Zeta News: Holden Pres Says Camaro Prototypes Due By X-Mas

[JCE]

The only problems there ever were with the Camaro was the rattling from the cheap interior. I don't see this as a problem in the new 5th gen Camaro. I'll be very excited if they bring it out next year!

 

[YSSMAN]

Well they seem to be attempting to meet the demand as soon as possible. They did much the same with the GMT900 SUVs and Pickups, bumping them ahead by as much as a year because the public "demanded" it. Thus far, the products have worked out well... So I assume GM would be able to do much the same for the Camaro.

...But even then, the concept car appeared to be nearly ready for production to begin with, and not having to re-design an entire platform or powertrain should keep development time short, and eventually production costs down...

 

[GT4_Rule]

If that's the case then, it sounds awesome.

 

[Jay]

Zeta?? That old thing, whens the new platform coming?

 

[Leonidae]

new Camaro on streets next summer? sweetness. I'll have a black one, with white stripes, thank you very much.

 

[L8 Apex]

All right! Just (barely) in time for a 40th Anniversary model? 💡

 

[YSSMAN]

All right! Just (barely) in time for a 40th Anniversary model? 💡

Wow, I didn't even think about that one!

 

[weiss_komet]

I'll take one in Garnet red with Tuxedo Black stripes, maybe the "hockey stick" stripes even...

BTW, this months HOT ROD magazine has some good artist renderings of the 5th gen car. 👍

 

[YSSMAN]

..More good news comming out of GM...

General Motors will import the new Holden Commodore to the United States and badge it as a Pontiac, according to Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. He said the car will be unveiled at the Chicago auto show in February. "Come to the Chicago auto show and all we be revealed," Lutz told Australia's Drive magazine yesterday at the Paris Motor Show.

Rumors about such a move have circulated ever since the new Commodore debuted in July. Some reports suggest the car will wear the Grand Prix nameplate, while others indicate it will be called the Pontiac G8. In August, Motor Trend magazine published an illustration on the cover of its October issue of how a Commodore with a Pontiac nose might look (pictured). It's now widely expected the Grand Prix/G8 will essentially look this way.

Awesome! Good news indeed, but it does make you wonder why the Pontiac would come first, not the Chevrolet or Buick model? Either way, thats awesome. It seems that GM has things moving at a good pace, so hopefully by next summer, we could see the first Zetas on the streets here in the US.

(yay!)

 

[usedHONDA]

This will be the best car Pontiac will ever make.

I give GM 1,378,278,937,835,893,702,578,329,572,398,573,925,780,089,185,627,576,468,128.26 points for that move.

 

[Tornado]

This will be the best car Pontiac will ever make.

I give GM 1,378,278,937,835,893,702,578,329,572,398,573,925,780,089,185,627,576,468,128.26 points for that move.

And then divide that by 1,378,278,937,835,893,702,578,329,572,398,573,925,780,089,185,627,576,468,128.25 if they call it something so utterly generic as "G8."

 

[JCE]

Awsome, finally a large Pontiac sedan worth a damn. I wouldn't mind the G8 name if keeping with the new "G" series like the G6. I just hope GM doesn't get too drastic on the stupid Pontiac kidney grille on the front. That ruined the Monaro/GTO.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, assuming Motor Trend is right, the Grand Prix/G8 should look like this:



...Which isn't too bad, I must say. It is still identifyable as a Pontiac, but maintains many of the Holden good looks. To be completely honest, it does remind me a bit of the old BMW 5-series, and trust me... Thats a very good thing!

As for the naming part, I think it is kinda up in the air. Pontiac has had the name "G8" trademarked for almost three years now, so it is questionable if they are still planning to use it, and just how exactly it will be used. The origional thought was that the G8 name was going to be placed uppon the Bonnevile replacement, but given that it hasn't happened, it only makes sense that it be given to the Grand Prix.

...Presumably, to keep the model names consistant, the Grand Prix name will be dropped in favor of G8. That way, the step-up from G5 (Cobalt), G6 (Vectra), and then G8 (Commodore) makes sense. It also follows the European trend of letter/number names for their cars, pushing Pontiac into the quasi-BMW and Acura fighting position that they have attempted to place themselves into.

 

[skip0110]

I agree that it looks good, but when was the last time Motor Trend had accurate renderings?

 

[YSSMAN]

Motor Trend, surprisingly, has been pretty good recently with some of their things. Over the past five years, they have gotten quite a few things right.

- They picked the Challenger out almost two years before the concept (they called it the 'Cuda, sold it as a Chrysler)
- They predicted the current Jeep look, picked out the Grand Cherokee and Commander well before they hit the streets
- They were right about the Tiguan
- They were also right with the Caliber
- Same goes with the Panamera and even the Cayenne
- They had the 5th gen Camaro pegged before the 4th gen was offically "dead"
- They have had a solid track-record with the Corvette renderings
- My guess is that they are partially right with this month's Impala photos (although Casio's photos may say otherwise)

...I belive Motor Trend has some pretty reliable reporting going on here. They have been talking about Holden products for months now, so I'm begining to wonder if they have someone down there feeding them information. Given that the overall design of the Commodore could indeed pass for a Pontiac these days (generally speaking), swapping out the front end for the Pontiac grille isn't going to upset people like it did with the GTO, as we have never had the Commodore here before... Well, you know what I mean (Catera not included).

 

[Tornado]

- Same goes with the Panamera and even the Cayenne

The Panamera has been rumored for over 10 years, though, and the only surprising thing about the Cayenne was how good it ended up being.

- They had the 5th gen Camaro pegged before the 4th gen was offically "dead"

True, but if I remember the exact issue you are quoting they weren't sure as to the actual future of the car (ie: where it would be built, whether there would be delays, future of the Trans Am) and all they admittedly knew was that the 4th gen. was going to be killed in 2002; but I will admit that they pegged the retro styling even before Ford starting pumping out unoriginal crap to restart the retro scene again.

 

[harrytuttle]

Awesome! Good news indeed, but it does make you wonder why the Pontiac would come first, not the Chevrolet or Buick model?

Um, GTO?

 

[Jay]

I must say now there are alot of Zeta VE Commodores getting around I find it quite stange sometimes.....

Sometimes you see a Zeta based Commdore and you think "Wow that looks good", but then on a few occasions from different angles and different trim levels you see them and think "Eww that is horrid"...... Strange. I never noticed it in pictures before they were getting around.

 

[YSSMAN]

Which models are looking ugly? Personally speaking I think they all look great, but that may be because they are "different" and something "new" here in the US, added to that that I am very excited for the cars to get here...

 

[GT4_Rule]

I think that Grand Prix on the cover looks awesome. But call it the G8, and I'll never buy it.

 

[Bete Noir]

That grille looks quite awful. Perhaps Pontiac should go for the GTO Ram-Air concept style grille. The "official" version can be seen at the Chicago motor show

 

[Jay]

Which models are looking ugly? Personally speaking I think they all look great, but that may be because they are "different" and something "new" here in the US, added to that that I am very excited for the cars to get here...

Im not saying paticular models look ugly, I am saying paticular angles often don't look so pretty (ugly is a strong word), its hard to explain.

Like you I never noticed it either in pictures.

 

[YSSMAN]

I guess I can see where you are comming from. Now that I look back, a rear view from a slight angle kinda makes the car look a bit chunky, but kinda in a good Audi-type way...

 

[Jay]

Anyway I snapped this yesterday when I was on my travels, noting real interesting just a VE SV6 but it is Zeta so Ill post it here






Few more pictures I took here, if anyone is interested
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2437843&postcount=1760

 

[Bete Noir]

I love how the VE manages to make 18" wheel look small.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its still a great-looking car no less. A good mix of American, European, and Australian ideals. I'm hoping that one of these days an American automotive magazine heads down-under to give the SS a run, just to see...

 

[GT4_Rule]

Wow that's a very handsome looking car!

 

[Omnis]

I just saw the Camaro today at the auto show. What a car! It looks absolutely amazing in person. 10x better than the photos.

 

[Jay]

I thought I would post this as everytime Toyota makes a recall a whole thread is made.


VE V8 Commdores (Zeta based cars) have already just been recalled.

http://www.recalls.gov.au/view_recall_detail.php?Recall_ID_Auto=14434

Lucky they caught the problem early or they would have to recall many many more.

 

[YSSMAN]

Yeah, that is good. To me that doesn't seem like a huge problem, but it is too bad that it has to happen on a car that pretty much just hit the streets a few months ago.