Quote:
Originally Posted by stovt001
http://www.leftlanenews.com/no-trans...r-pontiac.html
So we've known for a long time that the Trans-Am wasn't going to happen. But Pontiac was still supposed to get more RWD performance models beyond the G8. Well once again it sounds like GM has dropped those plans, because of the stupid lie that they can't meet the new CAFE regulations without killing off all their projects. Never mind everyone else is preparing RWD performance cars (even TOYOTA!). Never mind that Pontiac was supposed to be somewhat niche and lower volume. Never mind that GM is getting major credits for E85 capability. Never mind that RWD only takes away 1-2 mpg. Never mind that not every car has to hit 35 mpg. Never mind that they have years to get there. Nope, this is GM back to its old bad habits, taking the easy way out and killing off the good stuff then blaming other people because they don't care about making it happen. It seems like the Camaro is the last performance car we'll see out of GM that someone actually cared and put the effort into. What a way to go out, and if this was going to be the last great car from GM then we certainly have a good one, but still, this is just getting to be too much. Ford is developing some really cool V6s, ones I actually wouldn't mind owning. Honda and Toyota even have some RWD performance cars on the way. Mazda is developing the next RX8 or something similar. What do we get from GM? Excuses and project after project axed. CAFE is stupid, yes, but it affects everyone. Yet while everyone else is innovating to deal with it, GM is just sitting on their hands crying about it. You all know how much I loved the idea of the Alpha platform, and its just a kick in the gut every time they come closer to fully canceling it along with all of their other cool plans. Pretty soon GM will be making nothing but Aveos, blaming CAFE all day long while everyone else is making the performance cars we all love. If this is the way GM is headed, I'll be jumping ship after the Camaro.
|
I love GM. I remember bad GM cars, but that doesn't take away from
cars with heritage and
tradition and
big-point inspections for every vehicle. They do good work when a car needs to be fixed, and
GM earns that #1 spot. GM is a great company; however, GM is just a company. GM makes terrible mistakes, just like everybody else, and
this is a catastrophic mistake. The CAFE regulations are serious handicaps for performance cars. I don't want to discuss why we need these regulations, but we do need them to force companies to innovate. GM will either cope with traditional Yankee ingenuity or GM will lose its customers and clients to those who produce better cars—higher performance, longer-lasting parts, more luxuries—for the same price.
It's competition, and everyone has to do it. CAFE regulations aren't the federal government's way of sticking it to GM. The last thing the US government wants to do is kill large US corporations. That would devastate the US economy and make Americans even more reliant on imported goods. GM is giving 100 million
excuses for not producing when it needs to produce. We don't want excuses. GM needs to suck it up and say, "These CAFE regulations are tough, but we are going to go on with our projects and do our best." It's called innovation, and
GM has been mastering innovation for a century, so this complaining really gets to me. I expect better from GM.