[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by silversleeper

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In other electric news Acura is making a new electric hearse looking
crossover so it can take itself out for burial after the model is so unpopular?

I saw the Acura ZDX (and Honda Prologue) in the flesh several weeks ago. 'Looks pretty good imho.

Interiors are dramatically different from Blazer EV (Prologue) and Lyriq (ZDX) with the GM vehicles having nicer, more modern interiors.

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

Another GM Ultium Platform rebadge.

This ranks up there in weirdness like the time GM borrowed Honda's 3.5L V6, or when a GM truck was sold as a Saab, or when Toyota borrowed the Cavalier.

FWIW I was right in the thick of the Honda and Saab episodes. Here’s a behind the scenes take..
Honda
I was actually very involved in this one. I was Director - GM Powertrain Planning at the time. This was during one of the phases of “merger-mania” where auto companies were merging and/or acquiring each other. Honda sort of indicated that they were concerned that they might be forced to merge with Toyota. That’s like saying “Ford, you need to merge with GM”. So GM and Honda were talking at high levels in ways to collaborate without establishing equity positions in order to complicate any forced merger of Honda with Toyota.

At the time, GM was in the process of bringing out the Saturn Vue and we were also in the process of developing a new DOHC V6 (the same V6 that wound up in 5th and 6th Camaro). The HFV6 was intended to launch as the uplevel engine in the Saturn Vue. It was running late in development. So this was seen as a window of opportunity to create a tie-up with Honda. So we re-structured the launch cadence of the HFV6 and made the deal to acquire the 3.5L V6 / 5 speed from Honda for the Saturn Vue. That allowed us to place the HFV6 in more appications.

Shortly after that GM and Honda entered into a long term agreement to co-develop Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology. Honda engineers moved to Pontiac, Michigan and were housed on the GM Powertrain campus. They are still there. GM and Honda just recently started shipping hydrogen fuel stacks from their jointly operated Brownstown Twp plant. This was the plant that used to build batteries for Chevrolet Volt.

Saab
The GMT360 and GMT370 programs were super successful at launch. This was the Chevrolet Trailblazer / GMC Envoy twins. GMT360 was the short wheelbase, GMT370 the long. GM acquired Saab during all the aforementioned merger-mania and was looking for additional opportunities to expand the Saab product line. So the Saab 9-7 was added to the portfolio to ride the GMT360 popularity wave. GM had also acquired a large stake in Subaru. There was a Subaru version (Ascender?) of the GMT360. And Oldsmobile (Bravada) as well. When Oldsmobile was dropped the Bravada was morphed into the Buick Rainier. We also took the Subaru WRX and made a Saab version, the 9-2, that was commonly called the “Saabaru”

So, at the time that Saab produced the 9-7 SUV off of the GMT360 program, Saab was a wholly owned subsidiary and brand of GM.