GM's new big RWD platform and new large Cadillac...

[Jag530G]

Two things have caught my eye recently.

1) this story on TTAC about Cadillac releasing a big car in 2015, tentatively called "Fleetwood" according to a Morgans Stanley research report on GM.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/morgan-stanley-auto-product-guidebook-reveals-gm-future-product-onslaught/#postcomments

2) various stories about GM's new "Omega" platform (not to be confused with the old Opel Omega). This platform is a large RWD platform and GM have trademarked the LTS name. The Omega platform is much larger than the "Alpha" platform used in the Cadillac ATS and next CTS.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/cadillac-lts.html

Presumably LTS and Fleetwood are one and the same car, built off a large RWD platform called Omega.

I wonder if we will hear any more of this context of Holden???

So far Devereux has said Holden are working on a car for 2017 which he referes to as the "Commodore", which will be designed and built here. He hasn't said anything about what engines or wheels will be driven but there has been a lot of press speculation about it being a FWD 4cyl. Now we see GM has two good modern RWD platforms, Alpha and Omega (haha!)...

Cheers, Matthew

[Jac001]

Does Gm need two large 'non-luxury branded' cars like the commodore and impala?

In many chevy markets the largest car is the malibu (which is offered in around 120 countries) where the commodore and impala aren't sold so widely.

Mass market car manufacture is a volume game, you need to make and sell a lot of each model for it to be viable.

So the real question for GM is where does a large RWD chevrolet fit into its global portfolio? They are currently betting that the VF chevy ss will be the flagship sedan and this will generate enough interest that both models can be sold side by side in the US. WHich in trun will generate enough interest to sell the VF in more markets.

Personaly i hope the commodore range becomes much more upmarket (as we have seen with the vf calais v) that it can be sold as the flagship opel model and possibly as a future buick ( like the current caprice is in china).

This would give holden the volume to continue with a rwd large car.

[Jag530G]

Does Gm need two large 'non-luxury branded' cars like the commodore and impala?

In many chevy markets the largest car is the malibu (which is offered in around 120 countries) where the commodore and impala aren't sold so widely.

Mass market car manufacture is a volume game, you need to make and sell a lot of each model for it to be viable.

So the real question for GM is where does a large RWD chevrolet fit into its global portfolio? They are currently betting that the VF chevy ss will be the flagship sedan and this will generate enough interest that both models can be sold side by side in the US. WHich in trun will generate enough interest to sell the VF in more markets.

Personaly i hope the commodore range becomes much more upmarket (as we have seen with the vf calais v) that it can be sold as the flagship opel model and possibly as a future buick ( like the current caprice is in china).

This would give holden the volume to continue with a rwd large car.

The Impala is pretty much fleet fodder in the US, pretty much like what the Commodore used to be here until fleets moved to 4cyls. The next Impala is based on the LWB Epsilon II platform shared with the Cadillac XTS and Buick LaCrosse. The SWB Epsilon II platform is used for the Opel Insignia, Buick Regal and Chev Malibu. Think of the Chev Malibu/Impala and Buick Regal/LaCrosse as FWD "equivalents" of the Holden Commodore/Caprice. Sadly I still think this is the most likely outcome in 2017, Commodore will go SWB Epsilon II, Caprice goes LWB Epsilon II.

You made mention of Opel, I wouldn't worry about them, they are completely stuffed. Bleeding red ink all through GM's books, GM is trying to merge them off with the French PSA group (Peugeot/Citroen).

What has made me wonder about what we will get in 2017 is the existence of the Omega platform, I can't see GM justifying that just for a large Cadillac. As you say, the volumes wouldn't be there to justify the cost and Cadillac doesn't have the market presence in the large luxury car market that the M-B S Class has. Even BMW is struggling a bit with the 7 Series nowadays, they've moved to a joint platform for the 5/6/7 Series. Also, what is GM's intention with the Chev SS, are they going to sell it for 3 years and stop? Can't see that myself, I wonder if the Omega platform will be used for a large RWD Chev made in America, maybe replacing the FWD Impala so the Impala/Cadillac Fleetwood(LTS)/Chinese Buick Park Avenue/US Buick LaCrosse all go RWD Omega platform later this decade?

I think the Omega platform raises the prospect that there is still hope that Holden will be selling RWD V8s in 2017, don't know what they will be called, don't know where they will be built and not sure on what Holden will be building but maybe there is hope yet for us V8 RWD lovers.

Cheers, Matthew

[Plenty]

there has been a lot of press speculation about it being a FWD 4cyl.

No there hasn't, it's been all from that one bloody so called automotive writer Joshua Dowling, he screwed up weeks before the reveal of the VF saying that there will be no next Commodore and that it was dead in 2016, he sucked sour grapes on that one and now he is at it again regarding the FWD & RWD.

I have sent him a few 'tweets' in the last month with no response offered, because he knows he's full of shite!

[Jag530G]

No there hasn't, it's been all from that one bloody so called automotive writer Joshua Dowling, he screwed up weeks before the reveal of the VF saying that there will be no next Commodore and that it was dead in 2016, he sucked sour grapes on that one and now he is at it again regarding the FWD & RWD.

I have sent him a few 'tweets' in the last month with no response offered, because he knows he's full of shite!

Yep, fair enough.