In a bid to rush its next-generation large SUVs to market, General Motors is reshuffling its future product lineup.
In an internal memo last week, GM product chief Robert Lutz told employees that "until further notice," the automaker has stopped plans to introduce a new line of rear-wheel drive passenger cars that were scheduled to debut in North America by 2008.
Lutz cited the current business climate as the reason for the stoppage, but said GM was not abandoning all future rear-wheel-drive activities.
After an 80 percent cut in its annual earnings forecast, GM announced last week the future of some product programs were under consideration.
But a change in the rwd program, or Zeta architecture as it is known inside GM, was seen as a critical part of the automaker's immediate future. The architecture was supposed to be the basic underpinning for Buick, Pontiac and Chevrolet vehicles in North America and a variety of cars and sport wagons around the world.
The move allows the automaker to focus on its next generation of sport-utility vehicles, which are expected to arrive in 2006. GM will shift resources to other products in the pipeline, including its large SUVs, one insider says.
But GM's decision puts into question development of the next generation Pontiac GTO sports car, and new entries for Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac. Some of those could be built on a modified architecture that is already being used by the company on the current GTO.
Marc Beckers, a spokesman for GM, told the Detroit News: "While work on particular North American applications of our premium rear-wheel drive midsize vehicle architecture have indeed been stopped, we have begun to study new approaches to efficiently capitalize on future opportunities we see for future midsize rear-wheel drive applications."
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Damn man, I love this info you grab. Thanx for the heads-up.
So does this mean the next product cycle of cars that was going to be RWD will be FWD, or just delayed?
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Tom
1999 Cavalier Z/24 ATX
1995 Taurus SHO MTX
1999 Chrysler 300M w/PHP
^^TrueBlue
Well GM has a RWD Buick being tested in Australia. It looks more that GM is just freezing this architecture to focus on the big trucks. Remember that the trucks is the "cash cow" for GM. Its mostly that GM will delay the launch of the "Zeta" platform.
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
BRING BACK THE F BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Borsty
no fbody
it would be on the zeta platform anyway borsty
My whole family works for GM, and I'll be outcast for saying this, but I'm going to have to buy an import next time
.
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Club Vantage -
http://www.club-vantage.com
Another stupid move by GM. Chrysler makes one of the best selling RWD cars last year that sells like crazy (300c) and what do they do cancel any plans for RWD cars and focus on trucks when gas is going thru the roof and there is a demand for RWD cars. No worries thou I'm sure they will get back on track a few years behind everybody else like normal.
FYI everbody get ready to buy stock in GM its about to be cheap!
95 Cobra
Check out my site
wow, this is some @!#$-up @!#$ right here
that's why i hate GM
Money talks...maybe if they made more cool cars, people would buy them.
Seriously... WTF???
I was thinking exactly what Labora posted. Damn...
Drop all plans for a real 300C competitor and put more effort into the stuff that's causing you to lose money right now because people don't want it. Go figure!
*sigh*
I've really been looking forward to the fruits of the Zeta platform too!
GM lied to me....
These cars could have CHANGED THE INDUSTRY!
sad.
Borsty wrote:BRING BACK THE F BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bring back the CAMARO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who cares about trucks and SUVs? Those are actually the only Chevrolet's you see on the road now because the Camaro is gone and nobody wants to even dream of owning a Chevy until it returns.
GM really disappoints me sometimes. I think the new RWD platform is what the people want. IMHO GM really needs to forget about the trucks and stop making fleet crap.
And they also are wondering why the Imports are gaining an even bigger share in the market here in the US...
[quote=TRD 901-Z™]once again gm puts there heads back in their ass's
apparently GM has diverted its remaining resources on
a movie project. -- Back to Future 4 -- in it, Marty McFly
will travel back in time to purchase a GM automobile
that actually stood for something progressive.
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Wow.. just wow.
Is everyone at GM so fricken blind that they can't see that the age of SUV's is begining to come to an end? Gas prices are way to high for the SUV trend to continue for much longer and has already started on a downturn and instead of trying to get the jump on the next big thing they instead toss more time and money into the sinking trend that is the SUV market. I guess GM'd rather be followers than leaders.
We were about due for another big disappointment from GM.
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gm would rather be followers than leaders?
not the gm i knew
i think their current problem is they look to the past for designs
well what worked b4
how about what works tomorrow
