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I don't understand why people think that Saturn is taking the place of Oldsmobile. When I consider the lineup of Ion/Aura/Sky/Outlook/Vue/Relay, I really think that Saturn is GM's competitor for Honda, Mazda, and VW - sporty, import brands. Saturn's not getting anything comparable to the Aurora.

Thanks, but I don't belong in that group. I just read the message boards and the car magazines and speculate like everyone else. I don't have a clue what GM is planning after the 2007 model year.

I would want to meet AH-HA, Evok, and Hogan's Heroes for their insiders knowledge and high intelligence. I would want to meet Mule and Wildcat because I think I would get along with them pretty well. They like the same kind of cars I do and seem to be the most like me around here.

In my opinion, GM should stuff its excellent 5.3L V8 in every car or truck that will take it except those that already use the Northstar. It is almost as fuel efficient as most of GM's V6's and 5 cylinders.

You should start reading the Bible, especially the New Testament, and ask God to reveal Himself to you. It works for most people who try sincerely.

The Suburban/Yukon XL has always been my favorite SUV and really the only one that interests me.

Thanks again. Looking at the map, Exposition Park is close to USC; perhaps there would be parking there.

I support keeping the current GMT 360's indefinitely, with interior improvements and maybe updating the front and rear styling. I don't support spending the money developing an SUV off GMT 355 for the North American market because higher fuel prices mean that mid sized truck based SUV's are a shrinking market.

Thanks. Those were the areas I was thinking about. I just hope I can find a place to park a rental car so that I can take some nice long walks.

Did you used to go by the name Tannersoc here? I enjoyed most of Tannersoc's posts, except for some of the social commentary.

My, possibly inaccurate, understanding is that GMT900 is heavily based upon the current truck, so perhaps accelerating that program was easier than accelerating Lambda. Also, my understanding is that Ford will have larger crossovers around the 2009 model year, based upon D3, for Ford and Lincoln that will possibly compete with Lambda more directly than the Freestyle.

I am thinking about traveling to Southern California in the late spring for about 4 days. I love to take long walks - 6 to 12 miles - and people watch. I'd appreciate knowing the best places in the Los Angeles area for long walks and people watching.

I don't think that both Buick and GMC need a compact crossover, since the same dealers will sell them, and I think that the GMC would be far more successful. Jeep is introducing compact crossovers, and GMC should have them also. Again, Buick/Pontiac/GMC will be one large division in the future, and overlap should be reduced as much as possible.

In other words, use the regular Sigma for Buick. Maybe the next generation LaCrosse would be based upon the CTS; the next generation LaCrosse would be based upon the STS; and instead of Lambda, give Buick a crossover based upon the SRX. The styling would be substantially different, and the Cadillacs would be substantially more luxurious. Makes sense to me, as it would be BPG a nice variety of products, with Pontiacs and GMC's based upon Chevrolets and Buicks based upon Cadillacs.

I remember reading that Lutz wished he had changed the Malibu name. Lutz always changed the names when he was at Chrysler, and he does the same thing at GM.

I would not want to see Buick sell any small crossover vehicles. Crossovers would sell better as GMC products than as Buicks or Pontiacs. Buick should just concentrate on the niche of traditional American cars. I like the updates planned for the LaCrosse, and the Lucerne looks better every day.

I agree. The 1992 Camry was a quantum leap over the previous version. The 2000 Odyssey was a quantum leap over the previous version. The 2006 Avalon is a quantum leap over the previous version. The 2006 Hyundai Sonata is a quantum leap over the previous version. The 2002 Altima was a quantum leap over the previous version. The domestic automakers need to stop this nonsense of always renaming models. There is nothing wrong the with the Rendezvous name.

GM should have never bought Saab, and Ford should have never bought Jaguar and Land Rover. Volvo seems to have been a good investment, though.

Maybe TrailBlazer will go on short GMT900. I believe that Nissan's Pathfinder and XTerra are on a short version of the Titan/Armada platform. Alternatively, maybe it will go on Colorado platform. Personally, I would just keep using the current platform, with periodic updates.

Those who keep talking about eliminating brands make sense from a marketing standpoint, but not a financial one, in my uneducated opinion. Eliminating Pontiac, Saturn, and Buick would reduce GM's sales by probably about 800,000 sales, and I doubt that Chevrolet and Cadillac sales would increase by the same amount. Unless GM can be allowed to close a large number of plants, stop paying workers for not working, and be relieved of its pension liabilities (all this may require bankruptcy) so that it can be profitable with sales of around 2.5 to 3 million, I do not think that any more divisions will be dropped. GM needs all the sales volume it can get to keep the plants open and these people working instead of paying them not to work.

I agree with 97regalGS. The wealthy and business people will continue buying full size SUV's, although less than in the past, since they don't worry about gas prices. I look for the mid-size truck based SUV market to end up like Ford's Panther cars - keep around for those who need or want them, but invest very little in them as sales of crossovers increase.

I blame the death of Oldsmobile on the lackluster 1988 to 1997 Cutlass Supreme. Had it been at least half as popular as its predecessor, Oldsmobile would still be here today.

It is premature to talk about the death of the TrailBlazer and Envoy. However, with $3/gallon gas (and a real likelihood of it being much higher in the future), GM, with its scarce resources, may be better off modestly updating them and putting its funds elsewhere. What I wonder is how will the size of the Lambdas compare to the Ford Freestyle.

It should, even if that means ditching the Buick. I'd rather Buick concentrate on sedans and get a new Riviera coupe and convertible.

I think it means that GM needs to invest its scarce resources in the brands with the most potential to grow. I like Buick, but I am an ultra conservative old fart anyway.