Flybrian

The Royaum can go to hell. Its lame. Now, give us a Lucerne based on the LWB VE Zeta platform with an American interior and American styling, that I can go for.

My two favorite comedians are Bob and Bill.

What a piece of $h!...

Well, I still don't see why Chrysler wasted months and obvious effort trying to flesh out the market for cute utes. Everyone knows that even if its soft and whimpy, it should at least look like a proper Jeep. The Patriot is more of a softer, feminine Liberty for those that want the Jeep image without the cost of authentic Jeep ownership (hard ride, fuel-hungry engines, overall bulkiness). Patriot is the perfect fit. The Compass is an abberation, a mutation, a perversion, a gender-confused metro-transsexual crossdressing hermaphrodite that has no idea what it is or how to sell itself and now has zero appeal thanks to the Patriot.

Heh never. Just...become a polygamist.

You don't know how much I'm considering this car, Turbo. If its still up for sale in some weeks from now (which it just may be)...

Arcadia is also a town here in Central Florida. Believe me, you don't want anything associated with it.

Would you really want this... associated with this...? These two shared lot space for almost three years and if you couldn't afford an Aurora, the next best thing was an Eighty-Eight or Cutlass Supreme. Not even in the same league. Intrigue finally arrived nearly four years later, Alero another two. By the time Oldsmobile turned the corner, it didn't even matter anymore. This sends the message that we want you to buy the xxxxx and if you don't like the other Oldsmobiles we offer along with it right this second, wait or screw off. That's why most Aurora owners bought one, bought the second one, and either still drive the car or left GM altogether. Copy/paste to a lesser extent in regards to the Intrigue. Its all or nothing. You can't keep tepid cars languishing next to your banner automobiles for the better part of a decade and expect people to just accept it. Contrast the Olds turnaround with Cadillac, Saturn, Buick, Pontiac, Chevrolet. Even though half of those marques are still meandering through redevelopment, efforts are being made to shorten the time between old and new product, something that wasn't done with Oldsmobile. I'm happy GM learned this lesson. I'm disappointed it had to learn it with Olds.

Happy Editor/Reporter birthday!

So why spend the money to make both? Its not like DCX is flush with cash. They have very little distinction between them than the exterior, so what's the point? If anything, the Patriot makes the most sense because it at least looks like a normal Jeep, not like a melted moon buggy.

2000 Cadillac Catera Sport rebadged as British Vauxhall Omega Must see - $6500

Pop Quiz: Which is the Compass, which is the Patriot, and which is the Caliber?

That was hot. No...no, not really.

Introducing the 2009 Dodge Crossfire Leftover Collection.

Nah, I understand where he's coming from on this. I'd want that fixed, too. Not only would it bug the hell out of me because its a car I love and care about, but its the principle that it I didn't cause it nor was it caused 'naturally' like a stone chip or some other kind of road debris. Best of luck in getting it fixed for cheap, man. I think its possible to repair that without replacing the whole cover.

Which is why I kinda dropped it. But, speaking of which, a LWB Zeta chassis would be the perfect underpinning for this car. Not as expensive as Sigma and perhaps not nearly as 'taut' (not needed in this segment, IMO), but this would leave the budget open to include some real mind-blowing Cadillac features - full-cabin suede headliner, authentic stainless steel and chrome interior accents, rear passenger footrests, real ashtrays all around, rear passenger vanity mirrors, power trunk pull-down, etc.

Again, I really, really hope GM is considering the same things we are in this discussion. If a car is to be dropped without a successor, it is not this one. To repeat, a 6-speed auto and a 320-350hp Northstar are pretty much all this car needs to continue to be relevant in the market. A little more cohesive styling and more goodies inside a la the DTS Platinum would make it a standout against the overpriced imports and Flintstone-era Town Car.

Can GM make hip happen? From YouTube to Jay-Z to student stunts, the automaker works the cool factor. Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News Link to Original Article @ DetNews General Motors Corp. wants a hip replacement. So the automaker infiltrated YouTube and put pop star Gwen Stefani in an SUV. It let rapper Jay-Z create a paint color and got a bunch of college students to live for a week inside a compact car. It's all part of a campaign dreamed up by the marketing minds at GM to create an aura of cool around the vehicle lineup they're working to reinvent. But can a mega-company `like GM -- built on mass appeal and known more for trend-following than trend-setting -- really make hip happen? Marketing efforts to finesse an image of hipness, including a few from GM, have failed -- sometimes badly. Think New Coke. Strike the right chord, though, and the risk is well worth the payoff. Especially in a world where word-of-mouth spreads so fast and wide that buzz has become a multimillion dollar commodity. "Everybody wants to be young and hip," said Dino Bernacchi, GM manager of branding and entertainment. "Everybody wants to be youthful and feel good and live vicariously through these celebrities. Sure, everybody criticizes it, but then we can't get our eyes off of it." GM managed an image turnaround before, when once-stodgy Cadillac became Hollywood's hip-hop brand of choice with the Escalade SUV. Even the most astute marketing maven couldn't have predicted that. Now GM hopes to duplicate that success with other products. For all the eye-rolling criticism of corporate branding and marketing tactics, there's no doubt the efforts pay off when it comes to drawing attention to products. Take GM's star-studded celebrity car and fashion show earlier this month. The event garnered reams of media attention and landed GM models in national publications such as US Weekly magazine. "There was a day where you could manage or limit the word of mouth about what was said about your brand, but that's over," said Timothy Blett, president of the Doner advertising agency in Southfield, which created the Mazda "zoom, zoom, zoom" campaign. "If your product is considered youthful, there is going to be more press, more buzz on the Internet. Being considered hip by the youth culture creates additional PR in some of the most powerful forms of communication." Stars lead image change GM knows that changing public perception is one of the biggest battles in its North American turnaround. While much of that work is focused on vehicle quality, design and resale values, the image of GM's eight brands also is key. The task faced by the world's biggest automaker is especially tough because GM isn't a newcomer. Few Americans have not heard of GM -- and the image they have is often less than flattering. To turn that around, GM is employing tactics both conventional and unconventional. Cultivating star power has been the most noticeable approach. From having Tiger Woods unveil the new Buick Enclave crossover last year in Los Angeles to last month's fashion show to kick off the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM has made a concerted effort to get some Hollywood-style glitz behind its brands. In the midst of rocker Stefani's video for "The Sweet Escape," the camera cuts away to the clearly recognizable grill of a taxi-yellow Chevrolet Tahoe. Meanwhile, GM's global color studio worked with Jay-Z to create a special blue color for the Denali SUV. And rapper 50-Cent made a showing at the GM exhibit at the show to check out performance models of the Pontiac G6. It's all about the air time Companies love to have the famous pitch their wares. Many pay to have their products show up in the movies or on TV, or they give stars the items for free. Celebrities often will seek out a particular vehicle to use or customize. Almost every automaker has a fleet of cars specifically for use in films and on TV, and most big productions have a team whose sole job is to find the right products. "There's just something that has people connected to celebrities and has everybody wanting more," Bernacchi said. "But there has to be a balance. They can't look like they're shilling the product." Transparent efforts tend to be shunned by the folks companies are trying to woo. Some critics joked about the omnipresence of Ford Motor Co. models in the latest James Bond flick, "Casino Royale." The Dr. Z ads featuring Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Chrysler Group parent DaimlerChrysler AG and former Chrysler CEO, fell flat. GM's has had its own missteps. The 1996 Super Bowl commercial featuring a leather-clad Cindy Crawford bombed. And the automaker generated a good amount of not-so-nice Internet commentary over a video clip that surfaced last fall on video-sharing phenomenon YouTube that showed Tiger Woods filming a TV ad for Buick. GM produced the 60-second clip, but tried to pass it off as a bootlegged video leaked onto the Web, complete with grainy images, muffled audio and unsteady camera work. The video even captured Woods making a mildly off-color wisecrack when a noisy airplane buzzed overhead and interrupted filming. "Excuse me," Woods said, cracking up bystanders. A comment from one YouTube viewer: "Very weak attempt at 'viral' marketing. It's almost as cringe-inducing as the notion of Tiger driving a Buick." Product must back the buzz Image is only part of the fight to win back consumers, since bad products can't be saved by good buzz. "You got to get hipper and trendier with the cars, and we are," GM's Bernacchi said. GM is doing its best to mount a turnaround on the product side with an aggressive new vehicle line that focuses on more dramatic designs, improved performance and quality interiors. Much of the work has garnered good reviews from analysts and critics. "You can't do all this stuff and then come out with bland products," said auto analyst Erich Merkle of IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids. "You've got to be able to back it up."

Hey everyone, Thanks for taking the time to check out the details on our newest feature, the Newsreel. Thanks to clever programming talent on loan from God, our webmaster Frank Donato (Z28luvr) put together this great new scrolling textbar feature in order for us to communicate the latest breaking news regarding the forum and GM. How does this fit in with our current format? Simple: Our C&G Top Stories section will still contain our latest big stories, laid out in a professional format. Our Hot Topics section will continue to contain links to current topics of interest regarding GM and the auto industry. The new Newsreel will therefore be used to communicate a wide range of announcements, such as forum reminders (ex. extended Design Contest deadlines), big event reminders (ex. embargo release times), and the occasional 'showcase' product from out Member's Marketplace forum. To access the forum topic headlined in the Newsreel, simply click on the hyperlinked text. As always, please let us know how you like it! Thanks and have a great rest of the weekend! -Brian Dreggors Administrator Cheers And Gears

On my AP Microeconomics test, they asked a question about marginal utlity and I drew a picture of a stick people tring to fit a sofa into a little hatchback. I drew B-52s dropping bombs on Red Square for something else.

Please continue to share any info you wish to, BuddyP! You did nothing wrong by posting and we appreciate it all the way.

I'd beat the $h! out of it myself.

9 4 8

Well, if others are interested, I'll extend the deadline. C'mon, guys, this is a great subject with lots of potential *cough*WAGON*cough*VSERIES*cough*.

This is it?