VenSeattle

How about passing a building code requiring homes with green roofs. I wouldn't mind a home with a garden on top. It keeps down utility costs, lowers the surrounding urban temperature during the summertime, and helps expand the amount of livable space on your lot/property. Considering how small the yards have become in new construction, this idea could go a long way. Imagine being able to send you kid out to play in the yard again... except it's not the backyard or frontyard... it's the topyard on the third floor. You wouldn't have to worry about the dog getting out either.

I heard you shouldn't shave them. Instead eat them whole... the fuzzy brown exterior contains a lot of nutrients... oh wait, that was in reference to kiwi...

Surprise Surprise... Cadillac had Rolls-Royce closer in sight than many expected...

I'm not going to argue with you, but your absolutes are sometimes annoying and in this case incorrect. GM didn't have too many winners in the 1990s but let's give GM credit where it's due. Throughout the 1990s, the Buick LeSabre was the best selling large car, held its resale value very well, and remained extremely reliable based on surveys, reports, and owner testimonials. The LeSabre easily bested Ford's panther sedans, Toyota's first two attempts at Avalon, and sold better than Chrysler's modern-styled LH sedans. And no, it wasn't a fleet queen or viewed as a fleet queen in the 1990s. The LeSabre dominated its class in the 1990s. The large car market may have dwindled over the past several years, but it was alive and well in the 1990s.

Not my first choice... but I apparently got one of my wishes. I have received an email indicating Bellevue Buick Pontiac GMC is going Out of Business... http://www.gmcarsnw.com/ One more dealership account that Cobalt Group will be losing.. They have a LaCrosse Super in stock... I wonder how much they want for it? Anyway... I guess I'll be going to Kirkland for service now. Not the most convenient, but a single large dealership should be able to support all three brands on the Eastside.

Congrats Nick! I hope you get everything you want and much more! Have a blast!

Wow... you described my Park Avenue Ultra Although it really doesn't float either... it absorbs road imperfections and stays smooth for the most part. I'm looking forward to test driving the Lucerne Super to compare the two. I'm sure it'll drive almost identical to the last gen G-body/NS powered/MRC graced Cadillac Seville-STS. It's pretty sad that my 2003 Park Avenue Ultra's resale value is almost identical to the 2003 Cadillac Seville STS. There was almost a $10,000 difference between their original MSRPs.

What does that have anything to do with this topic?

Heh... GM attempted to circumvent the UAW/American Axle strike by contacting vendors/suppliers used to manufacture the Malibu in Asia... what happened? UAW went on strike at the Malibu plant. GM can't win.

Well, we know part of the reason Toyota brand has outsold Chevrolet for the year so far.

Amtrak is pretty good here in the PacNW. If you're traveling North/South - Amtrak Cascades If you're going East/West... there's Empire Builder I've taken Cascades several times... but haven't tried Empire Builder, yet...

I don't understand the reference to "speculation." Yen manipulation is well documented with several reputable publications discussing it. Just google it. The question is whether or not it's legal. From the looks of it - yes, what they're doing and how they're doing it is legal.

I thought that as well. I bet one of two things will occur: 1) Daewoo Brand folds into Chevrolet (phase out of Daewoo entirely) 2) Chevrolet brand only replaces the overlap models in South Korea while Daewoo becomes a mid-tier brand between Chevrolet and Cadillac (an Opel/Vauxhall/Saturn clone)

What about Amtrak? Monday May 12th 2008 Link to Source AMTRAK, America's oft-maligned national passenger rail service, has had a rough life. Deferred maintenance, low levels of federal funding, immense debt and competition with airlines have all taken their toll since the quasi-governmental entity was organised in 1971. But by the numbers, at least, Amtrak seems to be doing better. Ridership was nearly 26m in fiscal 2007, a new record. Ridership for 2008 is up 12% so far, according to AFP. Even Amtrak's "built-too-wide" Acela Express service is doing well. The increased security in airports following the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 have made flying a lot more of a hassle, especially for short trips like the ones between New York and Washington, DC or between Boston and New York. For many business travellers, it's simply easier to go from Penn Station in midtown New York to Union Station in downtown Washington, DC than it is to make the long trips to and from the airports that surround those two cities. A trip from New York to Washington on the Acela takes a little less than three hours, doesn't involve passing through security, and usually costs a little over $100 if purchased in advance. (Tickets can set you back more than twice as much if purchased at the last minute.) All-in-all, the Acela is a comfortable, fast option for travel between the major cities of the north-eastern United States. Bloomberg's James S. Russell elaborates: Flying can't be counted on to have a time advantage when you add waits at security checkpoints and travel to and from the airport....Right now, no other rail corridors in the U.S. match Acela for speed, comfort or frequency. Overburdened airports, along with jammed highways, high gasoline prices and global-warming concerns, may at last push longstanding plans to build fast train service between heavily trafficked urban markets like Los Angeles-San Francisco-Sacramento, Houston-Dallas, St. Louis- Chicago-Detroit and Florida's east coast. Yes, Acela is better, though by international standards it remains a joke. It looks good today mainly because driving and flying are looking so bad. Mr Russell is right: the Acela only seems great because the other options are so miserable. But that's been enough for Amtrak to capture, by some estimates, over half of the market for business travel between New York and Washington, DC. One easy improvement could make Acela even more appealing: Wi-Fi. Right now you need to bring a broadband wireless card along if you want to stay connected while you're on the train. But if the various $20 bus services between New York and DC can provide free Wi-Fi on the road, how hard can it be for Amtrak to provide it on the rails? In a smart post on Information Week's website, Cora Nucci argues that Amtrak faces a moment of truth: Business travelers are Amtrak's bread and butter. It should be hustling to make Wi-Fi a priority -- to make it free, make it fast, and make it available in every car on the line. This is the time to do it. High oil prices are placing a golden opportunity in Amtrak's lap. Amtrak already offers a service that is greener, cheaper, about as fast, and less of a hassle than its competitors. It doesn't even require a trip to the airport; it takes commuters from city centre to city centre. If Acela also offered free Wi-Fi, it would be a deal business travellers would find very hard to pass up.

Nissan, NEC Set Electric-Car Batteries for '09 May 20, 2008 Link to Source As the race to produce environmentally friendly cars heats up, Nissan Motor Co. and technology giant NEC Corp. announced Monday that next year they will begin mass-producing lithium-ion batteries, a key technology needed for electric cars. Nissan and NEC plan to invest a combined 12 billion yen ($115 million) in the battery project over the next three years, starting with capacity of 13,000 units a year, at first supplying batteries for Nissan forklifts. The joint venture, Automotive Energy Supply Corp., expects production of 65,000 units annually by 2011, mostly for cars. Nissan holds a 51% stake in the project with NEC and a subsidiary sharing the rest. The auto maker's portion of the investment is a small fraction of the 10.8 trillion yen in revenue the company booked for its latest fiscal year. Yet for Nissan, which lags behind many of its competitors in developing eco-friendly vehicles, the project is critical to its hopes of becoming a leader in making electric cars. Nissan and partner Renault SA plan to offer an all-electric car in the U.S. and Japan by 2010 and globally in 2012. Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Corp. and about a dozen other rivals are rushing to mass-produce their own lithium-ion batteries for the next generation of green vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries -- the type used in laptop computers and cellphones -- are considered the most promising battery for electric cars because they pack twice the power of conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries and can be charged again and again. But safety remains a concern. Laptops and cellphones with lithium-ion batteries have overheated and caught fire. Nissan and NEC say their laminated cell batteries use a stable crystal structure called spinel manganese that will eliminate the risk of overheating. The companies plan to offer the batteries, which they say have proved safe in field tests, to other car companies. Other battery manufacturers also have addressed the overheating issue. If the Nissan-NEC batteries are a success, they might help Nissan in the battle to define the next generation of green cars. Toyota has a hit with its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid. And Honda Motor Co., which also produces hybrids, is set to roll out a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle in the U.S. this summer. The competition to mass-market electric cars is fierce. In 2010 Toyota plans to offer a plug-in version of its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, and GM plans to release the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in car with a gasoline engine to recharge the battery while driving. Nissan has involved various governments in encouraging the use of electric vehicles. It plans to mass market electric vehicles in Israel and Denmark starting in 2011, taking advantage of government programs such as widespread battery-recharging stations and tax incentives for consumers. Renault and Nissan are negotiating to establish similar partnerships in other countries.

GM considers selling Chevrolets in South Korea May 16, 2008 10:30 AM ET Link to Source SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - General Motors Corp. is considering launching its Chevrolet brand in South Korea to capture a larger share of the country's growing market for imported cars, a company executive said Friday. The U.S. automaker will make a decision on the move after completing a study by the end of this year, said James H. Raymond, executive director of GM's Asia-Pacific vehicle sales, service and marketing division. GM Korea currently sells Cadillac sedans at 41 million to 120 million Korea won ($39,000-115,000) each and Saab sedans at 37 million to 59 million won. South Korea has become more important lately because imported vehicles are now claiming a bigger share of the market, said Raymond. GM, the world's top car company by sales, is trying to stay ahead of fast-gaining No. 2, Toyota Motor Corp. In South Korea, imported automobiles accounted for 6.2 percent of the passenger car market in April, up from 4.9 percent a year ago, according to figures from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. In the January-April period, imported car sales jumped 32 percent to 21,811 units from 16,496 units during the same period a year ago. GM hopes to more than double its South Korea sales this year, Raymond said. It sold about 600 Cadillacs and Saabs last year. However, it will be fighting against the market trend. The South Korean passenger car market share of the U.S. automakers based in the Detroit area — GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC — has shrunk to 11.7 percent in the January-April period from 15 percent in 2004, according to the importers' association. GM said that its Cadillac sales have improved compared with last year with the release of new, more fuel-efficient models this year.

Honda hybrids may cut into Detroit's market share May 21, 2008 4:49 PM ET Link to Source DETROIT (AP) - Honda Motor Co. is coming out with hybrid cars starting early next year that will cost about $1,900 more than comparable gas-only models. The cost for the Detroit Three, according to industry analysts, could be lower market share as U.S. consumers continue their rapid shift to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Analysts say the new hybrids, including a gas-electric hybrid-only model to fight the popular Toyota Prius and a hybrid version of the subcompact Fit, will hit the market at the right time with gasoline prices continuing to rise. "It's a game-changer for the short term if they can get the products in the marketplace in the next couple of years before the domestics can come up with a significant volume of products that get high mileage," said Jesse Toprak, chief industry analyst for the auto information site Edmunds.com. Honda, which already has the most fuel-efficient lineup in the U.S., announced Wednesday that it will sell the new hybrid-only car in the U.S., Japan and Europe starting in early 2009. It has not determined yet where the Fit will be sold. The new models are a key part of Honda's strategy for the next three years that President Takeo Fukui outlined at Honda's Tokyo headquarters. The plan also included production innovations and expansion in Japan to cut costs so Honda can stay competitive amid soaring material and energy costs, he said. In addition to the new model and the Fit, Honda will introduce several other hybrids: a Civic and a new sporty model based on the CR-Z, Fukui said. Fukui refused to give the price for the new hybrid-only vehicle. But he said the difference between hybrids and their comparable standard models should be kept within 200,000 yen ($1,900), although such price gaps can now reach as much as 500,000 yen ($4,800). "The 200,000 yen difference is a must," Fukui said. Hybrids deliver a cleaner, more efficient ride by switching between a gas engine and an electric motor at different speeds, and by recycling the energy the car produces as it moves. Honda's hybrids compound a problem that Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC already are scrambling to overcome — the U.S. market shift to small cars when they're known for making trucks and sport utility vehicles. "It does put them a little bit on their back foot in the sense that small cars have not been a core market for them," said Michael Robinet, vice president of global forecast services for CSM Worldwide, an auto industry consulting company based in Northville. GM and Ford, Robinet said, can rely on their European and Asian operations for small car expertise to quickly catch up. Chrysler has few small vehicles of its own but has signed a deal for Nissan Motor Co. to make small Chrysler cars in 2010. Honda's hybrids come as all automakers are rushing to make their models more fuel-efficient. GM largely has focused on hybrids in its larger vehicles and on the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in electric car it hopes to bring to market in 2010. Ford is banking on its Ecoboost direct-injection turbocharged engines and has midsize hybrids due out next year, while Chrysler is developing efficient smaller diesels and has hybrids in some large SUVs. "They've done a lot of navel-gazing, saying, "What are we good at?" Robinet said. "They've all basically said we're all good at something different. GM and Toyota have the resources to invest in every technology, but others have to invest in some and do joint ventures for others." No one really knows what technology will catch on with consumers, Robinet said. "Everybody's nervous about missing the ship that leaves the dock quickest, whether it's ethanol, battery technology," Robinet said. "But it's difficult to say, "Are they missing it?" because everybody's going down a different route." As recently as last year, people buying hybrids did so to make a statement about their concern for the environment, but that has changed and Honda is ready to capitalize on it, Toprak said. "Now were after mass market, and mass market is more aware of the hybrids than ever due to high gas prices," he said. Honda did not disclose the name for its new hybrid but said it will be a five-door sedan seating five passengers. It will feature new technology that reduces the size and weight of the hybrid system to increase fuel efficiency, according to Honda, Japan's second-biggest automaker. Although Honda already has developed hybrids, it has fallen behind Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. in this segment. Last year, Honda discontinued the gas-and-electric version of its Accord sedan — sold only in North America — which sold just 25,000 units since going on sale in 2004. In 2006, it pulled the plug on the slow-selling two-seat Insight hybrid. Honda said it's also pushing its fuel-cell technology to ease environmental concerns. A fuel cell vehicle has no emissions because it runs on the power created when hydrogen, stored as fuel in the vehicle, combines with oxygen in the air to emit water. Honda said it expects to lease several dozen of its new fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity, a year, mostly in California, reaching 200 vehicles in the first three years. The leasing is set to start in July 2008 in the U.S. and a few months later in Japan.

Honda to roll out cheap new hybrid model in early '09 May 21, 2008 3:53 AM ET Link to Source TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it would launch a new, low-cost hybrid car in Japan, North America and Europe in early 2009 as it seeks to cut the lead of Toyota Motor Corp in the green car race. Despite the pressure of record-high oil prices and concerns over climate change, fuel-efficient and low-emission hybrids still occupy a small niche in the global car market, partly due to their higher costs for both consumers and automakers. Japan's top two automakers lead the industry in the fuel-saving technology which runs on both electricity and gasoline, but Toyota has dominated sales with its groundbreaking Prius model, which is only available as a hybrid. Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments, said it was hard to know whether Honda could challenge Toyota's dominance. "When you say 'hybrid,' the image that really comes to mind is Prius," he said. "Honda is very dependent on the U.S. market, which is shifting towards things like hybrids, and for survival having a hybrid (model) is essential." By twinning a conventional engine and battery-powered electric motor, hybrids currently add $5,000 or more to comparable gasoline models, a premium Honda Chief Executive Takeo Fukui sees coming down to around $2,000 in the next generation of hybrids. "It is important to move hybrid vehicles from the current image-oriented stage to the new stage toward full-scale penetration," Fukui told a news conference. Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo said Honda hoped to price the hybrid-only car under 2 million yen ($19,290). Honda now only sells one hybrid car -- a gasoline-electric version of the mass-volume Civic sedan which starts at around 2.3 million yen -- after discontinuing its hybrid-only Insight 2-seater in 2006 and a hybrid version of its Accord in 2007. Honda expects annual sales of 200,000 for the new hybrid. Total hybrid sales, including the Civic hybrid, a new hybrid version of its popular Fit subcompact and a planned sports car based on the CR-Z concept model, are expected to reach 500,000 vehicles a year after 2010, roughly one-tenth of total sales. FIVE-DOOR, FIVE-SEATER Announcing other details of the new hybrid-only car for the first time, Honda said the car would be a 5-door, 5-seater similar in design to its sleek FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle. The car would use more compact and lightweight components for the hybrid system and have a new vehicle platform that places the control unit and battery underneath the cargo space. A new production line for electric motors will be added at Honda's Suzuka factory in western Japan to more than double the production speed and cut costs. Toyota is also racing to slash production costs for future hybrid cars. It has not disclosed when the third-generation Prius would be ready, although many expect a 2009 launch. Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, is aiming to achieve annual hybrid sales of 1 million vehicles soon after 2010, also targeting roughly one-tenth of its total sales. Few other automakers have managed to mass market hybrid cars after Toyota blazed the trail with the first Prius in 1997. Nissan Motor Co , Japan's No.3 automaker, is due to launch its own, in-house developed hybrid car in 2010, the same year General Motors Corp plans to launch its plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt. Honda shares ended down 2 percent in a weaker Tokyo market and have fallen about 11 percent this year, outperforming Toyota, Nissan and GM, which have fallen 13-24 percent. MANUFACTURING INNOVATION At its mid-year news conference, Honda also outlined plans to introduce new manufacturing methods at several Japanese factories to boost efficiency and lower costs. Honda said it plans to invest about 158 billion yen to make the improvements at two domestic factories, one for engines and the other for cars. The car factory, in Yorii, near Tokyo, is due to start production in 2010. A new minivehicle factory to be built by subsidiary Yachiyo Industry Co would also introduce innovations that would help Honda gain low-cost know-how, Honda said. "Fundamental reform and improving cost competitiveness in the minivehicle market, where cost pressures and customer expectations are very severe, will enable Honda to gain a significant edge in fighting intensifying global competition in future," Fukui said. Honda, which plans to improve fuel efficiency on bigger cars with clean-diesel technology, expects to sell more than 4.5 million cars and 18 million motorcycles worldwide in 2010. Last year, it sold 3.767 million cars and 13.48 million motorcycles. (Additional reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Lincoln Feast) ($1=103.70 Yen)

Fairfax strike ends; workers return May 22, 2008 10:21 AM ET Link to Source Union employees at the General Motors Corp. Fairfax Assembly Plant approved a new local contract late Wednesday and headed back to work at 6 a.m. Thursday. The new agreement was approved by 85 percent of United Auto Workers Local 31's production workers and 88 percent of its skilled trade workers, a union official said. The approval ends the strike by the plant's roughly 2,600 union members, which started May 5. "Obviously we're pleased that the new agreement was ratified and is in place now, and that we can put this chapter behind us and get everyone back to work building some very important products for us," GM corporate spokesman Dan Flores said. The Fairfax plant makes the Chevy Malibu, one of GM's strongest selling vehicles, and the Saturn Aura, as well as hybrid versions of each. Flores said that no plan is in place to catch up on lost production but that management plans to discuss possible options with the union. The two sides worked out terms of a local contract to replace one that had expired in September. Although a national contract between GM (NYSE: GM) and the UAW concerns issues such as wages and benefits, the local contract covers issues specific to the Fairfax plant. Local 31 President Jeff Manning has said that the main issue of contention was management not wanting seniority to play a role in job placement and shift preference. According to highlights of the agreement posted on the Local 31 Web site, the tentative agreement addresses those concerns, ensuring seniority by classification and craft. Team members can pick a job based on seniority, but GM can temporarily reassign employees for training or assistance within the team, or if potential loss of production exists in another team. The strike had caused some supplier layoffs. Faurecia Automotive Seating's Riverside plant laid off all its hourly workers on the strike's first day. A company spokesman said that the plant's first shift returned to work Thursday morning and that its second shift will return Thursday afternoon, which will account for all 160 employees who were laid off. Inteva Products LLC, formerly Delphi Interiors and Closures, temporarily laid off about 90 of the roughly 100 employees at its North Kansas City plant. Spokeswoman Misty Matthews said Thursday that all the plant's employees are back to work. Penske Logistics, which receives and delivers automotive components to the plant, laid off 92 hourly workers the day the strike began. A company official couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday. The Fairfax Assembly Plant ranks No. 15 on the Kansas City Business Journal's list of area private-sector employers, with 2,700 employees.

As for Alpha, I think they're talking about the next-gen Excelle; Not the current gen. They suspect the Excelle will be remodeled onto the Alpha platform. We'll have to wait and see. As for RWD/FWD???? Like it or not, Cadillac and Buick target different luxury preferences and different demographics. The Buick LeSabre & Park Avenue did not "steal" Cadillac Deville & Seville sales when they were all FWD, so why should Buick "steal" sales if both brands have RWD models? That assumption just sounds ridiculous to me. There's more to vehicles beside the driving wheels. As a Buick owner, I have no desire to "move-up" to Cadillac. If Buick was phased out, I'd still have no desire to move to Cadillac. Like-wise, I can't possibly picture a Cadillac owner "stepping down" to a Buick. Even priced equally, I don't think that would change. Being in the same "market" does not make them direct competitors either. An example of this is like someone saying the HUMMER H2 "steals" sales from the Cadillac Escalade. Two completely different types of buyers. Both vehicles survive in the same market on their own merits. The truth is, Cadillac can't attract H2 buyers with the Escalade. Just like an Escalade buyer wouldn't drive an H2. Cadillac and Buick can do the same in luxury cars/CUVs.

See, and I disagree with that line of reasoning for several reasons 1) The current Malibu is very competitive and still new. Replacing it in two years while leaving the Impala in play on W doesn't make sense. 2) It's already confirmed the current Malibu remains in production at Fairfax through 2011 (perfect timing for a 2012 replacement). 3) Moving Malibu to a large sedan two years before the Epica replacement would leave a huge gap between the compact Cobalt & Large Malibu within the Chevrolet line-up So, basically, I believe the next-gen Malibu will be the global Epica replacement. It just makes sense for the first EPS II-based Chevrolet to be a premium/flagship FWD/AWD large sedan (and replacing the oldest sedan in the line-up). Then follow-up with a mainstream EP-II mid-size debut two years later. Malibu has finally made a name for itself as a Camry competitor. Why would GM try to reposition it into an Avalon competitor and then establish yet another new mainstream mid-size sedan calling it something else? It just seems ridiculous.

From the sound of your reply to Moltar, the current Impala buyers shouldn't matter to GM since it’s such an uninspiring vehicle. And regardless if you think GM will break away from its old ways or not, GM has confirmed in the UAW agreement two new Chevrolet sedans for production within the next 4 years. Why anyone would think a CAW agreement would/could/should alter GM's UAW agreement or trump it is beyond me. One union agreement will not replace the other. That's guaranteed. If anything, GM is definitely up to its old ways and will roll out a new large sedan on Epsilon II while selling the w-Impala for fleet (Impala or Impala Classic...). I don't see why that's so hard for most of you to see if you're actually being rational. For the most part, I see a bunch of people jumping off the deep end to berate GM for keeping the w-platform around two extra years.

The drama queens in this topic are those who love to accuse many on C&G for being irrational. Beautiful. Any of you remember this topic? GM has already stated they've been working on both a FWD and RWD Impala replacement, but didn't decide until recently which one to go with. The FWD version won. I've been convinced for a while that the Fairfax Large Chevy Epsilon in 2010 will be the real Impala replacement that GM has been considering instead of Zeta and the Malibu will be remodeled in 2012. GM can't use the Impala name outside of Oshawa so we know it'll be called something different. By 2010, there should be a new large Chevrolet sedan along with a Volt to share the showroom as Chevrolet flagship cars. So, the dealers shouldn't be starved for product even if GM keeps the current Impala soldiering on like a fleet-loved Panther.

Well, there is realistic room for improvement that would keep the Impala somewhat competitive and positioned above Malibu. Here's what I could see happening: The quality upgrades that the W-platform LaCrosse enjoys trickle over into an MCE Impala: much improved interior materials, MRC to improve ride & handling, maybe add Navigation, memory seats, standard automatic dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, LED instrumentation, power rear window sunscreen... Styling could also be tweaked (a lot) to help keep it fresh and more inline with Chevrolet's progressive styling. ---------------- Which plant produces the 4-sp auto used by the W-platform. Do we know anything about how long the transmission is planned for production?

What do you consider as your car's birthday? Build date? (My car was built in October 2002) Or purchase date? (I bought may car at the end of May 2003) If purchase date, my car's 5th B-day is coming up. Congrats on your car's B-day though.