Car Magazine's Interview with Carl-Peter Forster on GM Europe
I just got the May 2005 issue of Car Magazine (off the slow boat) which has an interesting two page interview with Carl-Peter Forster about GM Europe. It’s interesting reading and here are a few extracts that caught my attention;
CAR: We hear Saab might be sold to the Chinese or Renault-Nissan.
CPF: Bullshit, GM is committed to Saab
CAR: Okay, so how will GM revive Saab?
CPF: Expanded range, the 9–2x, 9–6x and 9–7x are bridge solutions
CAR: How will the Saab-Subaru relationship develop
CPF: Don’t expect much of that going forward…
CAR: What about a Saabaru 9–2x MkII?
CPF: A bridge has a beginning and an end, no bridge goes on forever
You can see why they call him “GM’s no nonsense Euro boss”!
There is a section on “The New Saabs” with a comment that the 9–2x isn’t selling and will be dropped. Saabaru no more? The impression I get is frustration that any development of the Subaru flat engine line is unusable elsewhere as won’t fit into other platforms.
There is also comment on the Trollhätten/Rüsselsheim battle and how sites within GM are being challenged to compete as if separate companies in the search for efficiency.
A panel showing the revised GM Global platform sharing plan may be a bit dated as still mentions Holden’s large RWD platform being shared with Buick and maybe the next 9–5? The small platform is shown as common to Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Corsa MkII, Chevrolet (sic) Matiz, next Fiat Punto and future Opel Trixx, Fiat Trepiuno concepts.
In a separate, but related, story they mention the new Alfa Romeo 159 is based on a shared Fiat/GM “Premium platform” also intended for the next Saab 9–5 but which GM now won’t use;
“Alfa Romeo have sole rights to a piece of chassis technology paid for by GM.”
Another benefit of the GM/Fiat separation?
There's lots more info in just these few pages. That’s without getting to the TVR vs AMG Merc vs Corvette, Ferrari F430 Spider vs Lamborghini Murcielago vs Pagoni Zonda, Bugatti factory tour or a Ferrari Enzo Monaco to Maranello sprint in the wheel-tracks of my hero – Gilles Villeneuve!
It’s why I regard CAR Magazine is still the best motor magazine. What an issue!
