GM kills Holden’s RWD Chevrolet & Buick
June 3, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
With the trend to move away from big cars into smaller as well as the recently announced harsher U.S. fuel economy laws, General Motors has put an end to plans to develop large rear-wheel-drive sedans for Chevrolet and Buick.
According to GM, the main issue wasn’t the changing buyer pattern but ’serious fuel economy issues’. This will mean Chevrolet’s Impala will remain FWD. GM had planned to go against the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger with the Impala, powered by an V8 engine.
The bit that hurts is that our own Holden was in charge of the program as the cars were being designed on the global RWD Zeta vehicle architecture (Holden Commodore/Ute). Thankfully GM was quick to note that no other large-car programs are currently under threat.
The new U.S. fuel economy laws require a 40 percent improvement in vehicle fuel economy by 2020, to an average of 8L/100km, a figure which seems unachievable on the current V8 engines. More importantly a 25 percent improvement is required for 2011-2015 model years.
The current V8s in the Commodores get 18L/100km in the city and 11.7L/100km on the highway.
Print it: 
seriously.learn how to make cars,if not quit…stop building fuel guzzlers….when i saw the x6 review, was so shocked of its fuel consumption..12.6l/100kms for a 4.4 TWINTURBO V8! if it was the americans..it probs would be 22.6l/100km??
Heres the beginning of the end for huge fuel inefficient engines all in the name of “save the planet”. Sad day indeed..not long now and we’ll all be driving Corollas.
And Zero that’s still a full 4L over the required amount of fuel usage
Good riddance.
Everyday cars should be designed to be… daily drivers. And with gas to go pass 2 bucks a liter in Oz, do yourself a favour and opt for a smaller engine car for your everyday driver.
You can still buy a performance car, just that dont drive it everyday. And if you will do that, then might as well buy a coupe or a real sports car.
One reason, the big 6s will eventually become “big” 4s…
And then in a few years when GM has FWD shit heaps again they scream out looking for a RWD car again, As in the past.
There is nothing wrong with diesel powered large RWD cars or are they stupid to forget that or ignore it?..
Shit i get 14l/100 out of my V8 on average, Be lower if i didn’t stomp it half the time.
Well, well, well … General Motors is taking an absolute pounding at the moment and it doesn’t look like it will be letting up anytime soon.
After all those years are corporate arrogance manufactuering the most awful cars to have ever graced the road, they are finally paying the price … i hope it hurts.
GOTTA LOVE IT !!
Check out the sales in May 2008
Toyota down 4%
Ford down a hefty 16% … oooch !!
GM down a MASSIVE 30% … Arrrggghhh !!
Congrats to Honda, up 15% … smiles !!
What people are confusing is that in the States most people are driving V8’s. The RWD cars are specifically designed to run V8’s IN THE STATES. We on the other hand run mainly V6’s or I6 on our RWD platforms. My only fear is that our export of Commodores will be affected.
You know the smartest thing Ford and GM in the States could do is align themselves with the Australian program of RWD cars (VE Commodores and FG Falcons).
v8 + FWD = Torque steer
No Name, this isn’t to save the planet. It’s because the price of oil is too high and people are staying away from large cars.
Saving the planet might be a convenient side effect but has little to do with these decisions.
And in years to come after driving poxy little cars that can’t tow and/or accommodate heavy items/people, you will all say – Remember the good old days when our v6/I6/v8/I6t were real cars.
We used a furniture trailer to shift. Two of the five loads I carried I couldn’t even lift the drawbar of the trailer. What good Is your ugly Prius/Jazz/Demio going to be to me? No bloody good at all.
I can understand a diesel Commodore or Falcon is a good thing but not everyone is interested in driving Nana’s cars.
The solution is so simple, design a smaller engine and turbocharge/supercharge it, that way you have fuel economy for daily driving, and power when you need it.
Why do only V8s have to be RWD cars??? Germans have been installing small enines into RWD cars since whenever and they always outperform FWD cars with the same capacity engine…..why does GM have to convert to FWD???
Yanks are dumb asses thats why.
Lloyd – sorry mate, i must have missed it – how well did you say Falcons and Commodores tow against a twin turbo charged D4D 4.5 V8 diesel Landcruiser.
The funny thing about clowns like yourself is that you forget Toyota has got some all mighty towing equipment themselves … Hilux (incl TRD version), Prado, 70 and 200 series Cruisers are heavy haulers while a Kluger, V6 RAV4 and even the Aurion (incl TRD version) will be respectable towers themselves.
People like yourselves have a silly habit of only naming Commodores and Falcons as hualers/towers yet fact is – most people that haul heavy loads frequently such as caravans, boats etc usually adopt a heavier platform such as 4×4’s – am i wrong … NO !!
When it comes to this, lets face it … Toyota has got the equipment.
V8 landcruisers … what more can i say !!
Toyota love is like no other love.
u forgot to mention the T word Lloyd!
I suspect Dingo has small equipment!
No Name Says:
June 4th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Heres the beginning of the end for huge fuel inefficient engines all in the name of “save the planet”. Sad day indeed..not long now and we’ll all be driving Corollas.
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Hell will freeze over before I drive around in a Corolla, or any sort of bland Toyota crap for that matter. I have no loyalty to brands, I buy whatever I think is good which is the best way to be. But frankly, Toyota doesn’t sell anything that I would be interested in buying. Life is too short to spend it driving a dishwasher on wheels to and from work everyday.
FFS you people think this is the end of technology or something, give a couple of years there will be a breakthrough in effecient yet powerful electric/hydrogen or any alternative energy source which will make combustion based engines look like cavemen equipment, your grandkids will laugh at you for what you drive in this day and age.
Realcars, i agree and to add to that same thing goes with T-word haters too.
Lloyd,
i totally agree with you.
i certainly dont want to drive around in some poxy 4cyl.
i mean people save 2L/100K by getting in smaller vehicles, but look at the massive compromise in space, comfort, power and even safety.
and as you mentioned, on that odd weekend where the “U-Haul” trailer gets bolted on the back.
gotta love the blind belief that every toyota vehicle is a great tower.
i mean seriously, a ford focus has a bigger unbraked towing capacity then what the Aurion or TRD aurion has.
even if you put the TRD aurion and regular Aurion together, a falcon still has a greater capacity. or even if you put 3 TRD aurions together, a falcon still rates better. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
but yeah yeah the aurion is a great tower and the falcon isnt if thats what turns you on Dingo ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I believe it’s not about RWD or FWD, but rather how the engines are made. BMW’s turbo six in a rear-driver is just as efficient as an Accord 2.4 which is obviously front-drive. GM V8s, regardless of drive configuration, drink gasoline, period. The XR6 Turbo performs better than the XR8 yet asks for less petrol.
What would I want with a Landcruiser?
I will have to try one out won’t I but I can’t see that it has better handling and roadholding and braking than what I’ve got and most people I know curse the things especially at school time and in certain traffic situations.
I don’t need a 4wd, just something decent to do a wide range of duties that involves carrying people and/or the odd tandem trailer or caravan.
I drive around in a Corolla, or any sort of ‘bland Toyota crap’ for that matter. I have loyalty to brands, I buy whatever I think is good which is the best way to be. But frankly, Toyota sells everything that I would be interested in buying. Life’s good when spending it driving a dishwasher on wheels to and from work everyday (Toyota and LG should merge and make LG cars!!!).