Future of GM

[panchoman]

GMs cars arent all that good anymore, if i say fords cars are good somone is gonna talk smack to me but i do like them, i like all camaros mustangs firebirds, basically all the american sports cars but as for the latest GM car the corvette, whats not to like? that car is awsome

[89IROC&RS]

GM cars arent all that good anymore........ care to elaborate? im just curious as to what negative reputation the new models have had time to get. Why does everyone think they are so bad?

[Xbox2202]

I don't agree, but I see what everyone is talking about with the bad reputation GM has made in recent years. In the 60's, GM was basically the king of muscle cars. As time went on, they dropped the fast cars, except for the Corvette, and disabled some of the muscle cars of the past. Now they have some good cars, but taking off the F-body was like a kick in the crotch to guys who want affordable sports cars.

[89IROC&RS]

Oh dont get me wrong, ill admit as fast as the next guy that GM has screwed up the past few decades, and i can understand that. I just dont understand why with the new model lineup that is drasticly improoved over the last models, everyone still has the same views.

[-Josh-]

Lets look at some of the new models shall we?

Cobalt SS- 205 HP supercharged ecotec.. Actually looks sporty in the SS trim and not badly priced. I'd own one.

LaCrosse- 240 HP DOHC 3.6 litre, replacing Regal and Century, and it looks better than both. (RIP Regal, you had a good run)

Pontiac GTO- The '04 was a flop, but looking at the '05 i can see how it's gonna be a huge competitor...(405 HP LS2, with various body styling changes)

And others, such as the CTS-V, SLR, C6, C6 Z06, and coming soon hopefully the Buick Velite(twin turbo 3.6 litre with over 400 horses) and the Pontiac Solstice. I see GM's future getting better not worse. But maybe that's just me.

[Outrider85]

Sadly GM is just not cutting it to me at least we all have are own preffrences but the only power Car they have left is the new corvette but to me it looks to much like a ferrari 360 modena Where i live there are 4 360s in my town of 3000 its a town of 6000 but there are allot of snow birds the new corvette does look nice from the back the rest of it though will this is not a corvette thread so back to the point GM has Corvette and the Pontiac GTO but it does not Compeate with the new Ford mustang Sorry GM guys I cant beliveiam saying it eather also GM's Labor cost that the union has hit them with does not help with Sales eather It would be nice to see a revival of a 5th gen Camaro but somthing thats not over 30K.

[-Josh-]

Funny the GTO's are beating the Mustang's all day at the track.

[KaotiKCamaro5]

GM is definately improving on the newer models coming out. I agree with you guys there, but who's idea was it to send the Aveo down the assembly line..?

[Muscletang]

I saw this thread and I now have to put my in on this. I’m a Ford/Mustang fan but I have nothing against GM, the Corvette, or the Camaro. I’d just like to give my opinion on this discussion.

First, GM took away the Camaro and Firebird leaving the Mustang to an open market, what car is GM using to counter the Mustang? You have magazines putting Mustangs against the Corvette, GTO, Cobalt SS, ect because there’s nothing else from GM to put up against it, It would appear that the GTO is the marked car at the moment, sure it may cost 10 grand more but it out performs it, making it the winner right? BUT if Ford does what they are talking about and the new SVT Cobra has the GT-40 engine in it with 500 hp and 500 lb tq for the same price, goodbye GTO, hello ZO6
Do you think the people at SVT are thinking about how to counter a Camaro? No, like I said, if rumor is true they’re making a car to go head to head with the big boys, Corvette and Viper, GM needs a pony car badly

Next, the new ZO6 is awesome but I feel this thing is late, the idea for the ZO6 was great when it came out but I feel Chevy never followed through with it, yes they added horsepower and made it quicker and faster but the Corvette’s rival, Dodge Viper, has kicked its butt the last couple of years, the Corvette shouldn’t be getting 500 horses in 06, should have been much earlier than this I think

Finally, we get to some of their newer cars, like the SSR or more importantly, the GTO. I saw the SSR at a car show and wondered what GM was thinking. It isn’t really a car and it isn’t really a truck. The thing seems like a modern El Camino that went terribly wrong.
The GTO I had such high hopes for it. I was thinking GM was going to do what Ford did and do a cool retro of the old GTO with high hopes of maybe an engine bigger than the 350. What I saw when it came out was a Grand Am with a LS-1 in it. A whole lot of you may disagree and say I’m an idiot but the 2005 GTO is nothing but a better looking Grand Am with a LS-2.

I think things would help GM if they did these three things.

1. bring back the Camaro but also bring on the heat, the Camaro needs to be just as well priced as the Mustang but a better performance buy, one reason the V6 Mustang and GT beat the V6 Camaro and Z28, Mustang was cheaper

2. keep bringing the heat with the ZO6, they did good with the 427, they can squeeze a whole lot more out of that thing for a good price

3. do something with the GTO, SSR, ect because…..I don’t know, just do something


Also, don't feel bad because GM isn't really doing all that bad. Could be worse, you could be like Dodge. The new Charger is a four door family sedan.

[molehole]

I read today in a Musclecar Enthusiast magazine that a totally new Camaro and next Generation GTO are going into production in 2008 at the the assembly plant in Wilmington, Delaware. They are supposedly going to be designed on a modified Kappa platform. The Camaro is rumored to be about the size of the current GTO. Also it said expect design cues possibly from the 2003 SS concept vehicle.

[WeirdRich]

The new Camaro will be built on the GTO frame (I know for a fact). Who knows wha the power plant will be, but hopefully they will throw the Vette engine in it again like they used to do. Downgraded of course, GM would never let a car beat their precious Corvette.

[Outrider85]

Muscletang That is a very good Veiw on this,

I hope they bring back the Camaro Sooner then 2008 I cant beleave they would let the new Mustang Take all the sales from them but i guess the past is repeating its self.

and yeah i have to agree about the charger 4-door Iam getting sick of the Car companys just trying to sale a nameplate not a car.

[tacoma man.]

i just hope they dont ruin the camaro's sporty image with family car looks. the dodge charger thats hitting lots this summer looks awful. looks like the combination of the dodge carivan and the magnum put together n the front end. we will just have to wait and see what they produce.

[KPot2004]

i really, really., hope the new camaro doesnt look like the 2003 ss concept

[tacoma man.]

me too. i like the front ends looks. kinda looked like the 70-73's split bumper camaros. but the rest sucked