General Motors subsidiary Opel is planning a new crossover vehicle with minivan-like characteristics for the 2009 model year, according to a report by Automotive News. The vehicle would be similar to the Mercedes R-Class, but would be priced lower — probably against a similar vehicle from Volkswagen. The vehicle would likely come to the United States as a Saturn.
Ford is replacing its discontinuing its minivans and replacing them with a slew of new crossovers, including the SUV-like Edge and van-like Fairlane. Incidentally, GM strategist and Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said in a weblog posting yesterday his company doesn’t feel the minivan segment is dead.
“Obviously in recent years a stigma has attached itself to the minivan and won’t let go,” Lutz wrote, suggesting slightly different vehicles might need to be offered in the future. He said the company’s new crossovers like the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave won’t replace vans entirely. Will Opel’s answer to Ford’s Fairlane fill the remaining gap? Stay tuned…



12/08, 7:26 PM
posted by:
Oldsmobile
^^^^^^^ I hope nobody takes your posts seriously.
12/09, 12:36 AM
posted by:
A4
dont worry they dont
12/09, 12:40 AM
posted by:
A4
You know what else is funny? theres no stigma put on the Honda Odyssey.. in fact i know people who find it pretty sweet, believe it or not… while Ford and GM’s offerings are just crap. And why would Saturn bring this new Opel crossover here when they havent even really released the Outlook yet? Is that thing supposed to have a 2-3 year shelf life? This new opel model surely would overlap way too much.
12/09, 1:49 AM
posted by:
Stuart
Just another bagge engineering job by GM. woo hoo you know it gonna be a piece of **** anyway
12/09, 6:07 AM
posted by:
Veda
If you ever owned a few Opels like I did, you’d wonder why people still buy them after all these years. Same as the pretty but unreliable Peugeot.
12/09, 8:10 AM
posted by:
carsarecool
Stuart, it is hardly badge engineering when neither brand is sold in both countries.
12/09, 9:04 AM
posted by:
chris2
Won’t this new vehicle be a smaller vehicle than the Lamdas?
12/09, 10:17 AM
posted by:
Ricardo Head
So what is a “minivan-like crossover?”
That ass-ugly R-class just looks like a retarded old minivan to me, and I’m sure the Opel will too.
.
.
And I, BTW, stigmatize the hell out of Honda Odyssey drivers, they drive about as retardedly as Prius and Volvo idiots, which basically means they all should die. The Odyssey looks pretty gay too. Like a Toyota Sienna after it swallowed a Nissan Quest’s load.
12/09, 11:30 AM
posted by:
Brendino
@Stuart –
How is this ‘bagge’ engineering? Does it even say that it’s on an existing platform? Does it even say that it will definitely be a Saturn?
Please, criticize GM for the likes of the G5/Cobalt, but don’t actively try to hate on everything they do, especially when your arguments are baseless.
12/09, 11:32 AM
posted by:
A4
i owned a 2000 opel corsa and it had no reliability issues whatsoever, theyve completely done a 180 in the quality department when compared with the 80’s, which forced them to leave the US market. They are possibly even GM’s most reliable brand these days.
12/09, 12:35 PM
posted by:
Stuart
Brendino — intrigue me, When was the last time GM made any 1 platform for a single car? I don’t hate Gm but going by experience I believe Opel and GM in general are crap.
P.s. Type “Badge”
Carsarecool — Opel is sold in America using the Saturn badge like they sell Opels in England as Vauxhalls. So Expect it soon.
12/09, 12:40 PM
posted by:
Renton
Waiting for BMW’s V series, or whatever they will call it.
12/09, 4:22 PM
posted by:
Brendino
Stuart – Right now, the Lucerne is the only vehicle on the G-body architecture. for 21 years, the Corvette was the only car on its platform as well. Look to the past for the Z-body, GM2900, P-body, and the H1.
However, your premise is flawed. Everybody shares platforms. If they don’t, it’s because they don’t have a huge market share. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai…all of them share platforms within their marques. But that’s not the point. You initially complained about badge engineering (I quoted your own misspelling there), and that’s different than platform sharing. You don’t dislike DCX for putting the 300 on the old E-class platform, do you? Of course not, because the look and feel was completely different.
Just because you share a platform – that doesn’t mean jack. You can stretch a platform, shrink it, make it into an SUV (after all, we don’t resent Toyota for putting the HIghlander on the Camry platform, right?), etc. I mean, the Sigma platform provides a base for the CTS, STS, and SRX, but those vehicles have little in common. Platform sharing has little to no downsides if it is used correctly, because it increases common parts which reduces R&D and overall cost and promotes a global architecture, which is the direction that the auto industry is going.
12/10, 12:00 AM
posted by:
Renton
chuckles — WTF were/are you thinking?
12/10, 1:42 AM
posted by:
Stuart
Brendino – GM has already said it plans to make two or more vechicles on every chassis it produces. I don’t mind the chassis sharing but what does get to me is when you use the platform to target brands in your own company. e.g. The Pontiac roadster. This should a been a proper Saturn Sky coupe and not any other model, Except they are planing a Saab Roadster and even a buick or Chevy. Why not just shoot yourself in the foot.
12/10, 7:42 PM
posted by:
Jordan
Stuart – i’m not quite sure i grasp what you are saying about “targeting brands in your own company.” if i had my way i would have companies not share chassis at all, but because that is so cost-ineffective, it’s not a possibility. furthermore, the saab roadster is not going to happen – as reported by this site itself.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/09/02/report-gm-has-no-plans-for-saab-kappa-roadster/
also, i doubt a chevy roadster would sell that well, considering the segment is already covered by the two existing kappa roadsters.
additionally, honda shares the accord chassis among the accord coupe, accord sedan, odyssey, and pilot. the civic platform is shared among ALL the civics, the cr-v, and the element. i don’t see you complaining.
12/11, 12:41 AM
posted by:
A4
yeah the saab was ****canned last i checked, and ive seen sketches of the “sting ray” roadster and i doubt thatll ever come to fruition as well… it might, and it might be cool, but it needs some kind of rediculous change to distance it. They ought to drop a V8 in it like Mallett did to the Solstice.. its rediculous, and awesome.
12/11, 1:49 AM
posted by:
Stuart
Jordan – Your point is totally stupid. All the Honda’s you name are in different segments. E.g. You want a coupe buy a Accord coupe, A sedan then buy a Accord or a suv then buy a CRV.
This is the same with the E-class which shares its chassis with the SL and CLS. Although the CLS and E-class basically have the same format (Front engine, RWD,four doors) The cls is a coupe and the E-class is a sedan. obviously the SL is totally different or does sharing the platform make them the same????????
What is the SKY and Solstice?………Ummmmmmm A roadsters based on the same Kappa platform made to do the same thing just at slightly different price.
P.S Just because LLN says Saab or Chevy won’t be made doesn’t mean its written in stone. Other Web pages say Saab will and will look like a ROADSTER version of the Saab Concept X
12/11, 1:12 PM
posted by:
buenos
Interesting article on “perceived quality”. I was the unfortunate owner of a Pontiac that ended up being the worst new car experience I have ever had. The vehicle had 97 service days in it’s first three years, 70 of those in the first year. I recently got rid of the vehicle and got a Japanese made car. Will it have better quality? Only time will tell. However, the last time my old car was in for service, and I sat in the waiting room looking at a brand new Buick Lucerne sitting on the showroom floor, I noticed the new little GM badge that has been affixed to GM vehicles, supposedly to remind owners that they have a “quality GM product”. The badge was put on crooked… and that little badge speaks volumes about GM’s commitment to quality. It may be unfortunate, but GM has lost me as a potential customer for life.
12/11, 1:34 PM
posted by:
Brendino
Sorry, Stuart, but they wouldn’t do it if it didn’t pay off.
How does GM sell more half-ton pickups than Ford? But splitting up into Silverado and Sierra. I guarantee you they wouldn’t sell as many if they were all in one marque.
The same thing with the Kappas. They sell more by appealing to different markets.
Of course that’s all irrelevant to this article, since Opel and Saturn will NEVER cross paths.