Flybrian

Yeah, this is something that has to be difficult to prove given that no odometer is certifiably accurate nor are they meant to be.

AIR?

Sort of knew it when they said they were dropping 4cyls from the lineup.

Croc escapes to his dank yet fashionable closet.

That's the point. They can't even pay for it apparently. Furthermore, GM is stupid because cheaper and less luxurious cars have it. Sure, a height adjuster is a non-issue to the driver, but so is a 2nd-row console and tri-zone climate control. These aren't necessary either, yet the Enclave has them. Luxury is not merely so simple as swathing the driver in luxury at the expense of all others; its about providing all occupants with a premium level of comfort. The necessity argument fails due to that. The pricing argument fails because this is going to be a rather pricey vehicle as-is. It fails even moreso because this is a Buick. If I can get a 6-way passenger seat in an Impala, what's the excuse here?

Croc is the Rosie of our C&G View.

Aurora. Well...attempted. Navigator bouyed Lincoln and could've turned it around, but didn't. I'd throw in the Escalade with the CTS in that Cadillac wouldn't have been as successful with only one. Escalade generated the buzz while the CTS performed. Altima for Nissan. D'uh.

Or decontenting. Not to say he isn't a great man and a great leader with incredible passion for the position, but let's not forget the stupidity of removing standard equipment to save a few bucks. The fact that the 2005 LaCrosse CX had optional ABS was a tremendous insult to the brand.

Cuba = Las Vegas II

Because its more needless decontenting. Maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe I'm not right in the head, but I really really hope its a typo or a mis-statement in the prelim information because its going to be an expensive vehicle to not have a full power passenger seat, something that is important for comfort in a luxury vehicle.

Nope. Apparently, no Lambda has a passenger height adjuster. Very disappointing. I would like to contrast Enclave's deficiency thusly: Lucerne - 6-way (std CXL), 8-way (opt CXL, std CXS) LaCrosse - 6-way (opt CXL, CXS) Terraza - 6-way (opt CXL), 8-way (std CXS) Rainier - 8-way (std on all) Rendezvous - 6-way (std CXL) Enclave sure looks luxurious. Too bad its not.

Its the current one with a bodykit, or that's how it appears. Nice Envoy steering wheel. I'm sure quasi-professional females who like to think they're somebody will love this.

Enclave Ordering Guide Highlights Standard on CX and CXL HID Xenon headlamps Halogen projector foglamps Power liftgate Chrome roofrails 3.6l V6 (275hp/251lb-ft) with 6-speed automatic & dual exhaust Stabilitrak/traction control Tri-zone automatic climate control 7-pass seating w/second row captain's chairs Tilt/telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel with genuine wood trim Standard on CXL Memory package 8-way power driver's seat w/4-way lumbar 4-way power passenger seat w/4-way lumbar Heated front seats 19" aluminum wheels Optional Equipment Cargo net and shade Second-row console Driver Confidence Package - remote start, Ultrasonic park assist, heated fluid 10-speaker Bose 5.1 stereo w/navigation and backup camera Luxury Package - power folding OSRV mirrors, articulating headlamps, power tilt/telescope, 110V inverter - (CXL only) Sunroof with fixed aft skylight I'm unhappy with the option packages; they seem a bit...light. Non-standard leather? Driver Confidence Package should be standard fare on the CXL. A 4-way passenger seat on the CXL? What's with that crap? Its clear this isn't going to be a $30,000 vehicle. So far, chalk me up as disappointed. It seems like they're holding back in anticipation of the V8 CXS/Ultra which isn't even close to being out yet. Bad, bad move. Sure, its a pretty look, but things like this make me want to stick to real cars where you at least get value for your money.

Deadline is tonight, so get those entries in!

Its possible some of these functions are included in the DIC, which gives a more accurate numerical readout instead of a somewhat ambiguous needle. Most people only notice when needles are pegged one way or the other anyway.

The 9-7x handily outsells the 9-5 as-is. Imagine if it were more SAAB while retaining that American appeal, namely the V8. Great read, btw!

Motoring Diversions Detroit Retrospectives If you're planning on visiting this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, remember to clear your schedule and bring your camera so you can take plenty of pictures to share with the rest of us. If you've already visted the show, feel free to share your photography and impressions of the show. What were your favorites? Your disappointements? The cars you lust and the cars that suck? Share away!

GM Grows by Leaps and Bounds Overseas Bolstered by sales of premium motorcars like the Sino market Buick LaCrosse pictured above, deliveries of GM products in mainland China rose by 25% over last year's strong figures to 876,747 units. This also earns GM an 11.8% share of the domestic Chinese market, an impressive for a foreign manufacturer in an increasingly-competitive and state-dominated market. For the very first time, Buick sold more cars outside the United States than within (304k vs. 240k) and its not all the result of budget models. The more upscale and expensive Chinese LaCrosse sold just over 52,000 units in its first year on the market, compared to 71,000 LaCrosses here in the states. Meanwhile, sales in the Middle Eastern markets have tripled over the past three years with Chevrolet taking the lead with just under 100,000 units. The Caprice, Optra, and Aveo are Chevrolet's three top-sellers. Sales are expected to increase further with the newly-arrived VE-based Caprice and GMT-900 SUVs to be introduced soon. GM's official press release follows: ------------------- General Motors Sells Record 876,747 Vehicles in China in 2006 Major Brands, Joint Ventures Reach New Highs Market Share Climbs to Estimated 11.8% Shanghai, China - General Motors Corp. announced today that it set new marks for sales and market share in mainland China in 2006. Buoyed by record demand for all six brands offered by GM and its joint ventures, the automaker and its domestic operations sold 876,747 vehicles in mainland China, which was about 208,000 units more than in 2005. This represented growth of 31.8 percent from 2005 and was ahead of estimated industry growth of around 24 percent. It took GM's market share in mainland China to an estimated 11.8 percent. SAIC-GM-Wuling led the way, with sales of its family of mini-vehicles rising 36.5 percent on an annual basis to 460,155 vehicles. Sales of products from Shanghai GM rose 26.8 percent on a year-on-year basis to 412,791 units. "Vehicle sales continued to outpace most projections as a result of unprecedented consumer demand for passenger cars," said GM China Group President and Managing Director Kevin Wale. "While demand was particularly strong in the small car segment, nearly all passenger car segments experienced growth. "GM took advantage by introducing a series of new products under all six of our brands sold locally, in the process expanding what was already the broadest vehicle lineup in the marketplace," Wale added. Since 2002, when SAIC-GM-Wuling was formed, sales of GM and its joint ventures have grown an average of 34.9 percent annually and GM's market share has risen by 4.3 percentage points. GM's local product lineup has grown as well, to about 30 different models. In 2006, sales of GM's flagship brand in China, Buick, increased 24.9 percent on an annual basis to 304,230 units. Buick benefited from new vehicles such as the LaCrosse premium sedan which registered sales of 52,021 units in its first year on the market. In addition, established products such as the Excelle, Buick's best-selling model, and the GL8, China's first family of executive wagons, enjoyed continued strong sales. GM's most popular global brand and its most affordable passenger car brand in China also performed well. Chevrolet sales topped 100,000 units for a second consecutive year, rising 36.8 percent on an annual basis to 145,392 vehicles. The brand's best-selling model in China in 2006 was the Spark mini-car built and marketed by SAIC-GM-Wuling, which sold 40,015 units. It was followed by the Lova small car from Shanghai GM, which sold 36,893 units in just its first year on the market. Cadillac, GM's luxury nameplate, experienced growing demand for its four products, the CTS premium sedan, SRX medium luxury utility vehicle, XLR luxury roadster and new Escalade luxury SUV. Cadillac began taking orders for the new SLS luxury sedan, which was designed especially for China and will go into production at Shanghai GM in the first quarter of 2007. The Wuling brand of mini-commercial vehicles and minivans enjoyed sales growth of 35.4 percent in 2006 to 420140 vehicles. The brand benefited from the ongoing popularity of the Sunshine minivan, which accounted for 69.6 percent of total sales, and the unveiling of two new products: the PSN crew cab pickup and Hong Tu minivan. "In response to what we expect to be continued double-digit market growth, GM and our joint ventures will invest an average of US$1 billion per year in our domestic operations through 2010," according to Wale. "In 2007, we plan to roll out about 10 new and upgraded products," he added. "Like the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SLS and Chevrolet Lova, many of our new offerings are being engineered for the local market by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). Our aim is to stay ahead in this critical market for General Motors by offering local consumers the products and services that they want when they want them." Chevrolet's soon-to-be-introduced Lova, sold in the United States as the Aveo. ------------------- General Motors Sells Record 140,509 Vehicles in Middle East in 2006 This growth has been fuelled by a succession of new car and SUV launches throughout 2006. A best ever month of sales in the Middle East in December - GM's 38th consecutive month of record sales - took total annual sales to 140,509, an increase of 24% over 2005. This means that GM's sales in the region have almost tripled in the last three years. 'Our continued success is driven by the growing popularity of all our brands, but especially by Chevrolet,' commented Terry Johnsson, Managing Director of GM Middle East. 'We launched 17 new models or new generations of existing models in 2006 and these have been very well received by customers throughout the Middle East.' Chevrolet is the main driver of the GM growth in the UAE. In 2006 sales of Chevrolet in the UAE were up by 65% to 12,423. At the same time, the premium brands, Cadillac and HUMMER, saw sales grow by 229% to 1,465, while GMC recorded a 9% increase to 1,895. GM's success in UAE is mirrored throughout the Middle East, with the auto maker enjoying tremendous growth across almost all regional markets. Sales in Kuwait, another key market for GM, grew by 5% to 18,289, while sales in Saudi Arabia were up 17% to 83,710. GM also enjoyed growth in the remaining Gulf markets of Qatar (up 46% to 5,254), Oman (up 43% to 2,320) and Bahrain (up 19% to 2,303). In the Levant markets (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) sales grew by 11% to 5,482. Iraq sales were up 189% to 7,065. The Chevrolet Caprice continues to be the top selling model in the region, increasing in volume by 10% to 18,163. The Caprice was closely followed by the Chevrolet Optra and the Chevrolet Aveo with sales increases of 37% to 14,880 and 26% to 14,669 respectively over sales in 2005. A new generation of the Chevrolet Caprice, which enjoys an unrivalled history in the region, has just arrived in the Middle East and this year's growth highlights its continued popularity. With increased vehicle sales comes growth in other areas of the business, particularly aftersales. There are currently 31 new GM dealer facilities underway in the region at an investment of US$113 million. US$600 million is to be spent on dealer facilities between 2006 and 2008. In addition, General Motors has opened almost 50 GM quickservice and ACDelco Service Centres in the Middle East with another 20 in the pipeline. The expansion of GM's US$73 million Middle East Parts Distribution Centre in Dubai, which was completed in 2006, means faster delivery of parts to dealers. This in turn allows dealers to provide faster repairs to customers, which is critical to achieving customer satisfaction. 'We will continue to invest heavily in delivering a fantastic ownership experience,' added Johnsson. 'We have another 12 models to be introduced in 2007 geared towards covering all segments of the market and to putting a new generation of drivers behind the wheel of a GM car or SUV.' GM brand highlights - 2006 Results Chevrolet sales up 30% to 98,042 Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab sales up 56% to 5,966 GMC sales up 7% to 35,673 GM market highlights - 2006 Results: Saudi Arabia sales up 17% to 83,710 Bahrain sales up 19% to 2,303 Kuwait sales up 5% to 18,289 Levant (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon) sales up 11% to 5,482 United Arab Emirates sales up 61% to 15,855 Oman sales up 43% to 2,320 Qatar sales up 46% to 5,254 Iraq sales up 189% to 7,065 Holden's Caprice, which promises to lead GM sales under the Chevrolet badge in the Middle East market.

They have their own agendas, too.

You know, one of these days, you and Bob are going to regret not accepting my unrealistically paltry lowball offers...

$100 for your truck.

I saw a dark blue metallic CXS with chrome package next to a white ES350 and honestly, the LaCrosse looked infinitely more appealing, which leads me to think the biggest problem does not lie with the LaCrosse's design, but in how the majority of them are outfitted - CX trims, no chrome, 16" steels with wheel covers, white or gray. If they all came with the 17" alloys or chomes and the chrome package in a wider selection of darker colors, you'd have a completely different impression of the car.

The 3er coupe is more substantial, but I would argue that a 6er is far more of a 'real' coupe in the sense of obnoxious, pointless selfishness, which is really what a real coupe is all about. A two-door Civic is about economy and sportiness. A larger personal luxury coupe like a 6-Series, Eldorado, Monte Carlo, Mercedes SL, Mark VIII, first-gen Lexus SC, or Riviera is about excess. I just turned in an '07 Monte Carlo I had as a rental for the past week and even in that, you get a different feeling than driving a sedan.

This car bodes well for those wanting a V6 STS next year because STSs will be dirt cheap. Why get one over this?

Oldsmobile Sixty-Eight (Series 60, 8-cylinder)