It’s been well documented that General Motors’ new Alpha platform – which underpins the Cadillac ATS – will eventually serve as the basis for the Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Camaro, but a new report suggest the architecture could eventually underpin a new Chevy coupe.
The Chevrolet Code 130R arrived at the North American International Auto Show as a concept but, thanks to the ATS’ new Alpha platform, could soon make the transition to production car. Dave Masch, chief engineer of the ATS, revealed a production version of the 130R would likely ride on the Alpha platform.
“When we started this project, we were focused on just this product [ATS]—just this size product and the bandwidth of it,” he said. “But once we got those fundamentals fairly well-developed and on their way, then of course we’re now looking for ways that we can use this architecture and parts on other cars, which we do in fact have in the pipeline—smaller as well as bigger.”
But while the Code 130R may have a potential platform, the business case for a small coupe is not necessarily there. The coupe segment has largely died off in America, with just a handful of offerings left. GM will likely be keeping a close eye on the Scion FR-S to gauge the market viability of the Code 130R.
