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Rocky
Rocky
Yes. Two very good examples:
2007 Mazda CX-7: 2.3 Turbo: 244hp, 258 lb-ft
2007 Acura RDX: 2.3 Turbo: 240hp, 260 lb-ft
Rocky
Rocky
Rocky
Rocky
The Enclave will replace both the Rendezvous and Rainer. However, I do not see all 'Trailblazers' going yet, especially that GM has not annouced a Chevy Lambda. That would leave Chevy with no mid-size SUV.
That's weird because I thaught GM was testing both a new and improved Envoy and Trailblazer spotted here on edmunds. OTOH the last few generations seemed plagued with electrical problems. This needs to be addressed.
Rocky
Enclave (7 or 8 pass) will replace the Rainier and I believe the Rendezvous. Trailblazer(chev) and Envoy (GMC)were going to get a complete makeover for '08 or '09 but now that has been toned way down. Probably new exteriors and interiors?
Saturn/GMC/Buick will offer the Lamdas but something may happen since the GMC/Buick dealership dualing (with Pontiac) is going faster than planned. I do not see a need for a Buick and GMC Lamda (and a GMC Envoy).
Remember the Lamdas are huge. As big as a Yukon, and probably more interior room?
Note: the greek letter does have a b in it.
Buick, told me if we want to see the Buick Velite Roadster see production keep the e-mails coming with requests. I personally needs some Velite flavoured Kool-Aid to quench my thirst. :P
Rocky
P.S. My wife and I are considering the Enclave though
Concerning the HHR design. Did the designers draw this up trying to ride the trails of the PC Cruiser and then when an old marketing guy (if there are any left) looked at it he said, hey that looks like a 49 Surburban? OR did they actually design it with a 49 Surburban in mind? Either way the designers should be fired.
Why do a retro on a car that probably NO ONE still driving (or least a potential HHR purchaser) has even seen on the highway. Or at a car show (like a lot of these get restored and cruise the streets?)
At least Ford came up with an ugly version of a retro Thunderbird. I thought it was ugly too but at least it followed the concept of the early Thunderbirds.
If GM styling is to save them they have to have decent designs on the main stream cars.
Granted the Cadillac line is great (as are the new SUV's - I actually love the Tahoe design), but to put all your bets behind gas guzzlers is pretty short sighted. They make GM a lot of money and the new design will help profitability, but long term GM needs attractive replacements for the midsize and full size line and it needs to be with the CHEVY (main streem American diehards want these_I found that out last week). I do like the Buick's line but then again there are what 3 of them?; and they all look the same to me (similar to an updated taurus design). I like the GTO concept, but it was too bland. Now it seems like GM is putting the (excellent) V8 in the whole model line in hopes to revive sales. It may be working but I hate to see all of america going to a V8. It's not necessary and all of america does not need a 300hp Impala, souped up Cobalts, and mighty Maxx's.
Granted I used to think that you could never have too much horsepower. But we do not need another horsepower war between the big three. It's not good for the country. We need better designed cars and high quality.
My biggest gripe right now and why I won't buy American again for a while is the depreciation. The big three feel to compete they have to offer huge discounts and rebates. The first time around that was great. Now they do it every year, all year and when they try to stop the sales go down and they are not willing to hold out for buyers to return. For those that purchased without the rebates they got screwed. For those that did, it seems like a good deal at the time but unless you're holding on to the vehicle for 5+ years you're really going to get messed over on high depreciation.
You might not think so after last weeks forum postings but I would buy american again. However they have to get my trust back. I trade vehicles way too often and I'm going to work on that. I take a beating and I don't have a problem with that as I make that decision consciously. But the last beating I took on my Expo (and the fact that it broke) as well as my neighbors problem with the Tahoe and Surburban will keep me away for a while (not to mention my other neighbor just had his F250 diesel towed -needs a transmission). Hey I live in a small neighborhood. Statistically (sp?) this is a hig % of problems for Ford and GM. I can't comment on the rest of the world.
When my neighbor bought his Surburban, I actually recommended it to him at the time even though I was driving a Sequoia. I told him as logn as that design has been out there should be NO problems at all with that selection. He planned to keep it a long time so he was not even worried about depreciation.
He's had transmission problems with it every since he bought it. My neighbors Tahoe has had a new engine installed. These are not squeeks and rattles. I can live with that. Granted they were covered by warranty, but I still don't call that acceptable.
I hope this article didn't offend anyone but it is about GM styling and quality
Both. GM hired the designer of the PT Cruiser and told him to design a copy of the PT Cruiser that looks like a '49 Suburban.
I thought it sounded pretty good but when I read this article I am not so sure;
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It is a CUV but it is extremely heavy and a lot bigger than it looks. A little X5 influence, a little Cayanne, a little Buick - portholes. Apparently the 6 cylinder won't be poweful enough to move it and the V8, well who is buying those these days. I was expecting this could be the breakout vehicle from what I was reading but now, not so sure.
The Aura looks good and is very European in style. Hope the rest of the car matches the exterior styling.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Uhhhh that's part of the debate going on right now. Besides styling and quality issues GM (and Chrysler) is dumping V8's in everything. They must be selling or GM is totally missing the boat short term as well.
I-6 engines have a lot less parts, less weight, more torque, and a lot more HP for their displacement than V6 engines - enough to actually run like a small block V8 if you put a few things like VVT and so on in them. Oh - better fuel economy as well. They also are wonderful with a supercharger(hint hint).
Yes, it means moving back to RWD, but nobody seems to mind the RWD BMWs and Mercedes, do they?(grin)
Or GM could keep its V6s it has now and offer stickshift on everything. The new GM 3.6 with a 6 speed gearbox would be fast enough for any sane person.
This forum asks if 2006 styling can save GM. No, but it sure is helping. In looking at the new models this year. Solstice adn Sky are sold out for what, the year? The new large SUV's are selling much better than GM ever hoped. the Lucerne is selling well and outselling the old LeSabre. The HHR is selling well. The Torrent and H3 are doing great. The DTS, while not doing great, is outselling the old Deville it replaced. The STS is not doing as well as the Seville. Impala is outselling, but not by much, the old one. Monte Carlo is not doing well but it was a half-a** redo.
And these increase in sales are without the huge incentives of the past. ATP's are much higher. Lets hope it continues. Of course the new JD Power IQS2 is out soon and everyone is scared on how the new questionaire will work out.
The fact is they are playing a stare down game with the consumer and they keep blinking. The foreigns (even my favorite Toyota / Lexus) can't produce (currently) enough cars to satisfy the American market. People will buy cars and enough of them will buy the "American" brand names to keep business doing well if the industry isn't over expanded. However they possibly have to wait out until people "need" cars rather than offering huge incentives and inticing people to buy earlier than they need to (poor marketing idea but good for their long term health). They over saturate the market with their brand and it's a tough pill to swallow but they need to quit making so many vehicles at a loss and wait until demand catches up with supply.
I'm not economist and this is a simplistic view of the problem but I'd buy American brands even if they cost MORE than imports if they held their value and were high quality products made of high quality materials. They already offer more "content" than the foreigns in similar price ranges, I just don't like seeing cheap plastic and square corners on dashes, plastic chrome, no sound insulation, etc. Toyota is competing with GM by offering plastic wood on it's products. I wish they wouldn't. They are copying the wrong things.
My Infiniti FX had real aluminum trim. It was substantial and held up well. How much more does that cost to make than aluminum looking plastic? $300? I'd pay that on a Corvette, GTO, Cadillac or Mustang (Toyota needs to listen here as well)
It's nice to be able to get striped models to save money, but the same model with luxury items needs to feel different than it's cheaper identical looking base model.
Mustang is a good example. Make a base Mustang, that's great. But charge me $2000 extra and put a different complete dash with leather, aluminum or carbon fiber in my GT. Don't take a base model and put a big engine and leather seats in it and mark it up $3000.
The Cobra should be competing for consumer dollars by trying to win over BMW's buyers, not simply being the dream car of a base Mustang owner wanting the Ultimate Mustang. Make it better, not just faster than the competition. hey I'm RedXXXX (careful) enough to want a Mustang Cobra if BMW would make it and would like it more than say a BMW M3. My roots relate more to driving a Cobra than it would an M3. But I want my Cobra to look line the interior of an M3. Especially at the prices I know I will be (gouged into) paying.
Wake up bean counters! and talk to the customers you're losing, not to the loyal faithful who will buy no matter what.
Likewise, if you compare what Toyota/Honda/etc has done in 06, I do not think GM has done nearly enough to halt the slide in market share or gain it back.
I may not agree with everything that wvgasguy says, but he is dead on with regards to more advanced engines (V6/4cyl) fit and finish, and resale value. I also applaud Hyundai/Kia/Honda for making safety features such as side curtain airbags, and stability control standard on almost almost all their vehicles.
It is not enough for GM to just be as good as Toyota to remain at the top and stop the bleeding. They have to be better. They have to be innovative and tap into markets that nobody has considered. Their vehicles need to have better materials, have more standard safety features, be more reliable, and retain their overall value better, and have better engines and transmissions.
See you, Loren
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The reviews for the Calibre fall a little short, but this seems to be a pretty well thought out car and it comes in at a very fair price.
I think if GM had come out with something in this market it would have been a great move. Big companies these days are not able to move as quickly, and especially GM which is stressed for research and development money...plus it's a big ship to get turned around. Check out Cyberchicks car, her enthusiasm for the car shines through, and I think Chrysler should hire her as the Calibre spokesPERSON.
For more pictures go to post #1009 on the Calibre Forum page.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Well, at least there'll be a replacement. On another note productivity will increase because now that trainee will have an additional job. So on one had, the worker is more productive because they are doing / getting more work down (supposedly) and on the other Delphi has one less worker, but the work is still getting completed. Wins and grins all around - yeah right. (Yes, most companies do consider increased productivity in this manner, sad isn't it)
Been kind of hard keeping up with the here, busy @ work and home. Trying to keep up with Delphi, but it keeps getting spun around so much. Have read that approval to strike has been given. Miller's been keeping a low-profile for the past month. Heaven help them if the judge ok's getting rid of the contracts - read even though GM has stockpiled some parts, most plants will be shut down with 48 hours. Which sounds about right, considering the lean and JIT initiatives, the whole point of not having inventory and / or stockpiling parts.
Interesting times indeed. :confuse:
Too bad the Monte Carlo is selling so slow. Seems to be the last of the larger coupes. I like the look of coupes. Wish the base models had the side air bags, and other safety features. Seems like you start out with a decent price, and OK engines HP wise, but adding typical items chosen by today's buyer, like those side air bags, and soon the car gets more pricey. Test drove a 2005 V6 Mustang, and was not terribly impressed. It was OK. RWD is a good thing, but there is something about the car which still seems not right. The seating position? The dash plastic? The gauges? Can't put my finger of any one thing, so perhaps it was driving modern cars - Japan cars, or whatever it is, which makes me hesitant to go back to a old ride. The car has improved, but it still seems looser.
I must say the Monte Carlo feels good as an American GM cruiser car. Not sure why, but the GM car feels, when new, like you are driving something with more substance than say a Ford. I had, let's say, not the best of luck with Olds. over the 70's and 80's, but I still liked the seating and drivability of GM compared to Ford. So, if I was to gamble on American again, it may be the Monte Carlo or Cadillac/Buick. Have not driven the Fusion, which could be a better Ford, as it is a toned down Mazda6 at heart.
For a heavier car, in FWD, it seems to me like the Monte is not all that bad on country roads. Some car test magazines expect a larger and more comfortable car, like the Monte, to handle like an Elise. Well come on now.
I do like sports cars, but my back usually tells me otherwise. :shades: - Loren
VW GTI/GLI/Passat
Subaru WRX
Mistubishi Evo
Audi A3 and A4
:P
Does not mean they are gods gift to the Automobile. There are ALOT better choices out there than a comparable GM product IMO."
Exactly - One thing; GM is the largest manufacturer of RENTAL CARS on the planet - not a great achievement, IMO.
Wake up bean counters! and talk to the customers you're losing, not to the loyal faithful who will buy no matter what.
You've captured it very well with this quote.
How this forum tends to go is the GM haters talk about how poor the cars are. The GM lovers talk about how those cars aren't really very bad, quality is much better, reliability on many is as good as HonYota, etc.
The problem for GM is that it is the "haters" or at least "skeptics" that GM has to get to buy the cars. So the "lovers" defending the product won't do GM any good, because those people are going to buy GM in most cases anyway. GM's product needs to be good enough to convince the "haters" and "skeptics" to buy. And that will take a world-class effort.
I don't see any current higher volume product that has at least 2-3 of the following 4 to get those people to switch to GM:
1. Styling
2. Reliability
3. Refinement
4. Interior quality
It certainly is not too late to turn things around, but GM needs to move with a purpose. They cannot continue to burn through money as fast as they are currently are.
My grandmother said she heard Rick Wagoner, stood up and told Miller "sit down and shut up" !!!! :mad: I'm talking now !!!! Miller, I guess sat-down.
Rocky
The way things are going, a decade from now, Hyundai will be a bigger company than GM. It appears the be nothing but chaos within, and confusion without.
Where is the plan? Do they have a plan?
Seems to me they could have taken the CTS platform, made a neat mid-sized Nova RWD car out of it, with the 3.6 V6 and sold it for around $21K-$23K in a base model, without navigation junk, etc. The Lucerne could be the starter Caddy, or even a dressed down version as the Impala.
But oh no, here comes the same ol', same o'!
-Loren
Whereas I've been pushing this for the truck lines (GMT900), it could be a decent entry-level motor into a large RWD sedan, a la BMW with theirs. But seeing as how GM has many V6s I don't know if they would adapt the I6 to cars :confuse: As long as they don't name it the "new" Stovebolt :P
That's the rub, you're glad you're gone but feel bad for the good ones left. You want to show support to the company but how can you support the somewhat questionable (dare I say idiotic) decisions being made. :confuse:
I think so too, that there will be only a few plants, to say they have a NA prescence, but if Miller has his way - China, India, Indonesia and other low-, low-cost areas only.
That's more or less what the 6-cylinder Camaro is going to be, except that you'll most likely get the 3.9 pushrod. I'll be amazed if it lists significantly under $25k, though.
-Loren
-Loren
Can you believe (I'm not a liberal treehugger no matter what you thought las week) I actually came close to buying a Hummer H2 two years ago. I loved the massive look! King of the Road. However it gets lousy milage with no power. I can live with one or the other, not both. Give me 400hp and 10mpg or give me a Diesel. Had it been offered with a diesel I'm sure I would have already had one.
Then to rob from the exclusivity of the H2 they make an H3. That would have made me sell my H2 had I had one. (They are doing the same with the Cadillac family).
OK, for the sake of money on a hot theme, go ahead and make the H3 and more people will have the opportunity to have a King of the Road look. What do they do? Does it get the big engine? No they make it underpowered and still lously gas milage. Give me a diesel or 400 hp. This is not a mainstream vehicle. If you want it to be special then make it special. For crying out loud I don't need 300 hp in my Impala, I want power in my "unique" vehicle!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060523/ap_on_bi_ge/gm_gas_rebate_2
Ford has already done the Mustang. HST thing, Chrysler did the PT. Ford has the Fusion. Check out the Calibre..claiming 30 MPG, lots of fun to drive, lots of interest, fast selling, and the color inserts on the dash and seats....Chrysler is really trying. I would check it out if I was in that market.
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2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250