GM W platform

Infobox Automobile platform
name = W-body
aka = GM10
manufacturer = General Motors
production = 1988–2009
predecessor = GM G platform (RWD)
class = Mid-size car
Full-size car
layout = FF layout
body_style = 4-door sedan
2-door coupe
engine = "Iron Duke" I4
"Quad-4" I4
"60°" V6
"Shortstar" V6
"High Value" V6
"High Feature" V6
"Buick" V6
"LS4" V8
transmission = 4-speed "4T60" automatic
4-speed "4T65" automatic
front_suspension = coil spring
rear_suspension = transverse leaf spring
coil spring
wheelbase = 107.5 in (2730 mm)
109.0 in (2769 mm)
110.5 in (2807 mm)
related =
vehicles = Buick Century
Buick LaCrosse
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Lumina
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
Oldsmobile Intrigue
Pontiac Grand PrixThe W-body is an automobile platform from General Motors which underpins mid-size cars with front-wheel drive. The platform, originally code named GM10, began in 1982 under Chairman Roger B. Smith and debuted in 1988 with the Pontiac Grand Prix, the Buick Regal, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupés. Sedans followed for 1990. The platform cost $7 billion to develop and was to replace all midsize cars produced by Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick. The plan was huge in scope, calling for seven plants that would each assemble 250,000 of the cars, or 21% of the total U.S. car market Alex Taylor III, Andrew Erdman, Justin Martin, and Tricia Welsh, [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1992/11/16/77137/index.htm "U.S. Cars Come Back"] , "Fortune", November 16, 1992] . It was badly executed from the start, but GM’s 1984 reorganization, combined with changing market dynamics wrought havoc on the program and it never recovered. By 1989, the year before the last of the original GM10's were launched, GM was losing $2000 on every one of the cars it produced Robert A.G. Monks, [http://www.ragm.com/books/corp_gov/cases/cs_gm.html "GM Corporate Governance Case Study"] ] . The later revision of this platform was known as the MS2000 or simply the W2-Car. Early versions used a fiberglass monoleaf spring combined with struts in the rear. The second generation cars and the 1995 and up Lumina replaced the leaf spring with coil springs.

Vehicles using the W-body include:
* 107.5 in wheelbase:
** 1988-1996 Buick Regal
** 1988-1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
** 1988-1996 Pontiac Grand Prix
** 1990-2001 Chevrolet Lumina
** 1995-1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
* 109 in wheelbase
** 1997-2005 Buick Century
** 1997-2004 Buick Regal
** 2000-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
** 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue
* 110.5 in wheelbase
** 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala
** 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

2004

The W platform was updated in 2004 rather than being replaced by a stretched Epsilon platform, as had been planned. Metal fabrication of the floor pan for W-body cars is performed at the Parma Metal Center in Parma, Ohio. The cars are built at GM's two Oshawa, Ontario plants. The transverse use of GM's small-block engine in the W-bodies was a major addition for 2005.

Vehicles using the updated W platform:
* 110.5 in wheelbase
** 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
** 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse
** 2005-2009 Buick Allure (Canada)
** 2006-2009 Chevrolet Impala
** 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

External links

* [http://www.GMWbody.com GMWbody.com: The newest forum for 1988-present w-body technical discussion]
* [http://www.w-body.com W-body.com]
* [http://www.clubgmquebec.net Club GM Quebec]

References