Zeta News 2.0: New VF Commodore and Chevrolet SS

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I'd assume its the Z06's LS7, which isn't much of a surprise. Its hard to know for certain if they'd do the same in the US, as it largely depends on if they make the R8 the GTP or the GXP. Logic points to GTP now, given that an LS7-powered model will be down in Oz. But of course, much of that depends on what Cadillac decides to do with the CTS-V as well. They won't allow the G8 to step on the CTS' toes too much, but then again, GM is just a bit crazy these days...
 
Woah.

So we get the SS-V as the G8 GT, the R8 as the G8 GTP, AND the HSV GTS-R as the G8 GXP???

Holy hell Chrysler has a biiiig problem.

Soo.... How about a nice REALLY cheap V8? 5.3L Smallblock anyone? :D
 
They'll probably stick the 5.3L in the Chevrolet Impala, good for 303-325 BHP (depending on model). Keep in mind that Pontiac is the "sporty" brand, so they will get the hi-po models before Chevrolet will. My guess is that the Impala SS will stop well-short of the G8 GXP, having no more than the 6.2L LS3 with 430 BHP.
 
You're probably right. But that Impala SS should come in around 30K right?

Where does this leave Ford?

They better have the Interceptor ready for production....
 
You never know with Ford. Given that they've been seeing Falcons in Detroit, it would lead one to believe that the car in question would likely replace the Crown Victoria (as well as the Mercury Grand Marquis, maybe the Lincoln Town Car) in the near-future (no earlier than 2010). Ford has been very quiet about RWD, really only saying that "we're working on it," and "sometime in 2010."

Either way, a $30K price tag across the board for anything GM, Ford, or Chrysler with some kind of V8 is going to have to be the standard. Americans love their sub-$35K sedans, and if they can get a large RWD "semi-performance" model for that price, they'll go for it. That is of course if they can keep fuel economy at a decent level (diesel!), and furthermore, keep build quality up (is anyone listening in Auburn Hills?).
 
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Goat or Chicken?​

Autoblog
We visited this issue in February, when Winding Road speculated Pontiac would get a Camaro spinoff, but now Car and Driver is weighing in. With the imminent return of the Chevy Camaro, many Poncho fans have wondered about a possible return of the screaming chicken, as well. Pontiac's last attempt at reviving a storied model (GTO) met with mixed results. The GTO was supposed to be a slam dunk for Pontiac. Take an existing rear drive muscular platform, add a few Pontiac trim pieces and a GTO badge, and voilà, instant success. Well, it didn't quite go as planned and GTO sales were rather tepid. Not that it wasn't a good car, especially in 6.0 form, but it didn't really set hearts aflutter, especially compared to the wildly successful retro Mustang.

So will Pontiac get a new GTO, or maybe a Firebird instead? With the G8 coming to replace the Bonneville and Grand Prix, a suitable RWD platform is already approved for US consumption. And of course, it's also underpinning that hot new Camaro. So if Pontiac gets a new muscle coupe, will it show up as a goat or a chicken? That's what Car and Driver asked Pontiac. After a long silence, C and D finally got some answers. Surprisingly, they seem to point towards a new GTO. They based this on Bob Lutz's own words: "No carbon copy of the Camaro will make it into any other GM-brand showroom" is how they put it. They also point out that while a Firebird would have to be essentially the same as a Camaro, a GTO from the same platform could be bigger and different enough to claim its own place in the market, maybe more of a G8 coupe. Whichever badge this future Pontiac sport coupe wears, it should get the same 261-hp 3.6-liter DOHC V-6 or 362-hp LS2 6.0-liter V-8 options as the G8. They would be offered with five or six-speed automatics, respectively, but six-speed manuals should be available, as well. Tough choice, really – a Firebird that would be a restyled Camaro, or a GTO that could go its own way. Which would you choose?
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For those who don't know, this question upsets a lot of GM-types like myself. On the right, you've got the folks who want another crack at the GTO, which was a wonderful car unfortunately overlooked by the public. On the left, you've got the folks who like to get all nostalgic and want the 'Bird back.

The big question is, what do you think?

I'm in the camp that wants the GTO to come back. Given that current GM cannon puts the brand as a low-price alternative to BMW, kinda like an Acura of sorts, a car like the GTO just seems to make more sense than the rather "immature" Firebird. Furthermore, the Firebird would only take away the importance of the Camaro, which IMO, is not something GM wants to do.

My solution:

Bring the Monaro to the US, but sell it as two different models: The Tempest and the GTO. Sell the tempest with a V6, and maybe a V8/slushbox combo only. Make the GTO the performance version, similar to the Monaro CV8, or sell it only as the HSV version with the 430 BHP LS3. Or you could call it the GTO Judge...

The only major hurdle for wanting the GTO/Tempest to come in would be that Chevrolet guys like me really want a Chevelle while GM is on the RWD bandwagon. With Pontiac filling that spot, the need for a Chevelle wouldn't be as important as before.
 
Whooo Hoooo! The first Pontiac G8s Roll Out of Elizabeth!







GM
GM Holden celebrated today as the first Pontiac G8 engineering prototypes to be produced at Holden Vehicle Operations in Elizabeth rolled off the line.

The G8 will be available in Pontiac dealerships in the United States in early 2008 to take its place among General Motors' flagship high performance vehicles.

The Pontiac G8 performance sedan will be the first North American product to be based on GM's new global rear wheel drive architecture, developed by the global team based here in Australia.

Production of the Pontiac G8 is scheduled to commence at the Holden plant in late 2007, bringing the production line to a maximum capacity rate of 620 cars per day.

Announcing this production milestone was Holden Executive Director of Manufacturing, Rod Keane.

He was joined at the media event at the Elizabeth plant by government and industry officials including The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources and the Hon Kevin Foley MP, Deputy Premier of South Australia and Minister for Industry.

Mr Keane said, " The Pontiac G8 highlights GM Holden's rear-wheel drive expertise. It shows that international borders pose no limits on the creativity and expertise demonstrated by a global team based here in Australia.

"General Motors is drawing on Holden's recognised leadership in rear-wheel drive cars to be able to deliver uniquely tailored vehicles for markets in Australia, the United States, the Middle East and South Africa.

"With exports integral to GM Holden's future business strategy, the flexibility we have here at the Elizabeth plant is central to achieving that. When full production of the Pontiac G8 gets underway we will be building cars here at Elizabeth for every continent except Antarctica."

The export program will expand the model range at Holden's Elizabeth plant to 18 domestic and 15 export vehicle lines.

Holden has Australia's longest running and largest automotive export program which has delivered more than 772,000 vehicles over the last 50 years.
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Huzzah! We're counting the days here in Michigan until this car arrives!
 
Yeah, this signifies everything that is going right for GM.
 
YSS, I agree with you about the GTO. Ever since it was introduced way back when it was an upmarket, almost GT-like car; sporty and luxurious at the same time. As a matter of fact, I feel the GTO name is more of a hit with poeple than Chevelle.

Also, when I think of Firebirds I think of ugly, gaudy, raucous, obnoxious things. I mean, it's got a screaming chicken on the hood for crying out loud! BMW would never put something that horrific on the hood of their cars.

And I've already spied something I don't like about the G8: It's got the same headlights as the Chevys in the background. It'd probably have the same taillights, too. They may be a different color but what I want is an Acadia vs. Enclave difference.

Did I ever mention that I love the Enclave to bits?
 
There is something fishy going on here in the US over the Impala...

- First, the Chevrolet Lumina SS (from the Mid-East) was spotted in Downtown Detroit, Michigan a few days back:

Full Post Here

Lumina_SS_front1.jpg


Lumina_SS_Rear.jpg


Then an Impala-badged model (also in white) was spotted in San Diago, CA:






(Note the covered Impala badge...)


(Again, note the badge...)



...I can't see why it would take so long for Chevrolet to do their own version of the Commodore, given that it already exists, but making it look this much like the G8 isn't a good idea, assuming that this IS the Impala...
 
The G8, Lumina, and Impala all look very nice. But if I had a choice it'd be the Pontiac G8, I'd take all three though! :drool:
 
Why does that look watered down somehow... :grumpy: :rolleyes:
 
Which looks watered down?
 
The G8 does to me. It doesn't look as fierce asI thought it would be. Esp. with those rims.
 
The last picture it looks fierce at least to me the first two seem ok to me too. :confused: Guess it's just me.
 
Blackbird.
The last picture it looks fierce at least to me the first two seem ok to me too. :confused: Guess it's just me.
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Well, from the front, yeah. But the rest of the body just looks plain and like any other GM sedan.
 
I myself only question the rims, i'll agree to that. But the three pictures are all frontal images. I'd like to see interior, side, and rear view as well. Oh well.

I don't know if this is production or not but here are some different and more stylish wheels...
036618.1-lg.jpg
 
Blackbird.
I myself only question the rims, i'll agree to that. But the three pictures are all frontal images. I'd like to see interior, side, and rear view as well. Oh well.

I don't know if this is production or not but here are some different and more stylish wheels...
036618.1-lg.jpg
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Well, I mean from the front directly. Not showing the sides.
But that picture, it looks amazing.
Here...not so much.
g8prototype002gl7.jpg
 
Is it just me or are the tires bigger on the silver one compared to the red one? (I know the rims are larger on the silver one) Or is it lowered?

But if those wheels are available as an option it should look alright. I, myself, am not one for red I like silver though so maybe i'm biased between the two pictures.
 
It probably is lowered.

I'll wait for pictures of it with those 19" rims before making further judgement.
 
As for the Impala looking too much like the G8.

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More Chevys driving around looking like that, is in no way, ever to be considered a bad thing... anyone remember the last Impala? The one before it?
 
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Now THIS is what the hell I'm talking about. GM finally gets it. This is badass. My confidence is growing in GM again.
 
I love that it's a Commodore with a Chevy grille. Just like it should be. and should have been since 1990, when the Lumina was introduced.

I can see the SS emblems getting changed for more traditional '60s versions, or current US versions though.
 
The folks over at GMI are screaming over the whole thing, because they think to looks too much like the G8, and therefore the Commodore. They seem to think that we've been guaranteed a retro-styled Impala, no matter what, and I think they are quite wrong.

Overall, its going to look like the Commodore, but I'd guess that it will get quad-lights out back, and Chevrolet-specific headlamps, not to mention the standard split grille (already there). As long as its cheap, offer probably two V6 and two V8 models, they'll sell just fine.
 
Well i'm glad GM is outputting some nice cars but it's unfortunate they're copying Holden therefore not GM's original design. But I don't know much about the relationship between Holden and GM so I'm just talking out of my ass of course. I'd really like to know why they are looking so much like Holden's vehicles, someone enlighten me.
 
Um, GM has owned Holden since 1931, and thusly products have been sharing bits and pieces for decades. GM North America has been sending engines and transmissions down there forever, and furthermore, many of our (American) designs have influenced the brand.

Today, Holden has a mixed bag of products that consist of German-derived Opels, Korean-derived Daewoos, and the otherwise Aussie-engineered, American-powered sedans and coupes we all know and love.

The VE Commodore was mostly spearheaded by Holden themselves, however GM North America shared much of their development skills in the process, given that the car and its chassis would eventually be coming to the US.

Which leads me to something I've always found interesting; To my knowlege, very few American cars are sold in Australia. However, an increasing number of Australian cars are being sold in the US. Furthermore, many Australian cars are powered by American engines and transmissions.

...But, as the definitions of what is German, Australian, American, etc gets more and more blurry at GM (can't say the same for Ford, the most fragmented brand in the world), the less and less it will matter where the car comes from...
 
Yeah I knew i'd get flamed for thinking they were copying I didn't know anything of Holden so I thought i'd throw out the dumb question, thank you for the enlightenment YSS. :) +Rep
 
Soo.... Its a Lumina/Caprice then?
 
Oh my god I'm in shock....Those Impalas are so god damn beautiful!!:drool:👍......F'n eh!
 
YSSMAN
To my knowledge, very few American cars are sold in Australia.
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We're actually getting more and more. Thanks to the ridiculous Australian dollar at the moment, American cars are getting very affordable. The Australian dollar is worth almost 88c to 1 American dollar now.

Meaning I could take my $30,000AUD here, which would not even buy me a base model, 4 speed, V6 Commodore. Go to the US with my near 27K and buy a Mustang GT V8 with change.

We've started to get more Dodge's in the last few months, now we have a 3 model line up of the Caliber, Nitro and Avenger. Chrysler has sold the 300C down here very well and are planning to expand the line up. And in the past month I've seen probably 10 Chevrolet Avalanche's, which are almost getting to the point where it's not excessively expensive to import one if you want a gargantuan ute.
 
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