Lambda is
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
full-size
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
Af ...
or
mid-size 3-row
crossover SUV
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles (S ...
automobile platform
A car 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 cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pract ...
. It is largely derived from the
GM Epsilon platform
Epsilon is General Motors' mid-size front-wheel drive automobile platform. The architecture was multi-division project of GM North America, Opel and Saab, and debuted in the 2002 Opel Vectra and 2003 Saab 9-3. Since this platform falls squarely i ...
, which underlies the
Chevrolet Malibu sedan and similar models.
The
Buick Enclave concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
was previewed at the 2006
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
, and the
Saturn Outlook
The Saturn Outlook is a full-size crossover SUV that debuted at the New York International Auto Show, and was based on the GM Lambda platform, which it shared with the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Outlook went on sale in ...
was shown at the 2006
New York Auto Show. The 2007 Outlook and
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors for its GMC marque. The first-generation GMC Acadia shared the GM Lambda platform with the Saturn Outlook, the Chevrolet Traverse, and the Buick Enclave. The Acadia went on sale ...
went into production in late 2006, followed by the 2008
Enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
in mid-2007, and the 2009
Chevrolet Traverse in mid-2008.
Lambda vehicles feature easily accessible three-row seating. They were supplied with the
LY7 3.6-liter
V6. Starting with the 2009 model year all Lambda vehicles have
GM LLT 3.6-liter
gasoline direct injection
Gasoline direct injection (GDI), also known as petrol direct injection (PDI), is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines that run on gasoline (petrol), where fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. This is distinct fro ...
engine for improved
fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...
, horsepower and torque. With the cancellation of GM's
next-generation DOHC V8, there would be no V8 powertrain for the Lambda platform. The platform has been designed for
front
Front may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film
* ''The Front'', 1976 film
Music
* The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
and
all-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
applications.
Lambda vehicles are produced in the new
Lansing Delta Township Assembly
Lansing Delta Township Assembly (GM LDT) is a General Motors automobile assembly factory in Delta Township, Michigan on land that is shared by the township and the nearby city of Lansing. It manufactures Chevrolet, and Buick vehicles.
Completed i ...
plant near
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
. The Traverse began production in September 2008 at a retooled Spring Hill Assembly Plant in Tennessee, but production was later moved to Lansing. GM discontinued the
Outlook after the 2010 model year along with the entire
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
brand.
Meanwhile, GM announced a second generation of its
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors for its GMC marque. The first-generation GMC Acadia shared the GM Lambda platform with the Saturn Outlook, the Chevrolet Traverse, and the Buick Enclave. The Acadia went on sale ...
for the 2013 model year, taking the bodyshell of the discontinued
Saturn Outlook
The Saturn Outlook is a full-size crossover SUV that debuted at the New York International Auto Show, and was based on the GM Lambda platform, which it shared with the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Outlook went on sale in ...
, while at the same time, GM would refresh its
Buick Enclave &
Chevrolet Traverse vehicles.
Minivans
GM was considering replacing the
U-body minivans with new minivans using the Lambda platform for the 2009 model year, but due to the decline of minivan sales the plan was cancelled.
Vehicles
Vehicles based on this platform:
* 2007–2010
Saturn Outlook
The Saturn Outlook is a full-size crossover SUV that debuted at the New York International Auto Show, and was based on the GM Lambda platform, which it shared with the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Outlook went on sale in ...
* 2007–2016
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors for its GMC marque. The first-generation GMC Acadia shared the GM Lambda platform with the Saturn Outlook, the Chevrolet Traverse, and the Buick Enclave. The Acadia went on sale ...
* 2008–2017
Buick Enclave
* 2009–2017
Chevrolet Traverse
Sales
See also
*
List of General Motors platforms
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gm Lambda Platform
Lambda
Lambda (}, ''lám(b)da'') is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoenician Lamed . Lambda gave rise ...