Plans for a 'Corvette Camaro'...basically a smaller and cheaper Corvette..with Alfa Romeo engine...

[mAdD INDIAN]

Article is HERE

I don't know what to say about this. If I read the article correctly they have placing a Alfa Romeo V6 in there?? WTF is wrong with GM??

I'll let you guys at it...Valhalla1 must be pissed now!

 

[Viperoni]

The end of American muscle cars as we know it.



IS IT TOO MUCH TO WANT ANOTHER 350ci IMPALA SS????????????????

 

[NFS4]

I see nothing wrong with that at all. As long as it has decent power it shouldn't make a bit of difference.

I think that the Camaro is too close in performance to the C5 anyway. Maybe they need to take the performance down a notch. But as long as it gets the Sigma platform, I see a potent sports car coming out of it. The Sigma will perform the basis for the next-gen Catera and will have an independent rear suspension which the Camaro sorely needs.

Chevy should bump up the NVH and quality controls while they're at it. This new Camaro would make a nice alternative to the new Nissan "Z" but I'd still pick the "Z" anyway b/c it is f&*kin' awesome!

 

[Viperoni]

You said it NFS4.
Except GM died in 1996.
The Z is pretty cool (interior leaves questions though)

 

[NFS4]

<< The Z is pretty cool (interior leaves questions though) >>


I actually LOVE the interior, but seeing as how it's a &quot;concept&quot; interior, the production variety will be toned down quite a bit and made more cost efficient.

 

[Viperoni]

NFS, that's very good to hear
And you thought I was a pure redneck

 

[NFS4]

I never thought that:Q

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Ok maybe they need to tone down the Camaro in terms of power but an Alfa Romeo engine?? Do they even make good engines? <I don't know much about them so I'm being skeptical>

Glad to see you like the new Z NFS4. I'm personally waiting for the Sentra SE-R VSPEC..I may be able to afford it and it can replace my aging Corolla.

Has anyone read the preview for the new Altima at www.freshalloy.com ? It's gonna have a 240hp engine.

Viperoni: isn't GM coming back with an Impala SS? I heard that they are stuffing a V8 in the current Impala.

 

[Viperoni]

nfs, :Q sorry!

mad, I saw the Buick GNX concept, looked sweet, The Olds Intrigue OSV (4.6 Caddy Northstar V8 :Q), and the Pontiac Grand Prix RWD conceptwith the Corevette 350 (looked super sweet)

re-inspires a bit of hope, just a bit though.

 

[NFS4]

<< Ok maybe they need to tone down the Camaro in terms of power but an Alfa Romeo engine?? >>


It's called platform engineering. That's how they save costs. The Vette/Camaro engine is quite expensive.

And GM is trying to be like VW/Audi as far as platform sharing (even Nissan has marveled at their system).

The fact that VW can get very different automobiles out of one platform (Audi A3, Audi TT, Volkswagon New Beetle, Volkswagon Jetta, Volkswagon Golf) is quite remarkable. Each sharing the same basic engine architecture and underpinnings but with unique handling characteristics and bdy styles.

Same goes for the Audi A4, Audi A6, and VW Passat which share a common platform.

But it all comes down to $$$

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Yeah I saw those too..

I dunno about the Olds Intruige..I don't see it as a performance automobile..although the GrandPrix and the GNX are pretty mint.

Did you know they sell Grand Prix &quot;Daytona Pace Car&quot;. I never knew that..I wonder how it different it is from a normal Grand Prix?

 

[Viperoni]

I like a lot of Olds stuff, except the Alero (garbage car)

The Aurora is AWESOME inside, even outside it looks pretty decent.

Never saw the pace car

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

NFS4: Ok I can understand the whole platform sharing part. But I'm sure GM can slap in an engine from their parts bin for the Camaro? Oh well..time will tell..

Yeah Nissan is betting their success on the global platform sharing system they are incorporating. The 2003 Maxima will be based of a stretched Altima platform which will host a whole slew of Nissan cars for the JDM. The XVL will have its platform shared with other Nissan JDM cars and some Renualt cars.

All in all, the whole auto industry is in for a big shake-up pretty soon. GM restructureing (sort of), Nissan is re-structuring..Toyota is having all these new models coming out, Honda is updateing their Acura line..

It's gonna be pretty interesting.

BTW, NFS4: did you see the sketches of the new Camry..it looks pretty sweet.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

The Grand Prix Pace Car is not a concept but an actual production car. I saw it on the streets once. Looked pretty good..


You know what could boost GM's image? Using KITT as their mascot/marketing tool. Think about it..KITT was pretty popular in the 80s..and it was associated with the GM Trans Am...if they could re-surrect it..it may help boost their image.

Plus, I miss KITT =(

 

[NFS4]

<< But I'm sure GM can slap in an engine from their parts bin for the Camaro? Oh well..time will tell.. >>


Can you name me one DECENT DOHC GM engine besides the Northstar V8, and the new Inline-6? The new DOHC V6 in the Intrigue is nice, but comes up short on refinement when compared to Toyota's and Honda's V6's.

GM has some crusty old (but quite potent) pushrod engines, but GM wants the new Camaro to be a breath of fresh air, not a faceful of cigarette smoke

 

[Viperoni]

<< GM wants the new Camaro to be a breath of fresh air, not a faceful of cigarette smoke >>



If I was GM, I'd just go with what peoplewant/what sells :Q

 

[NFS4]

<< If I was GM, I'd just go with what peoplewant/what sells >>


GM is DUMB, just look at the Aztek And they said that people wanted that POS :Q

And those old pushrod engines aren't gonna cut it in emissions forever with the EPA cracking down more and more. Also, GM's pushrod V6 engines need a supercharger to make any decent horsepower. I can't see a Camaro with a supercharger.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Ok I guess you have a point. They don't have any decent V6s? Can't they supercharge/or turbocharge their 3800V6 that was in the GNX? Hell just take the engine from the old GNX and slap it in the Camaro. Sure it's old and antiquated..but it is bulletproof and can sustain large amounts of boost. Plus it could increase the aftermarket demand for the Camaro and in turn GM. All the kids will buy their Camaro and soup/rice it up. In the end, it'll be good for GM.

I dunno..it seems feasible to me. What do you think? I think the Camaro was always about raw, unyeilding power..and i'm sure a forced induced 3.8L V6 can provide that. And it has room for expansion. GM could try to capture the aftermarket scene that Honda just screwed over with their new Civic.

 

[NFS4]

I'm not saying that they CAN'T do it, it's just that a blown Camaro just doesn't sit well with me.

 

[vi edit]

<< Can you name me one DECENT DOHC GM engine besides the Northstar V8, and the new Inline-6 >>



The 3.4 they had out 3 years ago will outrun the 3800 series engine they have out now. The only problem with it was cost

 

[Sluggo]

All of GM took the platform engineering too far in the 80's, it has taken them this long to recover. GM just forgot to change body styles between product lines Olds, Pontiac etc.

 

[vailman]

<< However, once the new Viper debuted at the North American International Auto Show, this design was shelved. A fresh look for the Corvette and its progeny is in the works >>



That just goes to prove that the Viper is now the American sports car. LOL

GM should hold the world record for most morons running a Fortune 500 company. They kill off Oldsmobile and then create a Corvette brand?!? The general public is going to be so confused, LOL. Why didn't Daimler merge with GM and screw them over, they've got nothing worthwhile to save anyway.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

<< Its called platform engineering. That's how they save costs. The Vette/Camaro engine is quite expensive.

And GM is trying to be like VW/Audi as far as platform sharing (even Nissan has marveled at their system).

The fact that VW can get very different automobiles out of one platform (Audi A3, Audi TT, Volkswagon New Beetle, Volkswagon Jetta, Volkswagon Golf) is quite remarkable. Each sharing the same basic engine architecture and underpinnings but with unique handling characteristics and bdy styles. >>

Sorry, but GM has been doing platform engineering for longer than any other automaker. I've been there almost 25 years now and it was in existence long before I arrived.


<< Chevy should bump up the NVH and quality controls while they're at it >>

Nice thought, but we've been at it for quite some time. An excellent example is what we did with the dash system of the F-Body. Once a rattle trap (due to the sheer number of pieces it was assembled from), that is no longer the case due to a lot of NVH work and reducing the number of components to just a few. As for build quality, I'd put the work coming out of Ste. Therese against any other car in its price class. And the Oshawa plant came in as the #3 plant in all of N. America for build quality and efficiency; the closest transplant came in #5.

As for the Viper being the American sports car, that is a joke. It's a great car, but it's definitely not an everyday driver, unless your best friend is a chiropractor. The Corvette is a refined sports car, the Viper is practically a street-legal race car. There's a big difference.


<< Why didn't Daimler merge with GM and screw them over, they've got nothing worthwhile to save anyway. >>

Because unlike Chrysler and Daimler, GM is committed to retaining as much as possible of its American workforce. Hopefully some foreign company will buy your employer (or your parents' if your still a kid) and put you out of work. F@cking moron ...

Also, that V6 is a GM design, Alfa is also using it with their own mods ... READ what the article says.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

After reading that hilarious article, a couple more comments ...

The next gen Corvette is NOT a variant of the Sigma platform, that's absolutely hilarious.

Also, the article says the Nomad is in the early planning stages. Hardly. It's been in the works for some time, and Tom Gale's son, Jeff, is the lead designer. Ward's Automotive (which is a credible magazine dedicated to the auto industry, unlike crap like C&amp;D, MT, etc.) featured its earliest incarnation on the Feb. 1999 cover.