Why would RWD turn the Implala into an evil gas pig?
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 669
From: Arcadia, OK
So, Chevy currently has Aveo, Cobalt, Malibu, Impala, HHR and Corvette in the showroom. Total of six car (or car-based) vehicles. In the next 12 months or so, they will add Camaro and Traverse for a total of eight. If you added "Caprice" (what I'm calling a large, rear-drive car) instead of replacing Impala, do you now have too many car lines? Cobalt/HHR and Camaro/Caprice share chassis, but that's still seven different platforms; is that too many to be profitable? I see their problem: can you justify both Impala (FWD for northern climates) and Caprice (RWD for south)?
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From: SE MI
Eric77TA: The Arlington TX plant also produced civilian Caprices along with the 9C1 police cars, Impala SS, Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams. A bunch of big, heavy RWD cars which are still in demand on the used car market 12 years later.
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From: NC
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Posts: 632
From: NC
Anybody see this?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/stan...590666881.html
Reuss wants a Commodore hybrid within 3 years.... Hmm, Maybe Zeta isn't quite as dead as we think!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/stan...590666881.html
Reuss wants a Commodore hybrid within 3 years.... Hmm, Maybe Zeta isn't quite as dead as we think!
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,597
From: oshawa,ontario,canada
Anybody see this?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/stan...590666881.html
Reuss wants a Commodore hybrid within 3 years.... Hmm, Maybe Zeta isn't quite as dead as we think!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/stan...590666881.html
Reuss wants a Commodore hybrid within 3 years.... Hmm, Maybe Zeta isn't quite as dead as we think!
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,030
From: Frankfort, KY U.S.A.
I had a Caprice LT1 back in the mid-90s, on road trips it would get 26-27 mpg all day doing 80+ mph. I could get 450+ miles to a tank, and what was really cool was only 1 fill-up between here (Kentucky) and Flordia.
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Joined: Nov 1998
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From: Knoxville, TN
Going back to the title of the thread, a RWD Impala most certainly would not be an evil gas pig!
As Bob Lutz has mentioned publically at least twice, GM is making decisions based on just ONE MPG!
There is only 1 mpg difference between the FWD and RWD Impala according to BL himself. He's not talking about a V8 powered car. He's talking about the high volume V6s that most will buy (the difference in the low volume V8s... 5.3 versus 6.2... will be greater).
I see this as a bit of a cop out and here's why.
GM put on display 3 high mileage cars at the New York show last year, and had the public pick the one they liked the best. Immediately afterwards, GM said something to the effect of "Oh.... we weren't actually planning to sell those cars here in the US! We might after we study the market.... perhaps sometime early next decade...."
No doubt those cars would sell in high volume to at commuters from the suburbs and young people. At the same time, it would contribute greatly to CAFE. But it wasn't till new standards seemed inevitable that Gm actually seriously considered selling those cars here by the end of this decade.
GM locked out diesel engines from Holden's Zeta. Even Chrysler has a diesel planned for the 300. Now with CAFE, GM's backpeddling.
A RWD Impala never was going to sell at the volume of a FWD Impala, even discounting sales to rental and fleet buyers. There was alot of resistance to Zeta and RWD at GM-NA. CAFE is just an excuse to kill off the program.
As Bob Lutz has mentioned publically at least twice, GM is making decisions based on just ONE MPG!
There is only 1 mpg difference between the FWD and RWD Impala according to BL himself. He's not talking about a V8 powered car. He's talking about the high volume V6s that most will buy (the difference in the low volume V8s... 5.3 versus 6.2... will be greater).
I see this as a bit of a cop out and here's why.
GM put on display 3 high mileage cars at the New York show last year, and had the public pick the one they liked the best. Immediately afterwards, GM said something to the effect of "Oh.... we weren't actually planning to sell those cars here in the US! We might after we study the market.... perhaps sometime early next decade...."
No doubt those cars would sell in high volume to at commuters from the suburbs and young people. At the same time, it would contribute greatly to CAFE. But it wasn't till new standards seemed inevitable that Gm actually seriously considered selling those cars here by the end of this decade.
GM locked out diesel engines from Holden's Zeta. Even Chrysler has a diesel planned for the 300. Now with CAFE, GM's backpeddling.
A RWD Impala never was going to sell at the volume of a FWD Impala, even discounting sales to rental and fleet buyers. There was alot of resistance to Zeta and RWD at GM-NA. CAFE is just an excuse to kill off the program.
Bob
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From: Irving, TX
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From: Stroudsburg, PA
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From: Southern Indiana
It's not true of all cars, but meeting crash standards is a major reason for a lot of the weight. I'm sure they could easily make a 3400 lbs. impala if they were to cut some protection, but GM wouldn't dare get anything but the best crash ratings (or shouldn't).
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: The Golden State
Emission standards today haven't changed since 1996 (though other items related to emissions have). So not only can you not say weight is the reason, you can't say increased emission standards are to blame either.
Interesting.
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Joined: Dec 2005
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A GM Executive (Perot?) once said that the only way that GM management can make a decision on something is if the government forces their hand. I'm sure it is "politics", but the way that political arguments get settled is CAFE.
In the big picture, GM needs to globalize design and production, and GM has frankly has had a terrible track record with North American-specific cars. In this sense, gearing up for CAFE fits well with the overall goals of the corporation.
In the big picture, GM needs to globalize design and production, and GM has frankly has had a terrible track record with North American-specific cars. In this sense, gearing up for CAFE fits well with the overall goals of the corporation.