RE: [A/S] Delphi Quadrasteer end of road in 2005?

["Oliver Filippi" <ofilippi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The rumor mill has it that GM will drop its Quadrasteer at the end of the
2005 model year due to poor sales.

In my personal opinion, there may be a different reason.

I hear a rumor (from a former GM employee) that GM was coming out with an
independent rear suspension for their 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickup trucks -
similar to the one currently offered by Ford.

In the "Me Too" world of the auto industry, this would mean a new version
(new design and tooling) of the Quadrasteer offering.  Thus the sales
forecast (based on the present Quadrasteer sales record) could not justify
the tooling expense.

On the other hand, if the current pickup chassis is left in production in
2006, the bean counters in Detroit would likely continue to offer the
Quadrasteer option.  This time, the rationale would go like this: The
tooling is already made (and paid for), so the production cost is minimal,
and whatever sales we get are high profit.

Please note that this is only my opinion, but represents how Detroit thinks.

Along these lines (Me Too Mentality, now that Ford offers a built in trailer
brake controller, I would not be surprised to see one as an option on GM's
2006 pickups and Tahoe/Suburbans.

Oliver Filippi