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Yeah, that's a valid point - (although I think the new Malibu might be finding it's way onto some Camry/Accord shopper's comparison lists)
link title
Mr. Farago also adds some good comments after the typical import fanboy chimes in with the usual rhetoric.
They'll never get the true import bigots - that's sort of the definition of 'bigot"
The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. today said their U.S. sales declined in February, while American Honda Motor Co. Inc. recorded a 5 percent gain.
Chrysler and GM each posted double-digit declines -- in part, GM said, due to a tough comparison with a strong month last February.
Chrysler reported sales of 150,093 units in the month, down 14 percent from 174,506 a year ago, despite positive demand for models such as the Dodge Caliber, Dodge Avenger and redesigned Jeep Patriot.
Some of its sales decline was due to a reduction in sales to daily rental fleets, Chrysler said.
GM said it sold 270,423 units in the month, down more than 13 percent from 311,763 vehicles a year ago, as demand for trucks continued to wane.
The Detroit-based car maker said demand was strong for sedans like the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6.
Still, GM said it has trimmed second-half 2008 production goals by 5 percent to 1.08 million vehicles.
Ford said its overall U.S. sales were down 7 percent in February despite continued strong demand for its redesigned Ford focus and new crossover products.
The Dearborn-based automaker sold 196,681 units for the month, down from 211,150 in February 2007.
For the second half of 2008, the company said, it plans to make 730,000 vehicles, down 10 percent from a year ago.
Earlier today Ford announced it would eliminate shifts at factories in Chicago, Louisville, Ky., and Cleveland due to sluggish demand.
Ford, which like its rivals is slowing its sales to daily rental car fleets, said that decline accounted for the majority of its February sales dip. Retail sales, the car maker said, were up 4 percent compared to a year ago.
Sales of the Focus small sedan grew 36 percent, while demand for the Ford Edge crossover was up 46 percent and up 22 percent for its Lincoln counterpart, the MKX
However, demand for Ford's bread-and-butter F-Series pickup trucks was off 5 percent from February 2007, and sales for larger SUVs including the Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer and Lincoln Navigator fell 22 percent.
Honda said it sold 115,397 units in February, up 5 percent from 110,026 a year ago. Demand was strong for the Fit subcompact, the company said, as well as its CR-V crossover and and Pilot SUV.
Toyota reported 182,169 units sold in the month, down nearly 3 percent from 187,330 units in February 2007.
Toyota said strong sellers included its Camry and Yaris passenger cars, while sales of its Prius hybrid sedan were down.
Other automakers reporting February U.S. sales results today include:
--Kia Motors America, 21,988 units, down 6.5 percent
--Volkswagen AG, 16556 units, up 1 percent
--Nissan North America Inc., 76,151 units, down about 1 percent
--Hyundai Motor America, 31,090, down 11 percent
It seems to me with the European models coming to Saturn, this will fill the niche that Pontiac is suppose to fill and quite honestly has done a poor job of it.
This is what you said. Yes, Malibu and G6 are currently on the same platform but there sure is more than moulding differences. Grand Prix is being dropped as the G8 ramps up. Will stick around for fleet sales and when the Camaro is introduced at the Oshawa plant the GP will fade away. So that leaves only the G5 that is a Chevy with different moulding.
The Saturn/European cars are pretty much FWD cars. Do folks really see Saturn as performance vehicles?
For Pontiac to make it they have to come out with midpriced performance vehicles. RWD if possible. The G8 answers that call as does the Sky. Also the RWD Alpha compact would be great there. Drop everything else. A midsize RWD would be great but not sure where it would come from. Perhaps an AWD Eps II with great power?
Apart from the interior and exterior styling, how are they different?
Apart from the interior and exterior styling, how are they different?
They are different enough that no one would ever know they are on the same platform unless they were told. They have completely different ride and handling characteristics. They both have 4 cylinders and V6's but again so do all the competition. I would say most buyers only look at interior and exterior styling and engine choices (4 or 6). Then there are features and both the Malibu and G6 have pretty much all the same features as most any other mid sized car.
I guess I gotta ask what would a typical customer find the same about them, not how are they different.
GM says key advances made in lithium-ion battery technology and alternator-generator design have also boosted fuel efficiency by a wide margin, while curing the anemic acceleration that has turned off some potential buyers of its first-generation hybrids.
The system, which will reach the market first in a Saturn VUE in 2010, is small enough that it can be fitted into the smallest of GM compacts, yet powerful enough for its SUVs and workhorse trucks when teamed with small, turbocharged, direct-injection engines.
"We think we've created a global benchmark for affordable hybrid systems," says Steve Poulos, chief engineer for GM's hybrid powertrain team. "It's very simple . . . very friendly for drivers." Performance is vastly superior to the current system, he said.
The key to the system is a new lithium-ion battery that is 24 per cent smaller than the current nickel metal-hydride batteries used in GM's lower-priced hybrids. The second-generation battery will be about the size of a 12-pack of soft drink cans, and weighs 40 per cent less while packing 33 per cent more power.
GM won't identify the supplier of the new battery, which will require its own liquid cooling system to prevent overheating.
The other half of the system is a more efficient alternator-generator, which starts the engine at stoplights and recaptures energy during braking. A supplier GM would not name has developed a larger, yet more efficient unit which it says can be mass-produced at lower cost than the previous design.
GM intends to introduce the system first on the Saturn VUE then roll it out to other brands and market segments, from cars to trucks. It plans to produce "more than 100,000" of the new hybrids in its first year, and has the manufacturing capacity to produce whatever the marketplace demands, other company officials said.
GM's new hybrids will be marketed alongside the more expensive two-mode hybrid system currently being introduced in the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and soon its pickup trucks. GM now refers to the two-mode system, which it owns jointly with BMW, Daimler and Chrysler, as its "premium" hybrid system.
The architecture of the new system is identical to the hybrid system currently available in GM's "mild" hybrid system, "but it's on steroids," Poulos said.
The new system "puts out a lot more power than it does now," Poulos said. Fuel efficiency also improves by several miles per gallon in both city and highway applications. The second-gen system will also recharge at highway speeds due to another engineering advance GM won't discuss yet.
Cobalt sales were up 56% if February and 43% for the first two months from last year while the competing corolla was down 21% for February and 15% for the year.
Adadia sales were up 38%/122%.
The full size pickups continue to be #1 and 2 for sales (Chevy/Ford)
insufficient dealer inventory, says Cheryl Catton, director of Chevrolet
marketing.
Cobalt deliveries jumped 24% in the month, also bolstering GM’s
passenger-car volume at the same time light-truck sales took another
spill.
Catton is expecting greater gains in Chevy’s small-car sales once the
new 5-door Aveo debuts in July, sporting a more contemporary exterior
and other enhancements.
She attributes much of Chevrolet’s sales climb to a change in consumer
perception of the brand’s fuel-thrifty car portfolio (minus the
Corvette). “Most of our cars deliver 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) or better,”
she says.
Plus, surveys conducted by Chevrolet suggest car buyers are more aware
of the Malibu’s improved quality, compared with Asian competitors that
long have dominated the midsize segment.
“We knew we had to get the word out on this,” Catton says. “The Internet
has generated a lot of interest, and we’ve received good third-party
reviews on the Malibu.
“The ’08 Malibu is running significantly ahead of its 2007 sales volume,
even though we’re constrained by an inability to get more stock.”
It is not hard to imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when General Motors Corp. will not exist. In fact, a lot of investors are imagining such a scenario.
Hampered by bloated costs and nimble foreign competitors, which are dining out on the Big Three's market share, GM's stock price has been decimated in recent years. Profits have turned to losses and the once-hefty dividend has been cut in half.
GM's shares peaked in 2000 at $93.63 (U.S.), when oil was cheap and SUVs ruled the roads, but have since meandered to yesterday's close of $21.96, down 39 cents or 1.7 per cent. Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Corp. has taken over as the world's biggest automaker and upstarts are appearing in China and India.
The GM-is-dying argument is certainly compelling, which is why the stock is down 75 per cent over the past eight years. But what is more interesting, and potentially more profitable, is the argument in favour of the automaker's survival. If GM can turn things around, the stock is certainly worth more than its current sickly price.
A number of savvy institutional investors, not exactly prone to making silly guesses, are making big bets on a recovery. In fact, the more the stock falls, the better it looks to these value-oriented types who thrive on widespread negative sentiment.
Legg Mason increased its holdings in GM by 5.4 million shares at the end of 2007, bringing its stake to 15 million shares. Southeastern Asset Management owns 41 million shares. And State Street has an amazing 79 million shares. Collectively, these holdings are worth almost $3-billion, which means these fund managers are not exactly taking a flyer on the stock on the off chance that it survives.
What are these investors thinking? Yes, they are betting that GM survives, as the giant slashes payrolls and makes more moves into emerging markets, where growth is in the double digits. They can point to the fact that revenue in GM's core automotive business is actually growing, belying the impression that no one drives GM's vehicles any more.
But just as important, they argue that the automaker's shares have sunk far below their "intrinsic" value - an estimate based on what they feel the company is really worth, which is different than what the market thinks it is worth.
For example, Southeastern Asset Management firmly believes the shares are worth more than $60, even after they factor in declining sales expectations for 2008, record-high oil prices and mortgage-related writedowns at GM's financing unit, GMAC - which is the sort of stuff that gives many other investors the willies. In other words, Southeastern sees an upside of about 160 per cent from today's prices.
Right now, GM's shares are priced for disaster. But if disaster is averted - a bet that is by no means far-fetched, even with the U.S. economy on the edge of recession - then the shares are worth more. Much more.
Having driven both cars, we can tell you the G8 GT does all of those things quite well and will handily keep up with the BMW in every aspect of performance. Now, the BMW does feel better while it’s doing all of those things, but sheesh, for twice the money, it damn well ought to.
Still, if you’ve got 30 grand to spend and you want the best V8 sports sedan experience you can get for the money, there’s really nothing else out there to choose from. And frankly, as good as the Pontiac G8 GT is, that’s really not a problem at all.
Go ahead, drive it –– if you enjoy a responsive car, you’ll definitely like it.
GM has two excellent platforms in the mid to high priced performance segments. What will the general do? I think we know but who can tell with the mpg requirements. One has to go sooner or later though. My guess is the Holden will stay.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=125009/pageId=136- 353
OK, if you are the type to drive SUV's off road and the pedal to the metal perhaps the Sequoia is best for you. However for the other 99.9% of us we would rather drive our kids to school and soccer and baseball and basketball and cub scouts and girl scouts and afterschool classes and field trips on the regular roads and just drive like nomal parents and get the EPA numbers of 16/22 instead of the 13/16 you get.
Yes the new EPA for 2008 did get a bit more conservative and more realistic but again it is only what they felt normal people drive. The Enclave with a V6 would have to work a lot harder than a V8 if you drive like with the foot down.
With our experience our Enclave gets 19 average and we are very happy with that. Of course we are not doing 0-60 measured testing for an article. Just driving normally (for us).
What is interesting is how poorly the Sequoia did in the comparison. For such an expensive vehicle to just have cloth seats? wow.
And in the end the rankings were what I would expect for a comparison with families in mind. A minivan is the best choice for hauling family duties while the SUV would be last. Their last line on how the Acadia could have bested the Odyssey if it had sliding doors is precious.
Wow what? It's not like anything in that segment is going to have actual cow's-butt seat coverings.
see here
Missed something? What segment are you talking about that does not have actual leather? What segment is the Seqouia in?
What non-lux SUV's do not use leather? Even Chevy's lowest "SUV" offering HHR uses leather seating surfaces. The sides are vinyl but where the body touches it is leather.
Well, you have done it now. You have gone off the deep end. I can personally guarantee that if the General says leather, it will be made of leather. If not GM would have been taken to court many years ago. False advertisement is not easy to defend if the advertiser puts it in writing.
From HHR:
Leather Seating Surfaces
All LT models offer available heated front leather seating surfaces. These supportive front-row seats sit high to provide a commanding view of the road. You also get 60/40-split flat-folding leather-appointed rear seats in HHR models."
Could not find the cow but here is the leather supplier website (GST Autoleather)touting its leather in the HHR. Hey they also supply leather for the Lexus LS430 and RX!
http://www.gstautoleather.com/automotive_leather_showroom_detail.asp?id=hhr&make- =Chevrolet%20&model=HHR
http://www.gstautoleather.com/automotive_leather_showroom.asp
In any event '62, the one of the keys to it's success will be in the marketing of this vehicle. This is starting to become deja vu with Lutz pushing the "alternative BMW" thing (a la Monaro) before the car is released to the public. And once released they push the muscle / performance angle to death. While they can have the m / p angle, it should be secondary IF this vehicle is TRULY a BMW 5er alternative. If that is the case, which it once appears to be with the imported Holdens, then I would hope they stay the course and aim for that market.
But it may send a mixed signal to have a BMW fighter sitting next to a G5 and a Vibe (perhaps they can park it next to Solstices, (Solstii?). And if the G8 is going to be the flagship, and represent the mark as german machinery alternatives, does this mean the rest of the fleet are in for upgrades?
Heck, we put better leather in our premium interiors for the old Mack R Models!! And I wouldn't call it hi-grade!! And I can guarantee that the leather used in the HHR is NOT the same grade as in the Lexus, which is not the same as in the Rolls or the Ferrari.
Maybe hook up with Ricardo Montalban and get some of the "Corinthian leather"...
Toyota Motor Corp. will ratchet back production of Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs in Indiana and Texas in response to slow sales.
The reduction in volume -- a rare move for Toyota in North America -- will begin in late spring, said Mike Goss, a spokesman for Toyota's North American production company. He said Toyota has no plan to lay off workers at either plant.
Goss declined to say how many fewer trucks Toyota will produce this year because of the cutback.
Toyota will achieve the reduction by slowing down the production cycle. Normally, Toyota and other automakers rigorously build up the number of vehicles per hour their assembly workers can build.
The gas prices are honestly hurting truck sales. The Malibu, sales are strong at our dealership but trucks are slow.
Rocky
Rocky
Pontiac G8
Chevy Camaro
Dodge Challenger
Mazda 6
I can't think of any new vehicles that will be deserving the title. Sure there is the Jaguar XF, Honda Fit, Hyundai Genesis, Nissan Maxima, Acura TL and TSX, but none of these really break new ground.
The Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger bring back the pony cars. The Mazda will have class-leading power and performace (2.5L and 3.7L I've read). But the real winner might be the Pontiac G8.
Earlier this year, General Motors announced it had invested in the company and that Coskata would build GM a test ethanol plant by the end of the year that would be capable of producing 40,000 gallons of fuel a year.
Coskata's ultimate goal is to sell fuel for $1 a gallon. It hopes to have a 100-million gallon a year plant by 2011.
Coskata--which uses both thermochemical and biological processes--says it can beat competitors in the price of feedstock. (See photos here of how the process works.) Trash is free, which the company claims gives them a cost advantage over some other cellulosic companies who will be buying trees and farmed grasses. Coskata will also use crops, but a significant portion of its feedstock will come from materials with little market value. (Competitors, however, claim that cooking heterogeneous materials into a fuel is complex and hence adds processing costs.)
This is a blog by the CEO of Coskata explaining their process. It seems simple enough and plausible.
-Rocky
Invicta could signal the entry of a coupe in Buick's lineup, although
he said the aerodynamic design would work equally well for a sedan."
Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of global design, said Tuesday that the
new concept, the Invicta, will debut next month at the Beijing Auto
Show. Welburn only showed a broad outline of the vehicle's design, but
said it builds on the sweeping styling and classic waterfall grille of
the Buick Riviera concept coupe, which was unveiled last year at the
Shanghai Auto Show.
The Invicta, like the Riviera, was developed jointly by GM design teams
in North America and Shanghai. Buick is GM's most popular brand in
China, with domestic sales of 332,115 vehicles in 2007, up 9 percent
from the year before. The brand is especially popular with Chinese
executives, which is one reason for upgrades that have been made in
Buick's interiors.
The Invicta "gives you an idea of where the Buick brand is going," said Dave Lyon, GM's executive director of interior design.
After paring the Buick brand down to three vehicles, GM executives said the popularity of the Enclave suggest a way forward for the brand GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has deemed "struggling."
Dave Smidebush, product director for Buick and Pontiac, said the Enclave was still the hottest-selling crossover on the market, with tight dealer supplies and an average buyer age up to 15 years younger than the typical Buick customers in their mid-60s.
Smidebush also said half of the Enclave's buyers were trading in vehicles from other brands, including foreign makes.
"The next step is to do that on the car side," Smidebush said.
Tell me, what do you feel about the possibility (I say this as there really isn't any 100% evidence it will happen) that the Holden Ute is coming over as the G8 Sport Truck?
I know Pontiac is being aimed as the Holden-portal for NA to get good RWD vehicles, but does this fall inline with their marketing and sales aim / strategy (if they have one). Wouldn't this be more inline to be a Chevrolet Elky? I fear this may be another sales fiasco flop as the Monaro/GTO. And would of the tie-in with GMC, as these dealers / makes have been tied together for years?
Actually I think this model would cost next to nothing to import. Basically put a G8 front end and the rest of the US changes on a Holden UTE. Much easier/cheaper /faster than putting together a chevy version.
I personally do not see much volume in this on either Pontiac or Chevy. But who knows.
Someone has forgotten the Commodore-clone Chevy Lumina. Put that body kit on a US-legal Holden Ute for instant El Camino. (Except the model badges, but how much could that cost?)
-- Four out of five General Motors Corp. vehicles sold in the United States will have to be hybrids by 2020 in order to meet the federal fuel economy rule of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Wednesday.
"Ultimately by 2020 we figure that 80% of vehicles will require some sort of hybridization," Lutz said after introducing three new Pontiac sports cars at the New York Auto Show. "We cannot get to 35 miles per gallon with anything resembling the current product portfolio with anything resembling current technology."
GM and other automakers agreed to the 35 m.p.g. standard in last year's energy bill as part of a compromise to stave off even more strict standards favored by many lawmakers. The auto industry is fighting efforts by California and other states to set tougher standards.
Lutz, who has long criticized federal fuel economy rules, said his hybrid count included both GM's two-mode hybrid system and the "mild" hybrid on some of its sedans that costs less than the two-mode but offers less fuel savings. He estimated that about 15% of GM's lineup would include hybrids by 2015, with the rate ramping up as the rules phase in before 2020.
Lutz said even with hybrid technology, GM would still have a struggle bringing some vehicles in compliance, noting that the two-mode hybrid system in its full-size sport-utility vehicles boosted fuel economy to 22 m.p.g.
"How do you get those from 22 to 35? We don't know," Lutz said. "We're open to ideas."