I'm confused. Help me out here.

I was reading Car and Driver last night, and they were saying that the VE Commodore uses the same Zeta architecture that will be used in the 5th gen Camaro.

I have read here from people that seem to know what they're talking about that, while they are both called Zeta, the architecture that underpins Commodore is not the same as the architecture that will underpin Camaro. Of course, there are common elements, but my understanding has been that there are distinct (yet unspoken) differences between "Zeta" (Commodore) and "Zeta NA" (Camaro).

Are the magazine writers uninformed? Or is this simply an artifact of the slow print process?

 

Not as confused as magazine writers.

Whoops!

YES.



I don't know if they are right or wrong in this case myself, but I was addressing those specific portions of your post only.

 

Thanks for the commentary. In this case, I was hoping to find out if indeed they are right or wrong.

 

I answered at least one of your questions, correct?

My point is, you never know if what they say in the mags are true or not. Sometimes, they speculate and write it as if it was fact. Other times, they just make things up to sell the mags.

 

The Camaro gets a new upper structure, a new front of dash structure, and a unique engine cradle. Furthermore, it's front wheels have been pushed forward with a longer axle to dash length than the other Zetas, all while reducing it's wheelbase by removing afew inches from the floorpan.

The VE Commodore is Zeta. The NA Zetas will be Zeta 2 - essentially a refreshed, NG version which complies with GMNA certification for both assembly and durability.

 

Thanks Charlie. What's "NG"? Non-global?

So are the differences you listed for Camaro the differences between Zeta and Zeta 2, or are those the differences between Camaro and the other cars that will be built on Zeta 2?

 

NG = Next Gen. Camaro - and everything else built here will be Zeta 2. The differences on the Camaro are compared to the sedans or the cancelled coupes, GMX282 GTO and GMX284 "Chevy Coupe".

 

Hot Rod was making similar claims.

However keep in mind that some of the print auto rags have a 3 month lag from information to the newstand.

 

Yeah, I've seen the same error in Motor Trend, along with pretty much every other car mag.

Just wanted to get things cleared up in my mind.

 

Zeta is just a name.

No, Camaro isn't the same as the Commodore. Camaro is more Sigma-lite, engineered by Holden than Commodore VE hammered into a Camaro.

The Commodore and Camaro can apparently be made on the same assembly line.

Magazine writers in the "speculation" section as a group, are a bunch of people who went to college to be journalists and wound up in at car magazines instead of Time, Newsweek, or the Saturday Evening Post. The "Future Vehicles" section of an auto rag isn't typically glamorville in the hiearchy of a magazine, let alone the best paying section. FV writers aren't (again, as a group) a bunch of car zealots who landed dream jobs. The average person here knows more about what's going on behind the scenes at car makers.... let alone knowing more about cars.... than "Future Editors" as a group.

One other thing about the FV writers (again, as a group.... there are a couple I know who are aboslutely fantastic and a few who while far better writers than me and can make constant deadlines, but aren't particularly good at uncovering anything and a couple are downright lazy) is that they are under pressure to make things intresting. Since they don't have to reveal sources, they aren't above making things up, and sometimes speculate in error instead of following things through.

That Camaro is a Commodore in drag is an example.