GM Alpha platform

Infobox Automobile platform
name = GM Alpha platform
manufacturer = General Motors
production = 2010
class = Midsize
similar = BMW E60
vehicles = Pontiac G6
Cadillac BLS
related = GM Kappa platform

Alpha is General Motors' future mid-size rear wheel drive automobile platform. It will reportedly be used by many GM brands, including Pontiac, Cadillac, Holden and Saturn, appearing in 2010. Reports indicate that the new platform will share some components with the smaller GM Kappa platform, used in the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and Opel GT.

History

The Alpha project can trace its roots back to Holden's TT36 Torana project of 2004. At that stage, Holden was strongly interested in developing GM's then-idea of a small RWD style platform to go up against the BMW 3-Series range. The company took this concept and worked through GM's parts bin to come away with the end product. Holden borrowed parts and modules from various other GM platforms, the key contributor being its Kappa platform. The Kappa platform's double-A-arm front and rear suspensions provided the basis for the platform's Lower Dominate Structure (LDS). The platform's unique LDS forms its backbone, whilst at the same time providing a stronger, tighter base with which to work with, giving any car which receives the platform a better chance at achieving high-performance goals. By using an LDS, it gives both designers and engineers more flexibility in relation to the design of the upper body of the car, while also maximising space efficiency.

While the TT36 car was displayed with a twin-turbo Alloytec V6 engine, both the car and platform were developed to handle various engines, with smaller 4-cylinder petrol & diesel engines, as well as larger V8 engines, capable of being placed within a car underpinned by the Alpha platform. With the addition of certain components, AWD vehicles are a possibility with this platform.

Holden's TT36 concept car was showcased at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show, previewing two key ideas: both design language for the-then upcoming VE Commodore as well as showcasing the potential for a smaller, more affordable, RWD vehicle. Plans failed to move dramatically forward within the next 18 months, but sources of late have indicated that GM has given the green light to the project, with the new platform to underpin a number of new vehicles, the first of which should appear by 2010.

Vehicles

The platform is currently in the very early stages of development, with models likely appearing in the beginning of the next decade. The brands most likely to receive an Alpha product are Cadillac, Opel/Vauxhall/Saturn, Buick, and Holden/Pontiac.

ources

* Wheels Magazine November 2004, Pg's 48-56
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