thought you might find some of this interesting.....
Suffice it to say that the SS moniker will no longer be used as a "nameplate...." it will guarantee performance and handling....such as it does on our current Camaro SS........
GM Offers Sneak Peak at Interesting Quartet of Concepts Detroit Free Press August 15, 2002 By Lawrence Ulrich, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Aug. 15--SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--Advancing its argument that it's not the same old GM, General Motors Corp. has offered a sneak peek at four intriguing concepts coming to North American auto shows in 2003.
The 2003 Chevrolet Cheyenne, Chevrolet SS, Buick Centurion and Pontiac G6 were revealed in sketch and video form late Tuesday at the automaker's Global Product Seminar. The four-day seminar, which concluded Wednesday, brought top GM designers and decision-makers together from around the world to highlight models GM has in production or its design pipeline.
Rick Wagoner, GM chief executive and president, said the world's largest automaker would sell 55 new models around the globe during the next three years. In North America alone, GM will launch, on average, one new or redesigned model every month for the next five years, said Gary Cowger, president of GM's North American operations.
Whether the four latest GM concepts will reach production isn't clear. But Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, repeated the mantra of GM executives to rush a stream of innovative products to consumers around the world, including emerging markets such as China.
"We're working to fill the gaps with `gotta-have' products,"Lutz said, characterizing the new global culture of GM as one of"intensity and focus."
The quartet of concepts, all destined for January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, included two cars, one pickup and one crossover. They are:
The Buick Centurion, a sporty crossover with three rows of seats that blends features of a sedan and a sport-utility vehicle. The design shows the trademark oval Buick gille, oversized wheels and a steeply raked windshield.
The Pontiac G6, a four-door, four-passenger car that mimics the look of a sport coupe. With a supercharged 3.5-liter V6, all-wheel-drive and 20-inch wheels, the G6 concept follows last year's well-received Solstice roadster and coupe concepts as designs that could restore Pontiac's lost performance luster.
The Chevrolet SS, whose name recalls various Chevy"super sport"models of the past. The four-door sport sedan features the rear-wheel-drive and V8 muscle that Lutz has vowed to revive in a wide range of GM products, including the upcoming Pontiac GTO. It includes"paddle shifter"controls on the steering column to select gears.
The Chevrolet Cheyenne, a modern, edgy pickup whose unique features include dual side doors to access the bed, along with hidden storage under the floor and inside the sidewalls.
As it has with recent concepts-turned-reality -- including the Hummer H2 and the upcoming Chevrolet SSR pickup and Cadillac XLR luxury roadster -- the latest concepts will get a public audition on the auto show circuit. If one or more creates a favorable buzz, the models could reach showroom floors.
"I'm excited about all of them,"said Wayne Cherry, GM design chief."And obviously, the ones that create an enormous amount of enthusiasm among the media and public go to the top of the list in terms of getting into the marketplace."
Regarding future vehicles at GM, Cherry and Lutz said GM will focus intensely on its passenger-car lineup. While GM trucks are riding high, many car models have failed to endear themselves to consumers.
GM's share of the U.S. truck market has risen from 27.8 percent two years ago to 29.2 percent so far in 2002, its passenger car share has actually fallen to 26.9 percent, down from nearly 30 percent in 2000.
"It's been a tale of enormous success in trucks, but if we're really going to gain share, we have to move to a similar level of excellence in passenger cars,"Lutz said.
-------------------- Current ride is: 2002 Brickyard 400 35th Anniversary LE convertible #22,SLP build# 0036,35th Anniversary Build #47 EMCC Member #234 www.emcamaro.org WCA Member #197582 MMCC Member #28 NEOCC Member #634 Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged
Printer-friendly view of this topic
