2005 CHEVROLET Cavalier "Coupe"
The all new 2005 Cavalier will be based on the Saturn Ion platform. Also chared with the all new Opel Astra in Europe.

Altough the Astra will be a 3 or 5 door hatchback, the US Cavalier will be (at least at first), sold in the US as a regular, much more conservative 4 door sedan. But a sportier version will be available as this hatchback coupe.

The standard engine is the Saturn 2.2 Liter with 140hp. The Coupe might get a little more from that same engine.
2004 Chevrolet MALIBU
The new Malibu is hopefully one of these cars that "looks better in person". It's not quite clumsy, but pretty boring. You would think GM has nothing to loose and would try to put out something fresh on the market. That's what Nissan and Chrysler are doing when they are in trouble. Design sells! Always has, always will.

And it seems to be what Mr. Lutz is thinking too, so what happened?!
First, we have the redesigned Opel Vectra. It came out a year before the Malibu, in Europe only. Based on an all new platform shared with the also new Saab 9.3.

The Opel was already a conservative, but pleasant design.
But wait! we need to "make it different" for the American market. So let's use that fender design from the Forester (another GM affiliated brand).
And VOILA!. The all new Malibu.

GM claims it competes with Accord/Altima/Camry. In reality it will go more against the Taurus and the Sebring.

If you don't believe your good friend Vince, why don't you take a look at these interiors. Malibu on the left, Vectra on the right.

To be fair, the Vectra is a bit more expensive, and intended to compete with the Passat. But why not do that in the US too? The new Accord does it very well, and it is barely more expensive than the new Malibu.

With a new V6, it is actually pretty nice, but in a rental car kind of way...
But wait! There's more! The all new malibu Maxx is a hatchback/wagon version of the sedan. But it is based on a much longer wheelbase. While being actually a bit shorter. Which translates into a huge back seat.

It also comes with a fixed glass panel over the rear passengers, and the V6 is standard! That sounds great, right? Well, until you actually see the car, that is...
I new that design reminded me of something. The mighty 1984 European Escort, produced in England and Germany for distribution all over the old continent never made it in the states. We are now looking at a 2004 Chevrolet design. And it sadly looks like a mid 80's generic European hatchback design.
Similar frustration occurs when you compare the American Maxx with the car it is actually based on: The European Opel Signum. These 2 are basically the same cars, but the Opel design has looks current, even modern. This shows what GM thinks of its American customers: They don't deserve the best products we've got. Let's try to make it cheaper.

I don't think the Signum design would scare Americans away from the showrooms. Good design doesn't cost more money (PT Cruiser ?).I probably cost GM a small fortune to redesign the Opel and make it ugly and dorky for the American market. We deserve better. I guess GM is not "back" yet...
2004 Pontiac GTO.
The "fake american" will be here soon. On sale here in december 2003 as a 2004 model, the Australian Holden Monaro will become the Pontiac GTO.

It will be powered by a modified version of the Corvette V8 engine! So for about $30 000, you could get the closest thing to a 4 seat Corvette. Not a bad deal. But if you see it as just a "2 door Pontiac coupe". It is pretty expensive at about the same price as the new Infiniti G35 Coupe!
Why don't you CLICK on the PICS and see what happens...
The already handsome Monaro interior has just been revised for 2003. We will get this new version in the 2004 Pontiac. Aside from the standard black leather interior, you will be able to order seats, dials and dash trim color coordinated to your exterior color.
GTO dna. Or why does it look like a 1990's design.
Well, because it is. Check out this excusive Burlapp trip throught the new Pontiac GTO design history. Or everything you need to know about how GM spends the smallest amount of money to revive an American icon...
STEP 1: 1993, the new, redesigned Opel Omega comes out in Europe. A classic, conservative design intended to compete with Mercedes and BMW in its home market. A very tough job. Opel has been trying for years with previous generations without much success...
STEP 2: 1997, GM decides Cadillac needs to compete better with imports. But doesn't want to spend the money on an all new design right away. So let's bring over the big Opel to make a small Cadillac.

But it takes more than a new grille and lights to make a Cadillac...
STEP 3: At around the same time, GM's Australian division since 1931, Holden, gets their own version of the Opel, they call it the Commodore. Nothing new there. Holden has been selling warmed up Opels for decades. Notice it only takes wheels and bumpers to design all these "new" cars...
STEP 4: 2001. There it is! The 2 door version of the Commodore: the new Monaro. A better looking as sportier car than the sedan. Mr Lutz loves it and decides to bring it over to the US as the next GTO. A fairly easy , quick and cheap thing to do...
My intend is not to put down GM for selling the Monaro in the US. I drove a Catera a few years ago, and thought it was a very nice car, just not a Cadillac.

I just want to make sure poeple know what they are getting. A 2 door version of a good 1993 European design. I am sure they are already at work on the next generation GTO. An original design, sharing only its platform with other cars...
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