Less than a month after saying GM would put development its Zeta platform rear-wheel-drive cars on hold, Vice President Bob Lutz now says work will probably resume on the cars.
On April 10th, Lutz cautioned new CAFE standards proposed by U.S. legislators would force GM to halt development of the new Chevy Impala, Monte Carlo, Pontiac GTO, Buick Lucerne, and more. The new Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac G8 would not be affected, he said.
Yesterday, Mr. Lutz backed away from those comments, telling Detroit Public Television GM would probably resume development of the large rear- wheel-drive cars, albeit with more fuel-efficent engine choices.
Analyst John Wolkonowicz of Global Insight told Bloomberg News it’s critical GM moves ahead with the cars as planned. “It goes back to real American cars for real American buyers. Too many of their cars have been bad copies of Japanese cars.
Earlier this week, a sketch of a mystery Chevrolet model appeared in the backdrop of a recent press photo taken inside the Rear Wheel Drive Performance Studio at GM’s Warren, Michigan, Design Center. The vehicle is believed to be the Zeta-based Impala or Monte Carlo.
