Chevy to Return to IRL?

[cosworth151]

Stories are making the rounds that Chevy will return as an IRL engine builder in 2012. Chevy's last IRL effort was a Chevy-badged Ford-Cosworth V8 in 2005. Prior to that, it provided an Ilmor based unit.

An official announcement is expected Friday, 12 November.

[Jericoke]

Government sponsored racing.

Yay 

Honestly though... if the government is going to own a car company, they could do worse than sponsor homegrown racing. 

[lkjohnson1950]

GM is expected to pay back all the government money, and come out from under their control by emerging from bankruptcy with a new stock offering in the very near future. Though I disagree with some of the actions they've taken, they seem to have managed a near miraculous recovery. They haven't been gloating and paying bonuses like the Wall Street boys. If only Chrysler/Fiat were doing as well. Let's hope this time GM remembers they are more successful with car guys in charge and not bean counters.

Lonny

[John S]

I agree with you there lonny, GM was basically a sound company, along with a lot of other global carmakers, who got caught out by a world shortage of orders for vehicles when the credit crunch bit. Most big producers are now pulling out of the mire and hopefully have learned the lesson not to overproduce cars no one wants.

However Chrysler is a different ball game altogether if Merc couldn't drag them into the 21st century, with the money and expertise they sank into them, what's the chance of Fiat doing? I know Fiat claims it gives them a readymade dealer infastructure in the US, but is the distribution & dealer network able to sell current Chrysler product let alone breakthrough with Fiat models in the States?

[cosworth151]

It's official. Chevy will return to the IRL in 2012 with a Chevy-badged Illmor engine. Chevy will also supply an aero package. At the press conference, Randy Bernard acknowledged that Roger Penske made the call to GM that got the ball rolling. Derek Bell asked Penske, "When are you going to call Ford?"

[lkjohnson1950]

However Chrysler is a different ball game altogether if Merc couldn't drag them into the 21st century, with the money and expertise they sank into them, what's the chance of Fiat doing? I know Fiat claims it gives them a readymade dealer infastructure in the US, but is the distribution & dealer network able to sell current Chrysler product let alone breakthrough with Fiat models in the States?

I had a Fiat I was pretty fond of years ago, and I like the looks of some of the Fiat and Alfa models I see available in Europe. I have hopes.

Lonny

[Scott]

As long as Fiat doesn't 'dumb down' their lineup like VW and Ford, America is hungry for European cars.  Fiat could do well.  And incidentally, Chrysler is about the only American  carmaker to have a foothold in Europe (Ford Europe is a German carmaker).  Their minivans are everywhere, while I spot a GM product once a month or so (and I suspect these originated in America and were imported by someone on contract here). 

[John S]

Chrysler pulled out of it's European subsiduaries in the early eighties and has since set up a dealer network in Europe solely as an importer, Ford and GM have been using their own Europe brand networks to market American product so there has not been the push required to make the US models big sellers.

I'm not sure if Opel/Vauxhall, big in the German and British markets is still under GM control after the big slump, if not maybe GM in the US will set out it's stall again Chrysler style with a small dealer network in Europe for American models. I know both the German and British governments have given assistance to what was GM Europe, but I'm not sure if that bail out money was given in exchange for the equity in the companies. The Opel/Vauxhall marques continue to have models in the ranks of the best seller lists alongside Ford.

[Scott]

Isn't that strange that if Chrysler is simply an importer, they have made much more impact than manufacturers with established networks?  I often wonder if Chrysler didn't make out better than Daimler on their failed partnership (at the time you could pick up just about any Chrysler product you'd like at a Mercedes dealership).

[John S]

Sorry I think I made a bloomer in my last post about Chrysler subsiduaries, after leaving Britain & France in the 80's they started manufacture of Voyager models in 1991 at the Eurostar plant near Graz, Austria. Magna Steyer took over the plant in 2002 and production of Voyagers ended there in 2007.

I think the reasons why Chrysler have done better than GM and Ford with American product in Europe is twofold, (1) because they have made the effort to build any modifications required for the market, (2) the dealer network stands or falls by it's sale of core product, in Chrysler's case this is just US product, for GM & Ford the dealers will naturally concentrate on the mainstream European brands at the expense of the US imports.

Ford have a particularly difficult time in establishing a separate dealer network as the name gets in the way, but I must say it's suprising that GM never set up a stand alone network for some of their main US brands.





  

[cosworth151]

GM does still own Opel/Vauxhall. They were going to be sold, but GM canceled the sale at the last minute. they have been pushing the Chevy brand in Europe, but they are mostly re-badged Daewoos.