General Motors USA have disbanded their high performance arm as the company fights for survival.
GM's High Performance Vehicle Operations, based in Detroit has been wound up effective immediately with staff redeployed to other areas of the company.
Spokesman Vince Muniga told reporters that "All high-performance projects are on indefinite hold,"
The unit, similar to Australia' HSV created low-volume vehicles for GM's divisions designed to appeal to enthusiasts and bolster the company's image. Products effected included V-series Cadillacs and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, HHR SS and a V-8 version of the Colorado.
Muniga said that there are no plans for high-performance versions of upcoming cars.
The move is a part of GM's viability plan which was presented to the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday. In the plan, GM said its future-product focus would be on fuel-efficient cars and crossovers. What this might mean for cars like the Corvette, and the new Camaro is anybody's guess.
Whether there are any local implications for brands like HSV or the companies racing plans is not known at this stage. A spokesperson from GMH said that the operation of the successful HSV operation in Australia was not affected and it was business as usual..
If you want to read the updated viability plan in full click (and it's depressing reading) click here.
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Holden once again stole the show at the Australian International Motorshow at Sydney's Darling Harbour, but this time it was not a stunning locally built concept car but the Down Under debut of the Chevy Volt.
The Volt has been seen plenty of times before, most recently from Paris, but the big news was that the car will be sold here in Australia as soon as 2012.
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
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