Since this very topic has been touched on by this board this little blurb is somewhat timely. Automotive News reports that GM has picked two plants that may produce the upcoming Zeta cars. GM's Detroit-Hamtramck and Oshawa, Ontario, assembly plants will probably share three or more vehicles on the new platform.

I haven't seen the article replicated anywhere else and full access is restricted to subscription level menbers so I haven't seen the whole article. Has anyone else here (Guoin, maybe) got any other details from it?

Link to the site

 

Wow, Hamtramck eh?

 

Would GM be trying to satisfy the CAW with the assembly at Oshawa?

 

I'd like to think it has more to do with the reputation of quality associated (of late) with Oshawa produced cars, as opposed to politics, the CAW and the lingering spectre of the late Camaro and Ste Therese. But, I certainly can't say for sure....

 

Hamtramck will quit producing the current Pontiac Bonneville, Cadillac DTS, and Buick LeSabre & Park Avenue after the 2005 model year. Cadillac will continue selling a revised DTS & Buick will sell LeSabre replacement. Big question right now is where will these cars be made.

I'm guessing they will be continued at Hamtramck. However, I believe when the current G-body prodction ends, the plant will be converted for flexible assembly, which would enable Buick's upcoming large RWD car to be produced there. This would also enable other big cars to be phased in, if that's the plan.

As for Oshawa, there is a ton of money about to be spent on that or those (it's more than one plant) plants. I have yet to hear the details, but it's either going to be flexible assembly as I suspect with Hamtramck, a separate line in the same factory, or a new addition to the factory complex.

Oshawa is an award winning plant. It produces the highest quality cars in North America as far as assembly goes, and is quickly becoming GM's "Canada" plant. It is extremely efficient, and currently working at a high capacity. It has also adsorbed plenty of people from Ste Therese, and is still looking at hiring additional workers in the not too distyant future.

As for what Zeta is going to be made there, You can safely bet a keg that it's going to be GM's performance coupes.

Bob Lutz is very heavy on producing "international" cars. He is a strong believer that a single plant can produce cars for a variety of countries. That's going to happen with Kappa, which will be producing cars for Europe as well as here.

Now that I've said that, I think you guys can guess what else is going to be produced alongside the "Chevy coupe" and GTO & exported.

When you finally hear it from the division-subsidery itself, remember you heard it from me 1st.

 

"Now that I've said that, I think you guys can guess what else is going to be produced alongside the "Chevy coupe" and GTO & exported. "


I don't get it ("Chevy coupe" and GTO & exported)???

 

What I think he's saying is that the Aussie's and European's might have a few of their RWD cars built here, Thinking maybe SAAB and Holden might be involved.

 

Monaro.

So what happens to the Australia plant? Continues with Commodore, et al.?

 

Or they can continue to build Utes and export them as El Caminos to NA.

 

guionM very nice post with lots of information. I'll say this about the intial news story that started the thread.

There's more to this story then the article says. They are right, and they are also wrong. Cant really say much more then that right now, but the story is partially right. When more details can be released, they will be.

 

So will the revised DTS and LeSabre both be FWD? The Caddy has all but been confirmed so. But the Buicks are said to merge into the "Lucerne" that is RWD. Would they run two separate platforms down the same line, one FWD and one RWD?

The best course of action would be to still have a FWD full size Buick, and then a larger top line RWD (Lucerne-like) Buick. Without the FWD LeSabre up here by me, Buick will be shooting themslves in the foot in my market. Perhaps the bench seat 3800 LaCrosse will pick up some of the slack, but I'm still sceptical.

 

Fishermans Bend is going to be making a bewildering quanity & variation of cars. Holden will also be exporting to more markets, and may even be forced to build a plant in China.

Don't worry about Holden, they will have their plate full... very full.

Front drive on both counts.

 

To make sure I'm reading you right:

Redone FWD LeSabre for 2006MY that will run for 2-3 years

and

Zeta based RWD (Lucerne) for 2006MY that will be new top line model.

Does this sound correct? Both will be produced at the same time or will the LeSabre and DTS stop after 2008MY for RWD replacements?

 

Rumor was that the DTS was going to go AWD soon?
And yes, there will be 2 FWD cars, and 2 or more RWD/AWD cars for Buick.

 

Buick gets the Velite off of Sigma-Li...err Zeta. That's all Buick is getting off of Zeta. Lucern is staying FWD and will be built next to the DTS until their cycles run out.

Zeta plants are very iffy as of now as to production. I know of more plants on the table for Zeta, which is what makes this all very fuzzy as far as what gets built where, when product cycles run out, etc.

All we can do is wait, but there's more to Zeta build locations than this story.