Reuss: Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT-86 Fighter From Chevrolet “On The List” With New Platform
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The Chevrolet Code 130R concept car may not be rotating on a platform next to the 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, but it still remains a passionate topic of conversation, even a year after it was unveiled. This is because the little concept car features a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) layout, and is within inches of the proportions found in the beloved Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ — and what the rest of the world outside of America also knows as the Toyota GT-86. To say the least, the idea of a production Code 130R is unshakably attractive, and GM North America President Mark Reuss feels the very same way.
“It’s on the list. It would be a great entry for us,” Reuss told CarSales.com.au. ”I don’t know if they (Toyota) are making any money but it is a very attractive car.” The vehicle the Australian publication referred to was the rumored return of the Holden Torana, but the Code 130R concept nonetheless.
“We would do something with the knowledge of Alpha and the background, but we wouldn’t take Alpha and try and shrink it,” said Reuss, to our surprise. The original assumptions were that GM engineers would utilize a shrunken Alpha platform for the design of such a vehicle. Regardless, we hope that the Code 130R gets the green light, if it hasn’t already.
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They may as well reincarnate the Kappa platform, lol
I’m wondering if they are referring to the G6 Camaro with the 4 cylinder engine as this competitor? I would love for the Code 130R to be produced, of course, but I’m thinking it would be too way off to really make an earlier impact on these vehicles.
Original Kappa platformed cars weight in just shy of 3000lbs, and the development of Kappa II was said to be lighter so they could revive the development of it. Not only that, the concept Torana had a twin turbo 3.6 and the Beira manage to get a V8 onto the platform.
The platform also showed off the 2+2 Nomad concept which would be more inline for a BRZ rival.
I can see why he doesn’t want a shrunk Alpha, as the next Camaro is set to ride on a midget Alpha platform .
A lot of possibilities for this little car, but even more ways for them to easily muck it up. I hope they can do it, but Toyota and Subaru set the bar pretty high.
I don’t think the bar is that high. For one, the FR-S/BRZ are about $5,000 too expensive/ about 25hp too weak for the current asking price. If the new Chevy can either undercut the price of the Toyobaru or make it more powerful, it will attract a lot of attention. This is also an attempt at beating the Japanese at their own game — small FR cars.
They managed to pull off something amazing with those cars. A friend bought one back in the fall and the handling and overall driving dynamic of the caring is very impressive. Makes the Miata look like a biatch.
But I wholeheartedly agree, it is under powered, and anyone who says more power would ruin the balance is either scared or too big of a fan boy to admit the car is flawed. It would be great with 25HP more, I think an extra 50, but that’s me. What it really need is more torque.
I think what we will see happen is typical for GM, offer more power and less price, but it just won’t have the crisp feel. But maybe not, this could be a story like the CTS-V and ZL1 where power is on par, or less, than the competition and they win the battle with superior braking, suspension, and chassis.
I’m still hoping for the tru 140s more!
If the 140 was RWD I’d agree, it looks fantastic… It was a fury-shit storm with the fiery intensity of 1000 exploding suns when I said in the Cruze SS article that they [GM] should, if making either the Cruze SS or 130r (since both would be smack on price wise), that they should develop the 130r instead of a Cruze SS.
If GM opts to make a FWD car similar in idea to the BRZ, the very core people wanting these cars will crap all over them, as will the entire auto-journalist community.
Having a small rwd cars @ $25k and a Cruze SS @ $25k doesn’t make sense.
Having a car that looks like the 140s but the underpinnings of the 130r and can compete head-to-head with the BRZ would be absolutely amazing.
why not produce the code 130R as a re incarnation of Chevy Nova???
I was thinking the same thing. 130r isn’t really much of a production name.
I know the concept didn’t have much of an interior, but was it supposed to have a back seat? I would easily choose this as a DD if it had a back seat. Then it would be more of a 370z competitor, but still not too far off the BRZ/FR-S. For people saying this is the next generation Camaro, it’s a lot smaller. Though, the Camaro may take some design cues.
I know this is gonna go against the grain of the enthusiasm of this thread, but…
Maybe GM should concentrate on making a grand-slam, home-run of a vehicle in one of the bread-and-butter segments (full-size trucks or mid-size sedan) before they put resources into yet another low-volume niche segment. I’m comfortable conceeding a low-volume segment in order to put out a segment-destroying, world-class, truck or mid-sizer. Selfishly, it would be exciting to see GM enter this segment — but on a practical level, they’d be better off trying to move the needle off of “good enough” on a mainstream product. Isn’t anybody else sick of seeing semi-underwhelming new vehicles? (and yes, I’m looking precisely at the 2014 Silverado/Sierra and the latest-generation Malibu). I don’t deny that they are great vehicles — that the Malibu is the best mid-size sedan GM has ever built — and that the newest pickups are the best pickups GM has ever built — but that’s short-sighted. You don’t compete against your own last-years models. You compete against people that are trying to out-do you.
It’s the low production fun vehicles that help sway people into the mass produce beige-mobiles.
Well, that’s not exactly a direct correlation. It’s usually only if the “beige-mobiles” in question have some semblance of whatever it is that the low-production, halo car is touting, whether its styling or sportiness. The average buyer is smart enough to know, for example, that a Chevy Cruze with the RS appearance package has absolutely nothing to do with the Corvette. But the low-volume cars, if done correctly, can help to raise the overall brand’s image, which helps tremendously…
“But the low-volume cars, if done correctly, can help to raise the overall brand’s image, which helps tremendously…”
That was exactly my point. I just didn’t want to expand on what I said since everyone should know the basis of a halo car, even if the ‘halo’ car isn’t the conventional sort only costing $25k
Make it make it make it make it!!!!!!!!!
I love the concept here of a sub Alpha but I hate the styling of the 130.
GM has shown with the ELR they can do a better small coupe.
Now on to the real dirt here. The way I see it is if they move forward with the smaller Turbo 4 coupe with RWD it will free up the Camaro 6 gen to remain a higher priced V8 with a v6 option and not be forced to take on the 4 cylinder.
The Mustang is being forced by Ford to be a be all car for everything. It will be a 4 cylinder economy car all the way to a Shelby. This comprimises the car in many ways.
On the other hand the Camaro can remain a more focused performance car at a little higher price and not be force to be sold as a economy car. The smaller car can be economy and perofrmance both with the Turbo 2.0.
As it is the V6 Camaro is hard enough to market for GM and a 4 may be even more so. With no burden of the name and image the small car could build its own fan base and compete with the new class of small turbo RWD cars.
I see this as best of both worlds.
Now GM needs to style this car from what was shown to be more competitive with the global market and the Asian cars already on the market.
GM also needs to keep this car priced at or below the market average price. Right now it is at $30K so where ever it is at when it arrives is where it needs to top out.
With the global package here there is little risk and it will help keep the cost down. GM needs a smaller car for overseas and it will do great over there and what ever sells here will just top off sales.
Just don’t get retro crazy here as this car needs to appeal to people who really have no love for Chevelles and Novas. Holden would use it as a Torano too. Europe has yet to understand the HHR and SSR.
THIS! Exactly what you said. You are spot on with your thoughts on the Camaro and especially the Mustang.
Completely, completely, completely agree with you. 100% correct….