Due to CAFE, Lutz declares RWD Impala and Monaro dead

[mikeyb]

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/gto_rwd_rip.jpg (http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/general-motors/new-cafe-rules-put-monarogto-and-impala-on-hold/)

It's finally (semi) official: RWD cars like a new Pontiac GTO (and Holden Monaro) and Impala are "gone for now." Bob Lutz has been making noises about it for a while, and every announcement gets more and more certain that the front wheels will be pulling more GM cars.

Just a month ago, Lutz told Forbes "That's where the internal debate [on the Impala] is now -- no firm decision at this point, but my guess is that we will come down on the side of the front-drive car." By the time of last week's Detroit Auto Show, Lutz was telling GoAuto "I think the (Monaro/Pontiac GTO) is gone for now.... [T]hat's not the end of the market where we want to stimulate demand. We have to find ways to stimulate demand and desirability in cars that will get us closer to the 35 MPG average."

How will that be done? Perhaps by using the Alpha midsize platform and making CUV's. However, the Alpha still hasn't been signed off on, and won't be until GM figures out what -- and how many -- standards it will need to adhere to when the CAFE tug-of-war ends.

[TinmanMS6]

I read a similar article that went into more detail on the plans for the Alpha platform. Apparently, smaller RWD cars give up about 1 mpg to the FWD equivalent, so the business case is easier to make given the current situation. I'd love to see more small RWD cars on the market. There are a ton of them rumored to be in the works, and the timing couldn't be better for a resurgence.

[Rogue]

is it because of the added weight? why are RWD less efficient?

[TinmanMS6]

Not sure. I know that added weight is a part of the equation, but there might be more to it. Are there more drivetrain losses in RWD vs FWD?

[Foolish]

is it because of the added weight? why are RWD less efficient?

It's mostly because tire-smoking burn-outs and WOT drifting around every neighborhood corner burns a LOT of gas. (drive2)

Are there more drivetrain losses in RWD vs FWD?

Actually, I'm pretty sure this is it. I have a hard time believing that it's that big of a deal, but all the "experts" seem to point that way.

[dmitrik4]

yet BMW manages to make RWD cars that get 30 on the highway. maybe if GM could put out a decent small FWD car, the new standards wouldn't be such a burden. the Aveo is a piece and barely manages 35 on the highway...that's ridiculous, and it's not the government's fault, Bob. the only way GM is going to recover is by making more desirable products. i don't see why Lutz is the only one whining...everyone has to play on the same field, so why is it so much tougher for GM?

[TinmanMS6]

BMW pays fines for not meeting CAFE standards every year.

[dmitrik4]

that's beside the point, and is a result of their product decisions, not the fact that they make RWD cars. BMW doesn't make small economy cars to offset the lower mileage of their larger, higher-performance models. GM does.

Lutz seems to infer that all RWD cars have to be gas guzzlers, and that simply isn't true.