Flybrian

And the winners are... 1st place - Gizhost - 32pts 2nd place - Mariobro88 - 16pts 3rd place(t) - Chevygonemad - 11pts 3rd place(t) - Gizhost - 11pts 4th - Chevygonemad- 10pts 5th - MRDETROITMETAL - 3pts Congratulations to Gizhost for his first place win in this contest. Special recognition to MarioBro88 for a high 2nd place finish in this competition. Good to see your work improving. Keep it up, guys! Thanks for entering and thank you for your submissions! We look forward to seeing you all next go around! Speaking of which, our 2008 Chevy Malibu competition's deadline has been extended to Monday, January 15th @ 11:59PM. Artists with works in progress, get r' done. If you haven't even started, this weekend is a good time. We have some good chops there so far, but there are lots of possibilities still. Also, as the Malibu competition finishes, our 2008 Cadillac CTS 'Chop contest begins. Let's see those entries!

Welcome to Choppin' Competition #34! One of the most anticipated new cars debuted recently at the Detroit Auto Show - Cadillac's second-generation CTS sedan. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to modify the 2008 Cadillac CTS in any way you see fit. Some possibilities include restyling the front, sides, or rear, designing different trim levels (V-Series), or different bodystyles (coupe, wagon, convertible), using it as a base for another vehicle (BRX, BLS), or something totally unique (pimped, riced, rally-style, etc.). How much or how little you modify the CTS is up to you. Please use only the 2008 Cadillac CTS for your entry. Some Picture Sources... -Autodeadline* -FamilyCar.com -CarPhotoSite -Netcarshow Size guidelines remain at 800x600, so please size your entry accordingly. Please do not submit your images as Bitmap (.bmp) files. The winner will recieve a GM-related prize from C&G! Deadline is Friday, January 26th @ 11:59PM your local time. Good luck and have fun! *Instructions for accessing high-resolution images through AutoDeadline: Replace the bold, orange section of the URL... (http://gm.wieck.com/forms/gm/*query?silverado&Source=all) ...with the make/model/etc you're searching for. Replacing 'silverado' with 'lesabre' will bring up downloadable hi-res images of the Buick LeSabre.

**DEADLINE EXTENSION** New deadline is Monday, January 15th @ 11:59PM!

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Cadillac Series 61

New Corsavan: World premiere at Brussels Motor Show 30 percent more payload capacity than predecessor model Wide range of engines from 1.0-liter gasoline unit with 60 hp to 1.3 CDTI with 90 hp Rüsselsheim. Following the Corsavan Concept study’s successful premiere at the recent Paris Motor Show, the production version of the compact city van will make its debut early this year at the Brussels Motor Show (January 13 – 21, 2007). Based on the new three-door Corsa, the nippy city delivery van can be ordered now. The newcomer, which combines the comfort and performance of a passenger car with the transport capacity of a van, will be available at dealerships as of April 2007. The new Opel Corsavan has everything it takes to become the first choice among small vans. The development team combined the acclaimed new Corsa’s sporty design with a payload increase of 30 percent compared to the previous model. The expanded selection of economic and powerful engines now includes four variants, ranging from the 1.0-liter TWINPORT gasoline engine with 44 kW/60 hp to the 1.3 CDTI common-rail turbo-diesel with 66 kW/90 hp. Commenting on the newcomer, Jamal N. El-Hout, GM Europe Vice President, Product Planning and CV Operations, said “Opel offers a wide selection of commercial vehicles, with a van suitable for every customer and need. With its fresh design and practical characteristics, the new Corsavan is an enhancement to our commercial vehicle range and will certainly contribute to the brand’s ongoing success.” El-Hout expects the Corsavan to be especially popular in Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, where the predecessor model also enjoys great success. From the outside, the Corsavan barely looks like a commercial vehicle at all. It shares the new Corsa’s dynamic appearance and fits easily into tight parking spaces thanks to its compact dimensions (3999 mm long, 1944 mm wide including exterior mirrors and 1488 mm high, turning circle 10.1 meter) and speed sensitive power steering. These proportions in no way detract from the agile city van’s transport capacity. The Corsavan’s large, flat loading area and increased load height of 924 millimeters provide a capacity of 919 liters with a maximum payload of 475 kilograms. Standard equipment on all models includes radio/CD player, body-coloured bumpers, side protection mouldings, central locking with deadlocks, electric door mirrors, 14-inch wheeltrims and tinted tailgate glass. Options include air conditioning, ESP and rear park assist, A four-piece folding load cover is an option that gives it significant security advantages over some of its rivals. When it comes to safety, the Corsavan benefits greatly from its close relationship with the new Corsa generation: in the Euro NCAP test program, the Corsa achieved the maximum score of five stars for adult occupant protection. The stylish all-rounder is also economical thanks to its low price, fuel-saving engines and long service intervals. The first general inspection is only required after 60,000 kilometers or two years, and the CorsaVan’s repair-friendly concept ensures low running costs and favourable insurance ratings. Owners also benefit from the Europe-wide “Opel Road Plus” service package, the three-year “Opel Mobile Service” and the two-year new-vehicle manufacturer’s warranty that goes far beyond the mandatory guarantee.

I think the sedan is better proportioned than the coupe. It has a short hood and short deck but gets away with it because its more 'balanced' with a huge cabin. Maybe its me.

'07 looking up for GM Automaker will pump another $1B into products as cost cutting continues Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News Link to Original Article @ DetNews The upbeat picture General Motors Corp. executives painted for Wall Street on Thursday is a far cry from a year ago when company leaders were scrambling to explain a disastrous $10.6 billion loss. If predictions for 2007 prove true, the world's largest automaker will shave losses, bolster spending on new products and grab market share in competitive world markets. But the heat is far from off GM, which lost $91 million in the third quarter of 2006 and expects to lose money again in 2007. Toyota Motor Co. is poised to take GM's spot as the No. 1 global automaker this year, and many of the problems that dogged the automaker last year -- soaring health care costs, falling market share and increased competition from foreign rivals -- aren't going away. "2006 needed to be a huge year for us -- and it was," Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said at the company's annual meeting with analysts in Dearborn. "No one at GM believes that hitting breakeven in North America or making a couple of billion in corporate net income is winning. There is a lot more work to do, but we stand today in a much more favorable position than we did just 12 months ago." GM cut $9 billion in operating costs in 2006, more than the $6 billion initially predicted. It reduced structural costs to between 29 percent and 30 percent of global revenue from 34 percent in 2005. The ultimate goal is to get that number down to 25 percent. For GM, show a success Meanwhile, GM generated some much-needed hype with a collection of well-received products, from the Saturn Aura sedan to the made-over Chevrolet Silverado pickup and stabilized its share of retail sales. And GM continues to grow in vital markets outside the United States. "I've sort of done a 180 on Rick Wagoner," analyst Brad Rubin of BNP Paribas said after the presentation. "He finally stepped up to the plate and decided that GM does have serious problems and finally started the process of making GM a healthy company." Some of the good cheer that flowed through GM during its showing this week at the North American International Auto Show, where the automaker swept the car- and truck-of-the-year awards, carried over into Thursday's meeting, in which executives were upbeat and even cracked a few jokes. 'We win with new products' In 2007, GM will bank on a new product assault to drive up sales, while increasing capital spending by up to $1 billion this year. Much of that money will go toward improving powertrains and increasing capacity in emerging foreign markets. "This is a global business, we've got to play the game globally," said Fritz Henderson, GM's chief financial officer. "And we win with new products." GM has increased capital spending by about $1.5 billion over the past two years to just under $8 billion. The goal is to spend from $8.5 billion to $9 billion in 2007 and 2008. The spending increase backs up GM's latest mantra: that cost-cutting won't help unless the company starts turning out more popular and profitable products. The goal is to have newly introduced vehicles account for nearly 40 percent of showroom sales this year as it rolls out products designed to revive its brands and image. "We're going to continue raising the bar in future product, with a particular focus on outstanding design and technology leadership," GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said. It's growing outside U.S. Growing markets outside the United States, namely China, Brazil, Russia and India, provide opportunities for GM to boost its world market share, Wagoner said, promising to "drive aggressively" into those emerging markets. About 55 percent of the company's sales in 2006 were outside the United States, a trend expected to continue, he said. Many of the strategies employed throughout 2006 will continue this year, including a concerted effort to scale back incentive spending and sales of less-profitable fleet vehicles. Despite the gains last year, 2007 promises to be tough. Vehicle sales industrywide in the United States are expected to remain flat for the year at about 17 million units. Volatile gas prices, a sour housing market and trade imbalances with other countries will continue to weigh on automakers. Toyota is expected to continue plowing into the market share of Detroit's Big Three, each of which face hurdles in improving their image among U.S. consumers. Analysts see progress Much of the early reaction to GM's presentation was positive, though many noted that much of the news was expected and in line with what the company said it would do. "I think it's realistic," auto analyst David Healy at Burnham Securities said of GM's predictions for 2007. "They've demonstrated they have had a dramatic improvement in their results. Anyone who's spent any time looking at the actual results during the course of the year will be a believer that they will do better." Adding to the good news, General Motors Corp.'s risk of filing for bankruptcy was at the lowest since March 2005, credit-default swap prices show. Credit-default swaps based on $10 million of GM bonds fell to $371,400 Thursday, according to CMA Datavision in London. That's down from a high of $1.35 million at the end of 2005. Not all analysts were impressed, however. Citigroup's Jon Rogers, restated his "sell" rating for GM stock on Thursday. BNP's Rubin said he was dismayed at GM's approach to negotiations this year with the United Auto Workers union. Executives said not to expect deep job cuts, and that savings in the next contract may be less than what GM gained in recent labor talks. GM's contract with the UAW ends in September, along with contracts between the union and Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group. "They tried to downplay the seriousness of all of it and basically said it is no different that any other year," he said. "I don't agree with that." GM will post its fourth-quarter results at the end of the month. Analysts polled by Thompson First Call said they're expecting a profit of $1.14 a share on revenue of $42.5 billion. GM shares closed Thursday up 25 cents at $30.86.

The "Air-Borne" B-58 Buick

Still don't see how the Cixic coupe is in any way attractive. It has no hood.

Even more? Yeesh. Is that possible?

You guys don't understand that, as buyers, this is going to be one of the best used/leftover car values on the market.

Likes Satty's mom.

What Infiniti won't show you...

Used some special aluminum-based putty made by Cotronics. Its a little more pressure- and heat-resistant than JB Weld, so we'll see... Turns out to be a hairline fracture running about 2.5 inches. Cracked area circled in red. We drilled two holes to stop the crack, then noticed it extending a bit above the left-hand hold, so we drilled a third one after. Sanded the fissure, cleaned around the pan, measured out the putty and hardener, mixed, applied and voila! ~24 hours to fully cure at 75 degrees, so we'll see this evening.

I'm imagining a P71 Crown Vic with 24" rims, so its even funnier.

Aww, she's so cute! Belated congratulations!!!!

Quick! Everyone offer Corollas for trades!

What is so special about this CD? Missile release codes? Combination to the US Treasury? Hanson?

Mercedes 380 SEL

Ferrari 360 Spider

Anyone up for a good ol' fashioned chat?

I, for one, would like to think of Cheers and Gears as a 'bitch about GM' board as well as a 'praise GM' board, but under the banner of a 'constructive suggestions for GM' board. We do have a To GM: board that is vastly underutilitzed. We want this section to be the place for us to post our collective suggestions or criticisms to General Motors and whoever else will listen. Of course, if you just want to vent constructively, feel free to do so in the C&G Feature Articles forum.

Chrysler Group December 2006 U.S. Sales Rise 1 Percen Jeep Wrangler sales rise 61 percent, a new December sales record Jeep Compass sales increase 36 percent; the highest sales total since introduction Dodge Ram Pickup sales increase 6 percent Dodge brand sales rise 5 percent on the strength of Nitro, Caliber and Charger sales The Dodge Nitro powers to a 36 percent increase over November 2006 sales AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 3 -- On the strength and momentum provided by the 10 product introductions in 2006, Chrysler Group reported that unadjusted sales in December 2006 rose 1 percent to 190,415 units (4 percent adjusted), compared to December 2005 sales of 189,449 units. For the entire year, Chrysler Group sales totaled 2,142,505 units, a decrease of 7 percent over 2005. All figures are reported as unadjusted."The 10 new products the company introduced in 2006 generated customer and media praise and laid the foundation for strong sales in 2007," said Steven Landry, Vice President, Sales and Field Operations - Chrysler Group. "We've got an aggressive retail sales plan for 2007 that is expected to drive showroom traffic and provide our dealers the best opportunity to sell vehicles." The all-new, iconic Jeep Wrangler continues to solidify its segment dominance in the marketplace and deepen its loyalty with customers. Sales of the Jeep Wrangler rose 61 percent to 8,623 units in December. December 2005 sales totaled 5,363 units. Sales of the all-new Jeep Compass rose 36 percent month-over-month, posting sales of 5,066 units in December 2006. November 2006 sales were 3,723 units. For the Dodge brand, the Dodge Ram pickup continues to lead the way for the brand, with sales rising 6 percent to 32,875 units. December 2005 year sales were 30,978 units. Sales for the Dodge brand totaled 88,489 units, an increase of 5 percent over December 2005 sales of 84,023 units. Sales of the Dodge Nitro, the newest SUV for the Dodge brand, and the first mid-sized SUV continues to gain momentum, totaling 7,491 units in December 2006, or an increase of 36 percent over November 2006 sales of 5,489 units. Sales of the first SUV for the Chrysler brand, the all-new Chrysler Aspen, totaled 3,033 units, an increase of 28 percent over November 2006 sales of 2,365 units. Sales of the Chrysler Aspen continue to exceed expectations as the vehicle continues arriving at dealerships and customers respond to its unique looks and features. Chrysler Group finished the month with 538,438 units of dealer inventory, or a 74-day supply. That figure is 58,568 units and 11-days fewer than December 2005 and in-line with earlier guidance of projected year-end inventory levels. On Thursday, January 4, 2007, Chrysler Group President and CEO, Tom LaSorda will host a teleconference to deliver worldwide sales results for the Chrysler Group and its global growth initiatives. Details about the teleconference are available on the Chrysler Group media web site.