GM’s Next RWD Platform: Alpha

the Caddy Edge » Blog Archive » Salvation of the BLS - thine name is Alpha - the Cadillac Enthusiasts Source, news, rumors, forum, image gallery March 22nd, 2007 1:42 PM Link

[…] Winding Road: GM’s Next RWD Platform: Alpha […]

Car Info » Blog Archive » Frankenstein Continues To Go Greek: GM’s New RWD Platform To Be Named Alpha, Get Pieces Of Kappa And Zeta March 22nd, 2007 3:03 PM Link

[…] GM’s Next RWD Platform: Alpha [Winding Road] […]

Don March 22nd, 2007 3:38 PM Link

I can’t express how happy I am that GM’s doing the whole RWD thing again…and for midsize and small cars no less!

Excellent news.

Take that Toyota!

The Stig March 22nd, 2007 4:19 PM Link

A smaller Cadillac? Anyone remember the Cimarron? And they would be better off making Cadillac the American answer to BMW - not Pontiac. Restore Pontiac’s affordable performance image with these RWD platforms and let Caddy take on the Germans.

It’s all about car news here » Kappa + Zeta = Alpha? Another GM RWD platform coming? March 22nd, 2007 4:46 PM Link

[…] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

Automotive Articles Magazine » Just another WordPress weblog » Blog Archive » Kappa + Zeta = Alpha? Another GM RWD platform coming? March 22nd, 2007 4:59 PM Link

[…] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

Michael March 22nd, 2007 10:09 PM Link

A smaller Cadillac makes sense, it doesn’t have to be Cimarron II. BMW 1 series, Audi A2?

Randy March 23rd, 2007 1:17 AM Link

Pontiac — America’s answer to BMW?

Isn’t a Pontiac just a rebadged Cavalier?

Jeb March 23rd, 2007 10:06 AM Link

“This translates into less trucks and SUVs and more sport sedans, coupes, and sporty crossovers. We’ll have more news about which products are “shifting” away from Pontiac in the coming weeks.”

Call me crazy, but Pontiac doesn’t have any trucks and you can barely call the Torrent an SUV. Just what products are Pontiac going to shift away?

Jason March 23rd, 2007 3:27 PM Link

Even though their are few new model SUV and trucks available from pontiac at this time, Pontiac product strategy has always included building them. Remember the butt-ugly Aztek? I think GM meant a general shift in thinking when it comes to Pontiac. Less utility, more sport, less cargo, more agressive horsepower and hopefully refinement if they hope to compete with BMW.

Turbo Tuning » Blog Archive » Kappa + Zeta = Alpha? Another GM RWD platform coming? March 23rd, 2007 4:51 PM Link

[…] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

mo March 23rd, 2007 6:58 PM Link

i believe it is a good idea to make such a small rWD caddies, at least better than rebadging saabs. as well I believe that G.M is not aiming to hit B.M.W with pontiac. I believe they are aiming at making pontiac as the sporty brand of G.M. this is why I believe if this platform go to production, pontiacs have great chances to have couple of cars with this platform. great to hear such thing, but are we gonna see it??

my.IS - Is GM planning a third RWD platform? March 27th, 2007 8:00 PM Link

[…] Certainly seems that way, according to this Winding Road article: GM�s Next RWD Platform: Alpha By: Reilly Brennan GM is set to debut a new small-to-medium-size vehicle platform, called Alpha, according to WINDING ROAD�s sources. The new vehicle platform will incorporate pieces of Kappa (Pontiac Solstice) and Zeta (Pontiac G8), creating a rear-wheel drive architecture that will play a large part in the future of Pontiac and Cadillac. Sources say that Pontiac�s next G6 is set to go rear-wheel drive and will be the first to use the platform. GM�s Resident Car Czar, Bob Lutz, has said in public and private that he�d like to position the Pontiac brand as the company�s American answer to BMW, but with a more expressive and sexy design language. Along with this goal would be to migrate the entire platform to rear-wheel drive. This translates into less trucks and SUVs and more sport sedans, coupes, and sporty crossovers. We�ll have more news about which products are �shifting� away from Pontiac in the coming weeks. Cadillac, which established itself as a born-again brand with the introduction of the CTS (Sigma platform, also RWD), will use Alpha as well. However, this won�t change the company�s plans for its CTS � the new car rides on an improved but similar version of the Sigma platform. Rather, Cadillac will create a new, smaller car on the Alpha platform. In Europe, this car will be the replacement for the BLS (currently built on the same FWD Epsilon platform as the Saab 9-3). But will it come to America? At this stage, signs point to no (thankfully, in our opinion). Lutz does not appear to be eager to create smaller Cadillacs. There are some within the company who consider not bringing the Alpha Cadillac to the U.S. to be a mistake. These are unlikely to be the kind of people who have a grasp on creating the right vehicles for the right brands, in our opinion. The CTS should be the entry point, even if it starts in the low 30s. A small/medium RWD Pontiac sounds about right. A small/medium Cadillac, positioned below the CTS? Not so much. Winding Road � Archive � GM’s Next RWD Platform: Alpha Autoblog, in reporting on the above story, adds that "If it’s done right, such a Cadillac would give the brand a real competitor for the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4/S4, as long as consumers aren’t hounded by the memory of other entry-level Cadillacs like the Cimarron. A smaller, rear-drive sedan and/or coupe would fit in much better with Cadillac’s current lineup, however, and further help to lower the average age of the brands’ customers." They also remind us that the 2004 Holden Torana TT36 concept car is probably a preview for what a GM Alpha platform sedan could look like. For reference, here’s an old my.IS thread on the Torana: Holden (GM Australia) Torana TT36 Concept Kappa + Zeta = Alpha? Another GM RWD platform coming? - Autoblog Hey, between this "in-between" GM RWD platform and the rumo(u)rs of a son-of-AE86 RWD Toyota revival: Is Toyota working on a RWD son-of-AE86 Corolla Sport? the future of affordable RWD 2+2 sports coupes and sedans is looking bright indeed… […]

Kappa + Zeta = Alpha? Another GM RWD platform coming?-- Ride Care Depot May 4th, 2007 8:56 AM Link

[…] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

Winding Road » Archive » General Motors RWD Alpha Platform to Belong to Chevy Instead of Pontiac? December 3rd, 2007 5:20 PM Link

[…] platform being developed by General Motors will not be joining the Solstice and the upcoming G8 over at Pontiac, as had been widely suspected. Instead, the large-volume Alpha base will find a home in a Chevrolet […]