Flybrian

GM's Design Drive Hits the Road By refreshing its lineup with new interiors, the No. 1 carmaker aims to win over consumers with quality and fend off its rival for the top spot, Toyota by Matt Vella Link to Original Article @ BusinessWeek The 2008 STS' revised, SLS-inspired interior? Kate Zak, General Motors' director of global component strategy, stands under moody spotlights in front of three disembodied steering wheels, talking about the importance of a proper "handshake." The interactions in question—the tactile experience of hands on a gear shift, a windshield wiper stalk, or a steering wheel—are minute, and, it turns out, inextricably linked to drivers' impressions of a car's overall quality. "We've found that these handshake components—their feel, their sound, their actuation—really are for customers an indicator for the entire vehicle, windows of insight into the car," says Zak. After inviting the small group of journalists with whom she's speaking to poke and prod the steering wheels behind her, she moves on to another set of dislocated auto components in a dim room punctuated by design displays swathed in contrapuntal light. The traveling salon is part of a GM (GM) campaign to put its designers—and the work inside the Warren (Mich.) Design Center—front and center. The company is trying to show that it too knows how to innovate, and that the products of a long-term, design-driven revitalization are at last ready for prime time. Dave Rand, GM's executive director of interior design, says, "We don't have to keep making promises, we feel we have something we can show." Countering Rivals with Style Steering wheels are a key element of the “handshake”—the subtle physical interaction a driver has with a car that adds to the overall impression of the vehicle. These prototypes of steering wheels also help designers tease out the different brand characteristics of GM's many nameplates. The world's biggest auto maker is in a highly publicized dogfight with Toyota, a company with a sterling reputation for innovation as well surging sales that could catapult it into the No. 1 position globally sometime this year. That leaves GM and its stable of eight auto brands warring on two related fronts: the first, staving off Japanese competition while attempting to cut costs at its varied divisions, which range from Saturn to Hummer; the second, fighting for relevance and quality in the eyes of consumers. Now the company has begun showing products aimed at clawing back lost territory. A new version of Cadillac's flagship sports sedan, for example, features a "cut-and-sew" process by which coverings on the instrument panel, center console, and door trim are cut, sewn, and wrapped by hand, allowing for sartorial flourishes such as French stitching. It's the kind of detailing light years away from recent GM products. "We've learned the difference between what is expensive and what looks expensive," says Rand. According to Rand, these new products stem from a corporate edict issued four years ago by Bob Lutz, the company's vice-chairman for global product development. The Lutz decree elevated design at large to primary status, increasing its budget and giving designers more power in decision-making. Additionally, the initiative gave equal importance to exterior and interior design—a first for the company, since the latter had previously been subordinate to body design. "We were extremely liberated," says Rand. "Black Tie" Components Designers take cues from jewelry when it comes to key fobs, the remote controls that can unlock doors and even start vehicles from a distance. They pay special attention to a fob's weight, aiming to give it a luxurious heft without making the piece a burden to carry. Rand and his design team went to work, charged with transforming the company's interiors. Many GM products had been maligned by auto analysts and consumers for being seas of sexless hard plastics and flimsy components. Taking cues from furniture, jewelry, and graphic design, the GM team started with the basics: audio and climate controls, instrument clusters, seats, and even keys. The first generation of new dash components—knobs, switches, buttons, and radio and climate controls—was dubbed "black tie," as in elegant and goes with everything. These elements—not the dashboard forms themselves but the components that populate them—could be used in Cadillac models as well as less expensive Chevrolets. The idea, according to Zak, was to give components a weight and level of detailing noticeably more refined than previous products, and to distribute those improvements across the company's many brands. Working with suppliers, the designers were able to develop a set of radio and climate controls that were more attractive but could be used in multiple models. The resulting pieces are subtle examples of interaction design. Instead of being fabricated out of one piece of hard plastic, knobs that turn on a vehicle's headlamps, for instance, were made to have multiple components. The textured track where the fingers grip the knob gives it a heavy, well-built feeling. That particular component currently populates the dashboards of certain Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Saturn models. Seats with an Aura Dashboards are increasingly hosting “infotainment,” the various screens and gadgets that entertain passengers and provide information, from the current radio station to driving directions. This futuristic concept dash incorporates a GPS navigation device as well as a media player. Seats were another area of focus. Jim Gasparotto, creative designer for color and trim, says inspiration comes from the fabrics used in home furnishings, which display more flair and personality than the habitual gray or black of most car interiors. Gassparotto helped develop deep tan seats with high-quality textures and detailed stitching for the new Saturn Aura, released last year. "Seats are one of the most important components," he says. "They're often the first thing you notice when you open the doors, and they create first impressions." The company says that of customers buying Auras with leather seating, 30% are choosing Gasparotto's sexy but unconventional Morocco Brown package. For the designer, that's a gratifying statistic, especially since many auto journalists suspected the option would never make it to dealer showrooms. Designers are still working on GM's key fobs, the miniature remote controls attached to most new car keys. "A key fob is statement, the only component that walks away from the car," says Zak. "In the past, we've had very utilitarian key fobs that work but don't take advantage of the branding opportunity. Our goal is for those to become a conversation piece." Backslapping Begins Designers pay close attention to texture, particularly on the most touched component—the steering wheel. The feel of a steering wheel has proven to influence opinions of the driving experience. This prototype steering wheel for Buick features multiple textures including brushed steel. Zak showed development prototypes of fobs that play with form and functionality, blocks of clear, shaped resin and wood, some oval and rounded, others sharp and high-tech looking. Designers, she says, are taking a page from jewelers and makers of high-end watches that are meticulously weighted to feel luxurious and substantial in hand. The company's efforts have already started paying off. New interiors from the Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Pontiac divisions picked up numerous accolades at last year's Interior of the Year awards held annually by Ward's. And the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and Saturn Aura sedan were named North American truck and car of the year, respectively, at the North American International Auto Show in January. Both vehicles feature the "black tie" generation of components. Industry analysts have also been impressed. The recently debuted 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, a high-volume sedan likely to cost around $20,000, stole the Detroit show with an interior crafted to dazzle. That model combines components from other GM models with seats similar to those now popular in the Aura but adds a cabin sculpted like an airline cockpit and an available set of unusual but evocative two-tone color combinations. Coming Attraction These key fobs, already available with some Cadillac models, are part of a new generation designed to start conversations. Key fobs are the only vehicle component besides the keys themselves that wander away from cars. GM thinks these could serve as free advertising—if their designs are striking enough. "It's incredible," says Erich Merkle, director of forecasting at IRN, a Grand Rapids (Mich.)-based automotive research group. "That interior just blows away expectations. I expect it to have a huge effect." "It certainly looks like a tremendous value for the price," says Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com. "It looks like a $40,000 Lexus inside." Reviews like that are music to GM's ears, no doubt. But designers at the salon had one more piece of work to show off that won't be available until later this year. In the corner of GM's exhibit sat one of four preproduction Cadillac CTS sport sedans. The new version of that vehicle is the first to feature a host of the design lab's next-generation developments. The CTS's interior is intended as another drastic leap forward. Unlike the "black tie" dash components, the audio and climate control systems are designed to be customizable on a model-by-model and cabin-by-cabin basis. Controls, for instance, can be designed and distributed independently of each other, not having to be a part of a commonly defined layout. Ready for Reaction Much of what shows up in concept renderings rarely makes it into production vehicles. Here, designers use renderings to play with space and organization. This setup is intended to provide more utility in the baseboards of a vehicle's trunk. That allows designers to create sweeping surfaces with integrated buttons and knobs more appropriate to the style of each car. That process adds cost, admits Rand, but he and other executives believe the improvements in quality are worth it. "Here, the layout is much more subdominant to the overall themes of the cabin," notes Zak. "That allows us, in this case, to create a sense of spaciousness and sportiness." The fruits of GM's new interior-design initiative are now either just hitting dealer lots or on the production line. It remains to be seen how sales and quality perceptions are affected, and that has left Rand's designers working fervently on future interiors with one ear cocked to catch industry and consumer reaction. "We didn't really have a choice," says Rand, referring in part to the directive from the top but also to the damage low-quality interiors had done to the company's reputation, "but I'm glad we're here now." Another area in which GM designers have made big leaps is ambient cabin lighting. New vehicles take cues from recessed lightings in luxury homes, incorporating subtle sources of light throughout car cabins. Here, a prototype blinker stalk sports a small light to make it easy to locate in the dark. The adoption of integrated cameras into vehicles is taking more time than some HAD predicted. Common are cameras that give drivers a clearer view of what's behind them—think hulking SUVs—but this prototype rearview mirror shows how video could be incorporated into slide-out LCDs.

He died... ...and was reborn under the name Mjdecker.

About the 'First Look' thing, I used a formatting template I usually use for new pics. My fault.

Good luck to Skoda. I'm not selling old, rebadged German cars on old German mechanicals. This refers to Skoda and DCX.

Older GAZ21 Volgas are fantastic. They look good, are notoriously overbuilt, and KGB models had a V8.

Actually, Skoda sucks for one reason: Skoda. Most are rebadges anyway. Woo.

LaCrosse tweaked after rare one-star rating Harry Stoffer | Link to Original Article @ Automotive News | February 13, 2007 - 3:01 pm WASHINGTON - General Motors has altered the trim on the inside of the driver's door of the 2007 Buick LaCrosse because the car earned the lowest possible score in a government side-impact crash test. "We were surprised and disappointed" with the one-star rating, GM spokesman Alan Adler said. GM made the midmodel-year change in the door trim of cars on the assembly line last month, Adler said. The company will ask that the car be retested, he said. But for the moment, the one-star rating remains in the information made available to consumers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A one-star rating on the five-star scale does stand out. The car still complies with safety standards, but a lower rating is supposed to indicate a greater possibility of serious injury in a crash. Many vehicles now get four or five stars in most testing categories. The government is asking for recommendations on how to improve the program so that it better differentiates between the best performers and the less-than-best. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced plans to overhaul the program during a visit to the Detroit auto show last month. The testing, called the New Car Assessment Program, began in 1978. The LaCrosse got five stars for protecting driver and passenger dummies in frontal impacts. It got three stars for the rear passenger in a side-impact crash and four stars for resisting rollovers. Results for 63 newly rated vehicles are at www.nhtsa.gov. Ratings for vehicles back to 1990 are at www.safercar.gov. ---------------------------------- Something seems fishy with this. A one-star rating with side curtain airbags? For those not familiar, the LaCrosse earned a three-star rating withOUT side curtain airbags back in 2005. Also keep in mind the 2007 Impala with SAB earns 5-stars and the 2007 Grand Prix without them still earns 3-stars. Here are links to the two tests at NHTSA... 2005 LaCrosse test 2007 LaCrosse test

A low-volume figure makes Aussie Zeta production of a G8 seems the most likely to continue. It fills capacity and leaves more room at Oshawa for more surge/fall changes to its four volume products.

First Look: 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

Fixed.

Yeah, I screwed up a few. I blame GM as their photography clearly listed them as Z71 originally. I see they fixed it, too.

Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ LTZ Exclusive Features Chrome door handles Bright chrome grille insert Bright chrome mirror caps Standard on LTZ Head curtain side-impact airbags Rainsense automatic wipers Heated washer fluid Bose 7-speaker premium sound system Dual heated bucket seats with 12-way power driver/pass adjustments Black lugguage roofrails Heavy-duty locking rear differential Z55 Suspension Package, (incl. Autoride air shocks) 20" x 8.5" polished aluminum wheels

First Look: Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 First Look: Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 First Look: Chevrolet Suburban Z71 Package Includes... Chrome door handles Satin chrome mirror caps Tubular assist steps (BVV) Skid Plate Package (NZZ) Front frame-mounted recovery hooks (2WD) (V76) Front and rear wheel flares (B71) 18"x8" aluminum wheels (N87) P265/65R18 on-/off-road blackwall tires (QXN) Off-road jounce bumpers Specially-tuned springs and gas-charged monotube shocks Heavy-duty locking rear differential (G80) 4.10 rear axle ration (GT5) Heavy-duty locking rear differential (G80) High-capacity air cleaner (K47) Interior Colors Ebony (193) Morocco Brown/Ebony (223) Light Titanium/Ebony (843) Requires Leather Seating Exterior Colors Bermuda Blue Metallic (26U) Black (41U) Summit White (50U) Silver Birch Metallic (59U) Sport Red Metallic (63U)

You saw a display with Selma Hayek's picture, too? Ahh... Seriously, frozen Snickers from the ice cream section. Awesomeness.

Shutting off the ignition while in motion leaves you power steering-less. No es bueno.

SPY SHOTS! 2008 SAAB 9-3 MCE Link to Original Article & Full Image @ TrollhattanSaab If you liked the Aero-X look, you'll love the refreshed 9-3 for 2008. Other exterior visual enhancements appear to include chromed door handles and possibly LED daytime-running lamps. Definitely a bolder look for GM's Sweedish import marque.

That, or they use their ____'s tag, or they're just 'have a bad back.' I like the lifted pickups that park there. Yeah. Real crippled you are.

Like, seriously, if all she did was park in the hashed lines - not blocking you, not blocking anyone else, etc. - big deal. A three-story medical building we're working on now has these seven handicapped spaces, three are taken up by a dumpster, and one by a port-a-john. I park my car across the remaining three so we can have access to the dumpster and the john without having to find whatever gummer owns the Town Car and ask him to move it. Every other day, I get the same "those are handicapped spaces! You can't park there!" jive from some turkey who can't look around and see why I park my car there. I used to explain why; I just don't care anymore. I also use the simple fact that the vast majority of people I see who use handicapped spaces don't need to.

1) Go to Miami. 2) Buy a car for a grand. 3) Raise hell 'round the South. A rollicking good time. You've got to watch it. Easily hyperlinked for your viewing pleasure... Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 4.5 (the guy screwed up a bit) Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7

The picture is the best one of 'engine sludge' I could find in about 1 minute of searching.

Me, too. There'd be one less Kia on the road. ... ba-dum-cha!

It looks like its going to yak.

I'm willing to bet Pontiac has a wider name recognition than Mazda, regardless of what's attributed to that name. Besides, who even knew the MazdaMazdaMazdaMazdaMazda existed?

I don't know what's worse, the Galant you're directing me into or the apparently bi-friendly 1007 you're subliminally trying to convince me to buy... I'm sure my local Mitsubishi Double Wide has good deals of its own, especially since most of the cars in front of their trailer are used cars from the adjoining Saturn lot.