If you read The Auto Biz: Canada's Shame thread, you'll understand the following questions.....
We've decided to design, manufacture and sell a new line of Canadian Ponchos in time for the 2012 model year. Describe your idea of a marketable Canadian vehicle(s) within the realities of today's world. Feel free to elaborate beyond the following questions.
If you read The Auto Biz: Canada's Shame thread, you'll understand the following questions.....
We've decided to design, manufacture and sell a new line of Canadian Ponchos in time for the 2012 model year. Describe your idea of a marketable Canadian vehicle(s) within the realities of today's world. Feel free to elaborate beyond the following questions.
1. body style or styles?
2. body panel material?
3. powered by?
4. front, rear or AWD?
5. price range?
6. How much are you investing?
Discuss.
1) 2 door post, hardtop or convert, also 4 door hardtop
2) Good old sheetmetal
3) GM 3800 supercharged from the GTP, or turbocharged from the Grand Nationals
4) REAR WHEEL DRIVE
5) Under 40,000
6) All I can which is very little!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Well to be truly Canadian it would need to be able to withstand rust so the body would need to be some space age material, not steel. I think it should be able to transport six in comfort with room for hockey gear and luggage so it would be a sedan or wagon, get 80 to 100 mpg and accelerate to 100 kph in 7 seconds or less do a quarter mile in 15 seconds or so and have a top speed limited by tire speed rating to say 200 kph. It would need to be able to have a variable drive system like an auto trac for winter so not full time AWD but a sensing system to go full AWD when conditions warrant, it needs the best crash rating possible, air bag protection front side and rear, also needs sensing system for traction control, ABS, stabilitrac, rain sense wiper system, twilight sentinel lighting, needs a superior solar powered climate control system, heated windows and seats, self dimming mirrors and headlight system. Priced at $30,000 maximum.
-- Edited by 73SC on Tuesday 18th of August 2009 10:12:11 PM
So what would it look like??? Would it be a retro design or all new with it's own dynamic lines. My feeling is that a new design would leave things wide open, possibly some small homage to classic Pontiacs but not a major copy of an old design. I say new car, new lines, new hope for a car that everyone would want. Designed by car people that should happen.
So what would it look like??? Would it be a retro design or all new with it's own dynamic lines. My feeling is that a new design would leave things wide open, possibly some small homage to classic Pontiacs but not a major copy of an old design. I say new car, new lines, new hope for a car that everyone would want. Designed by car people that should happen.
I really don't want to be the one to say this but..... I have been looking around for a utility vehicle to replace the wife's Pontiac Vibe and I'm really liking the VW Jetta SportWagon TDI. It really does fit a lot of the criteria that Ray listed. Now don't get me wrong, I drove one and we pretty much decided against it based on our experience with the dealer, trade in offer and leg room in the front. I'm just saying, the idea of a turbo diesel in a crossover with room for extra's, tested in the U.S. on a cross country run at 58 mpg. It comes closer in the price range, than anything from the big three.
I still like the idea of a car, with it coming as a 2dr, 4dr or wagon. Bare bones or fully loaded depending on what someone wants. All the choice of yesteryear with today's technology in the mechanicals.
