Will GM ever get back into the sport compact class?
 

When do you guys think GM will get back into the sport compact class.......rumors of the Cruze SS seem to be dead.
Off topic, Subaru just unveiled the 2015 STI......a dissappointment i think from the standpoint that other than the interior/exterior....its pretty much the same car.
2015 Subaru WRX STI | 2014 North American International Auto Show

GM won't unless there is a market for it. Take a look, other than the Focus ST (which can be optioned up to a whopping $30k), there is no market. Dodge hasn't even made an SRT-4 in like 5 years now. GM is more interested in making record breaking cars like the C7 Z06 and the Z/28. They will probably sell as many Z06s, if not more, in one year than they sold Cobalt SS/TCs in their best year... sadly.

Yea sadly you are probably right regarding GMs sales....not sure how people afford these cars that start at 65K and up.....I sure cant lol

Does anyone else think the new STI is ugly? I usually don't hate most new cars but bleh.

Well to be perfectly honest I was thinking about replacing my 2010 SS with the 2015 STi until I saw the unveiling this morning. They improved the interior but im not crazy about the way car looks and as far as performance goes....its the same car as the current model aside from a quicker steering ratio.....wish the car came out of the box with a lil more power plus DI would have been nice....I believe the WRX has a new 2.0 DI motor....not sure why the STI didnt get the upgrade.....they still have the same 305HP 2.5 boxer engine......with the same piston ring issues they have im sure
http://www.mlive.com/naias/index.ssf...-new_2015.html

That Subaru looks like a civic

More like the current lancer/evo the front.

new sti looks sweet

i'm sad gm never continued with their one and only hoorah of compact racing. same goes for dodge :nono: they are just leaving the competition (ford) to go unchecked.

i agree. if both chevy and dodge had compact "tuner" cars the focus st sure as hell wouldn't be $30k.

The new STI could be a lot worse. That being said, I still don't like it.

Gm will get off their butt when the dart srt4 comes out next few years. Idk why Gm doesn't get that if they would make a performance sport compact line like the camaro or the vette. Not a cruze or cobalt, but a sport compact on its own and stay with that, it would get a following as well and sell a they should make something worth having like an awd or rwd platform. Something like the ats, but Chevy and not as pricy.

From one of the head engineers that designed the suspension in the new 200 and is assisting with the challenger hell cat, there will not be an srt4 dart. But plans do change at the drop of a hat he says.

GM is concentrating on cars with a low sticker price and big time miles per gallon

A sonic with the 1.4 turbo is about as close as you can get to a "sport compact" from GM. Still not much of a powerplant and still at least $18K with any real options.

That segment as a whole is dying. Kids don't give a crap about power, they want internet connectivity and phone compatibility, along with cheap operating costs. People that grew up on SRT-4's and stuff have moved on to bigger/better cars and are now buying nicer stuff.

If you look overseas they still have all the hot hatches, if GM made one legal in the US that'd be awesome.

outside of new models of the cruze i heard word that GM will produce cars, i assume sonic sized with the same motor options as the cruze(i think).... mind you my information on this is purely off working for a parts makers that GM buys from..

In other news the 2015 Colorado with the 4cyl Duramax sounds tempting..

Mark Reuss basically said no. No market, no money for platform. For performance from America, you either go V8 or don't have it at all. Go buy a Sonic RS they said. It'll be fast, they said.

ATS coupe is an option, but that's not really sport compact.

Chevy SS, anybody? :rolleyes:

Closest thing right now would be a verano turbo. Really not a bad car. Priced similarity to the focus but i would actually drive one.

Hot rumor is buck will be doing gs models for most of its car lineup. Verano gs with the hy-per strut system some sporty seats visual dress up and a little meaner sound would be bad ass. Maybe an LSD if we could be so lucky.

Ats isn't exactly cheap. Nice option but not exactly affordable to be compared to the sport compact market.

Code 130R

Yea supposedly there is no market for the sport compact class but i have a friend in sales for Ford and he claims the Focus ST sells extremely well with the 21-35 demographic. Too bad ford doesn't bring the Focus RS to the states, even though im not the biggest hatchback fan.

As far as GM performance vehicles....you're looking at least 45K to buy one....even the Buick Regal GS now with AWD starts at 40K

Both the Buick Verano and the Chevy Cruze come from the same architecture as the Opel / Vauxhall Astra, so in my opinion there is no reason why they couldn't make an affordable compact sport model. The Opel Astra OPC uses the HI-PO front struts to lesson torque steer, they could drop in the same 2.0 turbo that they are putting in the ATS, Malibu, and Regal. There are many parts in the bin that they could use to put together a quality, affordable, sport compact car, but when share holders control the purse strings and the bottom line for them is the bottom line, you have the line-up that GM has - $45,000 base V8 model niche market, or $22,000 1.4 turbo mass produced market. Decisions decisions????

This has been beaten to death, especially on the inside of the company.
The parts are there, but NA division doesn't see it as a good move. Frustrating.

You're gonna have to cross shop to get what you want. I did, as much as I wanted to get a GM vehicle.

I have cross shopped - and it's disheartening when you look at the cost of upkeep, and modifying the Evo, Golf R, & WRX-STI. One can end up in Corvette territory price wise by the time you finish.

I love the new 2015 STi and would trade my balt in for one in a heartbeat if I wasn't upsidedown on it so much

What about the Regal GS? Wasn't that like 275 hp, 2.0L turbo? They are a little bigger, but better finish too which is what everyone complains about the Cobalts anyway :lol:. They also had Brembos on the front, a 6 speed, and monstrous 255 wide tires on all 4 corners. Slap a ZFR on it and I'm sure it'll have no issues keeping up with anything :lol:.