NAIAS '10 Photographs & Slight Review

[NOS2006]

Yesterday I was able to go to NAIAS for the Industry Preview. Overall, it was a pretty small show as expected. Nothing really glamorous or exciting. Ford had a pretty nice display, and the whole show was nice for what the industry is going through right now. However, again, there wasn't a lot of pizzazz, not much new, just kind of a bunch of dealerships in one place with a few concepts. I can't complain though; nobody in the industry has money to throw something new out there. It was definitely weird to not see Saab, Saturn, Hummer, and Lamborghini (among others who were missing) this year.

I was pretty impressed by the setup in the basement. The pictures turned out terrible due to the poor lighting and not fixing the settings on my camera, but it was pretty nice. We took a ride in a Tahoe Hybrid. I've been in one before, but I jumped in to join my coworker. It was a nice ride and I think you should all check one out if you get a chance, even if you can't afford its steep MSRP. It's really pretty respectable to hardly ever know if that big six-liter V8 is pumping or not.

While I was there, I figured it'd be fun to eavesdrop on people looking at the GM vehicles to hear their opinions on GM's latest offerings. So, here are a few direct quotes I heard from other onlookers...

"Not too bad overall." (said with an optimistic tone) -- GMC Terrain

"This is real nice!" -- Cadillac XTS

"It just screams 'get out of the way.'" -- Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

"This blows away the A4 all day long. This is really nice." -- Buick Regal GS

To view my gallery of this year's show, CLICK HERE

[GMTruckGuy74]

Was the hatch on the GMC Granite ever opened? If yes, how much space is availabl back there?

[ocnblu]

Nice set of shots, Nos. Thanks for posting these.

[RJB]

GM is screwed, really screwed. I went to the show with an open mind, and out of the big 3 I think Ford is poised to overtake GM and Chrysler and be number 1 overall. Chrysler's situation well we know what that is right now, holding on barely. GM...this a hard one with me since I'm a 3rd generation GM worker. I thought the entire lineup save for a few cars I cant't afford(Cadillac, Corvette)were nice, but their lineup looked really really tired and dated. Even the new products to me look dated already, except for the Equinox, even the CTS is starting to look dated(gulp!). I had to stand there and listen to my friends bash on GM and I didn't really have much to stand on to throwback at them. The Cruze is a complete and utter disappointment compared to what Ford is going to bring out in the new Focus. That car blew me away!!!!

All in all I walked away from the show with a bad uncertain feeling for GM, a lot of concern, they need to turn it around quick because Ford has a head start and is off and running and we are losing sight of them.

[ocnblu]

I am almost ready to agree with you, RJB. GM just didn't have it at the Detroit show this year. Ford's small cars appear much more desirable than Chevy's. If small cars truly take center stage to stay (a big IF in the USA), GM has a thin selection of cool stuff. The Aveo appears nice as a Concept, about on par with Fiesta, which was shown in PRODUCTION form... I fear the production Aveo will lose its edge. Spark is ugly, and Cruze, while pleasant, appears dull and old compared to the snazzy Focus, which has already been shown in two bodystyles, with more promised. Nothing concrete has been published regarding any other Cruze bodystyles for the USA.

XTS strikes an odd chord, imo, and seems almost science fiction in a lot of aspects. Aside from the interior, which is rich in Cadillac Style, everything else about it just seems off, somehow. Its stubby nose attached to a nice Cadillac face, long but dramatic greenhouse, short decklid, combined with long rear overhang and short wheelbase throw the proportions into EV-1 territory... it's a teardrop that doesn't translate. Of course, MKS hasn't really jumped off the lots, either, so it appears to be a draw at this extremely early juncture, with Lincoln having a more appealing Ecoboost over the future-think 3.6L/hybrid assist Cadillac.

Regal trumps Milan and creeps onto MKZ territory for niceness. They have a winner in this car, I hope. A tiny whisper of a coupe version coming has me hopeful, as well. The coupe should have been shown in Detroit this year, though. It's already designed and sitting, ready.

Taurus/Impala is a complete and utter blowout in favor of the Ford. Fusion is more lively than Malibu, with a better hybrid and sporty trim packages. Mustang is lighter than Camaro, and holds its own pretty well.

The 3.7L F-150 will sell to folks who like to drive a truck but don't need to pull much of a trailer. Not sure what GM will have in store with the next Silverado/Sierra, it remains to be seen.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Sorry RJB, I just can't subscribe to your "doom & gloom" theory about GM. Sure, maybe they didn't have a great showing at the NAIAS this year, but unlike Ford which didn't claim bankrupcy and fell behind in product development, GM did. Look at the sales of the 2010 GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox, the CTS lineup, the LaCrosse, and the Camaro - all doing well for GM and bringing cash flow in. Sure Ford beat them to market with a better small car, but GM historically has always been behind Ford in new products (examples: '57 Ranchero/'59 El Camino; '64 Mustang/'67 Camaro-Firebird). I'm still excited to be a GM enthusiast and not quite ready to abandom them yet. I may not be able to afford most of the vehicles GM makes that I love, but they still inspire me more than any Ford or Chrysler product (I'm talking about me, not anyone else). And just because the NAIAS was weak for GM, we still have Chicago and NY for them to show up at with possibly more impressive vehicles (let's see what ford does different at those shows before we give them a trophy).

[Drew Dowdell]

There are still two more shows this season, don't count GM out yet.

[RJB]

Sorry RJB, I just can't subscribe to your "doom & gloom" theory about GM. Sure, maybe they didn't have a great showing at the NAIAS this year, but unlike Ford which didn't claim bankrupcy and fell behind in product development, GM did. Look at the sales of the 2010 GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox, the CTS lineup, the LaCrosse, and the Camaro - all doing well for GM and bringing cash flow in. Sure Ford beat them to market with a better small car, but GM historically has always been behind Ford in new products (examples: '57 Ranchero/'59 El Camino; '64 Mustang/'67 Camaro-Firebird). I'm still excited to be a GM enthusiast and not quite ready to abandom them yet. I may not be able to afford most of the vehicles GM makes that I love, but they still inspire me more than any Ford or Chrysler product (I'm talking about me, not anyone else). And just because the NAIAS was weak for GM, we still have Chicago and NY for them to show up at with possibly more impressive vehicles (let's see what ford does different at those shows before we give them a trophy).

I'm not counting out GM yet and I'm not proclaiming doom and gloom, I'm just telling you what I saw and gave you the opinions of my friends who do not work in the industry. So, to me their opinion is invaluable being outsiders. GM historically being behind DOES NOT CUT IT THESE DAYS!! There is no excuse! Sure the Terrain, Equinox, and CTS are selling. So what, again I said what does GM have to appeal to the average buyuer in their upcoming lineup? The Spark is shockingly disgusting, and I saw not one, NOT ONE PERSON looking at it, or the Cruze! GM once again dropped the ball by doing the HD pickup intros in...Chicago??? Michigan is pickup country not Chicago. So out of the show as far as small to midsize cars, the Aveo RS is nice, but GM will find a way to screw it up once it comes to market, the Spark well... , the Cruze not so good, but nice try. The Regal has lots of potential but in typical GM fashion they could have gave us the all out version with 325HP but instead gives us the 255hp version WTF??? This car in general all of my friends really liked and was the only bright spot other than the CTS-V coupe and of course the XTS.

I do the powertrains for these cars and trucks, and I'm very proud to say we have THE BEST, but I can only hold up my end, now its time for the designers to hold up their end.

[NOS2006]

Was the hatch on the GMC Granite ever opened? If yes, how much space is availabl back there?

I never saw the hatch opened... That would've been nice to see though.

Nice set of shots, Nos. Thanks for posting these.

Thanks, oblu, and absolutely no problem.

GM is screwed, really screwed. I went to the show with an open mind, and out of the big 3 I think Ford is poised to overtake GM and Chrysler and be number 1 overall. Chrysler's situation well we know what that is right now, holding on barely. GM...this a hard one with me since I'm a 3rd generation GM worker. I thought the entire lineup save for a few cars I cant't afford(Cadillac, Corvette)were nice, but their lineup looked really really tired and dated. Even the new products to me look dated already, except for the Equinox, even the CTS is starting to look dated(gulp!). I had to stand there and listen to my friends bash on GM and I didn't really have much to stand on to throwback at them. The Cruze is a complete and utter disappointment compared to what Ford is going to bring out in the new Focus. That car blew me away!!!!

All in all I walked away from the show with a bad uncertain feeling for GM, a lot of concern, they need to turn it around quick because Ford has a head start and is off and running and we are losing sight of them.

I agree that the Ford stuff looks great.

Chrysler was subpar, but what more can you expect from them right now honestly? They're in the middle of a huge change and they're doing all they can. Next year they will have much better product out there.

I'm not sure why the CTS is starting to look dated to you, other than because you're being the ultimate pessimist. Matter of fact, I went downtown yesterday for a game and the guys I was with were talking about how much they love the CTS's styling, and we all live in metro Detroit so we all see these cars every single day. I don't know how the hell you can say the Cruze is a disappointment. In terms of design? That's all personal opinion. Nobody has driven the Cruze to judge it, so now you're sounding like an import fanboy who is just judging literally all aspects of the car off of aesthetic perception alone.

I'm not counting out GM yet and I'm not proclaiming doom and gloom, I'm just telling you what I saw and gave you the opinions of my friends who do not work in the industry. So, to me their opinion is invaluable being outsiders. GM historically being behind DOES NOT CUT IT THESE DAYS!! There is no excuse! Sure the Terrain, Equinox, and CTS are selling. So what, again I said what does GM have to appeal to the average buyuer in their upcoming lineup? The Spark is shockingly disgusting, and I saw not one, NOT ONE PERSON looking at it, or the Cruze! GM once again dropped the ball by doing the HD pickup intros in...Chicago??? Michigan is pickup country not Chicago. So out of the show as far as small to midsize cars, the Aveo RS is nice, but GM will find a way to screw it up once it comes to market, the Spark well... , the Cruze not so good, but nice try. The Regal has lots of potential but in typical GM fashion they could have gave us the all out version with 325HP but instead gives us the 255hp version WTF??? This car in general all of my friends really liked and was the only bright spot other than the CTS-V coupe and of course the XTS.

I do the powertrains for these cars and trucks, and I'm very proud to say we have THE BEST, but I can only hold up my end, now its time for the designers to hold up their end.

I fully agree on the Regal GS needing the 2.8 and not the 2.0, that was a very stupid move. Makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. The Cruze, Aveo, and Spark aren't as bad as you're making them out to be honestly.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I never saw the hatch opened... That would've been nice to see though.

Yeah, and I doubt they'll open it at any of the other auto shows it travels to (don't worry though, I will ask when I go to the NYIAS in April!).

[Intrepidation]

Sorry RJB, I just can't subscribe to your "doom & gloom" theory about GM. Sure, maybe they didn't have a great showing at the NAIAS this year, but unlike Ford which didn't claim bankrupcy and fell behind in product development, GM did.

This is such an inaccurate statement. How has Ford fallen behind? Ford redid the Mustang last year and is introducing impressive new engines this year for it, They rolled out the MKT, new Fusion which right now is very possible the best car in its class, new Milan, new MKZ. This year we're getting the Fiesta, revised and much improved MKX, restyled Edge. The impressive new Focus was just shown, the new Explorer is coming, as is an Escape replacement. We know the next Fusion and Mondeo will be one and the same, and it looks like the Mustang platform will get a lot more usage when its redesigned.

On top of all that, because Ford didn't take the bailout money and go bankrupt, it has a much better image in the minds of consumers than either GM or Chrysler.

I just felt the need to clarify that. Ford is far and away the most likely to succeed of the three companies. GM has a better chance than Chrysler.

[RJB]

This is such an inaccurate statement. How has Ford fallen behind? Ford redid the Mustang last year and is introducing impressive new engines this year for it, They rolled out the MKT, new Fusion which right now is very possible the best car in its class, new Milan, new MKZ. This year we're getting the Fiesta, revised and much improved MKX, restyled Edge. The impressive new Focus was just shown, the new Explorer is coming, as is an Escape replacement. We know the next Fusion and Mondeo will be one and the same, and it looks like the Mustang platform will get a lot more usage when its redesigned.

On top of all that, because Ford didn't take the bailout money and go bankrupt, it has a much better image in the minds of consumers than either GM or Chrysler.

I just felt the need to clarify that. Ford is far and away the most likely to succeed of the three companies. GM has a better chance than Chrysler.

I agree for the most part. The biggest chance GM has against the new Focus would be if they brought the new Astra here, but I don't know much bigger this car is than the Focus. Other than that in the small to midsize segment I really don't know what GM has to fight off the onslaught of new products from Ford and the other carmakers. They obviously should have kept the G8, this will remain a very very sore spot with many people and not to mention possible new customers. I hope they bring it back and they damn well should.

[the_yellow_dart]

I agree with Dodgefan as well...

My last great hope for GM was with the Malibu, and it seems to have fallen on deaf ears in the market. Nobody really seems to care about it, even though it was supposed to be the next great product.... Only the Fusion really seems to be hanging onto that title after real-world launch.

[GMTruckGuy74]

My bad with my wording - I was saying that unlike Ford, which didn't claim bankrupcy and didn't fall behind in product development (my statement makes it look like I said Ford fell behind when I meant that GM fell behind). Sorry for the missing word. I do believe that ford is the strongest of the Big 3 right now and as usual, GM is playing catch-up with them.

Edited January 21, 2010 by GMTruckGuy74

[NOS2006]

My bad with my wording - I was saying that unlike Ford, which didn't claim bankrupcy and didn't fall behind in product development (my statement makes it look like I said Ford fell behind when I meant that GM fell behind). Sorry for the missing word. I do believe that ford is the strongest of the Big 3 right now and as usual, GM is playing catch-up with them.

haha Yeah, I was a little confused by that. I was like, come on now man, I know you're smarter than that!

[Intrepidation]

Wording can make all the difference. It's cool though.