GMI Exclusive: Kappa II Platform Axed From R&D

[mikmak]

Oh and we've been discussing it here since yesterday afternoon.

[BigAls87Z28]

Alpha could possibly be cut down to make a solid roadster much like how the SLK and and Z4 are based on sedan platforms.

[rcracedriver]

or we could just start paying 10,000 more for them?

[treekiller]

Originally Posted by megeebee

Then why are all automakers suffering some kind of sales slump? I think if you wait to see the next quarters numbers you'll see something quite different.

Yea' It's not Like Toyota Cut it's 2 seat roadster program or it's Sports cars to shave cost.. oh wait, they did?

Keep the Kappa as is. keep the tooling, run it 2 generations the first Miata ran 10 years and it's successor (same chassis with new body) ran for 9 years.. that's 19 years on a single chassis.. let's learn form this and get value from our tooling (for a change).

Oh but the Germans wouldn't do that. but the Z3 ran for 8 years, the Boxster-1 ran for 8 then they forgot to redesign it with the new model that's been out for 4 or so years.

so don't loose hope the Kappa is still the best handling small Lightweight roadster money can buy. if anything sell it as a chevy and a caddi, and a coupe.. I think an SLK fighter with the DI 3.6 can make money on kappa. It's already been proven the LS7 fits in the Kappa.

you don't build a roadster for a 5 year cycle. since they never look "modern" they take longer to look old. and GM can let a chassis live the 84-96 Corvette proves that.. that car was never as good of an effort as the Kappa, and it lasted, and made money for 12 years.

so lets relax, this is precedent.

[Buick Riviera]

The kappa II will be replace with Alpha Platforum and the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky will be on there.

[CadiEldo67]

I can't say that I'm pleased with this, but if it had to be done. One of the things that irks me about GM is that it spends billions of dollars on the Kappa platform, the Atlas line of Engines, the EV-1, and kills it, so if it did receive a return, it was a small return. I just wish GM would find something, and stick with it. Hopefully Alpha comes, and allows these cars to survive, and would then be a viable case for production.

[buildacariwant]

hopefully the General is killing off saturn. with that the business case for a new solstice isnt there without the sky. pontiac buyers are mostly GM fans and enough could be herded into a drop top camaro instead. more volume for the legacy nameplate too.

planning for less product overlap when loosing billions. smart move GM.

[Bravada]

pontiac buyers are mostly GM fans

Nope, they are mostly young women who wouldn't consider any other GM brand, research shows. And of course, fleet managers.

[cccharlie]

I wish GM had built an MR2 knockoff instead of a Miata knockoff.

GM could build a modern Fiero cheaper than a Kappa. Certainly the drivetrain would be cheaper to produce, and transverse drivetrains get better MPG to boot.

And midengined cars do great in frontal crash tests.

[stormwatcher]

How can GM lose $10,000 per vehicle when competitors can build these low volume vehicles profitably?

[spidge]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

And if it were, it wouldn't be on Alpha as Cadillac is taking the platform up market. Won't be cheap enough to produce a cheap RWD vehicle.

So, to anyone shopping GM in the near future, if you can't shell out enough bucks for a Corvette or Cadillac, you will be condemned to FWD mediocrity.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by cccharlie

I wish GM had built an MR2 knockoff instead of a Miata knockoff.

GM could build a modern Fiero cheaper than a Kappa. Certainly the drivetrain would be cheaper to produce, and transverse drivetrains get better MPG to boot.

And midengined cars do great in frontal crash tests.

Wish we had gotten the Opel Speedster.

But we do have that car now, as the Lotus Elise.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Nope, they are mostly young women who wouldn't consider any other GM brand, research shows. And of course, fleet managers.

In other words, Pontiac has become GM's Mercury.

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by stormwatcher

How can GM lose $10,000 per vehicle when competitors can build these low volume vehicles profitably?

That's an important question. Not only should GM be able to build low volume vehicles profitably if the competition can, but they should not be starting projects like Kappa if there is no business case for it. We go on about how there are too many bean counters at GM... but in this case, where were they?!? How was a program that would see $10,000 losses get approved??! They knew the cars were going to sticker for around 20 grand... to me this shows a huge problem in GM's engineering AND product planning abilities. At least the SSR was on an existing platform...

[Odin]

Originally Posted by stormwatcher

How can GM lose $10,000 per vehicle when competitors can build these low volume vehicles profitably?

Yeah why can Gm lose so much on a rwd convertible, when mazda is selling miatas/mx5's by the bucketload, it really is sad if GM started that whole platform knowing it wasn't going to make money.

GM really seems to be going down the toilet, it's sad and not funny.