All GM divisions will have a coupe soon, since GM themselves have actually said this. Buick & Cadillac currently don't have one in their showrooms. It's easy to speculate that Buick (Riviera), Cadillac (CTC), and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo) new RWD coupes in their showrooms in a few years, along side Pontiac (GTO).

But, it seems that GTO will be made in Australia. Seems Buick's coupe will be made with Camaros in a location with far lower capacity than the Ste Therese factory. Cadillac coupes apparently will be made with other RWD Cadillacs up in Lansing. If all this is true, then unless the Monte Carlo is being made at a Cadillac plant, or in Australia, it's future becomes a minor mystery.


Here's a "what if" for ya.

The coupe market isn't what it used to be. Knowing that GM is the most conservative US company, you simply know GM is going to avoid overlap at all costs in the same showroom on anything that doesn't have massive volume behind it.

GM also seems to have a new found respect for certain historic cars they have (remember, it takes years for a new car to work it's way to production). Nomad is certainly returning if the folks working on it can get some demand behind it. The Camaro name was probally not in great jepordy (despite having people at GM that just as soon replace the name with something else).

The 2006 Monte Carlo is barely being restyled. It's nose & tail are being redone, and it's getting a new interior (word is from the Impala), and the sheet metal change is pretty minimal. In short, GM didn't exactly spend big bucks on Monte Carlo's reskining. One can safely conclude that it's not planned to be around for very long, even with it's current NASCAR marketing.

Word is the next Camaro will have a long wheelbase (of course, anything's longer than the 101" of the 4th gen) with relatively short overhangs. It's also going to have a more hospitable back seat.

Chevrolet seems to be planning to have a larger than Impala, rear drive sedan on the market within the next 36 months or so (not the imported or locally made Holden Statesman, which is likely to end up in law enforcement & fleets, much like the Crown Vic, another one).

With GM's emphasis on "niche" vehicles & "halo cars", and Chevrolet's emphasis of late on massive volume, you can see how GM might forgo a car like the Monte Carlo in favor of the Camaro If just 1/3 of potential Monte Carlo buyers can be convinced to get a Camaro instead, that's an additional 20-25,000 Camaros. Firebird's been buried for roughly 10-15,000 more Camaro sales, so it's not a reach.

Then we have NASCAR. Monte Carlo's name is married to the race. Monte Carlo is also the last surviving coupe in the race that now is based on sedans.

Now, the what if part.

What if:

1. GM is doing a minimal change to the 2006 Monte Carlo because it's going to be replaced in 2008?

2. Chevrolet is planing a Zeta based sedan for the 2008 model year (the FWD Impala is likely to be here till at least 2009)?

3. Chevrolet plans to market the new sedan as the Monte Carlo, and is brought out along side a new rear drive 2008 Grand Prix (today's version will be 4 years old by then, and no restyling is on the books for the mid-llux after this current round)?

4. The '07 or '08 Camaro (like the Velite) is a relatively short car with a relatively roomy back seat that pulls in a substantial portion of buyers who might have bought a Monte Carlo?



Other curious items:

* The new Buick and Cadillac DTS seem like they are going to be introduced at just about the same time (same Zeta chassis?) 2007.

* The Grand Prix seems like it would be up for a replacement-restyling the same year the Bonneville is scheduled to be retired The CTS is also going to be redone in the 2007/2008 timeframe.

* If a RWD Monte Carlo sedan were to come out in 2008, it would correspond with other similar sized rwd cars that seem to be scheduled for the same time, the CTS & the Grand Prix.



Insert speculations below.


Bonus item:
An idea was brought up (at least I think it was just an idea) of bringing over Holden's machinery to a North American plant in 2006, and produce Caprices for sale to fleets & law enforcement.

Holden will be setting up & producing an entirely new line of cars there, and GM will be producing cars here based on this, phasing them in over a few years after Holden.

The idea is that while GM produces "aspirational" Zeta cars for the general public, Caprice will be the "fleet" car, holding up the value of the newer "Zetas".

The good thing? El Camino could be part of this, assuming this story is true. On a scale of 1-10 credibility, I'd put this at about a 7 to 8 for the time being. GM has been working extensively with the current Chevrolet badged Caprice (NOT a mule disguised as one!), and has gotten press (and public) feedback on them.

 

Few things for you Guion. Pontiac just trademarked G8. That will be you Zeta if I were betting. Isn't DTS getting a revised FWD change this year? Wouldn't that put it moving to something else about 09 or so? I think your 4 door Monte could happen and I think it would still sell well, but here are a few things to think of if Monte is destined for the FWD W-body reskin of Impala then where does it go to? We can't have 3 historic names (Camaro, Caprice, and Impala) popping up on 07 and 08 without being produced for years can we? I think the reskinned Monte will share a lot with its 4 door brother Impala. If Impala moves to be this new RWD sedan could Monte not just be the 2 door version. I know GM doesn't like coupes but Monte is VERY much tied to Nascar and GM knows that is very good advertising, helping truck sales.

Here's one for you: What if Monte is on Zeta long? Camaro is on Zeta short and is lighter and faster and Monte returns to its roots as a BIG coupe. I can even see this tagline coming back "In the world of long hoods the Monte Carlo has the longest one of them all!"

 

Guy doesn't "speculate" much, hehe...

I hear at one point that the current GP could continue a few years after the Zeta car, which will be now possibly be called G8 Comes out. The G8 would also be on the larger Zeta and more a Bonniville replacement. On the other hand I have heard internal people refer to the large Zeta Pontiac sedan as the Grand Prix....so at this point I am not sure what they are doing. I do know that they were working on this new Large Zeta Pontiac well before we saw the current GP, and it is being developed with some connection to the next GTO.

Matter of fact...I am not sure GM is sure what it is doing because things change so quick. Seems like someone tells you something, and the next day you hear the exact opposite.

 

Now, where'd you get that idea from, Guy.

 

there is a demand for theNomad..ITS CALLED MAGNUM! GM ever hear of it!!!!

and Monte should stay 2 door...it will sell..just takes time for the car market to come around again...dont give up on it yet..and overlapping of cars..what overlapping....its not overlapping anything right now...

 

I think the Monte would fit into the lineup good as a Suiside door quad coupe.

 

Monte Carlo does not equal 4-doors. To me, this is more important to Monte Carlo's "DNA" than being FWD or RWD.

Z28x's idea of a quad coupe kind of thing could work, but IMO, the nameplate just does not fit a typical 4-door sedan.... so the suicide mini-doors, could be a decent compromise.

This is something that i think could be viable on a Monte Carlo like car, but absolutely unacceptable in a Camaro type car.

 

Even better: What if Camaro was used as Chevrolet's nascar body?

Makes emminently more sense than a sedan Monte, even though the other makes already use sedan nameplates (granted all the bodies are the same on these cars)

But I think there would be some selling power there....

I see driver edition MC's at dealerships and laugh, even with all the decals they are still just "personal luxury" cars, not performance cars. Imagine a Dale Earnhardt Jr. edition Camaro......

Granded NASCAR has been predicated on "full size" production models, but with so little reality in common between the race cars and production cars now...why worry about it?

On a more real note, I could stomach a sedan Monte if it were styled like the Grand Prix...as aggressive and sporty a 4 door as possible. I see tht GP as a Maxima competitor, and that sporty 4 door sedan is sort of the new 2-door luxo-coupe....

in other words, GTP's and Maxima SE's are today what 2 door Montes and Grand Prix and Cutlasses were 15-20 years ago.

 

Being how GM is I'm tempted to say they wouldnt rebadge the Manaro as both the GTO and Chevelle.

If they did however, that would give a 2 door RWD coupe. This would put risk to the Monte Carlo, but I dont see it as a Camaro threat... too much...

I like the idea of taking the Nascar and slapping Camaro on it. Think about all the Nascar fans up in arms hearing the news, pissed to hear the Monte was gone.

Then at the entrance ways of the first race with the "camaro" nascar body, take something - doesnt really matter what - something you cant distinguish from any other car on the street - put one under a canvas at each entranceway surrounded by several armed guards that say nothing to anyone. Put up a poster next to it with the specs:
-----
2007 Camaro Z/28 Special Edition
8.1L Chevrolet Big Block
700hp
700lb/ft of tq

Ask your dealer in the fall
-----
There'd be so much speculation and rumor going around a day later to have people lining up at the door to ask their local dealership when they'd see one.

 

My guess is it will fall between Camaro and Caprice/Impala as a family man's sports car ... with quad doors. Probably slightly larger and heavier than the next Camaro. To me, that fits, since it can still be marketed as a large coupe. The current big coupes may seat 4 adults, but not too many adults want to squeeze into the back. Take the GTO for instance, nice back seats, but difficult to access.

 

But look at the success ford has had with Mustang since it became their ONLY coupe.

One could argue that the old version of the T-bird fit well along side the Mustang. A car larger than an MC in the same linup with a car smaller than the Camaro.

We assume the new camaro will be smaller than the last, but the new MC isn't terribly large to start with either.

I see the point about overlapping coupe markets, and frankly I think the Camaro advocates are probably the ones inside GM pushing for a sedan Monte, because they know Camaro's survival this time around depends on sales, and the best way to improve sales is to eliminate internal competition, especially WITHIN THE SAME SHOWROOM.

Hell, give MC coupe fans a new Camaro LT to bridge the gap to luxo-performance. Sort of a Chevy-value version of a G35 coupe.

 

I would anticipate Dodge running the Charger (a coupe-like sedan) after the Intrepid retires; I think the same could be done with a similarly styled 4-door Monte Carlo. If MC goes, I would envision Impala in this NASCAR role before Camaro.

 

I agree if the Monte goes, I think they would go to Impala to use in Nascar. Which is a bunch of crap, it should be 2-door coupes like its been for years. Ford started all of this crap by entering the Taurus back in the late 90s when the T-Bird left. I guess Ford was trying to improve the image of the Taurus, I don't think it worked out to well.

In all reality I guess it doesn't really matter which car they use or which name they slap on a "stock car" because these "stock cars" have zero in common with the street versions that they share a name with. Which might make a case for a Camaro NASCAR. Even though they would be totally 2 different car they would aleast have some things in common like, both are RWD, both small block V8s. Which hasn't been the case at the Chevy NASCAR camp since 1989. It could also revive the "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" saying for Chevrolet if they offered a car with performance to back up the race image of the race car.

 

I like the idea of a Monte Carlo having suicide doors. It would be something different in the Chevy lineup and it would keep the Monte a two door (sort of). Then the Camaro would be a true two door coupe and that could eliminate any stealing of sales in the same showroom.

Personally I also think you would see Impala go to Nascar before Camaro would. Honestly I hope to see factory backed 5th gen Camaro Z28's racing in SCCA and ALMS events.

 

If we couldn't have a Monte Carlo with true 2 doors I wouldn't mind seeing one that had suicide doors. Also I would like to see it draw alotta cues from the 80's Monte Carlo's. I wonder if it would be possible to hide the seam for the extra 2 doors but still not cause any problems for use of the 2 extra doors.