A little surprise from the boys at GM yesterday at the auto show.
What is it? A rear-drive, four-passenger coupe intended for the highly prized yet mercurial millennial buyer.
Is it real? The concept is no lightly veiled production coupe. In fact, there is no interior. G.M. says the eventual inside bits will be crowd-sourced at kiosks at auto shows and various other events where target buyers might congregate.
What they said: The Code 130R is a “pure, functional muscle car with no retro feel,” said Marc Reuss, president of General Motors North America.
What they didn’t say: The Gen-Y buyers G.M. is targeting aren’t necessarily accustomed to rear-wheel drive, and it’s difficult to envision much muscle coming from the 1.4-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine.
What makes it tick? A 150-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine transmits power through a 6-speed automatic transmission and adds G.M.’s eAssist suite of efficiency features for an overall estimated fuel economy of 40 miles per gallon. A 6-speed stick would be offered, too, presuming the millennial buyer would still be interested in the dark art of manually changing gears.
How much, how soon? Chevrolet did not disclose any production intent, but as Scion and other brands with youth-oriented models know, high content has to go hand-in-hand with reasonable pricing. As such, the 130R would be priced below $25,000, Chevrolet said.
How’s it look? G.M. surveyed 9,000 young consumers, who told designers that they wanted four-passenger coupes, but they also wanted muscle-car looks. The Code 130R has the long hood and flared fenders of a rear-drive muscle car, but G.M.’s insistence on the moustachelike body-color bar across the grille is more suggestive of Spark-Sonic economy, not snorting quarter-miler remorselessness.
Too bad it’s just a concept. No interior tells me this isn’t remotely close to production. Nice to see them at least considering small RWD platforms though.
