Holden and GM Consider the Case for a New Pontiac Coupe

[TriShield]

For Monaro to return, Holden needs to secure a fresh coupe export deal



By JAMES STANFORD
6 March 2008

THE prospects of a Holden Monaro entering a new generation via the awesome Coupe 60 concept now rests on the Australian manufacturer securing an export deal.

GM Holden’s new managing director Mark Reuss told GoAuto at the Melbourne International Motor Show last week that if the Coupe 60 was to be put into production, a substantial amount of its projected sales volumes would have to come from overseas.

“It would need to have a healthy export volume somewhere; I mean, 50 per cent of our volume right now is export,” Mr Reuss said.

“To keep the business viable and to keep Holden sustained with manufacturing, we want to export, that is part of it.”

Holden will have its first chance to gather support for a Coupe 60 project at a General Motors internal conference in Orlando, US, next month, where the vehicle’s future as a new member of the Pontiac stable will be high on the agenda.

Mr Reuss said Holden planned to send the Coupe 60 to the conference to show the rest of the GM world. The American, who officially started his role at Holden just days before he presented the Coupe 60 in Melbourne last Friday, was keen to point out the car was no more than a show star – at this stage.

“Right now it is a concept car, and as with every concept car, we want to see what the reaction is,” Mr Reuss said.

“If there is a strong reaction, then we have got to look at the business around it and we make judgements, but right now it is a concept to celebrate the (60th) anniversary (of Holden in Australia).”

The Coupe 60 concept is built off the VE Commodore platform and is not simply a rebodied version of the Camaro coupe that Holden has engineered for the US.

“This is all VE architecture that has been stretched. If you look at the front of the Camaro, it has a flex on the VE architecture that provides a more American muscle car proportion to the car,” Mr Reuss said. “If you look at the Coupe 60 it is very traditional VE Commodore-based with the shorter front hood, or bonnet as you guys say.”

Mr Reuss said any potential Coupe 60 production car could not be shared with the Camaro platform and still resemble the concept car that stole the show in Melbourne, despite both being built from the Holden-engineered “Zeta” platform architecture. “The proportion there is really VE. This would not be something where we just say we can flex it between a Camaro and a Coupe,” he said.

As GoAuto reported last week, Holden design chief Tony Stolfo, who drove the car onto the stage in Melbourne, revealed that a coupe had been in the original global rear wheel drive portfolio plan devised in 2002, and that the Coupe 60 was capable for production.

“I would love to keep the pillar-less look, but it would all come down to structure and safety,” Mr Stolfo said. When asked how Holden could consider not putting the Coupe 60 into production, Mr Stolfo replied: “It all just comes down to capital investment.”

Mr Reuss said Holden had not yet formulated a business case for the vehicle. “We have got to see that something is relevant before we start looking at the business of it,” he said.

He also denied the stunning concept car was presented in order to take the spotlight off Ford Australia’s all-new FG Falcon range, which made its first public appearance in the same hall at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre last week.

“I wouldn’t comment on the opposition. We are doing what we are doing because of the 60th birthday,” Mr Reuss said.

“It is a wonderful car, the Australian market loves the coupe and so that’s why we did it.” It seems the American market also loves coupes such as the Holden concept car.

US fan sites are already speculating that the Coupe 60 could be sold as a Pontiac Coupe which would be a much more affordable model than the Chevrolet Camaro.

General Motors product chief Bob Lutz saw the Coupe 60 before it was revealed and was an instant fan, explained Mr Reuss. “He said it was drop-dead gorgeous,” he said.

Asked for his own opinion, Mr Reuss said: “I used to do concept cars in Detroit for GM and this is one of the fi nest concept cars I have seen. It is stunning,” he said.

While the production future of the Coupe 60 is yet to be decided, some of the technology it features could soon appear in road-going cars.

The concept car runs a 6.0-litre V8 with displacement on demand technology, which Holden calls active fuel management, and can run on E85 ethanol fuel.

Asked whether future Holdens would feature fuel-saving technology, Mr Reuss said: “Absolutely.”

“I’m not going to give you a timeframe today, but those technologies, we have a lot of that technology built into some of the V8s we have done for truck platforms and some of the V6 and V8 cars, so we have it around the company,” he said.

“Boy, if we can leverage that technology from the bigger company and bring it here as fast as I possibly can, then maybe that would be a good thought.”

Holden engineers attempted to have the 6.0-litre V8 VE models run displacement on demand technology, which shuts down some cylinders to improve fuel consumption when cruising, but were unable to have it ready in time.

Company insiders told GoAuto that engineers were unable to make the system smoothly enough to put it into production back in 2006.

That should be about to change, however, with an announcement due in the coming months.

As for E85 ‘flex-fuel’ technology, which enables the vehicle to run on a fuel mix containing a mixture of up to 85 per cent ethanol, Mr Reuss also signalled the company would consider it for local duty.

“Anything we can do to give ourselves a more robust fuel supply with bio-fuels is a great thing to do,” he said.

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

GM needs to bring that car over to the US. It has beautiful lines and would sell well.

Most GM execs lost their stones with the new fuel standards coming in the future. Offering the car with a E85 fuel burning engine makes it EASILY pass fuel consumption requirements.

[ads_99ta]

i read about that earlier on motortrend. they said G8 coupe, GTO, or Firebird. i doubt seriously it will be a new firebird. it will probably be just a G8 coupe, but it looks great nonetheless, much better than the new Camaro (at least in my opinion.) but Pontiac seriously needs this car.

[nssane]

that thing is incredible. gm would be stupid not to bring that thing here. if they think they can sell a cts coupe, then they could sure as hell sell this thing. (<- i'm assuming that it would cost less than the cts coupe)

[hllrzrls1]

this car is two gorgous to just be called a G8 coupe it would be such a waste not to attach a classic nammeplate to this car

[Drake02]

I test drove a G8 last week down at my local dealership... It's a great step for Pontiac. They haven't really had a big hit since the last of the Firebirds. The GTO was an excellent car but just wasn't marketed well then sadly discontinued. I like the G8 but this Holden Monaro concept is far more beautiful and would only help Pontiac resurface as a premium brand, like ads 99ta said "Pontiac seriously needs this car."

[Kevano26]

I think that would be killer if they brought it here as the GTO. the only part of the article I have to disagree with is when they say that, "US fan sites are already speculating that the Coupe 60 could be sold as a Pontiac Coupe which would be a much more affordable model than the Chevrolet Camaro."

If it came here as a GTO or whatever, I seriously doubt it being cheaper then a camaro.

[Syclone354]

car is awesome looking. but one thing that wont make it on the production model if they bring it hear is the lack of B pillars. The challenger concept didnt have them and it looked awesome, the production model had to have them to pass the crash testing. They could surely incorporate them into the design and the car would still look awesome.

They do need this car. since they are talking about the Ute coming over as the G8 ST, im sure this would be the G8 coupe and not a gto. It should have the looks and performance to blow away a bmw m3, and hopefully be much cheaper.

[LS1Transhed]

Although it will most likely be a G8 coupe.. it could have the potential to sell as a GTO simply because of how much more aggressive looking it is than the 04-06 models. I think ppl would compare this (as a GTO) to the 04-06 models and not so much the 60's/70's models if GM went that route.

As the G8 coupe it would be able to sell in mass quantity because of a lower price due to the fact that it has no legacy behind, but it would have to sell itself with its performance and styling (which I dont see being a problem). And as a GTO it would have the marketing power just from the name itself.. but ppl would have to accept it as a GTO for that to work. And with the way GM tends to think.. Id put my money on it being a G8 coupe because its a more of a safe bet... it being a Firebird is just flat out, out of the question.

[TriShield]

They could always call the LS3 model G8 "GTO" instead of G8 "GXP", that could work.

[RevGTO]

I just saw the thread with the pics of new Challenger - awesome. It's like 1970 all over again. The Mustang is rolling, the Challenger hits the streets this fall, the Camaro next year.

But where is Pontiac? All we have is a four door sedan.

We need this car with the V8 version as the new GTO.

[nemanracing]

GTO v3.0, or G8 GTO kinda like the HSV GTO: http://www.hsv.com.au/cars/vz/main/gto_le.html

[Vicinity]

Originally Posted by TriShield

They could always call the LS3 model G8 "GTO" instead of G8 "GXP", that could work.

Exactly. I was going to say that, good thing I kept reading, lol.

[eddielb]

was thinking the same thing, just call the highest model "GTO"

[LS1Transhed]

Actually yeah... having the G8 "GTO" would work... I mean originally the GTO was just a performance package that came off the Tempest anyways, would actually make A LOT of sense business wise too.

[slow]

Just bring holden over here, and be done with it, no rebadged crap,

Bring the holdens, or the chevrolets since they already export the holden's as chevy's in the UAE

p.s. I am a huge fan of 2 door australian cars (see sig)

Ryan

[RawrImAMonster]

I had been completely dissapointed in GM lately, but recently they have have made a step in the right direction, and with this, the possibility of another. The Cobalt SS turbo model was exactly what was needed for that car. And this G8 Coupe is EXACTLY what Pontiac needs.

[WECIV]

Pontiac G8 Coupe is a given...and it will be bad assed.

W

[RevGTO]

A given? How so?

It would make for tremendous counterpoint to the Camaro though. Pontiac would have a full line-up, and one to be proud of.

[TriShield]

From Edmunds

Pontiac Ponders G8 GXP Coupe


Edmunds photoshop

Date posted: 03-31-2008

DETROIT — If the car enthusiasts within General Motors prevail, Pontiac will further expand its lineup of rear-wheel-drive performance vehicles to include a 400-plus-horsepower V8-powered G8 coupe. Just don't call it a GTO.

The coupe, which would be based on the Holden Coupe 60 concept the Australian division unveiled recently at the Melbourne auto show, would arrive in showrooms within three years' time.

Since neither the Firebird nor GTO name will likely to be revived for the Pontiac lineup, the G8 coupe will carry the performance mantle for the brand. To do battle with the big-horsepower Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR, Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the upcoming Camaro SS, Pontiac will have to outfit its coupe with the 402-horsepower LS3 6.2-liter V8 that the company recently introduced at the New York auto show in the G8 GXP sedan.

As seen in these illustrations, the G8 Coupe GXP won't be a true hardtop like the Holden Coupe 60 Concept. Like the Camaro and Challenger it will grow a B-pillar and fixed rear side glass in production trim.

It'll also get the GXP sedan's 19-inch wheels, 245/40ZR19-spec summer tires and a version of the GXP's aggressive front fascia. That rolling gear would be attached to the sedan's stiff FE3 suspension and, like the sedan, the GXP coupe would offer an optional Tremec six-speed manual transmission.

Additionally, the G8 coupe, which has been developed alongside the Camaro, would be offered as the G8 Coupe GT, powered by the same 361-hp 6.0-liter used in the G8 GT sedan. Of course, this all assumes that a faction within General Motors that fears upcoming CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards doesn't quash the project.

"The G8 Coupe is not dead," said one source within the company. "This is an uphill battle. It shouldn't be. But it is." When pressed, our source indicates that the chance of getting the coupe is probably less than 50 percent.

Predictably, Bob Lutz is said to be in the pro-coupe camp. This isn't the first time the two factions have battled over G8 variants.

"The G8 GXP, the G8 sport truck and the G8 wagon were all part of the plan. Then they pulled all three just three or four months ago. It was a classic over-reaction to CAFE. We got the GXP back and, because Lutz is a big fan of the sport truck we got that back, too. But then Dodge killed the Magnum and that was the end of the wagon," our source says.



What this means to you: We don't care if they call it GTO or Firebird or Powder Puff. We still want this Corvette-motored coupe much more than a revival of the el Camino. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit