Andy
09-24-2010, 06:41 PM
Filed under: Sedan (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/), Buick (http://www.autoblog.com/category/buick/), Cadillac (http://www.autoblog.com/category/cadillac/), Chevrolet (http://www.autoblog.com/category/chevrolet/), Rumormill (http://www.autoblog.com/category/rumormill/), Luxury (http://www.autoblog.com/category/luxury/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/cadillaczetalwb.jpg (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html)
The ongoing yarn about General Motors (http://www.autoblog.com/make/gm/) fielding a brace of rear-wheel drive flagship sedans based on a new generation Premium Zeta platform has hit the big time, with Motor Trend reporting that the platform will underpin a sport sedan for Chevrolet (http://www.autoblog.com/make/chevrolet). Last month, the rejigged Zeta was touted as the basis for a flagship Buick (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/07/rumormill-gm-mulling-rwd-buick-flagship-to-battle-lexus-ls/) that would finally, and properly, challenge Lexus (http://www.autoblog.com/make/lexus). MT's report says there will be two wheelbases for this new Zeta, and that those two variants will do duty under a Cadillac (http://www.autoblog.com/make/cadillac), a U.S. Buick (http://www.autoblog.com/make/buick) and potentially a Chinese-market Buick, and several Holden models along with the aforementioned Chevy.
As the basis for premium sedans, General Motors (http://www.autoblog.com/make/gm) could spend the money to make it properly light and strong through the use of high-strength steels. The Chevy sport sedan mentioned would be "a kind of four-door Camaro" - Pontiac G8 GXP redux, anyone? - while the Buick only gets described as "cushier," and both would go on the shorter wheelbase Zeta.
The most interesting tidbit could be Cadillac's use of the long-wheelbase platform. MT prices a Cadillac flagship at between $125,000 and $140,000 and says the Zeta-based Cadillac, Whitacre's S-Class rival (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/12/report-whitacre-wants-a-flagship-s-class-rival-for-cadillac/) for the Crest-and-Wreath brand, will sit beneath it. If it all comes to pass, that would give Cadillac a larger CTS (http://www.autoblog.com/model/cts), then an XTS (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/12/detroit-2010-cadillac-xts-platinum-concept-ready-to-replace-sts/), then a properly sporting high-end luxury competitor, then a one-Caddy-to-rule-them-all ne plus ultra model by 2014 or so. Hat tip to Joshua!
[Source: Motor Trend (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html)]Rumormill: Rumblings of Zeta-based family of rear-wheel-drive GM sedans persist (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Read (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html) | Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19646939/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/cadillaczetalwb.jpg (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html)
The ongoing yarn about General Motors (http://www.autoblog.com/make/gm/) fielding a brace of rear-wheel drive flagship sedans based on a new generation Premium Zeta platform has hit the big time, with Motor Trend reporting that the platform will underpin a sport sedan for Chevrolet (http://www.autoblog.com/make/chevrolet). Last month, the rejigged Zeta was touted as the basis for a flagship Buick (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/07/rumormill-gm-mulling-rwd-buick-flagship-to-battle-lexus-ls/) that would finally, and properly, challenge Lexus (http://www.autoblog.com/make/lexus). MT's report says there will be two wheelbases for this new Zeta, and that those two variants will do duty under a Cadillac (http://www.autoblog.com/make/cadillac), a U.S. Buick (http://www.autoblog.com/make/buick) and potentially a Chinese-market Buick, and several Holden models along with the aforementioned Chevy.
As the basis for premium sedans, General Motors (http://www.autoblog.com/make/gm) could spend the money to make it properly light and strong through the use of high-strength steels. The Chevy sport sedan mentioned would be "a kind of four-door Camaro" - Pontiac G8 GXP redux, anyone? - while the Buick only gets described as "cushier," and both would go on the shorter wheelbase Zeta.
The most interesting tidbit could be Cadillac's use of the long-wheelbase platform. MT prices a Cadillac flagship at between $125,000 and $140,000 and says the Zeta-based Cadillac, Whitacre's S-Class rival (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/12/report-whitacre-wants-a-flagship-s-class-rival-for-cadillac/) for the Crest-and-Wreath brand, will sit beneath it. If it all comes to pass, that would give Cadillac a larger CTS (http://www.autoblog.com/model/cts), then an XTS (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/12/detroit-2010-cadillac-xts-platinum-concept-ready-to-replace-sts/), then a properly sporting high-end luxury competitor, then a one-Caddy-to-rule-them-all ne plus ultra model by 2014 or so. Hat tip to Joshua!
[Source: Motor Trend (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html)]Rumormill: Rumblings of Zeta-based family of rear-wheel-drive GM sedans persist (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Read (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/1011_rear_drive_chevy_sport_sedan_is_back_on/index.html) | Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19646939/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/rumormill-rumblings-of-zeta-based-family-of-rear-wheel-drive-gm/)