New GM Additions for 2009

[CadillacCTS]

I was just taking a look at our 2008 Buildout/ 2009 Startup schedule, and 2 additional vehicles on the list stood out for me.

- 2009 H3 Pickup - SOP August 18, 2008 @ Shreveport

- 2009 Traverse - SOP September 2, 2008 @ Spring Hill

Edited December 29, 2007 by CadillacCTS

[GMTruckGuy74]

Being that these two vehicles will be available around the Fall of 2008, we *should* be seeing their introductions at one of the three major auto shows, right? I'm excited to see what the H3 pickup is going to look like. I'm also hoping there's an interior upgrade that comes to the entire H3 lineup too.

Thanks for the news! thumbsup:

[Northstar]

The H3 "Pickup" is the SUT we've been waiting for forever, is it not?

I guess this is confirmation that the name is indeed Traverse. Not a terrible name, but not great either.

[RJB]

Mere blips on the radar, these are both poor decisions on GM's part(in my opinion). The Traverse is only being made because Chevrolet dealers are whining that they aren't getting a CUV too! The H3 pickup well, Hummer could do without it. They would have been smarter to push up the release of the H4 and not even come out with the H3T all together. The media will have a field day against the H3T mark my words.

The release of new car products in 08/09 is far more important for GM being back on track, and keeping the attention on them in a positive way.

[regfootball]

you know, funny deal, they should have almost bumped the equinox name up to the lambdas and used traverse for the equinox sized entry

[Camino LS6]

I'm waiting for... other things

[ocnblu]

I still wish the Chevy Lambda were a SWB 2-row crossover to take over for the GMT360.

[CSpec]

2008 is definitely an "off" year for GM. They have a ton of intros for 2009, though (Cobalt, Lacrosse, etc).

[CARBIZ]

Mere blips on the radar, these are both poor decisions on GM's part(in my opinion). The Traverse is only being made because Chevrolet dealers are whining that they aren't getting a CUV too! The H3 pickup well, Hummer could do without it. They would have been smarter to push up the release of the H4 and not even come out with the H3T all together. The media will have a field day against the H3T mark my words.

The release of new car products in 08/09 is far more important for GM being back on track, and keeping the attention on them in a positive way.

No, the REAL mistake was giving P-B-GMC two of them, and Chevrolet NONE. All the dealers here are P-B-GMC and always have been (as they are slowly being amalgamated in the U.S.) You have to understand that good dealers nurture relationships with their customers and then the customers demand to know how come WE don't have the CUV. Customers think it's stupid that Chevy never got one.

Also, don't forget in the perennial Ford-Chevy wars, Chevrolet is getting its ass kicked, too. HOw many CUVs does Ford now have?

[turbo200]

the traverse really makes me mad because they just should have introd a Theta three row SUV for Chevy. no need for another Lambda SUV...and they already have a Tahoe which is essentially the same field of competitors only less spacious and less gas efficient. The Traverse will only canabilize the "highly profitable" T900. It just seems like more poor product thinking from GM. 4 entrants competing for a similar crowd of people.

Equinox should be called Tracker and be smaller [i don't like the Equinox name anymore, to complicated], the Traverse should be Trailblazer and be basically an extended version of Theta [suzuki XL-7], Tahoe should be the next step up with the next version receiving IRS and weight saving materials [price should remain the same, if they're so profitable, GM can eat some of the cost, and Escalade would make up some for this], and then of course the classic Suburban. Simple enough. Chevy could even have something based on Sub-Theta, the little SUVs with coupe profiles like the T2x, and then still have a MPV 7 passenger, and maybe even a new HHR based on Gamma with more real useable space and better gas mileage.

[daves87rs]

These should be some interesting intros...

[regfootball]

I still wish the Chevy Lambda were a SWB 2-row crossover to take over for the GMT360.

agreed. although 3 rows are hot, there is still a huge 2 row market that would be well served by such a vehicle.

[ocnblu]

Edge is two-row, nice and sporty.

[Chicagoland]

No, Chevy needs a CUV, 3 row vehicle. Gas isn't getting cheaper, and there needs to be a mainstream version, not just higher end brands.

[loki]

and it'll show how well radio integration will be/look in it too.

[Robert Hall]

agreed. although 3 rows are hot, there is still a huge 2 row market that would be well served by such a vehicle.

Seems like a 2 row Lambda would be redundant with the Equinox..

[Robert Hall]

The H3 "Pickup" is the SUT we've been waiting for forever, is it not?

I guess this is confirmation that the name is indeed Traverse. Not a terrible name, but not great either.

I'm wondering if the H3 'Pickup' is going to be like the concept (2dr with longish bed) or the same short-bed 4dr nonsense as the H2 SUT..

[jcgable]

Though I agree that Chevy needs one (they should have gotten it in the first place), they definitely could have used the brand equity in the Trailblazer name for it, and left it as a 2-or-3 row CUV...

GM marketing should TOTALLY hire me... :-P I am cheap too. Only 100k a year for part time work while I'm in college. TOTALLY worth it... :-)

[Z-06]

Though I agree that Chevy needs one (they should have gotten it in the first place), they definitely could have used the brand equity in the Trailblazer name for it, and left it as a 2-or-3 row CUV...

GM marketing should TOTALLY hire me... :-P I am cheap too. Only 100k a year for part time work while I'm in college. TOTALLY worth it... :-)

There are 4859 people ahead of you give or take because some of them are import humpers and subtract P-C-S from that.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I'm wondering if the H3 'Pickup' is going to be like the concept (2dr with longish bed) or the same short-bed 4dr nonsense as the H2 SUT..

From the spy shots we've seen already (posted in the Hummer thread section), we know the H3T pickup will NOT be anything like the concept from 2004 and will NOT be a SUT like the bigger H2. It will be a 4-door crew cab pickup with a separate, shortened bed (likely 4 foot).

Check out these threads for camo'ed spy shots:

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...showtopic=21283

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...showtopic=18728

[regfootball]

Seems like a 2 row Lambda would be redundant with the Equinox..

equinox is not wide enough nor is it's cargo hold very big

Edited January 1, 2008 by regfootball

[The O.C.]

the traverse really makes me mad because they just should have introd a Theta three row SUV for Chevy. no need for another Lambda SUV...and they already have a Tahoe which is essentially the same field of competitors only less spacious and less gas efficient. The Traverse will only canabilize the "highly profitable" T900. It just seems like more poor product thinking from GM. 4 entrants competing for a similar crowd of people.

Equinox should be called Tracker and be smaller [i don't like the Equinox name anymore, to complicated], the Traverse should be Trailblazer and be basically an extended version of Theta [suzuki XL-7], Tahoe should be the next step up with the next version receiving IRS and weight saving materials [price should remain the same, if they're so profitable, GM can eat some of the cost, and Escalade would make up some for this], and then of course the classic Suburban. Simple enough. Chevy could even have something based on Sub-Theta, the little SUVs with coupe profiles like the T2x, and then still have a MPV 7 passenger, and maybe even a new HHR based on Gamma with more real useable space and better gas mileage.

Oh...I don't know...

I think Chevy SHOULD have a Lambda. It's one of GM's finest product intros recently....a true quality product....and gives consumers a solid choice between an excellent CUV with space in the 3rd row, etc., or a GMT-900 Tahoe that is BOF and has the towing capacity some people might need.

I think a Chevy Theta 3-row would not be competitive enough in terms of interior space, cargo capacity, and 3rd-row seating comfort.

IMHO, (considering the consolidation of all three divisions on one dealer lot) GMC should not have gotten the Acadia. The Enclave gives those dealers a highly-competitive entry to fight Lexus, etc....so why do you need an almost-identical version sitting right next to Enclave on the same dealer lot?

[Drew Dowdell]

Oh...I don't know...

I think Chevy SHOULD have a Lambda. It's one of GM's finest product intros recently....a true quality product....and gives consumers a solid choice between an excellent CUV with space in the 3rd row, etc., or a GMT-900 Tahoe that is BOF and has the towing capacity some people might need.

I think a Chevy Theta 3-row would not be competitive enough in terms of interior space, cargo capacity, and 3rd-row seating comfort.

IMHO, (considering the consolidation of all three divisions on one dealer lot) GMC should not have gotten the Acadia. The Enclave gives those dealers a highly-competitive entry to fight Lexus, etc....so why do you need an almost-identical version sitting right next to Enclave on the same dealer lot?

I agree, disagree and disagree with you.

I think Chevy should have a Lamda for a few reasons; 1. It is effectively now the replacement for the Trailblazer once the GMT-360s are gone. 2. It's effectively an Uplander replacement. 3. It will help to provide a softer landing once CAFE smacks the hell out of the Tahoe.

I think Chevy should also have a Theta 3-row also.... based on what they did with the Suzuki XL-7. That turned out to be a pretty good SUV hindered by an also-ran brand name.

There would still be a substantial size difference between the two SUVs. I'm not sure how they'd pull off pricing however. The Traverse is getting dangerously close to Equinox territory.

The Acadia is the second most popular Lambda right now. Like it or not, there are still people who will refuse to buy a Buick simply because of the name but are open to buying a GMC. For that reason, along with the lack of Saturn dealers, the Acadia was a good move.

[The O.C.]

I agree, disagree and disagree with you.

I think Chevy should have a Lamda for a few reasons; 1. It is effectively now the replacement for the Trailblazer once the GMT-360s are gone. 2. It's effectively an Uplander replacement. 3. It will help to provide a softer landing once CAFE smacks the hell out of the Tahoe.

I think Chevy should also have a Theta 3-row also.... based on what they did with the Suzuki XL-7. That turned out to be a pretty good SUV hindered by an also-ran brand name.

There would still be a substantial size difference between the two SUVs. I'm not sure how they'd pull off pricing however. The Traverse is getting dangerously close to Equinox territory.

The Acadia is the second most popular Lambda right now. Like it or not, there are still people who will refuse to buy a Buick simply because of the name but are open to buying a GMC. For that reason, along with the lack of Saturn dealers, the Acadia was a good move.

.....and I'll give you this.....

OK...no reason Chevy can't also have a 3-row Theta.....but I think they still need the Lambda. BUT....every XL7 I've been in has been appaling from an interior fit-and-finish standpoint....nowhere near as good as the Lambdas (or the VUE.)

Acadia....Enclave....Acadia.....Enclave.....take whichever one you want. But still seems silly for one dealer to be peddling two versions of the same product....sure styling is a bit different, but they are even closely priced...and do offer the same equipement/powertrain/chassis, etc....

[Drew Dowdell]

.....and I'll give you this.....

OK...no reason Chevy can't also have a 3-row Theta.....but I think they still need the Lambda. BUT....every XL7 I've been in has been appaling from an interior fit-and-finish standpoint....nowhere near as good as the Lambdas (or the VUE.)

Acadia....Enclave....Acadia.....Enclave.....take whichever one you want. But still seems silly for one dealer to be peddling two versions of the same product....sure styling is a bit different, but they are even closely priced...and do offer the same equipement/powertrain/chassis, etc....

I've never been in an XL7, but the pics of the interiors looked attractive enough for a 20k SUV. Dunno about the fit though.

Acadia... Enclave. Yeah it's silly for one dealer to have both.... about as silly as people's refusal to buy a Buick evar.

[Robert Hall]

I've never been in an XL7, but the pics of the interiors looked attractive enough for a 20k SUV. Dunno about the fit though.

Acadia... Enclave. Yeah it's silly for one dealer to have both.... about as silly as people's refusal to buy a Buick evar.

True...but the Acadia and Enclave are significantly differentiated, at least in interior and exterior design.....but if the Acadia and Outlook were at the same dealer..

[The O.C.]

I've never been in an XL7, but the pics of the interiors looked attractive enough for a 20k SUV. Dunno about the fit though.

Acadia... Enclave. Yeah it's silly for one dealer to have both.... about as silly as people's refusal to buy a Buick evar.

The XL7 that Suzuki had at both the O.C. auto show and the recent L.A. auto show had navigation......but I guess Suzuki was too cheap to power up the vehicles for display so someone took a mapquest of the L.A. area and used scissors to cut it into a square so that they could tape it into the square slot on the dash where the nav is.

I'M TOTALLY SERIOUS.....COULD NOT MAKE THIS $h! UP.....

How sad is that? LOL

Edited January 2, 2008 by The O.C.

[GMTruckGuy74]

If money were not the object here, I'd choose the GMC Acadia hands down while the wife would definitely drive away in the Buick Enclave. While I think the Enclave is nice, it's not what I want; same goes for the wife, just in reverse (she likes the Enclave because of the Lexus-like styling).

If the Lambda's were Chevy-Saturn-Buick and no GMC Acadia existed, I'd definitely go with the Saturn OUTLOOK over the Chevy Traverse and/or the Buick Enclave. There is enough of a styling difference between the GMC & Buick versions that makes it "okay" to sell them in the same building/showroom. Another example is that my sister & brother-in-law are currently looking at the Lambda's to replace their leased '05 Envoy XL. When they went to the dealership, they looked at the GMC Acadia because they both don't like the more expensive looks of the Enclave (they're also considering the OUTLOOK). No Enclave for them. Your scenario of the Acadia not existing would have the BPG dealer lose out on the sale.

[The O.C.]

If money were not the object here, I'd choose the GMC Acadia hands down while the wife would definitely drive away in the Buick Enclave. While I think the Enclave is nice, it's not what I want; same goes for the wife, just in reverse (she likes the Enclave because of the Lexus-like styling).

If the Lambda's were Chevy-Saturn-Buick and no GMC Acadia existed, I'd definitely go with the Saturn OUTLOOK over the Chevy Traverse and/or the Buick Enclave. There is enough of a styling difference between the GMC & Buick versions that makes it "okay" to sell them in the same building/showroom. Another example is that my sister & brother-in-law are currently looking at the Lambda's to replace their leased '05 Envoy XL. When they went to the dealership, they looked at the GMC Acadia because they both don't like the more expensive looks of the Enclave (they're also considering the OUTLOOK). No Enclave for them. Your scenario of the Acadia not existing would have the BPG dealer lose out on the sale.

You just proved my point though.

You said if there wasn't an Acadia, you'd "definitely go with the OUTLOOK." In other words, it's very unlikely we'd lose you as a GM customer if the Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealer ONLY had an Enclave to offer you.

Fact is....if there was no Acadia, people would either shop and buy Enclave....OR....they'd visit the Chevy or Saturn dealer to pick up a Traverse or OUTLOOK that they liked better....

[turbo200]

i don't know about that. though in a sense a cool vehicle at buick like the enclave is sorta kinda in a roundabout way bringing buzz and making buick cool...there are still people who just would not shop buick because it has a stigma. however reversable that stigma has been proven to be by the enclave, gmc is not damaged goods, they have a name that is recognizable for making both utalitarian vehicles and cool trucks. buick still equates old man cars...just now it also deals with a suave sophisticated comfortable and powerful SUV. now if that graphyte were also to be released.....

[Drew Dowdell]

The XL7 that Suzuki had at both the O.C. auto show and the recent L.A. auto show had navigation......but I guess Suzuki was too cheap to power up the vehicles for display so someone took a mapquest of the L.A. area and used scissors to cut it into a square so that they could tape it into the square slot on the dash where the nav is.

I'M TOTALLY SERIOUS.....COULD NOT MAKE THIS $h! UP.....

How sad is that? LOL

How very KIA of them!

[Duncan]

i don't know about that. though in a sense a cool vehicle at buick like the enclave is sorta kinda in a roundabout way bringing buzz and making buick cool...there are still people who just would not shop buick because it has a stigma. however reversable that stigma has been proven to be by the enclave, gmc is not damaged goods, they have a name that is recognizable for making both utalitarian vehicles and cool trucks. buick still equates old man cars...just now it also deals with a suave sophisticated comfortable and powerful SUV. now if that graphyte were also to be released.....

Keep in mind, though, that there's also a whole segment of the population that has grown up building customized (read: lowrider-style) Buick Regals or LeSabres and still sees the brand as aspirational. I do love old Regals and Cutlasses, so I can easily see where that interest could cross over as I'm also a big fan of the Enclave.

Many people also have an image of the Gran Sport associated with Buick, which is perfect. In its classic role within the GM hierarchy, Buick always served either as a plusher Pontiac or a less-flashy Cadillac. With Oldsmobile (sadly) no longer around to fill the sports/luxury role, the time is ripe for Buick to take up that mantle.

Where's the goddamned Park Avenue, already...? All the handling skills of the G8 with more room and softer leather - that's a combination I'd easily consider.

Edited January 2, 2008 by Duncan

[Z-06]

Slap each and every Chevy dealer on their on their backs w./ sarcasm and faces w./ rage if the Traverse does not set sales goals they are trying to achieve by muscling their power.