riviera74

Sounds like a really nice MCE. Too bad neither this one nor the MY2014 Impala will actually be significantly different than what it currently is now.

Boring, yes. Then again, Lexus is still the #1 seller of luxury vehicles in the USA, mostly because of the ES350 and the RX350. A discernible design language for Toyota or Lexus undermines the bottom line. Lexus has never really innovated since 1990s LS400. I doubt they will really innovate much now.

Sounds like good news. I do hope that GM can keep it up and ditch government and UAW ownership as soon as practicable. Financially speaking, rising free cash flow is the real number to watch since you cannot fudge cash (you can with earnings per share).

I can understand that. Then again, most of my experiences were with the 3800 ('84 Cutlass Supreme, '98 Intrigue, '05 Lacrosse, '99 Park Avenue Ultra (3800SC)). THAT v6 (other than maybe the Cadillac HT4100 of 1983-88?) was the V6 worth not going for a V8 over. Nowadays, the HF V6 you want is the 3.6L v6. The 3L V6 I hear is kinda weak and lacks torque. Allegedly the 2.4L 4cyl is better than the 3L these days.

I doubt the Escalade will completely go FWD (i.e. be put on Lambda), especially if GM wants to maintain profits. I suspect that the SRX will still be with us as a FWD for another decade; I do hope there is a RWD alternative available alongside the SRX to cover both ends of the market. The XTS should be temporary, and I hope it does not see 2018. Lamar is right about the GM 6ATs being a joint venture with Ford; I forgot about that fact.

Like a Smart FourTwo or a Fiat 500?

GM did do that about 20-25 years ago with those weak 4cyl cars and any GM V6 that was NOT a Buick 231 (aka the 3800). I remember renting a Chevy Lumina back in 1996 or 97 with a 3.1L V6 and that POS had no torque at all! I have been told by local dealers that the 4cyl in the Equinox & Terrain is better than the 3L V6 (that may be true). I suspect that the modern 4cyl engines (all from Opel) are better than the Iron Duke era 4cyl, but I am still skeptical as to whether they are actually good enough. Look at what Ford is doing now: EcoBoost Four

The proposal is poor because CAFE itself is poor. Too bad we have a Republican problem since that party had ample opportunities to simply repeal CAFE when they had the chance five years ago. They did not. Change the fuels, not the cars..... to what exactly?

GM hates buying automatics from others because the automatic was invented by Oldsmobile in 1940. Moreover, BMW and Ford use GM 6ATs in their vehicles now, so why should GM use someone else's AT?

Croc, knowing GM, other cars will get that diesel. The ATS would be a prime candidate for that newer diesel engine for the Cruze.

smk4565, it is true that the current SRX is a generic FWD crossover. But this generation sells a LOT better than the previous one, which was more like a tall CTS wagon. The Lexus RX350/400H lead this segment, and it has done so ever since the original RX300 was released about 15 years ago. Sure, FWD is lame compared to RWD. But the sales figures do not lie. New customers ditching other brands for the new SRX is a good thing because it is what they want. The new LFX engine going into the SRX should have gone in the engine bay in the first place because lack of torque in the 3L V6 made this porky crossover feel slow. Ideally, the X3 and the X5 would be the market leaders and the 1st generation SRX would have been upgraded. That did not happen. Since women seem to lead in this segment, let her have what she wants: a comfortable ride in a useful vehicle that is not too big for her. As for the TL/MKZ vs. CTS/3/C class, point taken and QFT.

The real issue is weight of these newer cars, period. If all carmakers removed 500-700 pounds of excess GVWR, that would solve their CAFE problems quickly. The increasingly porcine nature of most new cars thanks to increased safety standards is the real reason high MPG is hard without a detuned 4cyl. The choice is simple: more MPG or more safety features.

This is depressing. More and more people are switching to 4cyl engines, mostly because of gas prices. I hope that those little engines are more reliable and worth the cost now vs 10 or 20 years ago. What is even worse is that midsize cars are going 4cyl ONLY. Is the buying public going to have a lifestyle similar to that of Europe where 3cyl and 4cyl are everywhere and a V8 is impossible to find?

A 4cyl Malibu for 2013. OK. That takes care of the Sonata, and most of the competition. A V6 only Impala I guess is a good idea. I could use some actual pictures of this new Malibu everyone seems so enthused about.

The link isn't working for me... anyone else have this problem? Anyone have another link to use? I just tried it. It works just fine. Good thing that that wagon was never released: poorly executed.

I almost bought a BB Torch, but I went with an iPhone 4 (16MB). Highly recommended (with a case around it). I never got around to ditching my landline I have had since moving to my present residence nine years ago.

How is the driver's seat in that Camaro? You know, positioning, comfort, support etc.

Ford no longer has pushrod engines? Not even in their rather popular F-series pickups? When did that happen?

A long-wheelbase MY 2013 Malibu is what the MY2014 Impala will be? That is rather lame. I mean, Impala will sell in its intended market, but why must anyone pay north of $35K for a real RWD GM car other than maybe a Camaro?

They are already selling them in Europe and Australia now. Which diesel engine are they using in the Cruze right now?

That is an understandable error. Personally, I would go for the V6 model instead. I am not sure (other than 37mpg) what the benefits are for getting the eAssist trim level.

I wonder how many Cruze diesels will actually sell in the good old USA. I suspect this will be a much easier sell in Europe than here.

So what is going into the MY 2014 Impala? Is it RWD? A really great car? Inquiring minds need to know.

Sigh. I guess it's MY2013 or MY2014 for me.

The primary reason Toyota and Nissan have done a relatively poor job at selling trucks is a combination of brand loyalty AND they simply do not understand what it takes to make their trucks attractive to Americans, especially in rural areas. Anyone can make the case that GM, Ford and Chrysler did not understand small cars well enough in the last 40 years or so to make them competitive versus the Japanese. (Only in the last three years have GM and Ford invested enough and released worthy small cars.) I know a guy who bought himself a Toyota FJ Cruiser and he likes it. The reason is that he already went through a rather piss-poor Dodge Dakota and would never buy one again. As for what makes a GMC a GMC, I do not really know. But it should be differentiated MORE from Chevy trucks period. Excluding the Acadia and Terrain, MSRPs on a GMC truck are a little higher in price than the Chevy equivalent. Customers deserve more for their dollar than that.