VenSeattle

What??!! Still no 1-Series? :P

Yep... Wingcast, which was meant to replace & expand upon Lincoln's short-lived RESCU telematics that debuted on the 1996 Lincoln Continental.

For those who want a Pontiac Solstice but need more storage, trunk, and passenger space: here you go.

I know I have all this info at home... but I'm at work... As for: What 3 auto manufacturers were party to the initial talks of consolidation to form what would become General Motors? IIRC, Ford & Oldsmobile were part of the initial talks with Durant who owned Buick. Olds agreed to allow the merger for an exchange of Buick stock (or was it in exchange for the future GM stock?), but Ford wanted cash instead of stock. Durant wouldn't give Ford cash, so Ford backed out. So GM was founded on the merger of Oldsmobile and Buick. As for: What is the significance of ‘United Motors Company’ and ‘International Motor Car Company’? Aren't those two of the proposed names for the auto conglomerate before they settled on the name "General Motors"?

I have no problem with this, as long as the EPA's average is accurate... or close to accurate. People shopping for muscle cars, SUVs, and trucks have MPG as a lower priority. I really see this impacting hybrids more than the aforementioned segments.

I haven't read all of the replies here, but I have to assume your GM stalk in the Corvette functions similarly to my GM stalk on the Park Avenue, and it has a "Coast" feature that allows you to slow down without hitting/tapping the brakes: * The Park Avenue's Cruise Control stalk has a switch with "OFF - ON - A/S" * Turn Cruise Control "ON" by placing the switch into the "ON" position * Set and lock the Cruise Control speed * When you want to coast/decelerate then press (and hold) the button at the end of the Cruise Control Stalk until you reach the speed desired, then release the button (this is Coast) The Button at the end of the Cruise Control stalk functions identically to the A/S (Accelerate/Set) on the switch. Press and release the A/S and your speed increases 1 mile, or you can press and hold the A/S until you reach your desired speed. Same with the Coast button at the end of the stalk. Press the button and release, you'll decelerate 1 mile. Press and hold, and you'll coast until you slow down to your desired speed. This "Coast" feature should keep you from the need to hit the brakes and should suffice in the absence of a "Cancel" feature. I use the Coast/Accelerate feature regularly and it takes all of one pointer finger to operate while my left hand remains on the steering wheel. Admittedly, I'm 6'2" and my fingers/hands are longer than many. Hope this can help.

Don't forget, the last Gen Riviera was a luxury coupe on this platform... so, it's been done before and GM could do it again. BTW, as someone said before, the G-platform is not outdated. It's still one of the best FWD platforms out there.

Actually, 300s are said to resemble Bentleys... but yes, the Imperial does appear to look like a Rolls. My guess is that since Maybach didn't succeed, they'll try to compete with Rolls using Chrysler :P j/k It will be interesting to see more of this concept car... and to see if it makes it to production.

I'll have to agree with Oldsmoboi & Fly... It requires no brainpower. Its functionality is instinctive. I'm completely use to it and don't find it distracting at all. Even if it takes a while for some to become familiar with the stalk, it still shouldn't be a big issue. Auto-headlights & rain-sensing windshield wipers prevent most interaction with the stalk. These features are standard (or available) on Cadillacs, Buicks, and other GM brands so I can't see how the "stalk" would be that much trouble to a previous import buyer. These complaints remind me of when journalists complain about the distance they reach to adjust the volume control on the radio... even though the car comes with redundant controls on the steering wheel. Uhm, how much closer do you want it??? :rolleyes:

Toyota has offered OnStar off and on in Lexus vehicles under the product name "Lexus Link".

I can't see how that statement is true... Oldsmobile & Buick had the G-Platform first (1995 Aurora & Riviera). However, GM has long exercised the "trickle down" effect with technology. Buick now has the G-Platform with MRC & N* V8. That's a big boost.

That's alright... you're correct, but most people I know wouldn't go near them if I classified them as Metal. To give them a less biased chance, I've been saying Rock... :)

I'm seen them live before... mostly "Rock", but still a good concert. Bought the CD. I'd see them again. Good to know you liked it :)

I guess this will encourage dishonest people to use public transport...

The Impala did not win FCOTY'06 because of fleet sales volume. Sales volume had nothing to do with who won. Over 50 other domestics & imports were just as eligible to win: New Chevy Impala and Ford F-150 Win Fleet Segment Awards Besides, the Chrysler 300 won FCOTY'05 and it's still holding resale value even though Thrifty Rental is overflowing with them.

Yeah... I have my doubts about the cash infusion too. Saturn's cash infusion was announced after Buick's. The Aura & Sky are results from Saturn's but nothing yet for Buick.

If I remember correctly, there's no relation between the 3900 & 3800. The new 3900 is part of the same family of "High Value" OV engines that the new 3.5l (Impala & Monte Carlo) belongs to.

Well, yes, I've heard of it before. Several dealerships only staff technicians on the weekends that perform (same day) routine maintenance... and they only schedule appointments for the same as well. Everything else waits till Monday. I've encountered this at both Chrysler & GM dealerships. At some dealerships, you can't even have after-market accessories installed unless it's on a weekday.

LaCrosse and Lucerne were suppose to have been Regal & LeSabre but Lutz came on board and postponed both projects for a year to upgrade them. With the upgrade came new names. Neither are part of the $3 billion investment announced in 2004. They were completed or near completion when the investment was announced. As a matter of fact, the Terraza & Rainier were not part of the investment either. We haven't seen anything come from the investment announcement. Enclave may be the first vehicle, but the 2009/10 LaCrosse will probably be the first sedan.

If he's trying to fight dirty then he's gambling, because if GM goes Bankrupt by his antics Kerkorian will be the big loser. If he's not playing dirty and just trying to cut his losses then one has to ask: Was he dumb for investing in GM stock to begin with or is he dumb selling it at a loss? Both? Regardless of which, he has at least one black mark on his investing record... it looks like he'll end up with more before this is over.

I think any person from a country part of the Commonwealth would have a more natural understanding/appreciation for world politics and culture than someone growing up in the US.

91z4me, I doubt it was that because Buick was still known for Grand Nationals & GNXs at the time. Then Buick introduced the SC3800 in the Park Avenue & Regal... not to mention the vette powered Roadmaster shortly after. Buick owners have never been scared off by a powerful powertrain. I'd probably guess it was due to Buick already losing money on the Reatta investment in addition to sales dropping off after the 2nd year. Besides, considering most cars in the late 1980's, 165hp wasn't that underpowered... should have been more, but oh well. I still want one. :)

It's nice to see accessories immediately available after a new vehicle is launched. Good for GM.

Mr DeLorenzo, Bless you! :D

Yes, I understand that heavy fleet sales can impact market perception resulting in a lower market (resale) value. But that wasn't really what I was trying to understand. If I read ALG's website correctly, ALG has "a unique residual projection model for vehicles serviced in commercial and daily rental car fleets." It's called the "Fleet Residual Model." So, fleet vehicle residual values are figured separately from retail/private leasing residuals. There's an apparent discrepancy between residual value and market (resale) value. A vehicle coming out of fleet service will have a lower residual value than an identical vehicle belonging to a one time private owner. Unfortunately, that does not guarantee the private owner will be able to sell their vehicle at the retail residual. Edmunds deals with market value "TMV" prices and apparently ALG uses that info to help find the "base/transaction price" in which to apply the residual percentage to on the private/retail side. This goes back to my original post. It was in regards to those who bought a 2005 Buick during Employee Pricing over the summer. Apparently (through more research), ALG figures a retail vehicle's residual value based on something between MSRP and "TMV" transaction price. "TMV" did not take into account GM's Employee Pricing over the summer. People were buying GM vehicles below "TMV" prices. So a 2005 Buick owner will not necessarily suffer the entire extent of the expected depreciation mentioned in the article. Even now, Edmund’s “TMV” price doesn’t really take into account the extra incentive provided by GM’s Red Tag event. I'll use a current example: 2005 Buick LaCrosse MSRP: $28,995.00 (no additional options selected) Edmund's TMV price: $26,587.00 (no additional options selected) GM's Red Tag event price: $23,819.62 (no additional options selected) *2005 Buick 3-yr residual value based by ALG on "TMV": $9,438.39 (35.5% residual) Depreciation: $17,148.61 *Actual buyer's residual value based on transaction price: Still $9,438.39 (but the residual percentage is 39.6%) Depreciation: $14,381.23 So, in this case, GM compensates the buyer 4.1% of the expected depreciation for buying the LaCrosse during the Red Tag sale event. Considering the Employee Pricing was even more generous, those buyers faired better too. Here we are entering 2006, and Buick's 2006 models have an expected residual value 2.4% higher than 2005. No one would have predicted that during the Employee Pricing event.