Does anyone know when they plan on starting the 09's. Will it be th sametime they change here, or will they start earlyer because of longer shiping time?

There has been talk of a short year, but it already started late so that means nothing. Some guys are wondering if eth 2009 Solstice will be early as thw order window is scheduled to close in April. But all things relative, in an ordinary year the changeover generally happens mid-June, sometimes July at the latest. So in Oz they might changeover to 2009s in May or April, just so we can see the 09s properly during Aug/Sep. It doesn't mean you could get a 2009 G8 any earlier than late Q3 and the converse they could changeover mid-June or July like here and you would not see any 2009s til Q4, still a short model year.

In the past, many moons ago now, I ordered a brand new car for the upcoming model year in July and took delivery in late August. Supposedly the new model switch was in late September, early October at that time. I think it all depends on how the model is selling and how much inventory they have been able to build of the new model year vehicles. If the lines are running smoothly and the capacity is there, you get your order quicker/earlier. If there are assembly problems or high demand and no inventory surplus, you wait! Called supply and demand.:oldfogey:

Look for a changeover sooner than you may believe with this car. Build dates for 09 G8 could be as early as March.

it might have become a little more difficult. Thank you US Government. Take your heads out of your asses!!!

http://www.thecarconnection.com/blog/?p=759


General Motors has been forced to rework the investment case for the Chevrolet Camaro in the wake of new fuel-economy rules adopted this past December.

The Camaro will still be built, but higher-end V-8 versions likely will be priced higher than expected. As for other planned GM rear-drivers–a new Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse and the replacement for the Pontiac G8 due this spring–all have been dropped along with a new V-8 engine GM was contemplating building.

“You can’t kill something that was never approved,” said one GM official, who asked for anonymity but who confirmed the rear-wheel-drive projects are now dead.

Stew Low, a spokesman for GM of Canada, said the Camaro project is safe and is moving forward. The GM of Canada plant in Oshawa, Ontario outside of Toronto should be ready to build the first Camaro late this year, Low said.

Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, said that GM is spending $2.5 billion in Oshawa - including $435 million from the Ontario and Canadian federal governments.

“We anticipated that would be followed by other rear-wheel-drive vehicles, but the money they spent on the plant makes it a flex plant, so you can build both front-drive and rear-wheel-drive in the facility,'’ Hargrove told reporters in Canada.

Only a proposal for new ultra-luxury rear-wheel-drive Cadillac seems to still have a chance of making it through GM’s product development process and into production. Even that project, though, may well depend on how the Environmental Protection Agency writes the rules enforcing the new fuel-economy standards.

The death of the other rear-drive GM vehicles also has implications for the final pricing of the Camaro when it goes on sale next year.

Last year, GM vice chairman Robert Lutz had told TheCarConnection.com that the rear-wheel-drive platform developed for the Camaro would support other vehicles as part of GM’s effort to make the project financially manageable. Spinning more vehicles from one platform spreads the costs around and is the most efficient and effective way for GM to use its available capital, Lutz has said.

As part of global product strategy GM plans to use fewer but more flexible platforms that would accommodate a wider range of vehicles and vehicle designs. Specifically, the new Camaro platform could be used for other rear-drive vehicles, Lutz said he said before the fuel-economy debate had heated up in Congress.

Part of the reason for the delay in moving forward with the Camaro project revolved around extending the utility of the fundamental architecture so it could serve as the platform for other vehicles as well, he said.

The new fuel-economy rules, however, have basically forced GM to reconsider its extensive plans for rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Rear-wheel-drive trucks and SUVs are safe for now because the new federal rules will allow some wiggle room for trucks. GM, though, is not in a position to absorb the roughly 1-mpg fuel-economy penalty that comes with building rear-wheel-drive passenger cars, GM insiders said in the wake of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

However, GM’s decision to scrap the other rear-drive models is putting an enormous cost burden on the new Camaro.

GM officials are saying they should be able to recover some of the investment costs in the new rear-wheel-drive platform by selling the vehicles in places such as Australia, the Middle East and China. Australia, however, has a new government that takes global warming very seriously. China is imposing new fuel-economy standards that are as tough as those found in the United States and one of the largest vehicle markets in the Middle East, Iran, is off limits to American car companies.

Nevertheless, GM desperately wants to price the new Camaro competitively against vehicles like the new Dodge Challenger and particularly the Ford Mustang, which pretty much inherited the segment after GM withdrew the Camaro earlier in the decade.

With a new generation of rear-wheel-drive vehicles consigned to the never-built file somewhere in the company’s engineering office, GM now is working on a plan B for Camaro.

GM chairman Richard Wagoner has already confirmed a V-6 engine will be part of the Camaro package.

While the concept Camaro has come with V-8 engine, a V-6 would serve as basic engine for the production Camaro and would help keep prices competitive.

Meanwhile, Tom Stephens, the head of GM’s Powertrain Group, told reporters recently that turbocharging can help boost both fuel economy and horsepower.

The V-8 version of the Camaro is very likely carry a substantial premium and GM is thought to have assigned a team of engineers to work out how to apply its new dual-mode hybrid system for an even more expensive version of the Camaro.–By Joseph Szczesny

All this information continues to really piss me off. I may have to get a G8 sooner than I planned, just so I can get one period! I guess I can live with "gentle government pressure," because that has helped "encourage" manufacturers to find new technologies that give us performance along with better fuel economy and emissions. I want to leave a safe planet for future generations as much as the next person, but I am tired of decisions being made solely based on "worst case scenarios" based on questionable science from geniuses like Al Gore. Al would be a really good speed bump, but beyond that he's worthless! LEAVE OUR CARS ALONE! Now I feel better ;-)!

This is why vehicles like the GMC Denali XT concept matter to enthusiasts like us.

All this information continues to really piss me off. I may have to get a G8 sooner than I planned, just so I can get one period! I guess I can live with "gentle government pressure," because that has helped "encourage" manufacturers to find new technologies that give us performance along with better fuel economy and emissions. I want to leave a safe planet for future generations as much as the next person, but I am tired of decisions being made solely based on "worst case scenarios" based on questionable science from geniuses like Al Gore. Al would be a really good speed bump, but beyond that he's worthless! LEAVE OUR CARS ALONE! Now I feel better ;-)!

And lucky for you GM has been acknowledged as being the front runner to finding, and achieving, next gen fuel technologies.

Example: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autoshow_top_homepage/415/Chevy-has-Green-Car-Vision/;_ylt=At8sf0zNoDvbGjH3LAY_T5YPN4d4;_ylv=3


Chevy has Green Car Vision
Chevy tops Honda and Toyota for Green Car Vision award
By GreenCar.com Editors
provided by:
Chevrolet Equinox

http://www.greencar.com/images/vision-award/equinox-lead.jpg

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell has been honored with Green Car Journal’s Green Car Vision Award™, the first time the auto enthusiast magazine has recognized limited production vehicles for their forward-thinking technologies. The award, which recognizes a vehicle that best “envisions the road ahead,” was presented at the Washington Auto Show by Green Car Journal and GreenCar.com editor Ron Cogan.

Featuring General Motors’ fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system, the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell won out over the BMW Hydrogen 7, Honda FCX Clarity, Phoenix Electric SUT, and Toyota Prius Plug-In.

The Equinox Fuel Cell offers the ability to start and operate in sub-freezing temperatures, overcoming one of the fuel cell’s major challenges. It is also designed for a 50,000 mile service life. Cleanly integrated into the Equinox crossover platform, the fuel cell powertrain is engineered to be a real-world driver. While showcasing what many expect to be the automotive powerplant of the future, the Equinox Fuel Cell is also planted firmly in the present. It’s designed to meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and offers StabiliTrac, front and roof rail side-impact air bags, four wheel ABS, and OnStar as standard equipment.

Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell
http://f3.yahoofs.com/ymg/autos_content_landing_pages__5/autos_content_landing_pages-893835654-1201046781.jpg?ym.jBz.Cx_Oar02f
http://www.greencar.com/images/vision-award/equinox-fueling-station.jpg

GM is producing over 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles and placing them in consumer hands as part of the world’s largest fuel cell vehicle test fleet. This process has already begun. The ambitious program, dubbed “Project Driveway,” is part of GM’s ongoing fuel cell development that started more than 40 years ago with the hydrogen fuel cell powered Electrovan. Over the past four decades this development has featured such high profile fuel cell concepts as the Hy-wire, AUTOnomy, Sequel, and the recently announced Cadillac Provoq.

Project Driveway will take place in metropolitan areas on both coasts including New York City, Washington DC, and in California, chosen in part because these locations offer good access to hydrogen refueling facilities. The Equinox Fuel Cell has an estimated range of 200 miles between fill-ups and a top speed of 100 mph. Observant motorists will notice something missing from the rear of the car: in place of usual exhaust pipe are four slots in the rear fascia that dispense this vehicle’s only emissions … water vapor.

http://www.greencar.com/images/vision-award/equinox-pan.jpg



Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell Wins 2008 Green Car Vision Award | Green Car .com (http://www.greencar.com/features/vision-award/)

Jimbo is correct, just confirmed today. See my post http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=945

Jimbo is correct, just confirmed today. See my post http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=945

Thanks for the info. This may accelerate my ordering/purchasing schedule.