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Now it is cool to have small windows and round curves so you can't tell where the front or the back of the car is. In a few years they will have bigger windows and you will actually be able to tell where the trunk ends and the front fenders are...and the car companies will be saying, "hey we got this great new idea, cars you can actually see out of".
The "sitting in a bathtub effect" is another styling innovation that will go out with the bath water, so to speak, in a few years.
I agree about Chargers.....who thought of that design? All the worst designs all rolled into one vehicle. I kind of wonder about Magnums too, aren't they just station wagons that have been chopped and channeled like we used to do?
IMHO the new square Caddy is the best design in American cars in a long time and I'd hate to see them change it!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Parenthetically, I was behind a GTO the other day. First one I ever saw on the road, or noticed on the road. What a totally benign car for such a hot performer. Not too bad looking inside, but the outside is as unremarkable as you could get. Don't you want to say "Hey You" in a fast car? No wonder it sold 2 copies......
These days, driving a Monte Carlo may be the most special ride in the GM line, other than a Corvette at double or more the price. Looked at a CTS today. Seemed like a lot of money for what was there before my eyes. I saw not adjustment for the leather seat lumbar. Maybe it is hidden somewhere I did not find it. Anyway, the SAABs on the same lot seemed a bit more luxurious. I prefer the more styled CTS, but by the time you get the 3.6 V6, it is less than a bargain.
Probably the most interesting style and value I have run across lately is the Tiburon. Actually looks different, and not everyone on the block owns one. They appear to have most everything in the cars already without any additions required. The GT V6 has all the side air bags and stuff like that. Will it hold up for 5 to 10 years? That I do not know. Does it come with style and content - hell yes it does!
I may wait to see what the Sirocco and other new cars look like next year or two. Most everything now is sleepy looking sedans. If I want that, well Sonata has got it on the cheap, decent style, and in the V6 blows away the competition. Add a few more thousand, and there is the Altima, which really does have a little style, and the Fusion, which is not too bad. Very little knock-your-socks-off styles in cars under $21K these days.
-Loren
Now in my(and many others')opinion the Mustang is the ultimate chick car. Especially a V6 powered convertable.Here in California I see A LOT more women driving them and I always get a kick out of seeing some clueless shlub driving one thinking he's a bad-[non-permissible content removed]. And yes I know I have way too much time on my hands.
Rocky
Oh, it would probably get you there. Just wouldn't get you home under its own power.....
Rocky
WOW. They appear to be nice cars, but I'd want a bit more power than they offer. OTOH I can't afford to have a car in the shop all the time either.
Rocky
Rocky
Below is a picture of a VW GTI (made in Wolfsberg). Being that it's made in Germany, VW has to deal with a auto union far more powerful than our own UAW, yet they can make a pocket rocket with a powerful engine (for it's size and price) and a great interior for about $22-25,000.
Which is something I don't see in US cars. SUV's... maybe. But GM cars at the same price level... not a frigging chance in h@ll.
PS: And yes, you can get a Mustang for around the same price... with more power. But can you get a Mustang with as nice an interior, as good of a suspension, with a 6-speed DSG-style transmission, or as good a fuel economy for the same price?
:P
However per JD Power IQS-4rth from last out of about 40 brands. JD Power vehicle dependiblity Study-4th from last.
JD Power Apeal-9th from last.
Some days, it's quite likely you'll see more VW's than Mazda's... or for that matter, any domestic car.
They don't beat out Honda or Toyota, of course.
:P
Rocky
Rocky
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
He hated the car while it was going through that ordeal, but otherwise it's been fine. One thing kinda odd that recently happened though, is that he just changed his rear brakepads. For the first time. But the front ones are still original! I've NEVER had rear brakes last longer than the front.
The car's a stick shift and he does a lot of highway driving, plus he's a hypermiling fool, so that's probably why his brakes lasted so long.
Now, I'vce noticed that everyone,especially car magazines,always go into orgasmic raves about VW interiors. But if the car is unreliable I don't care about the interior. At that point it's just a nice place to spend time while you're waiting for the tow truck.
Rocky
My uncle has a '00 Passat GLX that he has about 130k miles on and it going strong. He did have some fuel injection issues around 20k miles that required a tow, once that was resolved under warranty no issues, and at well over 100k miles, the car is still tight as a drum.
My BIL, had a '00 Jetta GLS 2.0 4cyl that was reliable, but was delivered with unoperable cruise control. IIRC, he did have a sensor go bad that caused a MIL light, but didn't cause any drivability issues. He put 50k miles on it and traded it in on an '03 Passat GLS that he put 55k miles and it had one issue. The neutral safety switch failed around 40k and did require a tow. He traded it in last year on a Honda Pilot.
I would not hesitate to buy another VW. IMO, the quality of the vehicle out weighs the reliability risk.
I think VW needs to deal with their reliability issues by issuing a SERIOUSLY better warranty, not just upping the powertrain by an extra year to 5/60K.
And they can do it only because the make a product people want.
Too many here think that if a company designs and builds a worthless POS, that cost-cutting will somehow make the company profitable.
It won't.
Only by actually making a product that the customer wants will there be a profit.
Of course, those worshippers of the cost-cutting g-d will point out that GM sells more vehicles then any other single manufacturer. While completely ignoring how GM's sales are steadily shrinking.
Or they'll say that GM can't make a profitable small car... Which makes me think that somehow VW must be a fiscal wizard to be able to sell the new VW Rabbit at a base cost of $14,990. Heck, that's the same price as the new Honda Fit. And let's not forget about the European Polo, priced under the Golf/Rabbit, either.
I bring up VW because it's a European manufacturer that tries to compete in the ordinary car market (ie - not the luxury market) here in the US, but has all the problems of powerful unions, legacy costs, and high wages. Much like GM, come to think about it. But VW isn't suffering like GM.
And it's because of desirable, quality products. (Reliability may be in the toilet, but quality isn't)
:shades:
-Loren
That being said, Gogogodzilla pretty much nailed it. If you reduce production costs building a product that nobody wants, you're still going to lose money. Cost cutting into oblivion is usually the precursor to closing up shop.
VW is the last non-luxury/exotic European auto company not owned by the Big 3 except Mini left with a significant sales presence in the US. Fiat, Renault, Yugo and Citroen all left.
Daihatsu is a Japanese brand. They left the US. Isuzu and Mitsubishi (Japanese) may be next.
Hyundai has styling and an incredibly long warranty. However, their sales are still (relatively) lukewarm in the US.
The bottom line is that Americans want reliability, quality *AND* style in their non-luxury/exotic automobiles. Even GM's management admits they need to get rid of their rat fur upholstery to make it. GM has turned the corner on reliability. Quality (outside of Buick and Cadillac) and styling need to be adjusted next.
A car does not have a sex, though I would see some as looking more shapely, and feminine, like the first Camaro, or a Jaguar XKE, or some other hot sports car. Yeah, I would name that car with a gals name. But that is the cars image, and not the occupant. And in harsh reality, a car or truck doesn't actually have a sex, they are made of steel.
I may not get a Stang though. Kinda a lot of them out there. Maybe something different - I don't know yet. Tiburon maybe ? For the most HP and well let's say practical,it is the Sonata. A V6 , with all that good stuff $19,500. Looks are not bad inside and out, good power, and gas mileage.
Perhaps too practical, and less sporty - said to be so-so in the handling department. Got to test one. Maybe close-out Altima V6 will sell under $20K - dream on. But once again, these are sedans. Hard to find much in coupes. Well there is the Monte Carlo, for perhaps another year.
The Sirocco looks pretty hot! In the past, it was a good handling car indeed. Reliable? Probably not. Will I buy one, not too likely, though it really is something special to look at anyway. I think the performance will be there. The reliability is an issue. I would like to see three good years for VW reliability before jumping in. You are right - so far dicey reliability.
-Loren
... OK, they aren't any time soon.
Ya know, the PT is made in Mexico, as is other cars, and they don't seem to have all the woes of the VW line made there. It will be interesting to see how the reliability of those GTi cars are compared to the rest. May be a fun car to toss around the countryside.
Speaking of cost cutting, how about those 1980 US cars :sick: Things went from cheap in say 1975 cars, to down right junk on some models. The 1990's were none to stellar for the big three.
-Loren
Rocky
It's ashame that one of Germany's most famous cars (Beetle) is made in Mexico. :mad: I'm pretty sure one German is rolling in his grave of fire over that.
But yeah I agree Gogogodzilla, did nail it.
Rocky
Rocky
PORT MELBOURNE, Australia — The plot thickens.
Inside Line has learned Chevrolet Camaro concept Lead Exterior Designer Sangyup Lee is on a special one-year assignment with General Motors' Australian subsidiary, Holden.
Why is this move significant in a business that moves people around the world like pawns on a chessboard?
First, if it reaches production, the Camaro will be built off of a derivative of the Zeta platform — a new rear-wheel-drive chassis. GM's Holden division is currently spearheading the development of that platform. Rear-wheel-drive vehicles continue to be popular in Australia, and represent a significant share of Holden's product portfolio, so its lead role on Zeta development is logical.
Second, the recent report from Canberra, Australia confirms that further development work is being done Down Under on future American rear-wheel-drive vehicles.
Third, Sangyup Lee's involvement in the Camaro concept was significant. We interviewed Sangyup in the days following the Detroit Auto Show, and found he had a clear understanding of the direction on the production car, if approved.
It doesn't take much imagination to look at the above facts and infer that Sangyup is in Australia working with Holden on the production Camaro set to debut in 2008 as a 2009 model.
What this means to you: General Motors remains coy about announcing production plans for the Camaro. But if Vegas had odds on whether the Camaro will be built, we'd solidly bet on production.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=114887
Pontiac Unleashes Red Bull Solstice GXP Drift
Date posted: 04-29-2006
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Pontiac unveiled its next-generation drift vehicle, the Red Bull Solstice GXP Drift, on Thursday.
The 500-horsepower roadster will be piloted by 2005 Formula Drift champion Rhys Millen and will make its official Formula D drifting debut on June 10 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The GXP Drift features a race-modified version of the Solstice GXP turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine that produces roughly double the horsepower of the street-legal GXP that will go on sale this fall.
The competition Ecotec engine runs on E85 ethanol-based fuel, uses thick-wall iron cylinder liners, a race-ported cylinder head, tubular stainless steel exhaust headers, a performance camshaft, a unique engine control system and a water-to-air intercooled turbocharger. It was developed by the same GM Racing engineers behind the Ecotec sport compact drag racing motors. The GXP Drift is outfitted with a production six-speed transmission and the production GXP rear differential.
"With the added power, this new drift vehicle is sure to give me a boost against some very strong competition while fighting for our second drift title," said Millen.
What this means to you: In other words, this hot little Solstice is The Fast and the Furious: Detroit Drift.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=114913
Date posted: 04-29-2006
VIENNA, Austria — General Motors and partners BMW and DaimlerChrysler have unveiled a state-of-the-art full hybrid system that integrates electric motors with a fixed-gear transmission.
The two-mode system, which employs low- and high-speed electric continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes, should be ready for production in 2007, the partners said.
The system incorporates four fixed gear ratios in addition to the two ECVT modes, and it can use electric motors during all modes for boosting power and regenerative braking. The partners say the new technology provides superior fuel economy, performance and towing capability.
The hybrid system is about the same size as a conventional automatic transmission, with about the same overall mechanical content. An electronic control module constantly optimizes the system, matching the most efficient operation point to the power level demanded by the driver.
Because the system imposes no significant limitation on the size or type of engine, the three partners will be able to mate it to a wide variety of engines with relatively few alterations to each one's powertrain portfolio. That means the hybrid technology also can be used across a broader range of vehicles, including passenger cars and light trucks. Initially, it will be employed in rear- and four-wheel-drive applications, but the partners say they are working on future front-wheel-drive applications as well.
What this means to you: An unprecedented alliance, teaming GM with BMW and DCX, will be bringing new hybrid vehicles to your doorstep within the next year.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=114918
DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner's 2005 compensation was cut by almost half as the automaker lost billions of dollars and its credit rating was slashed to junk status, according to a proxy statement filed Friday with federal regulators.
Wagoner received a package worth nearly $5.5 million in 2005, 46 percent lower than the $10 million package he received in 2004.
Wagoner's salary remained at $2.2 million, unchanged since 2003. He received no bonus for the year, compared to a $2.5 million bonus in 2004. He was granted 400,000 stock options with a current value of $2.8 million. In 2004, his 400,000 stock options had a value of $5.1 million.
Wagoner also received $345,082 in personal benefits, including $198,520 for security and $95,856 for use of the company aircraft.
The company's four-member compensation committee said it considered several factors in determining Wagoner's compensation, including the company's $10.6 billion loss in 2005 and ongoing costs for restructuring at GM and Delphi Corp., GM's former parts division. Delphi is looking for financial assistance from GM as it reorganizes in bankruptcy court. Last fall, GM announced a plan to cut 30,000 U.S. hourly jobs and close 12 plants by 2008.
"We noted Mr. Wagoner's strong direction and steady leadership in systematically and aggressively implementing a plan to restore the corporation and North American operations to profitability and positive cash flow," the committee said in a proxy filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other GM executives also saw cuts in their 2005 compensation. Chief Financial Officer John Devine received a package valued at nearly $3.9 million, down from $6.4 million in 2004. Bob Lutz, vice chairman for global product development, received a package worth $3 million, down from $6.5 million the year before. Devine and Lutz also didn't receive bonuses.
In GM's annual report, also filed Friday with the SEC, Wagoner described 2005 as one of the most difficult years in the automaker's 98-year history.
"It was the year in which GM's two fundamental weaknesses in the U.S. market were fully exposed: our huge legacy cost burden and our inability to adjust structural costs in line with falling revenue," Wagoner said.
Wagoner said GM's losses in 2005 were "unsustainable." He also said the recent discovery of accounting errors were "extremely disappointing and embarrassing" and promised GM will be more transparent in its financial reporting.
On March 1, Wagoner and other senior executives announced they would voluntarily reduce their salaries this year. Wagoner cut his salary by half, while Devine and Lutz cut theirs by 30 percent. GM's board of directors also reduced their compensation by 50 percent, and the company cut its dividend its annual dividend from $2 per share to $1.
GM's steps were similar to those taken at crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford received total compensation of $13.3 million in 2005, or 40 percent less than the previous year, after Ford's North American division lost more than $1 billion.
GM shares fell 32 cents to close at $22.88 on the New York Stock Exchange.
------ On the Net: General Motors Corp., http://www.gm.com
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/AUTO01/604290350/- 1148
Rocky
DEARBORN -- President Bush, who touched a nerve this year when he told Detroit carmakers to build "relevant" vehicles, will meet with the companies' leaders next month, Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr. said Wednesday.
People involved in planning the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the high level of the talks, said it would focus on three areas: energy and the environment; costs like pensions and health care premiums that add hundreds of dollars to the price of a Detroit car; and how currency issues affect Japanese automakers.
The meeting is expected to take place May 18 at the White House. It would be the first time during his presidency that Bush has met collectively with Ford, Rick Wagoner of General Motors Corp. and Thomas LaSorda of Chrysler.
A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said she could not confirm nor deny that the meeting would take place, adding that Bush's schedule is generally not final that far in advance. Officials at GM and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group declined to comment.
Toyota Motor Corp., which ranks fourth in U.S. sales behind Chrysler, and which is considering sites for its eighth North American assembly plant, said it was not invited.
Bill Ford, who is known for his interest in the environment, said in an interview that he wanted to use the meeting to lobby the government to finance a national delivery system for ethanol, the grain alcohol fuel made from corn. Together, the three companies have sold millions of flexible-fuel vehicles, which can run on gasoline or a gasoline/ethanol mixture.
GM has introduced a big campaign to promote the use of E85, a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, blanketing billboards and the sides of buses with the slogan, "Live green, go yellow."
But Bill Ford said many of the 1.5 million buyers who own Ford's flexible-fuel vehicles either do not know they are able to run on both fuels, or are unable to find ethanol-based fuel that would help lessen the country's dependence on oil.
"If the goal is to drive ethanol, you have to have it priced attractively," Ford said. That is a problem because the United States has only 600 stations that dispense ethanol-based fuel, versus about 176,000 gasoline stations.
The discussion over ethanol comes amid rising gasoline prices, which threaten to hurt recovery efforts at Ford and GM. Each lost market share and billions of dollars in North America last year, while Chrysler gained share and made money.
Together, GM and Ford have announced plans to cut 60,000 jobs and close more than two dozen plants through 2012.
After Ford announced its cutbacks in January, Bush said the solution to reversing the automakers' problems lay in developing "a product that's relevant." Rather than having the government bail them out, as Congress did in 1979 to save Chrysler from bankruptcy, "I think it's very important that the market should function," Bush added.
Bob Lutz, the vice chairman of GM who is known for his candor, criticized Bush's comments this month. Speaking in New York, Lutz said: "I'm a lifelong Republican, by the way, but next time around, Hillary, here I come. I'm a protest vote."
Bill Ford said the discussion of a bailout would not be on the agenda for the meeting with Bush, whose former chief of staff, Andrew Card, served as GM's lobbyist before joining the White House.
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060427/AUTO01/604270424/- 1148/AUTO01
If Toyota's past serves as predictor for present for CR, the rule must have gotten lost at the factory for this car!
"Avalon shows dent in Toyota quality
Fixes sought for 'problematic vehicle'
Alan Seider has owned 11 Toyotas since 1982, but his 2006 Avalon likely will be
his last. He says quality glitches have bedeviled his Toyota sedan, which he
has driven less than 6,000 miles since he bought it last July. His dealer could
not solve the car's problems."
http://e.ccialerts.com/a/tBEVbV7AG-rD9AbRcQ5AHQBmw0c/and149
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Can't read the article so I can't get the details of the story. It prompts for a member login ID and password as it's a pay site.
>One is bad and he's ready to write off Toyota..
Isn't that what many have done for 30 years after a bad experience with GM, or Ford, or Chrysler?
>Favor selling you a car.
Aint' that the truth. A good friend will be shopping soon. Between the dealer attitude at the local Toyo dealer and the addon charge for SouthEast Franchise or something to up the price without quoting it on the sticker, she's in for a shock when she looks at the Corolla to replace her Civic.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
"I've been buying Chevrolets since 1957, but that dang '73 Vega let me down! I'm tranding that POS and buying a 1974 Corolla!"
Now it's come to haunt Toyota:
"I've been buying Toyotas since 1974 and that dang '06 Avalon is falling apart! I'm trading that POS for a Hyundai Azera!"
American buyers are something else. It's like a guy has a wonderful marriage for 30 years and then divorces his wife because she burned the roast last night.
She did have a Toyota somewhere later in the 80s/90s that she liked so that halo carries on.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's rusting above the rear wheels. I cleaned and waxed it a couple of summers. She's giving it to grandchildren in Maine.
I'm recommending Malibu 4, Civic, Corolla for her shopping. Any chance of finding a previous model Civic at the dealer cheap? Naaaah.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If you're going to recommend a Malibu, I'd push for the V-6. Fuel economy is very close to the 4-cyl Malibu, but performance is much better. And I'm guessing that a V-6 'Bu would still come in less than a Civic or Corolla, so it would be a lot of car for the money.
As interesting as everything is, let's keep it closer to the topic please. Thanks!