Model year 2013 2014 2015 GM PRODUCT PLAN Chevrolet Spark debut Spark electric debut Equinox redesign Malibu redesign Cruze restyle Heavy-duty Silverado restyle Traverse restyle Volt restyle Impala redesign Chevy SS performance debut Corvette redesign Tahoe redesign Suburban redesign Colorado redesign Silverado redesign Cadillac ATS debut CTS redesign SRX redesign XTS debut Escalade redesign Large crossover debut SRX restyle ELR (plug-in hybrid) debut Buick Encore debut LaCrosse freshen Verano coupe possible Enclave restyle GMC Terrain Denali debut Yukon redesign Terrain redesign Acadia restyle Canyon redesign Acadia redesign Sierra redesign Heavy-duty Sierra restyle 2014 IMPALA 2013 SPARK
Transcript
18 • JULY 23, 2012
>GM plans truck-heavy spate of vehicle launches
eneral Motors is readying anonslaught of new and re-designed cars and trucks,
many of which were snagged by GM’s2009 bankruptcy.
By the end of 2013, 70 percent ofGM’s nameplates will be new, re-designed or refreshed, the companysays.
In the 2014 model year alone,nameplates that represent 52 percentof GM’s U.S. sales volume will be re-designed or refreshed, Bank of Ameri-ca analyst John Murphy says. That’s
the highest percentage among majorautomakers. (Toyota Motor Corp. issecond at 40 percent.)
By early 2013, Chevrolet will roundout the makeover of its car lineupwith the launch of the redesigned Im-pala large sedan. Then the focus willshift to GM’s most profitable vehicles:trucks.
GM’s full-sized pickups, theChevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMCSierra 1500, are due by late spring, tobe followed by the next generation ofits large SUVs: the Chevy Suburban
and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and CadillacEscalade.
The product draught ends forCadillac dealers, who have seen theirlineup trimmed to just three vehicles:the CTS sedan, Escalade and SRXcrossover.
In August, Cadillac will start sellingthe ATS compact sedan. A redesignedCTS should follow in 2013.
Here are GM’s plans for the 2013-15model years, according to sources in-side GM and in the industry.
— Mike Colias
futureP R O D U C T S > What do the terms mean?■ Freshen: Sheet metal untouched;
changes may include new grille,front and/or rear fascia, headlightand taillight modules
■ Reskin: Minor changes to thevehicle’s overall sheet metal; mayinclude new hood, front and/or rear fenders
■ Restyle: Extensive changes to theexterior and interior
■ Re-engineer: Vehicle’s platform andcomponents receive an extensivemakeover to reduce noise, vibrationand harshness; upgrades made toimprove such qualities as ride,handling, braking and steering, and in some cases, safety
■ Redesign: New platform; newinterior and exterior; engine andtransmission could be carried over
G
Model year 2013 2014 2015
GM PRODUCT PLAN
Chevrolet Spark debut Spark electric debut Equinox redesignMalibu redesign Cruze restyle Heavy-duty Silverado restyleTraverse restyle Volt restyle
Impala redesignChevy SS performance debutCorvette redesignTahoe redesignSuburban redesignColorado redesignSilverado redesign
rossovers will take center stage for Buickin the 2013 model year.
The compact Buick Encore crossoverdebuts in the first quarter as a 2013 mod-
el. Buick is hoping to get a jump on what looks tobe a budding segment: luxury small crossovers.Competition will come from the BMW X1, set tobe launched in the United States this year, fol-lowed by the Audi Q3 in 2014.
In addition, Buick’s popular Enclave crossoverhas been restyled for 2013 with extensive interiorimprovements and exterior touches.
On the sedan side, Buick pushes further intosporty performance by adding a tur-bocharged engine for its Veranocompact, which debuted latelast year. It’s also consider-ing a Verano coupe basedon the Opel Astra GTC.
Here are highlights ofBuick’s plan for the 2013-15 model years.
LaCrosse: A freshenedLaCrosse is planned for the
second half of 2013 as a 2014 model. It will in-clude extensive interior improvements, includinga palette of new colors and an enhancedacoustics package. The exterior will get minor en-hancements, such as brushed-chrome trim.
A redesigned, more luxurious LaCrosse is likelyto arrive in 2016. It’s expected to be the first carbuilt on an improved version of GM’s Epsilonplatform, which also underpins the 2013 CadillacXTS and 2014 Chevrolet Impala.
Regal: For the 2013 model
GENERAL MOTORS
Redesigned CTS,new flagship areon tap for Cadillac
eneral Motors has green-lighted the development ofa large flagship sedan forCadillac, sources say, part of
its plan to position its luxury brand’slineup to take on the German luxurystalwarts in every key sedan segment.
The flagship sedan is to be built on anew rear-wheel-drive platform andarrive by 2015. The long-rumored rwdflagship would challenge the BMW 7series and Mercedes-Benz S class andis a key to GM’s ambitions to expandCadillac in China.
Until recently, Cadillac’s car lineuphad been winnowed to just the CTSsedan. It’s being replenished fast withthe addition in June of the XTS largesedan and next month’s launch of theATS compact sedan.
Next year, a redesigned, bigger CTSsedan is expected to arrive. That carwill match up better with the Mer-cedes E class and BMW 5 series.
Here are highlights of Cadillac’splans for the 2013-15 model years.
ATS: Cadillac’s new compact sedanarrives in showrooms next month as a2013 model. It’s the first vehicle to bebuilt on GM’s new Alpha rwd plat-form.
GM likely will introduce an ATScoupe in 2014, when a V-series perfor-mance model also is a possibility. A
convertible has been designed andengineered but has been put on holdas GM sizes up the business case forthat variant.
A wagon isn’t planned but likely willbe considered for the next-generationATS in five years if Cadillac sales gaintraction in Europe. A diesel engine isplanned for Europe, but it’s unclearwhether GM will introduce it in theUnited States.
CTS: The next-generation CTS isscheduled to arrive in the second halfof 2013 as a 2014 model. It will be builton the same Alpha platform as thesmaller ATS and feature a longer,sleeker design than the current gener-ation.
A coupe variant, which has been apopular model for the current CTS,should arrive by early 2015. GM likelywill stop making the wagon.
The engine lineup for the re-designed CTS should include a 2.0-liter turbo, possibly as the standardengine, as well as a 3.6-cylinder V-6.
XTS: Cadillac launched the new2013 XTS large sedan in June to re-place the phased-out DTS and STSsedans. It marks the debut of Cadil-lac’s new infotainment system, theCadillac User Experience. GM couldadd a hybrid version for the 2014 or2015 model year.
2014 IMPALA2013SPARK
see CADILLAC, Page 23
G
Csee BUICK,
Page 23
The 2014 Cadillac CTS, camouflaged here, is due in the second half of 2013.
The 2013 Buick Encore debuts in the first quarter.
