GM Kills High Performance Vehicle Operations

Oh, great. Wonder if this has anything to do with the greenies who will cry if their tax dollars go to loans for a company that makes "global killing" machines, or some nonesense...

I was realling hoping the Chevy Cruze (hate that name) SS would be a real contender for my money (over a GTI or Speed3).

Tip: Sounds like a good time to pick up a modern muscle machine. In the footnotes of history, are people gonna wistfully recall that Cobalt SS they passed on?

At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if a number of other mainstream auto manufacturers kill or severely reduce their performance units.

Meanwhile, it seems time for GM performance seekers to stock up while they can.

Well those engineers are now on core projects.
So core product will have performance. Why make it a separate line with ricer bodies?
Put the power and handling in a regular handsomely styled car without ricing on top.

Eh, no biggie. The only people that bought the SS or V GM models were GM die-hards that worked for GM anyway. And they probably won't have jobs much longer, so whats the point?

Trim the fat!

Well looks like I'll be going elsewhere in the future then. Very sad.

Oh, the humanity!!! GM finally builds some truly world beating performance vehicles only to have them lined up in front of a firing squad.

This seriously makes me unhappy.

While Ford start put some 'sport' into their cars including Fusion Sport and SHO Taurus, GM kill theirs. Wonder who's making a right decision.

In my opinion making a high performance version of their car is not a bad idea; they may not able to sell alot but it sure help boost the image of their cars. But to do so they have to 1.make a nicer base car; most people look at the overall package, not just the sportiness alone. 2.Have a better marketing department to promo it, it doesn't matter how good the car is if no one know it exists. Look at Mazda, who doesn't know 'zoom-zoom' these day?

Between the "in" thing of going green, a floundering American economy, and ever increasing gas prices we may have seen the last of "real" (big V8 engines)American muscle cars for the everday "Joe". V8's will only be high end luxury items I'm afaid.The good news is performance cars today may be held in high reverence like the cars in the 60's and early 70's and increase in value and mystique. I agree with kurtamaxxguy, if you have the money, snatch up a GM performance car while you can. I own a 98' Camaro SS and I have my eyes on a Trailblazer SS. I hope to be one of those guys at the summer car shows wiping my cars down with a baby diaper wowing the young people on how big and brutal an American muscle car use to be.

"Well those engineers are now on core projects.
So core product will have performance. Why make it a separate line with ricer bodies?
Put the power and handling in a regular handsomely styled car without ricing on top."

Excellent point, Billt9

"While Ford start put some 'sport' into their cars including Fusion Sport and SHO Taurus, GM kill theirs. Wonder who's making a right decision."

What Billt9 said. Ford did the same thing to their performance division, SVT. Restructuring...sign of the times.

As a side note, SVT recently popped up with the F150 Raptor and the Fusion Sport is mostly an appearance package.

This is more of a publicity move than anything - from a viability standpoint, they "dissolved" the division and reallocated the same resources to other existing teams, eliminating some redundancies and costs. This will allow those engineers to continue to build performance minded cars. GM, regardless of its fiscal situation, knows that building performance oriented cars appeals to a large audience of people, the kind that don't just purchase a car and sit on it for 15 years til it falls apart - alot of them are the folks that lease and return, lease and return. In the long run, when the regular cars are turning heads and numbers, no one will lament the loss of the "Performance" division...it will just be accepted that a GM built auto will have sporting capabilities.

Ford killed the original SVT unit way before the crisis hit. Though Ford is still selling Cobra's, the aforementioned Taurus SHO and piping up the power in their standard cars (They're just nor "performance" models).

GM kills off performance divisions just when they build one that has FINALLY been able to match or better their German rivals.

Granted, their are so many more issues than the performance division of GM that is killing them and has been for years, but the way I see it is this: the company that's keeping the performance coming is the only one that hasn't asked for bailout money.....

"As a side note, SVT recently popped up with the F150 Raptor and the Fusion Sport is mostly an appearance package."

Not quite. It also has a larger more powerful engine, stickier standard tires, and a re-tuned suspension. It's not an SVT model, but it is far from "mostly an appearance package".

"Not quite. It also has a larger more powerful engine, stickier standard tires, and a re-tuned suspension. It's not an SVT model, but it is far from "mostly an appearance package"."

I stand corrected, baggs. I totally forgot the 2010 Fusion also offered a Sport Trim, indeed, with a 263HP motor.

This really sucks for GM as theyve proven their worth with cars like the Z06, ZR1, CTS-V and Cobalt SS. Too bad they cant save the division.

I could see from the mid-eighties what GM was NOT doing, unlike their competition from overseas!

Now, because of their masters (Oil giant comp.) who dictated their policies of pure GREED...they will suffer the consequences. Look at what they did with the EV-1....:-( Hope they do safe the Saturn division, their best Hope!

GM, I used to Love your product...now I say to you; Too Bad, Too little Too LATE!!!

Fire those Head honchoes (without compensations).