis to put the Fbody on back in 99-00( when the theoretical 5th gen shoulda been well on its way ) , even up till now there isnt one . Couple that with the fact the 2002 Fbody woulda needed substantial investment to meet 2003 safety regs . There is your answer to why they really really reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally killed the F-body . The CAW drama and all the other drama is a product of its death , NOT the reason for it . Read that sentence a few times , please people

Its as simple as that

 

Personally I think chevy should just kill the Malibu 4 door and only offer the Maxx . The Maxx actually looks pretty good IMO .

 

Ok GM Getting involved with Holden????? GM has owned Holden for a very LONG time. They just decided it was about time they imported some of the stuff they have over there.

Ok From what I have heard is that Gm had planned to kill the Fbody in 98 (was suppost to be its last production year) but was begged by several people in & out of the company to keep it alive for a few more years. The former guy (the guy before Lutz) hated the car anyways.

there are several factors in Gm letting the car go. One most important matter was the car was no longer holding up to Safety standards.

 

Take your own advice. You might think the 4th gens are ugly, but the owners of them don't. A lot of people may think the "turd" gen is a redneck mullet mobile but you might not. Like you said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

 

I guess that I am.

 

well I can say that supposed to being killed in 98 is wrong.

The mild styling updates, LS1 engine and bigger brakes would not be done for one year.

And new Malibus.....kind of dull. They need some SS package--17's, sportier looks and a 3.9L

 

In my opinion, the Maxx is right up there with the Aztec in terms of beauty. And because opinions are unique and individual, I'm just as right about that as anybody else.

BTW Al...what percentage of Malibu sales did the "Maxx" make up?

 

As krazzycowgirl & 92RS shearn said, the F-bodies were doomed well before they actually died. IMO, they were doomed even before they came out:

*The upper part of the 4th gen "A" pillar a mere inches from your head, combined with the impossibility of countering it with a side curtain or "A" pillar airbag made it impossible to pass now current safety standards.

*The whole 4th gen business case was based on sales projections that never materialized.

*The Ste Therese plant had a capacity of over 200,000 cars per year, so it was underutilized from day one of the 4th gen production.



The f-body got a revision in '98 because of the new LS1 engine that replaced the LT1 (different engine dimensions required a revised front end). A short time afterwards, GM cut funds for the replacement. The coupe market implodied in the late 90s and everyone was cutting coupes from the lineup like crazy.

That plus Big Als Z thought they were ugly.

Seriously, there's plenty of other reasons why the F-bodies were cancelled, and there were plenty of people behind the scenes that either hated the F-body or at the very least, indifferent to it. But a deep diabolical conspiracy isn't part of all this. In fact, it's a credit to Scott and the people who were behind Camaro that the F-body not only lasted till the end of the 2002 run, but also the fact that the F-body's performance was as outstanding as it was in the end.

General Motor's Holden division actually is helping to revive the Camaro.

Read this carefully:
GM DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO GET OUT OF THEIR CAW CONTRACT!!!!

GM lived up to every part of their contract with the CAW over the Ste. Therese plant......and then some!!

GM extended production of the F-body long after it was practical, for those layed off GM provided a pension or job placement. GM also worked with the local and provincial governments for over a year to find a buyer or another use for the plant, GM gave quite a bit of money to local colleges and entities to help develop other businesses and education in the area, and lastly (but not finally) GM EXPANDED employment at their Oshawa Canada plants that more than offset the job losses at Ste. Therese.

I don't give GM a break when they don't deserve one, but in this area, GM went overboard in working with not only the CAW, but also the governments, & the people in the area.

GM could have simply closed down the plant, and paid off the people who work there as per CAW contract & left it at that since they lost the car they were contracted to build. However, GM went far beyond that, and still is.

They also made a point of bulldozing the F-body plant as soon as they could.

Finally, there's good reason GM isn't talking about a future Camaro.

Now, about that Malibu.....

 

Compare the shape of the Malibu Maxx to a 1981 Escort and I think you'll see the inspiration. The Maxx is a dismal design with poor packaging priorities.