G8 And Camaro Are The End Of The Road

[CPG Marketing]

Oh Zeta, we hardly knew ye. GM’s global rear-wheel drive platform that was supposed to underpin a whole slew of sporty new sedans will go the way of the dodo, dying before its proper time. The last two cars to use the Zeta platform will be the dead-car-driving Pontiac G8 and the upcoming 2010 Camaro. GM had grandiose plans for the Zeta platform which included spreading the Holden-developed platform through its operations in North America and Europe.


Picture: Autoblog

The Zeta platform was used in cars such as the popular Holden Commodore and the Chinese-market Buick Park Avenue. Unfortunately, the crushing economic crisis has halted most RWD development at many companies and with GM just struggling to survive and make ends meet, a RWD platform doesn’t make much sense in fuel efficiency thinking.

But what does that mean for us enthusiasts? Are we going back to the 80s where all the cool cars became underpowered, emissions-choked, FWD bland sedans? I hope not. For a long time the American public accused domestic automakers of producing boring cars that no one wanted to buy (like the Toyota Camry was ever exciting?) and now just as companies like GM and Ford are making cars people want to buy again the credit crunch crushes an exciting future platform.

GM’s Zeta platform was meant to be flexible and used in many different cars, utilizing an all-wheel independent suspension with McPherson struts and could have accommodated many different rooflines and wheelbases. But my biggest question is what happens to the Camaro now that its platform is already obsolete? What platform will hold the resurrected flagship of Chevrolet?

Check out Left Lane News for the scoop.