Recap: RWD USAmerican cars coming soon
01-22-2003, 01:43 AM
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Recap: RWD USAmerican cars coming soon
By RICK KRANZ Automotive News
DETROIT -- A new generation of high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive cars will start rolling out of the Big 3 this year. Call them 21st century muscle cars.
Pontiac will be first up this fall with the V-8 powered GTO coupe, which General Motors fashioned from its Australian lineup.
The Chrysler group will be next in 2004 with the Dodge Magnum wagon, powered by a modern version of the Hemi engine.
In the second half of the decade, GM will follow with more models.
Ford Motor Co. is poised to join the trend. A renaissance of rwd performance cars would be a significant shift for the U.S. auto industry. Most cars moved to front-wheel drive in the 1980s to reduce weight and improve fuel economy. But new technology gives automakers the opportunity to rethink rwd.
Interest in high-horsepower, rwd cars is "definitely bubbling up in the market place," said Richard Parry-Jones, Ford's product development chief. "We are seeing that people are looking for more excitement, more sizzle in their lives."
At the Detroit auto show, Chevrolet and Ford signaled they are ready to bring back the spirit of the 1960s muscle cars.
The rwd Chevrolet SS concept is a modern interpretation of the brand's Super Sport heritage, complete with a 430-hp 6.0-liter V-8. At the Ford stand, the "427" name was revived and placed on a concept that packs a 590-hp, 7.0-liter V-10. Both are mid-sized sedans.
"There is incredible pull from boomers and post boomers that now have some discretionary income," said Mark Hogan, GM group vice president for advanced vehicle development.
A GM spokesman said Chevrolet will add a rwd car later in the decade but declined to be specific. It currently offers the rwd Corvette.
Kurt Ritter, marketing general manager of Chevrolet, said any nameplate added to the line must be "affordable" and high volume - 100,000 or more.
Ford executives said a business case will be developed for the 427 concept, which was created off the next-generation Mustang platform.
"I don't want to say we will be there or we won't be there," said Parry-Jones. "But I will say this: We have with the (new) Mustang platform the tools to cover that part of the market with a very efficient approach."
Ford is redesigning the aging Mustang for the 2005 model year.
If produced, any high-power, rwd sedan likely would be a niche vehicle, Parry-Jones said.
Hogan said technological advances negate the disadvantages inherent with the rwd cars from the 1980s and 1990s. Technology such as stability and traction controls, cylinder deactivation and six-speed automatic transmissions improve traction, fuel economy and performance greatly.
Hogan also said GM has a better grasp on how to achieve 50:50 weight balance between the front and rear of rwd cars, which improves handling and traction.
DETROIT -- A new generation of high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive cars will start rolling out of the Big 3 this year. Call them 21st century muscle cars.
Pontiac will be first up this fall with the V-8 powered GTO coupe, which General Motors fashioned from its Australian lineup.
The Chrysler group will be next in 2004 with the Dodge Magnum wagon, powered by a modern version of the Hemi engine.
In the second half of the decade, GM will follow with more models.
Ford Motor Co. is poised to join the trend. A renaissance of rwd performance cars would be a significant shift for the U.S. auto industry. Most cars moved to front-wheel drive in the 1980s to reduce weight and improve fuel economy. But new technology gives automakers the opportunity to rethink rwd.
Interest in high-horsepower, rwd cars is "definitely bubbling up in the market place," said Richard Parry-Jones, Ford's product development chief. "We are seeing that people are looking for more excitement, more sizzle in their lives."
At the Detroit auto show, Chevrolet and Ford signaled they are ready to bring back the spirit of the 1960s muscle cars.
The rwd Chevrolet SS concept is a modern interpretation of the brand's Super Sport heritage, complete with a 430-hp 6.0-liter V-8. At the Ford stand, the "427" name was revived and placed on a concept that packs a 590-hp, 7.0-liter V-10. Both are mid-sized sedans.
"There is incredible pull from boomers and post boomers that now have some discretionary income," said Mark Hogan, GM group vice president for advanced vehicle development.
A GM spokesman said Chevrolet will add a rwd car later in the decade but declined to be specific. It currently offers the rwd Corvette.
Kurt Ritter, marketing general manager of Chevrolet, said any nameplate added to the line must be "affordable" and high volume - 100,000 or more.
Ford executives said a business case will be developed for the 427 concept, which was created off the next-generation Mustang platform.
"I don't want to say we will be there or we won't be there," said Parry-Jones. "But I will say this: We have with the (new) Mustang platform the tools to cover that part of the market with a very efficient approach."
Ford is redesigning the aging Mustang for the 2005 model year.
If produced, any high-power, rwd sedan likely would be a niche vehicle, Parry-Jones said.
Hogan said technological advances negate the disadvantages inherent with the rwd cars from the 1980s and 1990s. Technology such as stability and traction controls, cylinder deactivation and six-speed automatic transmissions improve traction, fuel economy and performance greatly.
Hogan also said GM has a better grasp on how to achieve 50:50 weight balance between the front and rear of rwd cars, which improves handling and traction.
01-22-2003, 07:19 AM
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Well, having high power is nice, but only if they can do it with decent gas mileage. The oil cartel must be pushing this! As for me, I'm perfectly happy with the power I get out of my 3.2 ltr.
01-22-2003, 01:11 PM
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holy shit..these guys r not talking anything less than 6 liters..
all the talk about gasoline being a fast depleting resource doesnt apply to these domestics I see..
all the talk about gasoline being a fast depleting resource doesnt apply to these domestics I see..
01-22-2003, 01:48 PM
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yeah, this all sounds great, all these cars going up and up and up and up in the HP numbers and the engine sizes...but WTF for??? with all this push by people to outlaw SUV's because they are "terrorist-supporters" and do what? replace them with gas guzzling high performance cars???
i strongly beleive that this "bubble" about high performance cars and the horsepower wars of the last 5 years is going to BURST very soon....10 years from now, alot more cars will be hybrid or electric and we will be back to the early 80s of 130 hp-150 hp cars being the norm.
i strongly beleive that this "bubble" about high performance cars and the horsepower wars of the last 5 years is going to BURST very soon....10 years from now, alot more cars will be hybrid or electric and we will be back to the early 80s of 130 hp-150 hp cars being the norm.
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