riviera74

For the most part, good news all around, especially since obsolete models are being more than replaced with better product and sales improved. One issue: Chevy + GMC pickup trucks still do not outsell Ford F-series in 2011. A reason as to why is here: http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/01/f-150-again-tops-chart-as-truck-sales-rebound/

Want to know why F-series is still #1? http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/01/f-150-again-tops-chart-as-truck-sales-rebound/ GM needs to follow their lead here. Another thing: 2 million Fords and fewer than 90K Lincolns sold? Why should anyone buy Lincolns again?

Why are the sales figures in such small type? They can barely be read.

Lincoln needs major help if Ford really wants to make some green. All Lincolns down except for one model? Sad.

Hyperv6, Yes there is a need for the Traverse. Remember that the Lambda platform replaced the U-body minivans, not the GMT-360s. There will still be a need for that Traverse, even though I think that Traverse buyers should consider the Enclave in its place. There is room for both. For the most part, I like this new Trailblazer concept. A real truck-based SUV that can tow and haul more than a Traverse without the Tahoe price tag is a good thing.

I want a Commodore (sedan) in the NA market ASAP! We already have Epsilon II Utes: they are Equinoxes and Terrains and SRXs. No need for a bastardized El Camino if it is not RWD.

Sedan, by a country mile . Followed by a wagon, maybe.

I think we ALL would absolutely LOVE to see that. Yes, Chevy and Buick need RWD sedans right now as flagships! The only reason GM went FWD is because it is cheaper than RWD. As for the new Ecotec 3cyl and 4cyl engine family replacing three engine families, this is a good thing. Let the European and Asians design those engines since they deal with small engines every single day. In fact, I do hope they are actually better than the current 3cyl and 4cyl engines GM has now. For the most part, GM (at least in NA) had great V8s and the 231 V6 (the best pushrod V6 ever). The 4Cyl engines were mostly lame, especially compared to the competition. Only recently has GM taken 4Cyl seriously with the Ecotec line. In the 90s, you were a fool to get a 4Cyl GM car. Now, the GM cars with a 4Cyl are actually good. What the market wants are great 4Cyl engines that are refined rather than noisy. Remember, we are in the MPG wars now. That means 3Cyl and 4Cyl engines are everyone's primary weapons into battle. GM must be competitive here! That current Spark customer could actually graduate into an Equinox or a Traverse when his/her needs change. I would love to see a RWD Impala and/or Park Avenue replacement, but getting customers in the door with 3cyl and 4cyl models are vital to GM's long-term survival. Remember when GM abandoned full-size RWD cars in 1996 to focus on higher-margin trucks? Big mistake when the Chrysler 300 came out in 2005 and GM left money on the table for three years. GM must never neglect the 4cyl market again like they did in the 70s. Indeed, worldwide, GM should push for more 3cyl and 4cyl engines in cars up to the Chevy Malibu to be competitive with the rest of the world. Do we need more choice up here (i.e. Holdenate a new Imapla/Caprice and Park Avenue replacement)? YES. But 3cyl and 4cyl powered cars will pay the bills in order to afford GM that choice for the rest of us who cannot stand FWD.

I have an oil life meter in my 1999 Park Avenue Ultra. I discovered it when it asked for an oil change after the oil life went down to 20%. Do other GM cars now have this feature, particularly the 2011 and 2012 models?

Saving $40 is a very small risk, considering the car costs over $10k retail.

One last question: when will the SPOHV engine be ready to put in a car sold at a local dealership?

You just described every Hyundai ever... yes even the Equus. Yeah but in pics the Genesis and Equus even look like they have cheap insides. How so? I could see Hyundai cheapening the interiors of everything below the Genesis and Equus, but not those two sedans. Sounds to me like you are (indirectly) hinting that these two are little more than a Chrysler 300.

The Tahoe is outselling the Traverse. The Suburban sells at 1/3 of the Traverse. As for a full size car comeback, I hope so. The Lucerne and STS/DTS are gone. We need a RWD full size car, preferably soon.

She has mentioned a few things have improved since Nardelli's departure.

Here is what I would like to know: Other than the ATS and that ELR concept, what is Cadillac's vision for itself? What is Cadillac's unique selling point? It makes no sense to attack Mercedes when there is no clear and obvious reason for luxury car buyers to buy Cadillac instead of Mercedes or Jaguar or BMW or Lexus. There is a reason Cadillac went from the #1 luxury car brand in 1980 to an also-ran now. I suspect there are multiple reasons for this. How does Cadillac correct these issues and succeed, rather than become pointless like Lincoln?

I know a current employee of Home Depot and she has told me stories of how Bob Nardelli screwed up a lot of things there, particularly after the mass firings of a lot of necessary people at Home Depot and the stagnancy if not cutting of wages there. Nobody there misses him there; Chrysler will not miss him either, least of all Chrysler employees.

Mercury's passing was foretold when Ford stopped selling Mercury in Canada in 2000. Whether improved profits come from that remains to be seen. As for Lincoln's fall from sales grace, there is an answer for that: Ford Australia has it. Would Mullaly do that? IDK.

When was the last Fiat 4cyl you witnessed? It is in a new car, or some old haunt from the 70s?

True. Cadillac is transitioning from STS/DTS/XLR/etc. to ATS at this point. Reminds me of Buick when the Regal/Century transitioned into the 1st-gen LaCrosse and the Park Avenue/LeSabre to the Lucerne. The larger point is that all large cars (excluding the Camaro) have sales numbers that suggest end of life, just like all of Hummer and Pontiac in the last two years thanks to section 363 of BK. As for the Malibu vs Fusion, the next-gen Malibu cannot come soon enough. I would be very concerned about this however.

GM needs this new truck out ASAP for one reason: competition. The Ranger is still around, and so is the Tacoma. The issue is value for the dollar. Given their notorious policy of discounting of Silverados and Sierras, the new Colorado (GMC Canyon too?) need to have a selling point that the larger trucks do not have at all. In theory, the new Colorado could be the equivalent of the F-series (from a sales standpoint) and be #1 in its segment. Can GM do that? I Don't Know.

Sorry if you are out of the main stream here. While most of us here will have more appeal to the coming Chevy/Holden SS RWD sedan it is cars like the Malibu that if sold in great numbers make the fun cars possible. The fact is this is the kind of car the general public goes for in great numbers and while it may not be the enthusiast favorite we need to cheer it on to help us get what we want. Some of us get the big picture and understand large auto companies can not live on performance car or even large cars only anymore. Hyperv6 is right: The Malibu and Cruze pay the bills while Holden brings the excitement. Ideally, GM builds the Commodore in North America and make it the next RWD Caprice/Impala and create a Buick and/or Cadillac variant. Sixty8panther, I also wish that GM would bring the Commodore up here too (and I think they need to), but they presently have other priorities. Mind you, bringing in the Commodore up here would effectively equal things up with Chrysler (from a product portfolio standpoint). It is easy to forget that the best selling cars in the USA since 1986 have been the original Taurus, Camry, Accord (and possibly the Fusion one day) ---- all FWD midsize cookie cutter sedans. And Hyundai is making their case with the Sonata. As for the 2013 Malibu itself, GM needs to make its push for more sales of this car right now. Ignore cookie cutter FWD at your (i.e. GM's) peril.

Given that Hyundai has completely switched to 4 cylinder engines (Genesis and Equus aside), this could be a major advantage in the MPG wars we are now in. Since it seems that a lot of customers want to save fuel (i.e. smaller engines and ideally less weight), this SPOHV makes a lot of sense. Only problem is is that the perception will probably be off again since few seem to think that an OHV is any good compared to a DOHC engine of any kind. Having said that, this would make the basis of excellent and highly fuel efficient truck engines since OHV is more acceptable there. IF GM actually puts this type of engine in all of its 4cyl cars, watch for high MPGs. That would mean higher sales overall, other things being equal. Don't believe me: Read this

Sad but true. Remember when GM felt that Cadillac did not have to compete against BMW and M-B? That led them to where they are now. Now Cadillac must be hyper aggressive in capturing market share with product. The Germans will not stand still; neither will Lexus or Jaguar.

The Sonic is the new Aveo. The Cruze replaced the Cobalt. In terms of pricing, the Sonic can be priced starting around $10k. The question has to be asked: why buy a Sonic when a Cruze is so much better?

How about this answer: HELL NO!