Zeta: The Best Thing Going

[Jimmy Jive]

That Opel concept would make a great Impala. With added retro-Impala touches of course.

[Coloradokid]

Originally Posted by KingElvis

Is this really 'news?'

Why didn't this go under the GMI editorial section - it's pure speculation of the "if I ruled the world" variety. At least Nadepalma supplied some actual news.

It's already been reported that Zeta will replace the Deville, which is priced above the STS. Why would they price a larger vehicle less than a smaller one?

Besides, it would be fratricide for Cadillac to go even more downmarket than it already has with the CTS. The CTS sells well, but only by cheapening the Cadillac marque and poaching Buick sales. Cadillac needs to eliminate V6 engines and compete more on Mercedes' level - there's tons of profit to be gained in that arena even if it means Cadillac market share dips - profit matters.

I would also like to see a shred of evidence that Holdens will be imported to the U.S. Since Canada will be building similar products, why would we import nearly the same thing? It doesn't add up at all. The reason the Monaro was imported is because North America didn't have anything like it at the time - now we'll have both a coupe and a sedan that fits the bill.

Well said. GM is not closing Hamtramck, and it certainly would not badge engineer a large Buick to replace the Lucerne. GM tried this once with the GTO and the results were less than stellar.

[BigAls87Z28]

The sucess of the GTO was not based on anything but that people associated the GTO with a fire-breathing muscle car that made women and small chidren cry when crusing past the house.
A super-luxury Statesman with a Buick badge would do wonders for the Buick brand. 3.6 V6 and 6.0 V8 options, 6spd automatics, along with DVD navigation, heated and cooled seating, Rear DVD entertainment center, overall luxury feel and classic Aussie build quality...I say its a no-brainer.
The 04-06 GTO's are fantastic machines, and they did not get the credit they derserve because of the badge on them. If it was the Pontiac Monaro, it would have gotten a hell of a lot more praise

[TahoeMikeZ71]

I agree BigAl. The '04-'06 GTO is a very good car that gets knocked down becasue of it's name and/or bland styling, but the fact is that it's still a great car. Because it has great power and I think a nice interior for it.

[aldw]

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

Sigma II is as large as Zeta, or is capable of being as large. So I have no idea how GM is going to differentiate Sigma from Zeta.

More aluminum in structure, plus SLA front instead of Macpherson struts.

[hq308]

I think it's extremely feasable that GM would import some low volume models from Australia. Holden can build vehicles at much lower volumes than would practical at a large US/Canadian plant. If you're talking about 50,000 vehicles a year it would probably be a costly exercise to build in the US, Holden is used to making vehicles in such volumes. Another point is that these cars are already being manufactured, GMNA could probably be selling these a bit sooner than if they waited for the Canadian plant to be up and building Zeta's. Holden has already publicly stated that they would like to export cars to the US and if you compare it to the previous model you can see a few details like the fuel tank placement that aren't needed in Australia but to me are clearly intended for the US market.
Nearly anyone that has driven a GTO or the Australian equivalent Monaro/Commodore/Statesman will tell you how great a car they really are. From what I understand much of the GTO's perceived problems were in regards to pricing. There were also worries about the fact it wasn't an American car and some considered the styling a little bland for a "muscle car". A car like the GTO is more likely to be purchased by an enthusiast and they might possibly be concerned with these things. A luxury sedan on the other hand is more likely to be purchased by Joe Public who while still concerned with the styling etc will probably be more concerned with the functionality and features of the car, although pricing will probably be even more of an issue. I guess there are good arguments for both sides of the story.

[mikmak]

Originally Posted by aldw

More aluminum in structure, plus SLA front instead of Macpherson struts.

Considering the rave reviews the Commodore is getting for its handling, I assume the Sigma II is going to be something really special. Lucky GMNA!