GM's Reuss would like a 'nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive'

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

We'll admit we had to read the quote from General Motors President of North America Mark Reuss a few times just to make sure we weren't missing something obvious. But it is correct - Reuss told Automotive News he'd like "A really nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive..." to join the Chevrolet line-up. Which means, if we've read this correctly, that Reuss wants the same thing that enthusiasts have been caterwauling about, like rutting cats and babies with colic, to join the Mazda Miata since the demise of the Honda S2000 - even after the arrival of the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S. The rest of the quote: "[W]e know that rings a bell." Indeed. As loud as Christ Church Cathedral, Mr. Reuss.

Mind you, this present-day evolution of Reuss' comments made at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show is still only wishlist material. As then, such a car is "not on the drawing board" according to AN. Even if it were, it wouldn't look like the 130R concept whose warm reception still has Reuss talking about the kind of car it represents. Nevertheless, if such a car were to appear, its sweet spot is the gentler end of the $20,000s, and it would utilize a "scalable and efficient" platform to compete against those aforementioned Japanese twins.

Feel free to speculate in Comments as to what kind of coupe Chevrolet should join the competition with, then forget this ever happened.

GM's Reuss would like a 'nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive' originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 May 2013 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

GM's Reuss says rear-wheel drive Scion FR-S rival "on the list"

Steven J. Ewing — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM

According to Australian site CarSales.com.au, General Motors North American boss, Mark Reuss, has expressed high interest in creating a small, rear-wheel-drive coupe to rival the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. If something like this ever came to production, it could take the shape of the Chevrolet Code 130R concept car (pictured) that debuted at last year's Detroit Auto Show.

"It's on the list. It would be a great entry for us," Reuss told CarSales.com.au, adding, "I don't know if they (Toyota) are making any money but it is a very attractive car."

A production version of the 130R would likely ride on a small, rear-drive platform like GM's Alpha architecture, which currently underpins the Cadillac ATS and will eventually be used in the next Chevrolet Camaro. "We would do something with the knowledge of Alpha and the background, but we wouldn't take Alpha and try and shrink it," said Reuss.

We've heard faint whispers about exactly this scenario previously, and the fact that it's still on the table is a good sign. Of course, if development hasn't started yet and a project like this gets the green light, there's no telling how far off a small, rear-drive coupe from GM could be. And considering how popular the Scion and Subaru twins have proven (at least in their early life), GM would be wise to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later.

GM's Reuss says rear-wheel drive Scion FR-S rival "on the list" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments