Yup, you have to make the case for two Chevy coupes. Tough, but not impossible.

Once approved, this one would go fast.....and be cost effective. The plant capacity is waiting for it. Design, nearly finished. Powertrain, done. Suspension, developed.

 

There's a difference between "making the case" and that case being an actual sound business decision.

From the article posted yesterday on the year's supply of SSR's, it was said that ASC, one of the key suppliers, was instrumental in making the business case and selling that case to GM.

Their case was obviously overly optimistic. The 4th gen case was the same deal, look how that turned out. Just because you make the case doesn't make it a smart move.

Can marketing sell corporate on a two-chevy-coupes case? Maybe, it will be tough, like you said.

Say that happens. Just because it is approved doesn't mean its sound. If its approved and both cars flop and die, how does that help you and me?

I'd rather Camaro stay dead than to die twice. This is a scenario in which passionate advocacy can make your rose colored glasses too rosey. We need to be realistic about what is sustainable, not just what is sellable to corporate.

If both flop, which one gets the axe? Zeta, whose Chevy variant will likely support the viability of all other divisions' Zeta variants, or a Beta Camaro, which would have no other GM NA siblings?

 

One more thing....

Kappa needs a high volume (ie, NOT a roadster) Chevy variant to be viable. Otherwise, Solstice, Sky and the others, won't be around long.

 

Firstly I think the Zeta Coupe should be called anything but Camaro if the car isn't right to be a camaro. Chevelle isn't out of the question as is other various names. I do believe however that GM wants to throw the C name on there because the press will help market it. Granted we know it will get creamed for not being a proper successor and will dissapoint so many people that GM will be forced to kill it. i.e. your doomsday permanent hiatus scenario but that leaves me to my next q.

If Beta is a modified Kappa and is supposed to take up the slack for the remaining units (outside the 20K solstices/20K skys/other variant) then isn't the majority of the work already done and paid for?
If your assumption that it won't take much longer than Zeta means that something has to already be accomplished right? For example it took how long for kappa to get green lit before it actually hits the road? based on that info what kind of timeline are we looking at.

(also just a clarification... what exactly is Zeta's suspension that is making the car so heavy?-sorry if i'm asking a question that has already been asked I'm just worried about this and it is nawing at me...


EDIT: We seem to think alike.. I was typing all this while you were posting about Kappa...
(Great minds think alike????)

so if the coupe is piggybacking on the Kappa why isn't it okayed by upper management? isn't the price just re-tooling the factory and not the entire platform build?

 

 

I gotta say Z284ever has won me over! Chevy had two coupes, MC and Camaro, just a couple of years ago... did they not?

 

Yes but they were disticntly different

MC. more upright, sedan like, FWD, v6
Camaro. low slung, v8 RWD sports car basically.

A zeta and beta coupe pair would be MORE alike than those two were. More segment overlap, more same-showroom competition. Still doesn't make sense to me from a business perspective. If I'm that bean counter no way I'd approve that in today's marketplace.

 

As you'll see from my sig, I have a certain bias here. Call the Zeta whatever you want, but give Pontiac a true/real BMW fighter with a Beta based car that's named Firebird.

 

It's not really the suspension. The suspension we get won't be necessarilly heavy or light..... just cheapo maybe.

Because Zeta...like V-car... is an architecture that will be used on both sedans and coupes, it's structure require lots of different pieces. This adds weight and reduces rigidity. Not that it won't be rigid, but that rigidity will come at a greater weight penalty.



Well, there's more to it than merely another version of Kappa. It is a substantially different architecture. It shares parts with Kappa...like suspension components....and uses a lower dominant hydroformed rail like Kappa, (and Y-car), and probably shares construction techniques. But it's different enough that someone's got to cough up the cash for further developement.

BTW, Holden has told the press that the Torana concept cost $3.5 million to build. Alot of money for Holden...considering they spent $30 million to develop and put into production the Monaro. But there are rumors floating around...that it wasn't only $3.5 million....it was way more. Hmmmmm....maybe that platform is more developed than we think.

 

There would be cross-over....no doubt about it. Just like Campell recently said that Cobalt and MC cross over into Mustang territory.

One needs to be positioned as a large, stylish, safe, comfy coupe...and the other as a smaller, sportier, racier coupe.

 

I agree completely, but can it work? Not "can a case be sold to the beancounters" but will it sell? Or will we be right back here again in 7-9 years?

How many coupes can Chevy sell? GM?

In a market supposedly deadly for coupes, we will have
Corvette
Camaro
Zeta Chevy
Cobalt
Solstice
Ion
GTO
Buick Zeta car
More kappa variants?
XLR

Seems like ton when compared to the other manufacturers. Ford has, what? The GT, Mustang and Focus? And one of those is extremely small production.

 

GM's a big company with lots of divisions.

Better some cross over at the Chevy dealer, than cross shopping at the Ford dealer.

 

I'd step on my own mother to get into a Z28 with those specifications....

 

I don't actually see anything wrong with having 2 coupes, Monte and Camaro. But aren't we talking 3 here?

THere is the Monte Carlo Zeta SP.
Then there is Chevy *Coupe* Zeta SP.
And now a Camaro Beta?

Chevy *Coupe* Zeta SP would have to be axed if Camaro was to arrive on Beta chassis. Are they willing to do it at this point? Especially that CONGOS clinic went so well...

 

And don't forget Cobalt as well.