GM Theta platform

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GM Theta platform

Theta is General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Corporation , founded in 1908, is the world's second-largest automaker after Toyota, ranked by 2008 global unit sales. GM was the global sales leader for 77 consecutive calendar years from 1931 to 2008....
' mid-size crossover SUV

Crossover SUV

Compact SUV

Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles....
automobile platform

Automobile platform

An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques....
. The architecture debuted in 2002 with the Saturn Vue

Saturn VUE

The Saturn Vue is a Compact SUV crossover SUV from General Motors' Saturn Corporation marque, and was Saturn's top-selling model in the United States until the Saturn Aura outsold it in the summer of 2008....
(Theta, compact SUV

Compact SUV

Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles....
) and was later used for the Chevrolet Equinox

Chevrolet Equinox

The Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-size crossover SUV from Chevrolet based on on GM's GM Theta platform unibody platform, manufactured at CAMI Automotive General Motors/Suzuki joint venture plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, and introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year....
(Extended Theta, mid-size crossover SUV

Crossover SUV

A crossover — variously called CUV or crossover utility vehicle — is a marketing term for a vehicle that derives from a car automobile platform while borrowing features from an Sport utility vehicle or Minivan....
). The platform was developed by GM in North America. The Saturn was engineered in Michigan and the Equinox/Torrent were engineered by GM's Canadian Regional Engineering Center (CREC) in Oshawa, Ontario. Neither Suzuki nor GM's Shanghai, China operation, Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center

Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center

The Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center is a joint venture between General Motors Corporation and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. It is a design and engineering center in Shanghai, China, and is involved in engineering for GM products, including the GM Theta platform and Saturn Vue....
has had involvement in engineering or developing the Theta platform.

Theta uses a four wheel independent suspension

Independent suspension

Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other....
.

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Encyclopedia

Theta is General Motors

General Motors

Crossover SUV

Compact SUV

Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles....
automobile platform

Automobile platform

Saturn VUE

Compact SUV

Chevrolet Equinox

Crossover SUV

Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center

Development

The Theta uses a four wheel independent suspension

Independent suspension

Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other....
. Engine choices include the Ecotec Family II

GM Family II engine

The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in late 1970s for use in the Opel Ascona B and Opel Kadett#Kadett D....
straight-4

Straight-4

The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....
, 3400
GM 60-Degree V6 engine

The General Motors Corporation 60? V6 family of engines began with the 1980 Chevrolet 2.8 L V6 and continues to be produced today . Its use in the GM X platform cars leads some to refer to it as the X engine....
V6, and even a Honda

Honda

is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan.The company manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, scooter , robots, jet aircrafts and jet engines, all-terrain vehicle, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and aeronautical and other mobile technologies....
V6, the L66

GM L66 engine

The L66 is an OEM V6 engine built by Honda but sold by General Motors Corporation in the Saturn Vue Sport utility vehicle. The L66 was acquired as part of a swap with Honda, who received the Circle L engine 1.7 L Diesel straight-4 for use in European Honda Civics....
. A 5-speed automatic

Automatic transmission

An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manual transmission....
and two 5-speed manual transmission

Manual transmission

A manual transmission is a type of Transmission used in automotive applications. It generally utilizes a driver-operated clutch operated by a pedal or lever, for regulating torque transfer from the engine to the transmission, and a gear-shift either operated by hand or by foot ....
s are used.

The original Saturn Vue

Saturn VUE

Chevrolet Equinox

Pontiac Torrent

The Pontiac Torrent is the latest sport utility vehicle offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors, being the successor of the discontinued Pontiac Aztek....
use a stretched 112.5 in (2857 mm) wheelbase, but shares much with the Saturn.

The Suzuki Grand Vitara

Suzuki Grand Vitara

The Suzuki Grand Vitara is a compact SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1999....
, although similar in size and appearance to a Saturn Vue, was developed by Suzuki using some Theta components, but should not be considered a Theta derivative. The Grand Vitara front and rear suspensions are substantially different from the Theta vehicles. The 2007 Suzuki XL7 is based on the Theta platform and is built alongside the Equinox and Torrent at CAMI Automotive

CAMI Automotive

CAMI Automotive is an independently Incorporation joint venture of automobile manufacturing in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and formed the third step of GM's three-pronged initiative of the mid-1980s to capture and practice the Japanese mystique of automotive management....
in Ingersoll, Ontario

Ingersoll, Ontario

Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County, Ontario on the River Thames, Ontario in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London, Ontario to the west....
, Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. It is the first non-GM branded vehicle to come off the Theta platform. Styled by Suzuki, the engineering was performed by GM engineers in the US and Canada.

Engineering for the Opel Antara, Chevrolet Captiva, and the Saturn Vue was performed in large part in Korea by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology

GM Daewoo

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology was first established as National Motor in 1937 in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, South Korea. After changing its name to Saenara Motor in 1962, Saenara Motor was bought by Shinjin Industrial in 1965, which changed its name to Shinjin Motor after establishing collaborations with Toyota....
.

Hybrids

The Saturn Vue

Saturn VUE

General Motors

Hybrid vehicle

File:HondaInsight.jpgA hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle . The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors....
powertrain, GM's belt alternator starter

Belt alternator starter

General Motors Corporation introduced a mild hybrid system called belt alternator starter in the 2007 Saturn Vue and Saturn Aura. It operates similarly to the "start-stop" system used in the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid in that it shuts down the engine as the vehicle comes to a stop and instantly restarts it when the brake pedal is released....
(BAS) system, in 2006. The company also plans to add hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Captiva

Chevrolet Captiva

The Daewoo Winstorm is a crossover SUV developed by General Motors GM Daewoo design center in Bupyeong-gu, South Korea. The Winstorm, which is given the model designation C100 is based on the GM Theta platform, and is derived from the Chevrolet S3X/T2X concept car....
and Vauxhall

Vauxhall Motors

Vauxhall Motors is a UK automobile company. It is a subsidiary of General Motors , and is part of GM Europe. Most current Vauxhall models are right-hand drive derivatives of GM's Opel brand....
/Opel Antara

Opel Antara

The Opel Antara is a mid-size car crossover SUV produced in South Korea by GM Daewoo, but sold under the Opel brand. Launched in 2006, the Antara is based on the GM Theta platform which shares its Automobile platform and powertrains with the Daewoo Winstorm....
, but those will use GM's Two-Mode Hybrid system instead of the BAS.

Vehicles

Current vehicles based on this platform:

Short wheelbase

2002 Saturn Vue
Saturn VUE

The Saturn Vue is a Compact SUV crossover SUV from General Motors' Saturn Corporation marque, and was Saturn's top-selling model in the United States until the Saturn Aura outsold it in the summer of 2008....
2007 Daewoo Winstorm
2007 Opel Antara
Opel Antara

The Opel Antara is a mid-size car crossover SUV produced in South Korea by GM Daewoo, but sold under the Opel brand. Launched in 2006, the Antara is based on the GM Theta platform which shares its Automobile platform and powertrains with the Daewoo Winstorm....
and 2008 Saturn VUE
Saturn VUE

The Saturn Vue is a Compact SUV crossover SUV from General Motors' Saturn Corporation marque, and was Saturn's top-selling model in the United States until the Saturn Aura outsold it in the summer of 2008....
.

Long wheelbase

2005 Chevrolet Equinox
Chevrolet Equinox

The Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-size crossover SUV from Chevrolet based on on GM's GM Theta platform unibody platform, manufactured at CAMI Automotive General Motors/Suzuki joint venture plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, and introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year....
2006 Pontiac Torrent
Pontiac Torrent

The Pontiac Torrent is the latest sport utility vehicle offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors, being the successor of the discontinued Pontiac Aztek....
2007 Suzuki XL7
2010 GMC Terrain
GMC Terrain

The GMC Terrain is a new mid-size car crossover to replace the related Pontiac Torrent , and the body-on-frame GMC Envoy. It may also feature third-row seating....
2010 Chevrolet Equinox
Chevrolet Equinox

The Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-size crossover SUV from Chevrolet based on on GM's GM Theta platform unibody platform, manufactured at CAMI Automotive General Motors/Suzuki joint venture plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, and introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year....

Concepts

Chevrolet S3X/T2X
Chevrolet S3X/T2X

The Chevrolet S3X is a concept SUV developed by GM Daewoo's design center in Incheon and is based on GM Theta platform. It premiered at Mondial de l'Automobile 2004....

Theta Premium

GM is preparing a premium version of Theta. Reports differ, but the general consensus is that it is a combination of the current Theta and elements of the new Epsilon 2

GM Epsilon platform

Epsilon is General Motors' new mid-size car front-wheel drive automobile platform. The architecture debuted in the 2002 Opel Vectra#Vectra C and 2003 Saab 9-3....
architecture, with some Lambda

GM Lambda platform

Lambda is General Motors' full-size car crossover SUV automobile platform. The architecture debuted in 2006. The program was delayed several times because of company fears that it would take sales and profits away from the GM GMT platform truck platform....
components as well. So far, the only models are the Saab 9-4X

Saab 9-4X

The Saab 9-4X is a mid-size Crossover scheduled for release by Swedish automaker Saab Automobile. It will be based on the premium GM Theta platform which it will share with the 2010 Cadillac SRX, previewed by the Cadillac Provoq concept at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show....
and Cadillac SRX

Cadillac SRX

The Cadillac SRX is a mid-size Crossover produced by the Cadillac division of United States automaker General Motors since the 2004 model year....
. Despite the fact that these vehicles are loosely based on Theta, which is often used for small CUVs, it is believed that these will actually be midsized, since many have predicted that the 9-4X replace the similarly sized Saab 9-7X

Saab 9-7X

The Saab 9-7X is a Saab Automobile-Brand name mid-size sport utility vehicle based on General Motors' GMT360 platform, which also includes the current GMC Envoy and Chevrolet TrailBlazer ....
. There are also rumors of 7-seater TE (Theta-Epsilon) models under development.

Vehicles using Theta Premium:

2010 Saab 9-4X
Saab 9-4X

The Saab 9-4X is a mid-size Crossover scheduled for release by Swedish automaker Saab Automobile. It will be based on the premium GM Theta platform which it will share with the 2010 Cadillac SRX, previewed by the Cadillac Provoq concept at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show....
2010 Cadillac SRX
Cadillac SRX

The Cadillac SRX is a mid-size Crossover produced by the Cadillac division of United States automaker General Motors since the 2004 model year....