Here are just a few thought on the loss of some Zeta products and how their loss may not be a bad thing for the Camaro as it could be.

Bob Lutz today has stated the Monaro and GTO are off and will not be produced.

Bob also noted the RWD Impala is off so outside of the G8 and other Holden Austrailian cars the Camaro looks like the only Zeta built in North America.

It was noted the other day the Camaro was going to be exported which I think we all expected in limited numbers. With the Changes does this mean more cars will be exported to cover for the loss of the Holden Coupe? Will the increase in production help support the Camaro with the loss of the sister Zeta RWD Impala?

I am just taking a stab at this but with the loss of the addtional Zeta cars this could help promote the Camaro as a world performance car and if popular in great numbers could be a gate way to a 6th Gen when the time is right?

It was noted a while back if the car was exported it would remain named a Camaro and there were no plans for RHD. Could this have changed for shipping these down under or England?

Even with the CAFE problems I could see a Future Camaro on the Alpha platform. Please note this is only a guess for anyone as the Alpha still has a long way to go before it is apporved.

Just something to ponder.

 

If Scott could elaborate a bit on the shutdown of more Zeta products, that would be greatly appreciated. If CAFE is the ONLY reason to shut them down, I would be very dissapointed. There has to be more than just fuel economy reasons to completely kill a project like that.

I hope to GOD that the Camaro remains safe and untouched, because if the Camaro becomes another victim of Washington's appetite for nosing in on your business, I will personally drive down to Capitol Hill and tear that building appart, brick by brick, with my own bare hands!

 

CAFE is a major reason as the more V8 sports cars they sell at a profit, the more crap cars they have to give away (no one wants to buy 'em) in order to break even on CAFE.

 

Camaro is too large to be world car.

 

I cannot tell... are you joking?

Camaro could be exported, especially to Austrailia for example. Mideast, another possible location. There's a lot of potential for the car overseas.

 

Bob Lutz also said that the Camaro would not be made for another 30 years. I don't think RWD performance will be on the chopping block like everyone claims. A large RWD car can get about the same milage a Malibu if weight is controled, and all the tricks are used. What is really threatened by the CAFE legislation is large SUV's like the Tahoe. Also 2030 is a long time away. Right now legislation seens to favor oil companies, and kick automakers. That can easily change in a decade.

The last time large coupes sold in large numbers was in the late 70's during the gas crunch.

 

What would make you think I'm joking?

Yes, you could export it to Australia. They'd pick up a thousand or two. Probably the same amount in the ME.

In Europe or Japan or China it's too large to gain any meaningful volume.

 

I though the Chinese loved anything that says America...like a large Buick.

 

Holden exports lots of cars larger than the Camaro to many other countries. Heck the last Camaro was sold in Europe although in small numbers. And I wouldn't speak for the Chinese just yet...

Either way this is a mute point since GM needs to market the Camaro to support itself on North American sales alone. IF GM needs foreign sales to keep the Camaro viable then they have developed a very poor business plan. Any foreign sales should be icing on the cake.

 

On the contrary they had a very good plan to build the Impala and other Zeta's at the same plant. Now with CAFE Lutz said there is no way the Zeta can make 35 MPG.

They are hoping the RWD Alpha may be able to plug the hole but it is to soon to tell.

The Fiero suffered a similar fate as it was not fires or low sales that killed the car but the lack of another GM product for the Pontiac Michigan Plant. The GM 80 FWD F car replacmnet was to go into that plant to pick up the open volume as they expected Fiero sales to settlle to around 25,000 a year.

Well the GM 80 was killed and no other GM product could be built there that was ready for production. It left a plant with a car selling over 30,000 cars a year in a plant that could build near 200,000. If even Pontiac had shared the car like the Kappa is today and exported the car it would have helped.

But in the end the car had enough people who hated the car inside GM that they were sure to point out the loss of money at the plant. To be sure there were many other politics at the time that contributed but you shoulg get the idea.

I see the sharing of the line in Oshawa as a key but now with what? Shareing the car as a Firebird solves little. But to export this car to take the place of the Monaro and it's variants would help enough.

There is a lot to watch here as GM starts to make moves.

This is only one problem of many Bob Lutz has to face. the 35 MPG CAFE is not as far off as many would like to think once you add develpment time and Budgeting money to make changes.

 

China has its share of mid sized cars. The problem is that they're all practical - Audi, Buick, or the VW Santana. There did not seem to be a big market for performance coupes.

 

Yeah Holden sells lots of cars , but how many coupes did they sell? A handful.


As far as the business plan, the Zeta plant at Oshawa is quickly becoming the Camaro plant.

 

Zeta Plant?!?

I was under the distinct impression that Oshawa is being retooled to be a Flex line. Capable of many different types of vehicles not limited to just Zeta.

It wouldn't make any sense to have designed a plant to ONLY assemble Zeta/RWD vehicles. Even back then (~2006), they were unsure of whether CAFE would be passed or not, whispers were flying; so why take that chance?

I'm 99% sure I remember 'Flex Line'....not exclusivly Zeta vehicles......

 

all because of the stupid liberals and their whole fake global warming scam crap....

government should not impose rules that will hurt the economy and the american auto industry plays a very important role in the economy

michigan is hurting cuz of these liberals and these environmental freaks

 

Yeah, but one line would have been dedicated to Camaro, Impala and a couple more Zetas. That was the business plan. That was the whole reason that Camaro was based off of Zeta in the first place and maybe one of the reasons we've had to wait so long for it.

Anyway, that "Zeta" line may very well ultimately become the "Camaro" line, if no other Zetas are assembled there.

As far as a Flex Line, AFAIK, it's not flex enough to to say - run a Zeta, Epsilon or W-car down the same line at the same time. I could be wrong though.