The next generation of the architecture underpinning GM's front-drive midsize cars, like the Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac C6 and Saab 9-3, will be able to accept engines from the company's divisions around the world, Opel chief Hans Demant said at the Frankfurt show. That means the platform, known as Epsilon 2, will be a truly global architecture, allowing GM to market diesels in Des Moines and V6s in Valenciennes as demand, er, demands. It will also allow GM to respond quicker to market changes, Demant said, a skill the company hasn't been able to put on its resume since, let's see, ever. GM hopes to build one million cars based on the platform, which is being developed at GM's technical center in R sselsheim, Germany.
GM says next-gen Epsilon platform could enable automaker to bring diesels to U.S. [AutoWeek]
Related:
Cadillac to Launch Europe-Only Sedan in Geneva; Cadillac, Saab to Get New Sport Wagons; In the Works: GM's New European Design Center; Freshened Saab 9-5 to Be Unveiled in Frankfurt [internal]