VenSeattle

No, but there will be $30k Camaros... along with potentially $70k US Cadillac Zetas... and potentially $100k+(US) exported Cadillac and Buick Zetas to China and other markets.

Why? SIGMA has less volume and is more expensive to build than Zeta.

Here's another issue... http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gara...track=1&cse GM is heavily pushing for CHEVROLET IS GREEN. A RWD Performance Impala sends a contradictory message. A Green/Hybrid luxury-geared FWD Impala wouldn't. It would also continue to appeal to the demographic/market that the Impala currently competes in. You can't have PONTIAC IS PERFORMANCE and CHEVROLET IS PERFORMANCE If you want focused and defined brands... here you go: PONTIAC IS PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET IS GREEN Due to CAFE and other issues, PERFORMANCE IS DEAD has an unfortunate ring to it. (The caps are not yelling in my post above but a play on Pontiac's new slogan. Please do not take it out of context or misinterpret.)

That was back when Oshawa was going 100% RWD. That's no longer the case. In addition, PCS has indicated the Zetas produced at LGR are to be exported... we recently learned Camaro will be exported as well.

How much volume is actually needed? Is there really a lack of volume? If so, why not build the G8 here instead of indefinitely importing it? GTO is dead. Camaro will be exported. The Park Avenue/Lucerne and the STS/DTS replacment will be made in LGR. PCS has hinted that those vehicles will be exported as well. Oshawa is not switching to RWD only. It will produce both FWD and RWD. The FWD Impala (if there is one) will be made in Oshawa.

I disagree. VOLT alone will overshadow any image a RWD Impala would bring. If GM's profitability, quality, and turn-around efforts all pick up pace without signs of legitimate concern (non-CAFE related prudent planning)... I doubt the public perception will be even half as bad as what's being implied. In general, Chevrolet & GM need the VOLT as an Image vehicle in today's market, not a limited RWD Performance Impala.

Pontiac's transition and overtaking Oakland is part of its US history. Pontiac was almost phased out as an "old-person's brand" in this country. Over the entire course of existence, how many years did Pontiac's line-up (not just a coupe or two) actually consist of "performance" vehicles? Did they out-perform Chevrolet? Okay, even if you account for the years where it was just a coupe or two, how many years did Pontiac out-perform Chevrolet? They're honest and legitimate questions since we're talking 'claims to heritage' here.

Happy B-day guys!

Here's my speculation - The Epsilon II platform (and Epsilon in general) is less expensive to manufacture than Zeta. Malibu & Impala eventually sharing development/production costs (including the volume generated by using the same platform) also helps play a part. The Epsilon II platform has been engineered to support most of GM's alternative fuel options. Zeta wasn't (regardless of reason or who's at fault.) Zeta is expensive. Even with the changes made. It's still a "premium platform" replacement to the G-Platform on most accounts. The reason Camaro can survive and get away with it (for a few years) is because it'll cover a far larger price range between trim levels (over $20k depending.) This helps offset the costs involved, but not entirely. I doubt the new Camaro will ever become profitable. Understand, a Zeta Impala will be expensive because it's on Zeta, not because it's necessarily worth it. By this I mean content would suffer on a Zeta-based Impala to help keep costs down. An Epsilon II Impala would be more apt to compete with feature-laden flagships of other current mainstream sedans - Avalon, Maxima, Azera, and Taurus/Sable without crossing into territory (price and class) occupied by other GM brands. How many $30-$40k RWD sedans does GM need? CTS, G8, Impala, Lucerne? Ugh… I won't even get into volume appeal... ugh... Another perspective… People want to say it is Chevrolet’s heritage to have RWD… well, back when everything and everyone else had RWD. Today, RWD is a specialty platform while practically all of Chevrolet’s cars and Chevrolet’s car competition are FWD. Chevrolet’s mainstream and value-driven role is what kept Chevrolet from getting GM’s FWD G-Platform. See… It’s not only premium RWD platforms that GM holds back from Chevrolet. The same problems that existed for the G-Platform are still in place for Zeta. I'm probably off, but that's my rationale behind the decision.

The two Zetas promised in the UAW contract were at Cadillac's Lansing Grand River plant... No FWD vehicles will be produced there. Sorry.

For BV's situation, system restore should be fine. I believe he knows exactly when he acquired the virus. We'll see if the other solutions work. If so, great. If not, it's an option.

Now that GM is able to manuever more easily amongst the Unions... control production capacity (plant closings) and staffing (buyouts)... market share is not as important as profitability. As PCS outlined in the glut of dealers topic, dealerships starved of product will eventually capitulate without much effort exerted from GM.

In simplest terms... It's a chess game for total control. GM is consolidating its house into one global entity. The power will lie with the victor. GME is playing the game better than the rest of GM's regions. If the other regions want any say in the future (or just survive), they better start playing smarter.

Your Lush Bath Bombs experience! :rotflmao:

See Camino's post... The strongest point Buick has is China. It is GM's strongest and largest brand. The second point Buick has is its need to sustain the GMC franchises in the US after Pontiac is gone. If the Chinese Buicks don't sell well in the US, I can see Buick becoming a Chinese-only brand... and that means GMC disappearing also. Buick isn't safe... it's up against the same things Pontiac, Holden, Daewoo, GMC, etc are up against. What we're currently witnessing is the start. Pontiac is first (and pretty much definite if G8 fails.)

The Lucerne will exist after the 3800 goes out of production. The LZ4 3.5l OHV, LY7 3.6l DOHC, or the LZ9 3.9l OHV will be used in place of the 3800 until the Lucerne is replaced in 2010/2011. I don't see the 6-sp auto ever making it into a G-Platform vehicle (unfortunately.)

You should be able to perform a system restore without a disk. Check the system restore file to see if anything is there. If not, can you get into IM (msn messenger or AIM) so we can chat?

Technology like this is what will make SAAB (part of GME) a more viable brand in the US and the world over. I'm sure the technology will get here, but just not shared corporate-wide as we'd like.

We'll know the outcome of the G8 sales soon enough. It'll be on sale soon, and the sedan will sell or flop regardless of the ute/wagon combo sitting beside it on Pontiac showrooms. If Pontiac doesn't sell every G8, then Pontiac is probably as good as dead. Not to be cruel, but Pontiac being phased out won't cause GM to fail in any market place. Seriously. The phase-out would have even less impact in the US than Oldsmobile since all dealerships are being merged into GMC & Buick. Canada sold a total of 403,712 GM vehicles through a combined 743 GM dealerships in 2007. That market isn't large enough to sustain the importance of any one brand in North America. Chevrolet will be strong with the Corvette & Camaro performance cars along with hybrid sedans, CUVs, & SUVs (don't forget the upcoming Volt). Saturn will have all of Opel's portfolio. Cadillac will have the recently released CTS sedan/Coupe/V-Series, BRX, Hybrid Escalade, and what ever else comes after that. Buick will have the Chinese vehicles to sell cross markets.

PCS... are you listening? Buick for Australia! Griffon needs a LaCrosse!

The G-Platform cars (not the W-platform) competed with Chrysler's LH & LX vehicles: Bonneville = Intrepid/Charger LeSabre/Park Avenue/Aurora = Concorde/LHS/300M/300 I believe GM's combined G-Platform sales of Pontiac/Buick/Oldsmobile always outsold Chrysler's LH/LX cars until the Bonneville, Aurora, & Park Avenue were discontinued.

I'm not sure if that even qualifies for $200...

Is that a clay mock-up of the interior? It's... It's... *speechless*

Who develops and controls diesel technology for GM cars?

They're using the terms interchangeably... see this line in the article that precedes the one mentioning Buick: He's talking about actual buyers.