Chevrolet/GM Plans their cars 10 years in advance...?

[smhss]

Originally Posted by SamHouseIII

I think most platforms are made for about 10 years, with small changes during this time. For example Avalance 2002 - 2012 (last year for them). 3rd Gen Camaros 82 - 92, 4th Gen 93 - 02? unless that platform tanks very bad in sales.

Unless you're talking Ford. Fox/SN95: 1978-2004. Panther: 1979-2012. Not a knock--both damn good platforms, IMO.

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by Bonanza7

You were a millwright? I was a millwrignt apprentice, and then became a plumb-trician for Chrysler. (Fixed the spot weld guns, hence the name plumb-trician.. Water cooled electric monsters.)

Yep ... Spent over 20 years in Detroit as a Millwright, in a non-union shop called Weldmation. We were one of two main shops in Detroit that built production welding lines, the other was called Delta. We would build these huge welding lines, for example for Ford it was an underbody line for Cougars and T-birds. We would build them in house, break them down and ship them to the plants. We would then go to the plants as "Consultants" because only the plant union guys could work on the presses ...

[Louis @ LG Motorsports]

Think about it though, after the 02 camaro died, what was GM planning, or had planned back then, for the camaro after they killed it?

Think about all of the design, planning, engineering that goes into such a car. If the prototype came out in 06, you know they were designing, engineering, planning, testing, evaluating, crash testing, EPA'ing these things WAY before that. I got wind of it in 04 through a sub-contractor, but not called the camaro, just another larger RWD platform.

Before ANY metal is made, or parts built, these things are designed on computer, clay models, and drawings before we catch any idea that there may be something coming.

10 years may be a little long, but 6-8 isnt. I know they are already working on the 6th gen, and the new C7, and we are 3-5 years out still.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Louis @ LG Motorsports

Think about it though, after the 02 camaro died, what was GM planning, or had planned back then, for the camaro after they killed it?

Think about all of the design, planning, engineering that goes into such a car. If the prototype came out in 06, you know they were designing, engineering, planning, testing, evaluating, crash testing, EPA'ing these things WAY before that. I got wind of it in 04 through a sub-contractor, but not called the camaro, just another larger RWD platform.

Before ANY metal is made, or parts built, these things are designed on computer, clay models, and drawings before we catch any idea that there may be something coming.

10 years may be a little long, but 6-8 isnt. I know they are already working on the 6th gen, and the new C7, and we are 3-5 years out still.

But the concept wasn't a prototype, those didn't surface until late 2007/early 2008. They began working on it in the summer of 2005. Any engineering work they did prior to the 2006 Detroit autoshow was either minimal or generic to any RWD car of roughly the Camaro's size. Final EPA, SAE, and crash testing didn't happen until either late 2008 or early 2009.