[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Kise

I will try lol no at times they can get the first peek at these vehicles and are allowed to take pictures. they have some really nice unreleased concepts as well. by 2022-23 they are shooting to have a majority of the cars to be autonomous so I could image the 7th gen having some serious advanced features.

I have yet to see a GM vehicle program that allows ANYBODY other than their own promotional material photographers take photos BEFORE the car is officially introduced at an auto show or other public event. That's how people have gotten fired.

I got to attend a lot of the internal previews since in my job I interacted with almost every vehicle product team, so they invited me and my analysts to attend. Usually they were held in the Design Dome, and you had to check in your phone when they checked for your credentials to even enter. Others were held at Milford Proving Grounds where your phone cameras get taped over before you enter and checked for presence of the tape when you leave. There is also information EVERYWHERE specifying that anyone caught taking photographs is subject to termination and prosecution. I was at the Corvette team "preview" of the C7, including the Z06, a couple months before the press reveal of the 2014 Corvette C7 and over a year before Z06 intro. Tadge was VERY clear...anyone holding a cellphone would be immediately removed and their phone confiscated.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

I've been seeing this also, but haven't seen any real confirmation on anything. If they can shed the weight on the next gen Charger, and keep it looking good, it will be a real winner. With the Chevy SS sedan gone....what competition does it really have in its price range?

Well...that's right...there is the new Kia Stinger.

There was a confirmation of sorts. Every year Sergio Marchionne does a "5-year business plan". In the last one he showed a slide that showed several non-defined vehicles built on the Giorgio architecture. Same architecture that Alfa Romeo Giulia is built on. I'll have to see if I kept a copy of the last 5-yr plan.

[hotlap]

@Martinjlm

[F1FTY]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

There was a confirmation of sorts. Every year Sergio Marchionne does a "5-year business plan". In the last one he showed a slide that showed several non-defined vehicles built on the Giorgio architecture. Same architecture that Alfa Romeo Giulia is built on. I'll have to see if I kept a copy of the last 5-yr plan.

Barracuda named replacement was the rumor a couple years back...

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by F1FTY

Barracuda named replacement was the rumor a couple years back...

Yeah. Rumors included

• Barracuda as a low volume Giorgio architectured vehicle (basically a Dodge-badged Alfa Romeo Giulia)
• A top end or special version of Challenger
• A complete replacement of the Challenger

As far as I recall, nothing in Sergio's 5-yr plan addressed the Barracuda name.

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Yeah. Rumors included

• Barracuda as a low volume Giorgio architectured vehicle (basically a Dodge-badged Alfa Romeo Giulia)
• A top end or special version of Challenger
• A complete replacement of the Challenger

As far as I recall, nothing in Sergio's 5-yr plan addressed the Barracuda name.

Hopefully because they listened to reason and decided naming a Dodge product after a Chrysler one was a terrible idea.

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by hotlap

Car & Driver just scaled the 18 GT PP M6 at 3,878 lbs. They scaled the 2016 2SS M6 at 3,718 lbs. That supports the MT numbers of 160 lbs difference. +5 HP and -35 lb-ft is going to work hard to make that up.

3,883 lbs - 2018 ZL1 M6
3,878 lbs - 2018 GT PP M6

[Kise]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

I have yet to see a GM vehicle program that allows ANYBODY other than their own promotional material photographers take photos BEFORE the car is officially introduced at an auto show or other public event. That's how people have gotten fired.

I got to attend a lot of the internal previews since in my job I interacted with almost every vehicle product team, so they invited me and my analysts to attend. Usually they were held in the Design Dome, and you had to check in your phone when they checked for your credentials to even enter. Others were held at Milford Proving Grounds where your phone cameras get taped over before you enter and checked for presence of the tape when you leave. There is also information EVERYWHERE specifying that anyone caught taking photographs is subject to termination and prosecution. I was at the Corvette team "preview" of the C7, including the Z06, a couple months before the press reveal of the 2014 Corvette C7 and over a year before Z06 intro. Tadge was VERY clear...anyone holding a cellphone would be immediately removed and their phone confiscated.

shall I not reply to any points here, if anyone is interested I have not been exposed to confidential material

[Kise]

[QUOTE=Martinjlm;10023478]I have yet to see a GM vehicle program that allows ANYBODY other than their own promotional material photographers take photos BEFORE the car is officially introduced at an auto show or other public event. That's how people have gotten fired.

I got to attend a lot of the internal previews since in my job I interacted with almost every vehicle product team, so they invited me and my analysts to attend. Usually they were held in the Design Dome, and you had to check in your phone when they checked for your credentials to even enter. Others were held at Milford Proving Grounds where your phone cameras get taped over before you enter and checked for presence of the tape when you leave. There is also information EVERYWHERE specifying that anyone caught taking photographs is subject to termination and prosecution. I was at the Corvette team "preview" of the C7, including the Z06, a couple months before the press reveal of the 2014 Corvette C7 and over a year before Z06 intro. Tadge was VERY clear...anyone holding a cellphone would be immediately removed and their phone confiscated.[/QUO

on another note, not all are held captive as you state, just late October I saw two 2019 z06 vette that was in testing that had marker on the rear ends to make adjustments. and this was in plain day in Michigan on public streets.. and is the design dome where they held the Code 130R for the longest time? I saw that vehicle through a friend a good 7 years ago.

[Kise]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

I have yet to see a GM vehicle program that allows ANYBODY other than their own promotional material photographers take photos BEFORE the car is officially introduced at an auto show or other public event. That's how people have gotten fired.

I got to attend a lot of the internal previews since in my job I interacted with almost every vehicle product team, so they invited me and my analysts to attend. Usually they were held in the Design Dome, and you had to check in your phone when they checked for your credentials to even enter. Others were held at Milford Proving Grounds where your phone cameras get taped over before you enter and checked for presence of the tape when you leave. There is also information EVERYWHERE specifying that anyone caught taking photographs is subject to termination and prosecution. I was at the Corvette team "preview" of the C7, including the Z06, a couple months before the press reveal of the 2014 Corvette C7 and over a year before Z06 intro. Tadge was VERY clear...anyone holding a cellphone would be immediately removed and their phone confiscated.

its called a simple joke..... maybe you misread, maybe I misspelled, I meant to put NOT times. I am well aware of the confidentiality they enforce.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Kise

....

on another note, not all are held captive as you state, just late October I saw two 2019 z06 vette that was in testing that had marker on the rear ends to make adjustments. and this was in plain day in Michigan on public streets.. and is the design dome where they held the Code 130R for the longest time? I saw that vehicle through a friend a good 7 years ago.

Not unusual. The Z06 looks the same since it's intro, so nothing to hide. What you may have seen and not known at the time was 2 ZR1s dressed up as Z06.

As for the Code 130R....it was a concept vehicle never intended for production, although it was considered as input for a potential production vehicle. Not surprised if someone snuck you in to see the concept in progress, but I think you would have been tackled and your friend fired if you whipped out a cell phone. I'm guessing if you were snuck in, it wasn't the Design Dome. DD security is ridiculous. 130R has been located a lot of different places. I went back to visit my old department last week and it was in the lobby of the building I used to work at in the VEC.

[Kise]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Not unusual. The Z06 looks the same since it's intro, so nothing to hide. What you may have seen and not known at the time was 2 ZR1s dressed up as Z06.

As for the Code 130R....it was a concept vehicle never intended for production, although it was considered as input for a potential production vehicle. Not surprised if someone snuck you in to see the concept in progress, but I think you would have been tackled and your friend fired if you whipped out a cell phone. I'm guessing if you were snuck in, it wasn't the Design Dome. DD security is ridiculous. 130R has been located a lot of different places. I went back to visit my old department last week and it was in the lobby of the building I used to work at in the VEC.

One had a significant difference than the other so I assume it was a ZR1, I wasn't snuck in where I saw it I was mentoring as a job fair kind of deal. it was years ago when I was a kid.
yeah my brother works there I believe, he said the 130R is in his lobby as well but he wont share any of the good stuff either lol. he is in operations if I am correct.
I would love to see the SS refreshed with an AWD version or the next gen Camaro have AWD/ a twin turbo V6. Sad they let the SS sedan go.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by Kise

One had a significant difference than the other so I assume it was a ZR1, I wasn't snuck in where I saw it I was mentoring as a job fair kind of deal. it was years ago when I was a kid.
yeah my brother works there I believe, he said the 130R is in his lobby as well but he wont share any of the good stuff either lol. he is in operations if I am correct.
I would love to see the SS refreshed with an AWD version or the next gen Camaro have AWD/ a twin turbo V6. Sad they let the SS sedan go.

I'd love to see a replacement for my SS. But sedans are slowly dying off. Camry and Accord are about the only ones holding there volumes. I thought I read where Ford has said the Fusion is dead in the US and they don't plan on bringing it here from China.

SUV/CUVs are where the market is headed right now.

Possibly when GM re does the Cadillac line up (ATS off a smaller architecture and the CTS off a proper Alpha sized architecture) they consider a Chevy from that Alpha 2 to replace the Impala. That could have a V8. But as Impala/Malibu sales are very soft I doubt that happens. Plus GM continues to demonstrate they won't take Chevy where it needs to be because Buick is in the way. AWD Malibu or Impala would be nice, Hiper Strut/Linked H arm suspension in the Impala? Not getting those as Buick gets them and if you put the goods in a Chevy then no one needs to buy a LaCrosse or Regal. But GM is screwing up Buick now as the Regal reviews are all lining up that the interior is no better than a Malibu. So Buick is where Chevy wants to be but Buick can't be a true luxury brand because that's Cadillac territory. But I digress...........

I still think the only question for the 19 refresh is whether we see more HP or not. My opinion is not, but I'm hopeful I'm wrong.

Go the Corvette sites and see if they are predicting a 19 HP bump. No way the Camaro gets a noticeable HP bump and the Corvette does not.

[V8RWD]

Originally Posted by Number 3

I'd love to see a replacement for my SS. But sedans are slowly dying off. Camry and Accord are about the only ones holding there volumes. I thought I read where Ford has said the Fusion is dead in the US and they don't plan on bringing it here from China.

SUV/CUVs are where the market is headed right now.

Possibly when GM re does the Cadillac line up (ATS off a smaller architecture and the CTS off a proper Alpha sized architecture) they consider a Chevy from that Alpha 2 to replace the Impala. That could have a V8. But as Impala/Malibu sales are very soft I doubt that happens. Plus GM continues to demonstrate they won't take Chevy where it needs to be because Buick is in the way. AWD Malibu or Impala would be nice, Hiper Strut/Linked H arm suspension in the Impala? Not getting those as Buick gets them and if you put the goods in a Chevy then no one needs to buy a LaCrosse or Regal. But GM is screwing up Buick now as the Regal reviews are all lining up that the interior is no better than a Malibu. So Buick is where Chevy wants to be but Buick can't be a true luxury brand because that's Cadillac territory. But I digress...........

I still think the only question for the 19 refresh is whether we see more HP or not. My opinion is not, but I'm hopeful I'm wrong.

Go the Corvette sites and see if they are predicting a 19 HP bump. No way the Camaro gets a noticeable HP bump and the Corvette does not.

+1 for Buick comment. Especially with younger generation buyers, I am not sure if the brand means anything to them. If anything, it has a negative annotation. Ford has Lincoln. Toyota has Lexus. Honda has Acura. Nissan has Infinity. Maybe it should just be Chevy & Caddy? Maybe Buick is a marketable brand in China..... haven't really been following that side.

+1 Also on the horsepower bump. No way Camaro gets more power than Corvette. It might get better suspension, better tranny.. but not the HP. Too big of a marketing point.