REPORT: Camaro's RWD architecture will downsize and survive

[willisit]

Can't wait to be honest - a smaller v8 in a smaller Camaro? Has to be good news. Not that the 5th gen is a car I've even seen yet, let alone driven or owned! Lol

[spd98]

Originally Posted by StarkyLuv

Blah, blah, blah, Obama is the devil. GM CAME TO THE GOVERNMENT. The government doesn't run GM. The government told GM to get their act together if it wants more TAXPAYER MONEY. Get that through your head. If Obama allowed GM to go bankrupt, you'd be bitching about that.

And I thought the agreement was no political talk?

Um unless you missed the major headlines of the last few days. He practically fired Wagoner. it is concerning that the government (no matter who is in charge) can run a corperation.

Originally Posted by StarkyLuv

I said car companies won't MAKE internal combustion engines in 15 years. And I believe that will be true. It'll be business suicide.

There are still cars from the 40's around. Doesn't mean car companies are making them.

And yeah, electric cars are MUCH quicker than internal combustion ones. The acceleration is bananas!

This whole paragraph is a joke. IC engines will be around for YEARS. Electric cars still cannot compete with them. The biggest problem being batteries. Once they can get the range out of them then we will start running short of the basic elements required to build them (there is not enough nickel on earth to make batteries for all the vehicles in only the US). I suspect hydrogen combustion based engines will be the next fad.

Originally Posted by willisit

Can't wait to be honest - a smaller v8 in a smaller Camaro? Has to be good news. Not that the 5th gen is a car I've even seen yet, let alone driven or owned! Lol

I think we will see a lighter version before we see a smaller version. The size has a lot to do with safety. I expect more exotic materials to drive weight down will be the next step. Then we will see DI engines and more over improvment in powertrain eff. The reality is that we will more than likley see much smaller blown engines in many cars as you can get both the power and the lower fuel consumption.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by spd98

Um unless you missed the major headlines of the last few days. He practically fired Wagoner. it is concerning that the government (no matter who is in charge) can run a corperation.



This whole paragraph is a joke. IC engines will be around for YEARS. Electric cars still cannot compete with them. The biggest problem being batteries. Once they can get the range out of them then we will start running short of the basic elements required to build them (there is not enough nickel on earth to make batteries for all the vehicles in only the US). I suspect hydrogen combustion based engines will be the next fad.



I think we will see a lighter version before we see a smaller version. The size has a lot to do with safety. I expect more exotic materials to drive weight down will be the next step. Then we will see DI engines and more over improvment in powertrain eff. The reality is that we will more than likley see much smaller blown engines in many cars as you can get both the power and the lower fuel consumption.

We are headed down a path of European socialism. That isn't as bad as it sounds. The US is just new at it, and that requires a little more work. Just like the first cars needed more maintenance than new ones, early US socialism will require lots of democratic influence. We need to be constantly demanding what we want out of government interaction. Call your elected officials. Tell them what you want. Don't be rude, yell at them, or cuss. They are doing their jobs just like you do yours. If you tell them what you want, they'll do a better job that will probably make you happier. It's called a democracy. Start participating.

There is no single alternative to combustion engines. I expect that the future of the car market will be very diverse, featuring different kinds of engines for different needs. This is a very good thing. Diversity means that more technologies will be investigated, studied, and improved. For all we know, one of these technologies may cost $1 to refuel, get 8-second quarter mile time, and be fun to drive. We'll never know until we try.

Lighter is better. I can only hope that cost goes down as well. It's a shame that a car that used to cost $2k in 1967 now costs about $30k. Inflation aside, that sucks.

[Jamie Mac]

So what brand of baseball card will you guys use on your electric cars to get that cool exhaust sound? I think I'd double up and put one in the spokes on both sides of the car to get a nice duel sound

[kmdracer]

I too have often wondered about how the electricity to recharge "electric" cars will be generated in this Utopian future.AFAIK, all the electricity in my area is generated by either coal or natural gas fired turbine generators. Aren't both of those "fossil" fuels, non-renewable? There is a nuclear power plant near me, but then there is the waste storage problems with that. I've been reading on some of the proposed plans, and some sound workable.

I don't mind moving away from the ICE, but I will miss the sound of a cammed high compression V-8! What ever the future holds, we as enthusiast will figure out ways to make the new cars faster!

[MontyCarlo]

As I see it, we're not going to get away from fossil fuels as a prime power source until somebody finally gets the hang of sustained nuclear fusion. Like Kmdracer said, even electric and hydrogen cars are still powered by oil and gas - at the power plant. In the meantime, the gas it takes to drive 100 miles is lighter, safer, and more compact than the batteries you'd need to replace it with.

[HotWire]

I really find it so hilarious that some of these green nutjobs believe the lies people tell them and then try to spread this false hood. Now if you want to make an educated comment in regards to a comparison of elec, hybrid to ICE automobiles then you should do some research first..... But since you apparently have not then Ill give you a little bit of info... Might help you out with the whole crystal ball predictions.....

1. Dependant greatly on what the power source is for the elctrical grid that you rely on in your particular area, Electric and Hybrid cars will produce increased levels of soot and mercury emissions...
2. If your electrical grid is being powered by solar/wind then yes its all good.
3. More than half of the nations power comes from coal. (dirty power as they like to call it).
4. There are many safety concerns with these all electrical cars. Guess why they are so much more effecient???? The body of the vehicle is very light... The Telsa is a electrical lotus... Now you might say well the telsa weighs more than the lotus so what are you getting at??? Well all the weight comes from all the hazordous batterys the darn thing needs to supply the power.
5. The car has been tested as well as many like the telsa and frankly they handle like crap. Yeah they are really fast in a straight line.. How many roads you come across with only straight lines???


Look I could go on for days and days about this as could we all but the bottom line is electric and todays hybrid are a frankly a heap of garbage. They are good for R&D but thats about it. Hydrogen will be the replacement so to speak for the ICE. Uses the mechnics as our current gas pumps, and just like a diesel or gasoline engine they can be filled relatively quick unlike the electrics.

And on that note have fun everyone and drive safe...


Mahalo

[DGthe3]

Hmm. As much as I'd like to talk about alt fuels and what comes after the infernal combustion engine (thread split perhaps?) ... I belive the topic at hand is:

Camaro's RWD architecture will downsize and survive.

General Motors may be lacking the cash to develop any new rear-drive platforms, but reports out of Australia suggest that the existing Zeta platform that underpins such models as the Holden Commodore and new Chevrolet Camaro will carry on for at least another decade.

GM's Australian subsidiary only finished development of the current Zeta platform a few years ago, and it's not about to flush that down the toilet. However the next Commodore, currently sold in the North American market as the Pontiac G8, is likely to downsize for the next generation, anticipated to debut in 2013 and carry on through 2020.

Along with the reduced size and heft, the General could use smaller, more efficient, though still powerful engines, employing direct injection and/or turbocharging like the Cadillac and Saab variants of the V6 already used by Holden.

As we've discovered with vehicles like the Pontiac G8, GTO and the new Camaro, what's good for the Australian market is, in General Motor's eyes, good for North America, so fans of rear-drive American muscle have some hope to hold onto yet, mate.

[CamaroSpike23]

I'm moving to Australia

[leviticus88]

Originally Posted by StarkyLuv

Blah, blah, blah, Obama is the devil. GM CAME TO THE GOVERNMENT. The government doesn't run GM. The government told GM to get their act together if it wants more TAXPAYER MONEY. Get that through your head. If Obama allowed GM to go bankrupt, you'd be bitching about that.

And I thought the agreement was no political talk?

All the government had to do was say no!!! Then chapter 11, reduced Union contracts, reduced dealer contracts, LESS OVERHEAD!!! bad companies fail, thats the way it should be...

GM, Ford, Chrysler will never be competitive if they keep their OVERHEAD costs twice as high as Toyota...

You brought up the political talk, so...

[Silver Streak]

Originally Posted by leviticus88

All the government had to do was say no!!! Then chapter 11, reduced Union contracts, reduced dealer contracts, LESS OVERHEAD!!! bad companies fail, thats the way it should be...

GM, Ford, Chrysler will never be competitive if they keep their OVERHEAD costs twice as high as Toyota...

You brought up the political talk, so...

[chadrcr]

Originally Posted by Rallysport

I'll bet you your entire life savings cars are still being built with internal combustion engines in 15 years...come on Mr. Know it all, let me see that crystal ball you are peering into...or is it kind of hard to see what with all that pot smoke hazing your domicile? Mensa.

mensa... hardly applies to either one of you.
So many people do NOT know how to use the term. Not just misused on this forum, I have heard it used errantly by others as well.

Is this an intentional use(slang), such as: BAD meaning good? Or are "we" really not qualified to join:

Mensa is the largest, oldest, and best known high-IQ society in the world.[1][2][3] It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised intelligence test.[4][5] Mensa is formally composed of national groups and the umbrella organization Mensa International.

[spd98]

Originally Posted by SmokinU

I really find it so hilarious that some of these green nutjobs believe the lies people tell them and then try to spread this false hood. Now if you want to make an educated comment in regards to a comparison of elec, hybrid to ICE automobiles then you should do some research first..... But since you apparently have not then Ill give you a little bit of info... Might help you out with the whole crystal ball predictions.....

1. Dependant greatly on what the power source is for the elctrical grid that you rely on in your particular area, Electric and Hybrid cars will produce increased levels of soot and mercury emissions...
2. If your electrical grid is being powered by solar/wind then yes its all good.
3. More than half of the nations power comes from coal. (dirty power as they like to call it).
4. There are many safety concerns with these all electrical cars. Guess why they are so much more effecient???? The body of the vehicle is very light... The Telsa is a electrical lotus... Now you might say well the telsa weighs more than the lotus so what are you getting at??? Well all the weight comes from all the hazordous batterys the darn thing needs to supply the power.
5. The car has been tested as well as many like the telsa and frankly they handle like crap. Yeah they are really fast in a straight line.. How many roads you come across with only straight lines???


Look I could go on for days and days about this as could we all but the bottom line is electric and todays hybrid are a frankly a heap of garbage. They are good for R&D but thats about it. Hydrogen will be the replacement so to speak for the ICE. Uses the mechnics as our current gas pumps, and just like a diesel or gasoline engine they can be filled relatively quick unlike the electrics.

And on that note have fun everyone and drive safe...


Mahalo

You missed a lot of important facts that tree hugers generally leave out. And mistated a lot of so called facts.

First let's start with mercury.

The FACT is that on average a large power plant will emit a maximum of about 100lbs a year. And I say maximum because thats the amount of mercury included in the fuel they burn. It doesn't account for removal or what is captured in waste products like ash.
The FACTS on soot. Well there isn't any a power generations facility's emissions have to be over 90% optically clear. Most can operate in the 98% range continously. Therefore soot emissions are pretty much nil.
The biggest place enviromentalists are misleading people is green energy. First wind power has some pretty big negatives. The first is stagnant air. Air downstream of wind farms is shown to be some of the worst. It doesn't move it just sits there. The other problem is that we are taking large amounts of energy out of the atmosphere. This can change weather patterns and potentially cause a lot of problems elsewhere.
All of this needs to be thought of on top of the FACT that global warming is only a THEORY! There is ample evidene to suggest that human activity is not behind global warming. It's just "not cool" these days to disagree with the theory of global warming.
The truth is that right now Nuke's are the only power that makes sense.