big blue

It was also discussed on the TOV forums if people are curious. Link

Looking at Chrysler, its just painful to see that amount of incentives being used. Ok I admit..it's a little funny too. Nissan and Toyota's increased incentives didn't come as a surprise as I've been seeing their commercials a lot lately, BUY BUY BUY! As for Honda, the RL is just enjoying its existence sitting there on dealer lots and even with incentives I'm not sure I'd buy the thing. There are much better competitors out there or coming soon from other manufacturers and within Acura as most people prefer the TL over the RL. "Our analyst are actually predicting an increase in GM market share for 2007." When was the last time we saw that typed out about GM? IMO, Edmunds is a good car site whether you believe it or not and one I visit daily along with C&G. It's not that they've "gone soft", it's because GM is starting to make good products and naturally, good news follows good products. Saying Edmunds is becoming soft towards GM is taking away the credit GM has earned by developing well made vehicles.

Market Watch! GM's Incentives Drop - Japan's Shoot Up Original Link Just got the year-end sales figures from our crack team of automotive data editors and analysts. These guys have my ultimate respect, because they somehow manage to corral all the sales, pricing and incentives figures scattered throughout the automotive industry and transform them into something a journalist major can understand. Some of the more compelling figures from 2006: 1. General Motors' U.S. market share dropped to 24.6 percent, but the bulk of it came from cutting back on fleet sales. Not surprisingly, GM's incentive spending also dropped by 17.5 percent, to its lowest level since 2002 (and the lowest level of any domestic carmaker). Per vehicle incentive spending averaged $2,987. Our analyst are actually predicting an increase in GM market share for 2007. 2. Toyota's market share grew to 15.5 percent, and they officially became the third largest automaker (in terms of sales) in North America (displacing Chrysler). So the "Big 3" term is certifiably dead (or, at the very least, it now indicates a different group of automakers...). However, Toyota's incentive spending was at the highest level in five years, with an average of $1,061 per vehicle. 3. Nissan had the highest incentive spending of any Asian carmaker (that's Japan and Korea) with an average of $2,309 per vehicle (that's up 30 percent from 2005). Their market share dropped to 6.2 percent. 4. Honda's market share rose to 9.2 percent, while their average incentive spending was $720 per vehcle. However, the Pilot had record incentives at $1,550 and both the MDX and RL had incentives of over $2,000 throughout 2006. 5. Ford and Chrysler both lost market share. Ford's average incentive spending was $3,438 per vehicle, Chrysler's was $3,798 (both amounts are the highest in five years for each company). 6. Hyundai/Kia is on fire. They sold 12,000 vehicles in 1994; last year they sold 450,000 vehicles. Market share is up to 4.6 percent. Average incentive spending was $1,777 per vehicle. They should easily crack the half-million mark for sales in 2007.

Hm doesn't sound like a bad idea. Any other DFWites out there that maybe want to meet up for the show? Granted its in March so who knows what will happen between then and now..

Ah right I forgot that you meant the A-pillar back. Serves me right for reading the post and then replying hours later after work. I realize what you mean about the MKR being more agressive, low-slung even? Although I can see how it reminds you of the IS, well I haven't seen either the MKR or CTS in person and that makes all the difference so I'll just hold my full opinion until the Dallas auto show rolls around come March :AH-HA_wink:

Maybe if the front of the MKR was toned down I could like it a little. Currently, I think the front is hideous though, specifically the grille. The rear is ok, reminds me of the mark VII

Fly did you actually mean the Sedan? I think the coupe has a longer hood than the sedan. I think i'd probably take the Si Sedan over the coupe just because of practicality purposes. I wasn't too fond of the stubby hood but I've gotten used to it now.

Fixed. Cadillac still has work to do with the rest of its lineup to become world class (STS):AH-HA_wink:. Although I will say the STS and DTS aren't BAD cars, they're nice, just unremarkable. DTS however does have more unique styling over the STS.

More real life pics of the CTS Found these posted on the CTS Edmunds board. That interior looks stunning in these images. I'm not sure if both interior pics are from the same car, but the white colored one stands out and gives it a special luxury look over the normal tan colored one. The wood trim in both interior shots are nice and rich looking and I'd definitely have to get the wood in these cars. It's tastefully done imo... Just saw your post above mine O.C. Yeah this thread is going to be torn apart now Personally, I disagree and love the new CTS as it looks luxurious, Cadillac-like and still new and modern.

It's pretty sporty looking although not perfect in my eyes. The front overhang is kinda long and the lower air dam doesn't sit well with me with all those horizontal lines. I prefer a cleaner look, maybe size down that dam and make it a hole instead of a grille. Overall though, it is a much better design than the current Accord's roundedness. I'm VERY glad that Honda is moving away from the last generation of triangular pull back headlamps. They're harking back to the early 90's Accord style which makes me happy since we have a 93 sedan along with my 02 coupe. Thin horizontal headlamps have always been better looking to me than those big ones Honda has been using lately. The Civic was the first to start going back to that and now the Accord follows suit. Good. With the JDM Accord coming over as the TSX, I thought the days of US Honda's looking like Hondas were over since Acura then adopted that slim headlight look. I'm glad to see they didn't want to keep doing that, now I don't have to say Acuras look more like a styling evolution from Honda then Hondas do. ....and I haven't seen so many positive comments for a Honda on this board since I joined

heh one editor who loves the truck and another who thinks the Silverado is just a little better still than the Tundra. All from the same site.

Bingo.It's not that the Camry is pure utter crap, it's just unimpressive as a whole. Fit and finish/interior materials don't seem any better(or actually worse?) than the last generation and it's pretty much just an evolutionary car in terms of performance. Nothing spectacular here. For the Aura, it's like a cold burst of wind hit them smack in the face. "That car is from GM? Wait, that's a Saturn?" Not to downplay the Aura's capabilities, but it's the wow factor that helped the Aura win even if it isn't a jack of all trades car. That's how it won and that's why I wasn't surprised when the Saturn was the one chosen for the award. As for the Silvy, what else would you have chosen? The interior is just beautiful for a truck...

Well I hope your style group doesn't form as I love this new look over the old and uglier(rear) current one. :AH-HA_wink:

Well like you said, it's your opinion. Personally the new Focus is garbage in my eyes, outside and especially inside. Color me biased too then as I think the new Tundra looks pretty good in certain configurations & trim levels, definitely not in the base form though. Oh and my feelings about the exterior are completely opposite for its interior(ick). Just saw the new Sierra driving around today and thought it's one of the best looking trucks out there. Come on Dodgefan, you know looks are subjective

Another view from an Edmunds editor about the Tundra: Karl on Cars - Edmunds Their full test seemed pretty positive about it, but even Karl says he would prefer the Silverado's interior to the new Tundra's. Some of those buttons seem hard to reach for smaller people.

Probably because Edmunds feels the same way I do about this car, maybe a little less excited than me. Do you really feel this new CTS is the benchmark? The vehicle that ALL other competitors must beat now? I think the new CTS is very competitive but it definitely doesn't give me the feeling that BMW will be crapping a brick about Cadillac anytime soon. The exterior is definitely an awesome upgrade and continues the Cadillac look. The interior however isn't as revolutionary as I hoped it would, maybe too much hype surrounding the interior of the car. The inside, specifically the center console looks like a mesh between a TL and G35. Does it look bad? Heck no it looks great! But I was expecting a little more originality so Cadillac could seem more distinctive. I love the new look of the CTS, just gotta wait and see how it drives and if shockingly it out handles a BMW, then it can call itself the standard of the world again. I personally don't care much about paying such high prices for BMWs but they are the benchmark in this class right now.

I thought they were rather enthusiastic about the new CTS. Although I did read how they were saying this CTS powertrain and interior combination should have debuted for the first gen, overall they like it. I know I do too. I'm loving that new front end and seeing the Caddy in the orange and red is really surprising and threw me off guard. I was expecting the silver one to show up, but that red really pumps up the "newness" of this NG CTS. The only current gripe I have is the alum trim for the center console, it resembles the G35's just a little too much for me. I'd have to go wood on this one I think...The front end is fantastic, the exagerated fenders, grille and lines are powerful looking. The back end is much more traditional Cadillac looking than the current ugly end of the first generation. The side ports echo the same styling element that the Escalade has and its good to see some common Cadillac DNA there besides the styling itself. If you go to the Edmunds' page there's a nice video that gives you a view of the car from different angles and also a sample of the exhaust note. They also give you a look at how the ambient lighting looks like inside.

Heh that statement of a GM engine running bad longer than other engines run is so true. My grandfather's 97 lesabre has been hit 4-5 times and that 3800 just keeps on rolling. To top it off, the engine had leaked all of its coolant out at the water pump and died on the road. We took it to his mechanic and he got it running again, but the catch is it's running on FIVE out of the six cylinders now. Hey I'm surprised the damn thing still starts, it sounds like its going to explode but it doesn't. My grandfather still uses it to drive around town and the 3800 just won't die. That engine is a tank I tell ya.

Congrats to GM and everyone who worked on these two vehicles. The Silverado is doing good and the Aura is providing positive press for Saturn and GM as a whole. It might not be a home-run, but it IS a competitor now. Something which couldn't be said about past midsize offerings from GM.

I had the exact same reaction as Captainbooyah there. Read the press release thought "Oh, sounds pretty cool" then saw that horrible buck-toothed airplane winged of a car and cried a little on the inside. Seriously, the G6 GT looks better than this. Hood scoops don't do anything for me either, they just remind me of the thousands of modifed cars out there with non-painted scoops running around as if they're some type of hotshot. ...and for the record, I didn't like the hood scoops on the refreshed GTO either.

Exterior isn't too bad, interior still bugs me though. The side view makes the CrewMax look weird. Stubby looking front end with the tail looking way too high. I guess there needs to be more greenhouse or something to offset the hugeness of the sides.

I'll take Happy Honda Days over Mr. Opportunity. If only we could get those awesome UK ads over to North America. Definitely loved the impossible dream ad when I first saw it, the music, imagery and history was perfect(except for lack of Honda Jet as noted). The choir ad was decent, but still an interesting effort. I'd hate to be the production crew who did the cog video, 600 takes of swearing, frustration and anxiety right there. I'll say the diesel ad was quirky, but fun and unique. The tune was catchy and the imagery was very impressionable, something that a commercial wants to be. Ya know, they should just shoot some new footage of him in the hondajet and replace the balloon with it. The ad would still be awesome Found a post about all the symbolism in the impossible dreams ad, its quite clever actually: "You have to know something about Honda to "get" this ad. It tells Soichiro Honda's life story symbolically...and it is utterly brilliant. As such, it is the ebst commercial I have ever seen: -Soichiro Honda the outsider... the guy living in a trailer by the sea, an outsider. -Soichiro the grease monkey...this guy looks like a grease monkey. -The seagull in a nest tending to it's young...His dream in the earliest stages. -Two Seagulls on the rock....Soichiro and Takeo Fujisawa (Honda's alter-ego) -He begins his journey with a simple mini-bike...symbolic of the Honda Cub. -The dogs chasing him as he sings "to fight the unbeatable foe"... the resistance that dogged him from MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) and the Gakubatsu (Japanese old Boys network). -The sheep moving together as a group... the Japanese culture of group over the individual. Meanwhile, he motors on by in the background on his individual journey past the group. Two horses overlooking the field in the background-...I haven't figured this part out yet. -The succession of cars and bikes as they progress through advances in developement. -The boat flying off the waterfall...his death. -The balloon rising out of the mist, with him singing "to reach for the unreachable stars"...on his way to heaven and still dreaming. A Very Happy ending. -Underlying the entire commercial is the humor of this guy singing like Andy Williams as he blasts down the road. Honda had a great sense of humor." credit goes to mike

Your dad's quote is great hah. MY 02 Accord didn't come with ABS either (03+ did) but my 93 Accord does have ABS. Proper brake modulation will help you from locking up the brakes that's all...

Attractive, although its not stomping out any new grounds. I think it actually reminds me more of the early 90's vans than the originals.

Ugh I wanna go to the Detroit Auto show so bad. I'm ALMOST willing to drive up from Dallas just to see the newly designed GM section. I think I'd be slaughtered for driving an Accord into the heart of the motor city though