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http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/NewsLanding
Alrighty 62vetteefp, you were right, I was wrong. :P
I like I said before already knew about all these products from the Car Mags. The UAW, might of leaked the story but it's old news. Management, has some moles of it's own that leak stuff to the car mags all the time. I guess if GM, management wants to keep a lid on product it could doa better job on counciling employees. I sometimes wonder if that was expected and part of the plan ???? Lutz, likes the media coverage as does Wagoner. Remember the car covered 08' CTS, story on 60 minutes ????
I think GM, has a good solid lid on their Top Secret, stuff though. Acura, is the best at keeping a secret from what I've seen. The new 09' TL, has more "plastic" on it's body than Pamela Anderson,:P thus I'm yet to see a good spy shot.
-Rocky
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122820
I can see it now "bumpy" modeling these new undies because he is a in the closet HUMMER fan. :P
-Rocky
-Rocky
One point here is that the Mercedes S-class has a different chassis than the E-class, which means that the S-class body is stiffer. The old Fleetwood Sixty Special was basically the same chassis as the DeVille, so there was no real difference in the basic body stucture. What you got was a nicer interior, and perhaps some additional sound proofing.
GM said its fleet sales were down about 6.5 percent in September compared with the same month a year ago, Ballew said.
General Motors Corp. shares were upgraded to ``neutral'' by analysts at Bank of America Corp., who said an agreement with the United Auto Workers union offsets a worsening outlook for sales.
New York-based analysts Jairam Nathan and Joseph Spak raised their recommendation from a previous ``sell.'' They lifted their price estimate for the stock rose to $37 per share from $25.
“While we expect GM's fundamentals to turn for the worse with a decline in their new product pipeline, the elimination of the UAW healthcare liability at a better-than-expected discount results in a higher valuation for GM stock,'' they wrote in a report to investors today.
The biggest U.S. automaker and the union are scheduled to ratify the agreement by Oct. 10.
GM shares rose $1, or 2.8 percent, to $37.05 yesterday.
Must read the article link. I did not write this article Rocky
The idea that General Motors needs to shed divisions like Buick, Hummer and Saab to compete against Toyota has a certain common-sense appeal. After all, Toyota is continuously gaining U.S. market share with just three brands: Toyota, the Lexus luxury line and the tiny Scion brand of small, trendy compact cars.
But by shedding divisions, GM could give up its greatest competitive advantage. Because Toyota must sell a large number of vehicles through just two main channels, it's forced to ply the middle of the road. It would be like GM selling just Chevys and Buicks.
But General Motors can indeed have it both ways. While Chevrolet goes middle of the road, GM's other divisions can cover the side roads, back alleys and unpaved trails.
I think that has a lot to do with the small number of Saturn dealers. There are tons of Chevy/Pontiac/GMC dealers but a lot fewer Saturn dealers. I can understand why you would not want to drive 150 miles to the dealer. I wonder somebody could do a cars per dealer calculation?
What's the interior room like in the SRX.
What are your likes / dislikes?
What are your thoughts on how it compares to the competition?
If the CTS wagon does come to production do you think it should go the more traditional route or go the Allroad / XC90 route?
I know what you mean, I thought the crossover was an Allroad, XC-type where you basically had a wagon, but was raised up to mini-SUV height, offered a little bit more cargo area than a standard wagon but had creature comforts, mileage and size of a full-size sedan. But the lines are so blurred now who the heck knows.
I like that I have yet to find a steep enough driveway to scrape the front end on the pavement. I like the cargo space. It does use more fuel than I would like, but is not too bad.
I think that the SRX will be reduced to be an equinox in the next generation (see Car & Driver). So, the CTS wagon will replace the SRX and I think that it would be good if it were a bit taller than the sedan, with perhaps a bit more ground clearance (or a variable height suspension).
If GM became more of a make-to-order manufacturer instead of make a bunch of different models and stick them on a lot, and probably not have the right color/powertrain/option vehicle I want.
For example why can't a factory work off a certain platform. For example: give me a car say that has the Impala platform, I can have a LaCrosse body put on it, the CTS V-6, the grill and front lights of a Pontiac, and the interior of the CTS.
Why can't GM have 1 division, and you pick the size vehicle (platform) you want. Then I choose from different exterior panels, choose what level and color interior I want, choose some options, and choose from 3 or 4 powertrains. It should be pretty similar to designing a Dell computer.
You really don't need brands if the manufacturers just expand the options and provide customization. U.S. assembled cars would have a distinct advantage in that the vehicle could be delivered faster than anything imported.
How many of you have been frustrated by dealers not having the car you want?
If the dealer does not have the car you want, order it. You will wait but you get exactly what you want.
Your lucky you didn't !!!
-Rocky
Is putting your main card on the table, so far in advance good short-term, but also short-sighted? Now the competition knows your playbook.
We'll find out.
DrFill
We've gotta remember that a company as big as GM has some pretty well educated executives and PR people that know they must tread the line between good press, and giving Toyonda et al an even greater competitive advantage (cause we all know honda can keep a secret :P ).
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pdf/2007130.pdf
Actually Buick tied with Lexus and since B comes before L in the alphabet so Buick was first.
That shows that Toyota should have been smarter. Instead of naming a model as a separate division with and "L" they should have named it Aaron,Abalone, Agony, Alonque, etc.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I agree with chuckhoy, just order it. My last couple experiences were just the opposite; I was frustrated with the dealers trying to sell me a vehicle I didn't want.
Was shopping for GP GTP at the time and every Pontiac dealer wanted me to buy what they had on the lot, which were fully loaded to the gills models with leather, HUD, heated seats, blah, blah, blah. I wanted the base GTP, cloth, black int/ext and was willing to order. I finally found a dealer where the salesman was willing to order one for me, but his manager wouldn't allow it. I walked.
Same thing with the truck, wanted the SS but they stop building it so I spec'd as close as I could to that, knowing I would have to order it, then same thing happened. Every dealer wanted me to buy either the Extreme(s) that was on the lot, 4x4, different color, on & on. Finally found a dealer that allowed me to order what I wanted.
I'm a picky car shopper and have no problem ordering. I feel it's my money I should get what I want and if I have to order it so be it.
When we told our sales guy that we wanted to order, he and the manager had no problem with it. We just made sure that we ordered the options we wanted in the colors we wanted and waited 2.5 months for it to arrive. The only thing they stressed was that it would take a while. And it took a while. If you are patient and can you can afford to wait it out (not dealing with a dead car), I think ordering what you want is the way to go.
I myself am a import fan but the domestics when I buy a car they have nothing too woo me in(the last 2 times anyway.) As for people being put of work don;t the non-Domestic Big 3 American companies do that enough by shipping our jobs to country;s like India? It ain't trendy for me to own an import its just like there;s nothing to get me into the Domestics showroom over an import. I could have bought a Ford Fusion but I just bought a Mazda 6 a week ago instead and yes the Mazda was made by UAW workers in Flat Rock, Michigan and the Mazda has more American/Canadian(Domestic) parts than the Fusion which is built in Mexico does. I will consider the Domestic makes for future purchases because their reliability is not bad like it used to be in the 80's/early to mid 90's period and their cars in terms of drivability are better than they used to be(mostly newer GM products though.) The German Cars on the other hand I would never purchase until they get quality/reliability straightened out.
I myself did purchase a 1998 Mazda 626 back in 1998 because of the domestics poor perecption and I wanted car that wasn;t going to break down on me and this Mazda was made by UAW workers I believe in Flat Rock, Michigan too as well as the Mazda 6 that I have now. Again in 2001 I was shopping for cars and bought an Acura CL(a 2002.) The Domestics just didn;t basicaslly have anything that I liked back then. Now, If I was shopping for a SUV(non-car like SUV or a compact pick-up) I would consider GM or Ford because the Imports don;t make anything worth buying for me in the mid-size and full-size SUV category but even the mid-size SUV category market share is shrinking in the automotive marketplace.
It turned a great ordering / buying experience into a bad event.
In terms of the wait it took about 1.5 months to get the truck, actually came two weeks ahead of schedule. I ordered at the end of the model year (mid-May) so they were just able to get the order in. Funny thing about it is that my salesman wasn't up on the system (a two-finger typist) and I ended up putting in the option codes in the system for him. I checked a couple of times and the salesman & internet boss called me a couple times each to give me updates. I would say overall was pleased; again, only the F&I guy at the end messed up the experience.
I don't mind waiting if I'm getting what I want for the price I want. Plus I had a car to get back-forth to work in the meantime and that's all that mattered to me.
Hope this helps.
I can't wait to get my hands on this awesome brochure..... :shades:
-Rocky
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
-Rocky
It's the first sedan from GM in a long time that I will turn my head to take a second look. I really like the design.
-Rocky
Plans for a baby Cadillac were confirmed after the UAW published a summary of its tentative labor contract with GM. The summary listed GM's plan to produce a vehicle based on a new architecture called Alpha. Several sources later confirmed that Alpha would be for Cadillac.
A less costly Alpha variant may go to Pontiac, a brand that GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz wants to revitalize with a new lineup of affordable rwd cars.
Cadillac also will:
Launch a CTS coupe and wagon in 2009.
Introduce a rwd sedan, expected in 2011, to replace the front-drive DTS and the rwd STS.
Consider a vehicle powered by a fuel-cell version of the E-Flex plug-in hybrid powertrain. The E-Flex powers the Chevrolet Volt concept.
Alpha will be for Cadillac's entry-level model. According to a knowledgeable source, it will be aimed at the near-luxury segment once occupied by the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C class, when those nameplates were smaller and cheaper.
-Rocky
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/AUTO01/710090374/1148- /rss25
jae5, what do you think about all of this pal ? :surprise:
-Rocky
Sunday, October 7, 2007; G02
BEAR MOUNTAIN, N.Y.
It's too early for General Motors to declare "mission accomplished." The company still has a long way to go in its expensive, product-intensive turnaround. There are obstacles aplenty, including a credit-crunched national economy that could slip into recession and crush new-vehicle sales. And competitors, of course, aren't sitting still while GM forges ahead.
But there is a discernible note of confidence in the voices of GM's top executives today. And there are smiles on the faces of the company's designers, engineers, vehicle line executives, marketing and communications people.
Such expressions should not be mistaken for bravado or wishful thinking. They are, instead, tangible personnel indicators of what is happening in a company that has changed its culture from one of authoritarian control with little regard for consumers or rank-and-file employees to one in which car people -- designers, engineers and marketers -- have been empowered to go full blast in anticipating and meeting consumer needs and demands.
It is a corporate revolution.
Back in 1982, when I began covering the automotive beat for The Washington Post, visiting GM's headquarters in Detroit was akin to a prosecutor checking up on a suspect. There was something rotten in Detroit, something somebody in the company was trying to hide from the media -- always a sob story or a blame-shifting saga meant to throw the prosecutor off track.
I seldom was allowed to question designers or engineers unaccompanied by a phalanx of corporate public relations people, whose presence had an effect on interview subjects that the presence of police in Burma might have on dissident citizens speaking to foreign journalists.
There was lots of official bravado in that old, dying GM. But the truth of the place was reflected in the sullen faces of rank-and-file employees who knew better.
Today's GM is much different, as evidenced by the company's northeast regional preview here last week of its 2008-model cars and trucks. The new GM brought vehicles sans excuses. Every model displayed spoke for itself, and did so favorably.
The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, for example, has emerged from bread-and-butter mediocrity to become a beautifully designed and smartly engineered mid-size family sedan that invites pride of ownership at a starting price of $19,995, with a Malibu Hybrid version beginning at $22,790.
The 2008 Cadillac CTS entry-level luxury sports sedan, GM's styling leader with a completely redesigned and much-improved interior, already is a best-seller. Ditto the Saturn Sky roadster that is doing what few would have thought a GM roadster could do, which is to steal sales from the iconic Mazda MX-5 Miata.
New trucks and sport-utility vehicles from GMC, the company's trucks-and-nothing-but-trucks division, are coming with dual-mode hybrid gas-electric technology that saves more fuel on highway runs than current gas-electric models. And every single one of them has impeccable fit and finish.
And the early results of GM's product push are two consecutive months of new-vehicle sales increases -- August and September -- at a time when vehicle sales at rival companies, including Toyota, are declining.
Indeed, a year ago, few people would have thought they'd be reading the following passage in Automotive News, the Detroit-based trade journal:
"Market leader General Motors saw its U.S. sales rise 0.3 percent in September. GM cited a strong start for the redesigned Cadillac CTS, and strong sales of the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave crossovers."
Note the reference to "market leader." Especially, note the reference to Buick, once thought to be a moribund GM vehicle division. It appears that Buick is being saved by the Enclave, generally touted as being one of the best-designed crossover utility vehicles in the U.S. market, and now a genuine sales hit.
Today's GM is "a design-driven company," said Gary White, vice president of GM North America, speaking to journalists here. "Ultimately, the best way to develop brands is for them to have the best cars and trucks possible wear their badges."
To reach that goal, GM has ended its storied intra-corporate bickering, transformed its once disparate product-development operations into one global team "and put the creative power back in the hands of our designers to make beautiful vehicles that will ultimately strengthen all our brands, all around the world," White said.
Gee, go figure -- giving vehicle designers and developers the right to do what they were trained and hired to do in the first place. It's no wonder those people are smiling . . . and eager to talk to the media about what they are doing -- without overseers.
That's different. That's progress. That's the new GM. May it long live.
Wish they'd get some decent EPA on the Malibu Hybrid before trotting it out as a value, doh. I wouldn't call it a competitive entry.
DrFill
I don't know if I would buy one, but the new Impala feels about 20 years ahead of my Mother's car.
The Pros:
Smooth acceleration, good brake pedal feel, feels to be solidly built; good exterior fit
The Cons:
Steering somewhat numb, some odd ergonomics, only a 6 way power seat, interior fit has ways to go.
I have posted negative comments about teh General in the past. My last rental was a Cobalt which I thought was a POS. This Impala is a decent car. I probably wouldn't buy one because it's larger than what I need but if I was in the market for it, it would be a contender.
What is the General's thing for 6 way power seats? My brother has a 39,000 Acadia and that has a 6 way power seat! You can get 8 way in plenty of 20,000 dollar cars. That just seems behind the times.
http://www.chevrolet.com/pop/impala/2007/nuance_en.jsp
The GM apologists will jump in that they're fine with 6 but it's behind the times especially since so many leser cars have 8 ways.
The car I'm driving has 1300 miles so it must be an 08, right? Another thing that could be better is that the headlights could be stronger but all in all a decent car.
But in looking at Camry the base vehicle is manual seats and the LE up is 8 way. Accord is the same way. Manual in the lower model and 8 ways in the uppers.
The GM apologists will jump in that they're fine with 6 but it's behind the times especially since so many leser cars have 8 ways.
Actually the lesser cars, such as Accord and Camry have manual seats. So they are either behind the times or Impala is ahead. No need to be an apologists when the facts are looked at. You get more for your money as far as seats in an Impala.