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GM disbands Hi-performance Vehicle Group

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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 10:29 AM
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GM disbands Hi-performance Vehicle Group

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2009...NEWS/902189973

The group that made the SS version of their regular line up like Cobalt HHR Dakota truck etc has been disbanded and the engineers distributed about the company on other projects. Im sure the Cobalt SS guys are thinking "Our cars just became collectors items" Where as Im thinking "bye bye you stupid little car with your wing that flaps at highspeed"


GM disbands unit that creates high-performance vehicles

By JAMIE LAREAU, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

GM's High Performance Vehicle Operations, which created vehicles such as the Chevrolet HHR SS, has been disbanded.

General Motors, focusing on mainstream products in a battle to survive, has scrapped a unit that produced high-performance vehicles.

GM on Wednesday disbanded High Performance Vehicle Operations, which is based at the company's suburban Detroit technical center, and redeployed its engineers, spokesman Vince Muniga said.

"All high-performance projects are on indefinite hold," Muniga said. "The engineers are moving into different areas of the organization, and they will work on Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets and Pontiacs."

The unit created low-volume vehicles for GM's divisions designed to appeal to enthusiasts and bolster the company's image. Products included V-series Cadillacs and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, HHR SS and a V-8 version of the Colorado.

Muniga said there are no plans for high-performance versions of upcoming cars.

The move is in the spirit of GM's viability plan delivered to the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday. In the plan, GM said its future-product focus is on fuel- efficient cars and crossovers. It also pledged to increase its current offering of six hybrids to 14 by 2012 and to 26 by 2014. GM also boosted its request for federal aid by as much as $16.6 billion.

The High Performance Vehicle Operations unit could be reinstated once GM regains its financial health, GM's Muniga said.

"These guys are pretty good at what they do," Muniga said, "They are moving into different areas to work on core products."
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 10:30 AM
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I guess anyone looking for a Camaro SS will be out of luck.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by zoom44
http://www.autoweek.com/article/2009...NEWS/902189973

The group that made the SS version of their regular line up like Cobalt HHR Dakota truck etc has been disbanded and the engineers distributed about the company on other projects. Im sure the Cobalt SS guys are thinking "Our cars just became collectors items" Where as Im thinking "bye bye you stupid little car with your wing that flaps at highspeed"
lol to funny
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by alnielsen
I guess anyone looking for a Camaro SS will be out of luck.
Say it ain't so I can't beleieve that after all the R&D that went into the Camaro that they would scrap the SS. Though it may just be a one year run.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by alnielsen
I guess anyone looking for a Camaro SS will be out of luck.
Originally Posted by devildog1679
Say it ain't so I can't beleieve that after all the R&D that went into the Camaro that they would scrap the SS. Though it may just be a one year run.
What the hell? No, the Camaro SS isn't impacted at all. Read.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=142386
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:01 PM
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I just thought of something Bob Lutz just retired. Do you think this decision forced that.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:39 PM
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I dont know if this will cause the Camaro SS to become vaporware but there's a good chance the lawsuits might
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:43 PM
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Originally Posted by zoom44
I dont know if this will cause the Camaro SS to become vaporware but there's a good chance the lawsuits might
need to login to access the article
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:45 PM
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GM is making lots of changes at once. They are really circling the wagons and rolling the dice.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by zoom44
I dont know if this will cause the Camaro SS to become vaporware but there's a good chance the lawsuits might
what's the story? I dont feel like signing up lol
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:51 PM
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i dont believe that the move to more fuel efficient cars is not the way to go.
they need to stop trying to be like Honda and Toyota, and be like themselves. Cheaply made cars that go like crazy.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by TheBurkeMan
i dont believe that the move to more fuel efficient cars is not the way to go.
they need to stop trying to be like Honda and Toyota, and be like themselves. Cheaply made cars that go like crazy.
but thats the reason they are going belly up in the first place mate!!
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 05:59 PM
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well if you ask me i think gm was finally getting it right after begin out of the high performance game for so long. but if they think that the hybrids will get them where they need to be to survive. do what they must..
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 06:07 PM
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stevenOOOe i see what you're saying, but i dont think you see what im saying.

GM has been a dominate company for many years now, i dont think a little bump in the road needs something as drastic as a whole company redesign.

i belive the lack of truck sales is what has really got them in the whole, not a lack of car sales.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 06:08 PM
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oh well gm sued the supplier for camaro parts back awhile ago. the supplier is in bankruptcy and sueing gm for not paying them for tooling and parts gm said it would

heres reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/marke...52787620090213

original suit filed by gm

http://www.freep.com/article/2008122...812270305/1014
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted by TheBurkeMan
stevenOOOe i see what you're saying, but i dont think you see what im saying.

GM has been a dominate company for many years now, i dont think a little bump in the road needs something as drastic as a whole company redesign.

i belive the lack of truck sales is what has really got them in the whole, not a lack of car sales.
Company Redesign is what they might actually need... look what ford is doing, ford might actually have a better future than any other American car maker

http://www.carandsuv.co.nz/news/8900...for-all-models

Ford plans 4-Cylinders for all models
Ford has made a public commitment to industry-leading fuel economy, and the most important component of the new plan comes in a small but efficient package. Product Development chief Derek Kuzak told an American motoring publication that the Blue Oval will sport a four-cylinder option in every car and crossover by 2013.

Ford is going to lean heavily on its forthcoming Ecoboost engines to accomplish this feat, as turbocharged four-cylinder engines can provide V6 punch without the same thirst for fuel. With far stricter CO2 and fuel economy mandates on the way globally, Ford may need all the Ecoboost engines it can make.

Ford foresees the need for 750,000 Ecoboost engines per year by 2013, and two thirds of that total will be four-pots. V8 engines will be relegated to large pickups, SUVs and the Ford Mustang, but Kuzak says the company is even looking at turbocharged four-cylinder engines for the full-size F-150 pickup. If Ford can produce enough power from an Ecoboost engine to power an F-150, you can only imagine what it would do in a Mustang.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 06:34 PM
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4-cylinders do not belong in a mustang. i hate the ford mustang, but that is just unamerican. i dont even think a V-6 belongs in a mustang. it's a V-8 or nothing. same for camaros, which i like.

it would be like if they offered a 4-cylinder in an rx8, it would be just downright wrong.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 06:38 PM
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Originally Posted by TheBurkeMan
4-cylinders do not belong in a mustang. i hate the ford mustang, but that is just unamerican. i dont even think a V-6 belongs in a mustang. it's a V-8 or nothing. same for camaros, which i like.

it would be like if they offered a 4-cylinder in an rx8, it would be just downright wrong.
4 cyl Mustang FTW!!!

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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:03 PM
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^all you've done is proven a point. obviously this is something that didn't stick around because it wasn't a very good idea.

edit: you almost killed the thread with that one (hence the name thread killer)

Last edited by TheBurkeMan; Feb 19, 2009 at 08:15 PM.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:22 PM
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As much as I used to hate Ford, I think they actually are really trying to completely turn things around here lately and could be in a much better position than GM at this point - Mustangs/Camaros aside.

4-cylinders do not belong in a mustang. i hate the ford mustang, but that is just unamerican. i dont even think a V-6 belongs in a mustang. it's a V-8 or nothing. same for camaros, which i like.

it would be like if they offered a 4-cylinder in an rx8, it would be just downright wrong.
I agree but does the V6 'Stang still out sell the V8 version by a large margin? Like 70% are V6 from what I've seen. From what I understand it's the money maker. I can see Ford easily making a modern 4-banger that would completely blow away the crap V6 that's currently in the base Mustang right now in all aspects but still agree - a muscle car should have muscle. Fords needs to focus its performance development on sporty small cars like the Ford's the Europeans get and still offer a good V8 Mustang for the one's into that sort of thing. Problem is I think so many Mustangs are sold because it's a Mustang regardless of what's under the hood but that fact there is a V8 one probably helps carry those sales.

Last edited by JRichter; Feb 19, 2009 at 08:24 PM.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:36 PM
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxx7NIKsNsY
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:41 PM
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Good. Now that can take the most talented people at the company and have them make their regular cars not suck.

Sure it's too bad they won't produce enthusiast vehicles for a while. But if they're going to use my tax dollars to bail them out, I'd prefer that they first fix the problem of losing billions every year from churning out such garbage that they have to give $10k in rebates before any customers are remotely interested.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by YaXMaNGTO
Nice. White w/ blue lights looks pretty sick.
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 08:47 PM
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPuhZ...eature=related
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Old Feb 19, 2009 | 09:02 PM
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the new camaro has to be one of the best looking cars i've ever seen, hopefully this will help chevy get out of a rut they're in.
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