G8 - Now Chevrolet Caprice, will be built in Oshawa, alongside Camaro

[Super83Z]

ITs been discussed on other boards relentlessly for a while now. guionM put it perfectly so here are his words:

They would have to do alot more than retool.

They would have to create a supplier base here in the US which would be more expensive (and troublesome) than simply expanding the existing supplier base in Australia and keeping production there.

I won't go as far to say there's no way in h*ll it'll happen, but knowing that GM is strapped for cash and is looking to get the biggest bang for every dollar it spends, I can almost guarantee you that they will expand Zeta sedan production at Elizebeth City and make whatever investments they need to well before they start setting up redundant assembly lines and supplier bases here in the US.

Sure, if the big sedans really take off and Holden's upcoming Hybrid versions are almost Ford Fusion hybrid-like in mileage improvements, then it will be worth GM's while to set up production here. But right now, Camaro is set up to be profitable because alot of it's chasis specific parts are (to oversimplify) from Holden's excess capacity. If you have to set up a new assembly line, then all that changes.

Some more clarification of whats going on in Oshawa:

Oshawa was converted to a flex plant in 2008 with the ability to build both front and rear drive cars on the same assembly line.

Currently, the only thing being built on the flex line is the Camaro (Impala is on a different line in a different part of the plant).

The Espilon based 2011 Buick Regal and a 2012 Cadillac sedan will be built on the Camaro's flex line. The next edition Espilon Chevrolet Impala will join Buick and Cadillac on Camaro's assembly line in 2013 (easy to look up via google or yahoo).



Espilon is going nowhere. In fact, it's being used in the upcoming Regal, Impala, & Cadillac. The Espilon 2 is nothing more than an Epsilon that was slightly redone to accept AWD. Easily compatable with current G6 parts and assembly.

[Super83Z]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Not necessarily. Commodore's already using more or less the same platform as Camaro. And the costs to import Commodores to the US are already pretty steep.

The Camaro still has its own version of Zeta. Everything I have read so far indicates they are not close enough to work.

[BlueZee28]

Originally Posted by shnomac77

That is a reeeeeeaaaaallllll popular car in Bahrain. I almost picked one up just for kicks but I cant import it home so I skipped it.

This is what pisses me off....that car has been sold as a Chevy in foreign countries already, so why are we, the homeland of GM, finally getting a glimpse of a G8 in Bowtie clothing? This should have happened long before Pontiac went down the tube. You would think that if a car sells that well in other countries, us Americans would gobble it up like Thanksgiving turkey.

[camaro5]

GM was thinking about adding G8 production to Oshawa a long time ago.

The exchange rates have changed drastically since the G8 was conceived, and it is no longer cost-effective to build in Austrailia and ship here.

Oshawa has a car plant sitting idle, and will be perfect to take over Coomodore - Caprice - G8 production.

Long live fun cars!!

How about the Vauxhall VXR8 version of the Commodore, not that I want that as the Caprice, but it is interesting:

[BlueZee28]

I'd tap it...

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Super83Z

The Camaro still has its own version of Zeta. Everything I have read so far indicates they are not close enough to work.

Even so, Oshawa is flexible enough to produce both vehicles.

[syr74]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

EDIT, also...unless the source was wrong, it sounds like they're going to take Zeta II (Camaro) and "rebuild" the Caprice/G8 over that modified chassis. So it might not be a simple badge-swap like we thought.

I caught that as well, and it has me scratching my head a bit. I wont say that a revised and lightened evolution of the Zeta platform wont underpin a new Chevy Caprice sedan. I likewise wont say that we wont see a lightly restyled, G8-based, Chevy Caprice within the next year and a half. Either of these scenarios could occur. However, this article indicates that we'll get the heavily revised and lightened car and that we'll get it within eighteen months. Put simply, unless this plan was hatched well before this leak arrived on our monitors....not happening. Even in an efficient environment I can say first hand that things do not move that quickly in the automotive world and as such, if we are going to see a rwd Chevy Caprice within the next eighteen months, it is either a relatively mild makeover or this plan has been underway for quite some time.

[The_Blur]

GM, I am pleading with you to take some advice from knowledgeable car enthusiasts regarding the Caprice.

The G8 already has a sophisticated appeal, but low production and advertising have made it a cult classic. In effect, the GM muscle car enthusiasts have fallen in love with this car. It is important to advertise this GM product in a similar way to the way that the CTS has been advertised.

That brings you, GM, to the next problem. You cannot advertise this car as a Mustang-fighter or a Challenger-fighter. There must be a clear line between the Camaro and the Caprice. Both must be comparably fast V6 and V8 muscle cars, but the Camaro should only be competing with coupes, and the Caprice can only be competing with sedans. Advertising should reflect this, and so should any available options. In effect, do everything possible to make the Caprice SS a very strong M3 competitor.

Current supporters of the G8 are largely buyers of other GM products. It is important to make the Caprice's best supporters people who want that car as their first choice and not as a settlement from another brand. Right now, a lot of Camaro enthusiasts have been saying that the Camaro is the first choice and the G8 is the second choice for them. A Caprice must be designed aggressively enough to stand apart.

Quality and design are more important to GM products today than they have ever been. GM cannot afford to release sleek products or concepts—Camaro, Corvette (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Malibu, Sky, Solstice, G8—and follow them with a bland product. A big part of the appeal of the G8 is its highly aggressive stance and body. If any part of this car is modified, it must retain certain characteristics that are easy to overlook: the hood, the headlights, the tail lights, the ride height, and the wheel size. Positive changes can be made to the interior, roof (reverse mohawk, like Camaro), and grill.

In releasing a new product, the product must look new. The market trend is to make cars increasingly sporty by using body lines that are pronounced. Ideally, GM should follow suit by building an angular, shapely new body that resembles the G8 with more aggressive shapes. Provocative cars steal attention. Do not make a bland car. We all know how great G6 sales were. Don't let the Caprice be the first new General Motors Company car to flop.

We all want this Caprice. On this site, we are all buying Camaros, so we are not the target audience. That being said, please consider enthusiasts in the same way that you did with the Camaro. You were good to us, and we helped you build a car that has too much demand for GM to handle. You can do that again with a well-designed and superiorly engineered Caprice.

[Super83Z]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Even so, Oshawa is flexible enough to produce both vehicles.

The issue is not the plant. The issue is the supplier network. It costs alot of money to get that going.

Plus they would need to cheapen the hell out of the commodore to make it appeal to police departments.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Super83Z

The issue is not the plant. The issue is the supplier network. It costs alot of money to get that going.

The article mentioned a lighter, more efficient version of Zeta: Camaro. If they make a "4-door Camaro"...the supplier-base will already be there.

[Super83Z]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

The article mentioned a lighter, more efficient version of Zeta: Camaro. If they make a "4-door Camaro"...the supplier-base will already be there.

I didn't see where it said the Caprice would be getting the Camaro's interior, body panels, rims, powertrains etc. etc.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Super83Z

I didn't see where it said the Caprice would be getting the Camaro's interior, body panels, rims, powertrains etc. etc.

No, but my point was that the chassis...what I imagine would be the hard part, would be largely taken care of. The article also said that they wanted to get this car out in 18mo. It took GM roughly 23mo. to engineer and design the ENTIRE Camaro from the ground up (and check out the difficulties they went through on some features like the rear "shoulders").

I guess, considering all that, the time doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

[Super83Z]

Of course there is this to take into consideration:

http://jalopnik.com/5315431/gm-ceo-h...e-works-for-me

[Mr. Wyndham]

Great...now we don't even know if it's coming...