Rumormill: GM kills the Kappa II platform
The ruthless pruning continues, with GM Inside News reporting that the rear-wheel-drive Kappa II platform has gone to heaven before ever touching this mortal coil. Back in 2004, a vehicle line executive said "The Kappa architecture is a great platform for sporty, driver-oriented applications around the globe." Apparently, not one for which GM could make enough different models to actually earn some money.
Reasons for the sequel platform's demise are allegedly that the first hydra-formed Kappa is just too expensive to fabricate; the cars based on it use expensive, hydra-formed parts; assembly requires inordinate amounts of human labor; and GM didn't make its money back fast enough to justify the investment in a new RWD – read: thirstier – platform.
The current Kappa's suspension and design geometry aren't shared with any other car;, the platform was created to accept one engine, the Ecotec 4-cylinder; and it served under only four varieties of the same car: the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Daewoo G2X and Opel GT. It was a lot to ask such a limited platform to achieve the volume's GM needed with cars on expensive underpinnings that didn't demand expensive prices. And if the rumors are true, then your Solstice GXP could be worth more than you expected, and sooner than you expected.
[Source: GM Inside News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
RG 8:12AM (9/02/2008)
That's really a shame, while the 1st gen Sol/Sky seemed a little half baked (trunk too small, top to finnicky) I thought there was a ton of potential and the 2nd gen could have been really impressive.
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Tim 9:53AM (9/02/2008)
Why is this chassis called the Kappa II? What was the Kappa I?
Red 10:43AM (9/02/2008)
The current platform is the Kappa. Kappa II is a reference to the second generation of Kappa vehicles that were supposed to begin production in the not-to-distant futures. They're not out yet, that I know of.
DJL 7:16PM (9/02/2008)
"That's really a shame, while the 1st gen Sol/Sky seemed a little half baked (trunk too small, top to finnicky) I thought there was a ton of potential and the 2nd gen could have been really impressive."
Gm would be better off reprising the Fiero than continuing with Kappa. Transverse drivetrains are lighter, cheaper, more compact, get better gas mileage, and are readily available in the GM parts bin.
Please GM, give us a new VXR220 (The original was Lotus Elise based):
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/V/vauxhall/vx220/03-large/04-vxr-f3q-a.jpg
Kenjis9965 8:29AM (9/02/2008)
Its a real shame then :( I think they could have made some awesome cars based off of Kappa if they actually tried
I mean, how bout a Z4 competetor for Cadillac? I mean think of it......it could be good, or maybe give it to Buick, give them a nice little reason to you know, exist....
I'm not sure if the platform could be reworked into a sort of sport hatch, even if it only had 2 seats [That would be nice for someone like me who hauls more things than people and can honestly say f--- the rear seats just give me a good boot, especially in a car that size]
And why the hell does everyone think RWD = Thirstier? I've seen plenty of RWD cars get pretty damn good gas mileage....and FWD ones get poor gas mileage...so its more a matter of engineering than anything else
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RG 8:43AM (9/02/2008)
I would have LOVE to have seen an affordable, low slung sedan/coupe based off of this architecture with four individual bucket seats.
Think RX-8 but better rear seat access, better power, better fuel mileage...
mr.ed 3:38PM (9/02/2008)
Adding a driveshaft or even heavier torque tube, a differential pumpkin and attached axle casings mean added weight = lower mileage. Simple as that, unless you go more sophisticated like Mazda.
R 1:04PM (9/02/2008)
I think by "thirstier" they meant requiring more company resources. If not, then I'm not sure what they're trying to say.
Red 8:34AM (9/02/2008)
The irony is, the GXP and Redline versions of the Kappa cars were two of the more fuel efficient performance cars in GM's lineup. Even with the heritage behind it, I can't understand why they'd kill the Kappa but keep the Camaro. The only thing I could really comment on negatively about the Kappa platform is that the cars were pretty heavy for their size and class. The Kappa II could've been engineered to come in lighter than the current platform. I spoke to someone that said they have more SUVs on the way. One in particular even larger and more expensive than the Escalade hybrid. Wtf....
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Avinash machado 8:38AM (9/02/2008)
So the Mazda Miata\MX-5 gets the category to itself.
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Epyx 8:43AM (9/02/2008)
again.
Torrent 12:18PM (9/02/2008)
not unless that honda comes in.
Xcountryflyer 4:34PM (9/02/2008)
I'm sure Mazda execs are jumping for joy. Maybe we can get them to jump for a Mazdaspeed MX-5. They keep saying no! I was not a big fan of the Solstice and Sky in terms of the finished product. They really had some poor design decisions in the interior.
Not too many affordable and fun convertibles left on the market after they get axed.
Epyx 8:43AM (9/02/2008)
Does this defiantly mean the end of the Solstice and Sky? Could it just mean that there is a new replacement for Kappa 2 maybe the new Solstice and Sky will be on a more sharable platform? Who knows. Hate to see them go before they got going and improved. They are both nice looking cars.
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Alex Tanchez 9:06AM (9/02/2008)
The rumor a few months ago was that the kappa cars were going to share a platform with the Corvette, in fact, the Solstice/Sky/other variants are slated to move into the Bowling Green Corvette Plant in a couple of years. If the Kappa II platform is dead, that means that either the vette will stay on it's current platform and the kappas are dead or the kappas might use a shortened Corvette platform, although the current one is not designed to be shortened.
It'll be interesting to see what direction the next Corvette takes if the Solstice/Sky die.
The Other Bob 11:22AM (9/02/2008)
I think you are right. If GM still has plans for a rwd Alpha platform for a G-6 or small Caddy, then it will need more applications. They could use the Alpha as a base for future Solctices and Skys.
Jay Evans 8:44AM (9/02/2008)
I always thought that the Kappas were way too limited in demand to afford their own plant. With GM R&D resources so limited I can understand why they wouldn't spend the money to totally re-engineer the car and move away from the expensive hydra-formed body panels and hand welded chassis.
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Brill 8:45AM (9/02/2008)
to bad, i really liked the styling of both, and while heavy i've read they were pretty good performers, at least the turbo versions. i figured a 2nd gen kappa would fix alot of the bugs of the 1st gen. hopefully its just a bad rumor.
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mike 8:48AM (9/02/2008)
Ohhh great news, in with Pontiac G3, out with Pontiac Solstice.
I reap one more time, the only way GM can turn around is by getting rid of Wagoner, he does not know what he is doing, and he never showed that he did.
As we speak it is possible that GM doesn't have a single vehicle which can be sold without HEAVY discounts.
Even the newest offerings, all LAMDAS and G8 have big incentives plus dealers are willing to negotiate a lower price, but i am sure once the G3 will hit the streets and Pontiac Montana will come back, GM will be fine.
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Kenjis9965 3:06PM (9/06/2008)
I agree whole heartedly
For GM to turn around it needs to do several things
First, they need to differentiate between brands...
Chevrolet should be entry-level affordable cars, Pontiac is performance, and Cadillac is luxury
Wheres Buick and GMC? Dead, axe them, you could easily afford to do that and roll GMC's trucks into the Chevrolet lineup, Buick could be saved but it would need a purpose [Right now its all just tarted up Chevrolets]
Pontiac should position itself to go after Volkswagen, Scion and Toyota, it should ditch the G5, G6, G8 naming and go back to having proper names, the G5 should become the Tempest [or LeMans] the G6 the Grand Am/Grand Prix [2 and 4 door versions] and the G8 should be the Bonneville
Styling should stick with the mold the G8 is in now, agressive, sporty, and underpinning the vehicles should be a rear-drive architechture, Imagine, a rear drive "Tempest" replacing the G5 as the entry level car, with the top package being a GT or GTO equipped with the 260hp Turbo I4, it'd be a 22k or so 30mpg Rear-drive sports coupe probubly capable of 0-60 in under 6 seconds, it would deserve the GTO badge in my book, and it would compete hard against the GTI and other "hot" affordable cars
Even the basic one getting a hot direct injected 4-pop would be pretty fun if they do it right, 170bhp or so base with a 6-speed manual transmission and the option of a 6-speed Manumatic [Given we're %^#$ing americans]
Pontiac however, should be Manual is the norm, and offer incentives [Instruction on how to drive a manual properly and etc] to get people to take it over an Auto...
Of course my entire idea for the Tempest would probubly kill sales of the Camaro, not to mention the tuning possibilities in it...
The G8ST should go to Chevrolet...
Moving on...
Chevrolet should axe certain vehicles..the Avalanche for one [I never saw the point in it, just get a crew-cab Silverado....or if you dont need a truck, get a Tahoe] and the Aveo for another, I know the Aveo has excellent gas mileage, but i propose something a little different
The Aveo's replacement, lets call it the Nova, should be a small 3 or 5 door hatch, powered by an advanced diesel engine, primary market is for people wanting a small fuel-efficient vehicle
Next up, the Colorado, giving Chevrolet the G8 ST fixes this
Malibu, Malibu is good how it is, a good midsize "family" car
Impala, the current Impala sucks, and I own one, the basic models are ugly and uninspired, and the less basic ones are a bit overpriced...
I'm not saying kill it of course, instead make it Rear-drive, put it on the Zeta platform, gear it more towards affordability and luxury compared to the Bonneville
Cobalt, sucks, kill it, its replaced by the Nova
Silverado is a damn good truck, so it gets to stay, the Tahoe does as well, because its still a good car for some people
Trailblazer is dead already, as is the Equinox, kill the stupid Traverse [I detest these "crossover" vehicles for the most part, sTFU and buy a truck or get a proper fucking SUV, they're not that much more fuel efficient, they look like pregnant hatchbacks, and they weigh more than the moon with a tiny ass little engine] Make 2 SUVs here, one thats a small rugged off-road capable model and one thats a midsize on road model, use intelligent engineering on the midsize one and make it lighter than its competetors...
Corvette, kill it
[Just kidding, its awesome it can stay :3]
Cadillac seems to be going in a good direction at least, so I'll leave them alone
Buick, Hummer, and GMC need to be axed, name one vehicle the three of them make you might actually want to buy thats not just a rebadged clone of another GM brand's car...
Thats right, there isnt one, not one between the three of them
Buick could be saved if they REALLY tried, I'm talking kill the lacrosse, kill the lucerne, fuck the enclave, kick the old people out of the showrooms and start from scratch
Give Buick a version of the Volt, have Buick become GM's technology demonstrator brand, give them the newest technology first [Which used to be Oldsmobile's place]
Revive the Regal, the GNX and the Riviera, give them high tech performance and sick them on BMW while Cadillac tackles Mercedes
Of course a lot of what I've said would never be done becuase it would cannibalize sales from higher tier products..but its nice to dream eh?