saturnd00d

There indeed lies the issue, however if Chevy gave up their truck portion to GMC's brand, then they too would be crying they couldn't compete in that respect. If they all want to survive, they have to allow for sacrifices. Under the current model, no one will scream they can't compete because they'll all be out of a job. It almost reminds me of a parent/child analogy. You have two kids screaming they want dessert. One kid wants 3 slices of pie and another wants 2, but now that kid feels they should have the same in the interest of fairness. The parent has to step in here sometime and say, you will all have one slice of pie. If you don't like it, you don't get any. GM has to step in and say...enough is enough, we have to do what's best for the company. If downsizing is not an option, we can't continue to sell overlapped products. Each of the brands needs a definition. You can't have several divisions offering mostly the same products on the same platforms with different price ranges. It might be cost effective, but what's better? Cost-effectiveness or staying in business? Something/someone's gotta give here.

Although axing a couple brands would be ideal for the long-term, I don't believe that would be in the best interest of GM at the moment. They need to fix the here-and-now. Consolidate the brands as was mentioned all over this thread, and it should yield less overlapping, and possibly free up more money for R&D, earlier refreshes, etc. Keep Pontiac-Buick-GMC but in there: -Axe the G3 and G5 from Pontiac, keep the others -Keep Enclave in Buick as the premium of TWO Lambdas in GM's lineup -Make GMC sell midsize trucks and full-size trucks and Vans, possibly give them minivan variant to re-enter the market, axe Acadia Roll Saturn and Saab in with Cadillac to allow for a premium division. -Saturn to keep Astra, Aura and Vue but axe Outlook; Saab to offer 9-3 and 9-5 sedans and wagons; Caddy keeps CTS, STS and Escalade, but axe DTS As for Chevy, scale them down to cars and keep Traverse (as the lower model of the two remaining Lambdas), axe the rest of the trucks from them. You don't need them to offer the same trucks as GMC, and because the truck sector is smaller than it used to be, it makes no sense to give them more.

Satty, I agree with you there. If they aren't willing to make sacrifices with their own money, why should we trust them with ours?

I like the exterior styling except for the big smile on the front bumper...but the interior reminds me of the current civic a bit, with the two-tier dash

I love the refresh

I guess they WANT to lose marketshare

Well Written FOG.

Sorry to hear about the break-in. I remember when my sunbird was broken into 7 years ago. I was called in for a meeting at my work, and I, like many people I worked with, parked across the street from our office's building at some closed-down chinese restaurant. The meeting was only 45 minutes long, and sadly, when it was over and I looked out the window, I noticed a bunch of cops going through my car. After I got outside wondering WTF was going on, the cop told me my car was broken into. They took my entire stereo and my duffel bag with all my school textbooks. That was the part that enraged me. My school books cost me more than the car, and stereo combined. I felt violated too, so I know that crappy feeling you must be having right now. Good luck with your car.

Wow, I'm not sure what to say as it's been awhile since this thread was created. My deepest condolences to you and your family PCS. I am sorry I didn't see this sooner, as I've been wrapped up in family stuff for a couple weeks now. I wish I could tell you that time heals all wounds, but I would be lying. The pain doesn't go away, but with time you will find acceptance. I visit my father in the mausoleum where he lays to rest, every single week. I couldn't imagine not doing so since I live 30 mins away from there, but I take the time to speak to him about what's going on with me and my family, with my son whom he never got to meet, and I usually like to share memories with him. I know my father is physically gone, however I have a firm belief that he's there right beside me every single day. I know he's watching over me and guiding me through my daily activities, so in a sense, I know he's there. By how you've described your father, he sounds exactly like mine. I'm sure he's an individual you will always be proud to call your dad, and I'm sure he's watching over you right now. The weird thing is, I too, whispered to my dad during his final moments how much I loved him. Though he was on 26mg of Morphone at the time, he nodded that he understood me and that was all that I needed to find peace in his passing. I admire you for trying to stay strong for your family. It's an incredibly hard thing to do, but know this, it hasn't settled in yet. What I hope you'll do is to give yourself the opportunity to properly grieve when it does. Don't worry so much about what others think, because everyone handles these things differently. It sounds like you have alot of support from your friends and family, so please don't shut yourself out to anyone. May God bless you and your family.

Congrats

On a side note, I figured Paolino spoke Italian (the sig gave it away) however PCS, I didn't know you spoke it too? I am from an Italian background. I can't write it too well (I attempt to when I speak to my relatives over MSN) but it's not that great. I, too, lost my dad to cancer in January 07. I was very cose with my dad. He did all he could in this lifetime to give me a good start in life, and to try and make my mother and I feel secure and safe. Sadly, our healthcare system let my dad down. They botched up some different tests he had done, and by the time they found out he had cancer, it was in stage 2. He had an aggresive tumour and didn't respond to anything. He still lived 3 years through it all because treatments slowed the progression, but to watch someone you love deteriorate before your eyes, is never an easy thing. Doesn't matter if it's cancer, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, whatever, it still has a lasting effect on you. Personally, I was with my dad every step of the way. I took days off work, I lent my parents money for some unexpected bills, I traded my saturn coupe in for a 4 door ION so that he could enter and exit the vehicle ok, and brought him to all his appointments, made pharmacy runs during any hour of the day or night, etc. My point is, if you show your support to a loved one, whether they are terminally ill or just going through a difficult time, you have a sense of gratitude and peace in the long run. Keep us updated PCS...we are all thinking of you.

moltar, you beat me to it. I was going to also say banckruptcy doesn't mean they are closing the doors.

It also reminds me of the Antara GTC concept. Quite a bit actually. I like it alot.

Sorry to hear about your father being in ICU. I hope he comes out of everything ok. I'll keep him, you and your family in my prayers.

I, as well, am glad that the barrier has been broken. Though I'm not American, I can appreciate how far your country has furthered itself in terms of race, amongst other things. I do see alot of Obama bashing, although I personally don't feel it's fair. The man hasn't even begun his term and already people are deeming him a failure to the nth degree.

Wow, so much slander on Obama, and he hasn't even taken up office yet to even begin working on some of the current situations he wants to crack down on. Already, people are quick to deem him a failure even though he hasn't done anything yet. Give the man a chance, and if you think change happens overnight, you're all dreaming. It takes years upon years to turn anything around. Just remember, even though a past Dem did this, and a past repub did that, doesn't mean future candidates/senators/presidents, etc are going to follow suit to their past party's leaders. Each person is unique to their own beliefs, and even though I'm not an American, I'm curious to see how the future unfolds in the U.S. because it does directly affect my country as well.

I understand the concerns that everyone has about the weight of the Vue, heck, I had them too, but you have to realize that the Vue was designed with global crash ratings in mind. Sure, it didn't help that it was designed by Daewoo, and yes it could have still come out 100-150 lbs lighter IMO, but the fact that it was bulked up for all markets it was sold in, is the reason that it is so heavy for the most part. For those of you who just want to look at the facts on paper, I feel sorry for you. You're missing out on a great vehicle. Personally, I went out and test drove the Rogue, CR-V, Rav4 and Santa Fe, all before I test drove the Vue, and I can honestly say that it is the best riding vehicle of them all. It does have less cargo space, and it is a bit on the heavy side so performance isn't where it should be, but it's a small sacrifice to make for such a solid vehicle in this segment. If you all want to argue MPG and weight all day, then some of the other benefits to owning a vehicle in this class must not be the reason you're looking at this segment in the first place. For me, it has the best balance of utility, comfort, ride quality and fit-n-finish of any vehicle it competes with, and I am still getting 28 MPG with a 75%-25% Hwy and city mix of driving. To have a closed mind towards a vehicle because of no AWD option, heavier weight, and 1 MPG rating less city and HWY compared to it's closest rival is quite awkward. Suit yourselves. My Vue is holding up quite well to all that I've thrown at it so far.

I didn't even think twice about AWD. I, for one, am confident enough behind the wheel that I can pass up that option. I'm sorry, but nowadays, people place too much faith in AWD. If Saturn added an AWD option to its 4 cyl Vue, the price would be way too close to the XE AWD with the 3.5 V6. The MPG penalty for having an AWD 4 would take it closer to the numbers of the XE AWD anyways, so I don't even see it as a decent move when I look at the dismal benefit it would give me (again if Saturn added AWD to its 4 cyl).

Diddly-dee, potatoes Agreed...I mean it's not like we're getting tattoos of things that are fads nowadays like tribal symbols and such, we're getting designs that mean something. Not just now, but always.

When my finances look better, I'm going to be getting another one on the opposite arm that has a celtic cross, with a banner draped over the sides of it crossing the front. It'll have my son's name in script going across the banner along the front of the cross. Eventually when I have a second child, I'll add another banner possibly draped BELOW the cross with the second child's name.

Since I am at work, I can't post a pic of my tattoo, but simply put, it's a human heart done-up into a puzzle. One piece of the heart is removed and off to the side. The bottom has a date of 01/10/2007 (January 10th, 2007 not October 1st) It's to symbolize the day my father passed away. I designed it and drew it up. The Tattoo artist shaded the heart and made it look realistic. I'll see if I can take a pic and post it tomorrow for you guys.

So your a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy then?

TMI ...(too much information)

Tuning Company Irmscher of Germany tries its hand at the newly released Insignia. Full article below http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=133895#4

Best one by far...