RWD a Hot Topic for GM and Ford

If you know a true, blue General Motors enthusiast, chances are you will haveheard from them about the expansion plan for the soon to arrive Zeta platform. It started with Holden, but Buick of China is also getting a car with this chassis, as is Korea’s Daewoo, while North America will receive the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro. The really interesting stuff is what hasn’t been confirmed, and where GM will likely take the Zeta. Depending on who you ask, it includes everything from the successor to the front-wheel drive Impala and its sister, the Buick LaCrosse, and even a Cadillac coupe or convertible.

However, recently GM’s product guru Bob Lutz said that the Zeta may be put on hold due to the regulation that would require the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard to be improved by 30-percent by 2017. That’s still a fair ways off with the G8 arriving in 2008 and the Camaro in 2009, but those are merely two vehicles. Lutz argues that it would be difficult for General Motors to achieve such a rating with a largenumber of rear-wheel drive products, particularly if they’re equipped with V8 engines.

The implementation of the new CAFE rules wouldn’t sound the death knell for these new large, rear-drive cars. Nine years is plenty of time for GM to improve the efficiency of the powertrains it will be using, not to mention as CAFE takes into account all the vehicles General Motors makes, it can modify its lineup accordingly and produce more future models with improved fuel efficiency, like Chevy’s trio of superminis that recently showed up in New York. GM also invested heavily into the Two-Mode hybrid; who says a system like this couldn’t be fitted to the Zeta?

While the General is shaky on the idea of expanding its use of the Zeta platform, in a surprise move Ford Motor Company has announced a proposal that involves introducing more rear-wheel drive vehicles to its product range that aren’t iterations of the Mustang. In an interview with GoAutoNews, Mark Fields said, “I’d say that we are looking at that very, very closely,”with regards to the option of a new rear-drive platform. It’s a logical decision, as Ford’s full-size sedan, the Crown Victoria, and its Lincoln Town Car counterpart are in desperate need of replacement and sell too well to eliminate.

Like General Motors, Ford will most likely turn to its Australian arm to garner research and development skills for the new rear-wheel drive architecture. Ford of Australia has been a long-time rival to General Motors’ Holden division, competing in that country’s full-size family sedan sector, not to mention on the racetrack. In the same way that GM will use the underpinnings of the Commodore for the G8, Ford is predicted to follow in suit by using the next generation Falcon as the basis for its 2012 product. Already, rumors have started to fly that this large sedan of the future will be styled to look like the Ford Interceptor concept that bowed at Detroit earlier this year.

As Ford is still one of GM’s biggest rivals, the impending decision to introduce a new generation of rear-wheel drive Fords means that GM can’t spend too much time deciding and will need to take action soon.