Flybrian

So far, I have the following entires... Chevyguy2001's Cobalt Northstar's GTO TamaZ71's Canyon Wildmanjoe's Eighty-Eight Robert Thuerck's Regal LSE If your name is not above and you've entered, plese resend your entry.If you haven't entered, please enter now. There are currently 17 days left until the deadline to get YOUR photo considered for the C&G Member's Rides calendar. As a reminder, if you have more than one vehicle, feel free to submit one great photo of each vehicle. Enter now!

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For the maleducated, an HCCI is...?

EG Classics meets JC Whitney.

My choices included a Corolla, a Quest minivan, or this gargantuan mofo... Interestingly, as I drove back by the rental lot this evening, I saw a 2007 Camry for rent. It matches the 2007 Camry rental that cut me off the other day. Fleet queen, who?

I get things I appreciate, namely from the Buick-Olds-Pontiac brands. My current collection of automobilia include... Dealer posters Brochures 1/64-1/18 diecasts of certain cars Promo cars

2006 Los Angeles Auto Show Preview Link to Full Article @ TCC 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible 2008 Audi TT Roadster 2008 Aston Martin V8 Roadster 2008 Ford Escape 2008 Buick Enclave 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R/Spec V 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid 2008 BMW X5 Honda FCX Fuel-Cell Sedan L.A. Show Design Challenge And... The Green Car of the Year awards Keynote speech from GM CEO Rick Wagoner Lamborghini production car Concepts from Ford, Acura Honda, Hyundai, and Mazda A new Kia BMW's Hydrogen 7 Sedan An unnamed car from Subaru And reveals from Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus, Porsche, Avanti, and Callaway

A day and a half left, guys! Let's chop 'em up!

Small GM Cars go Global Gamma platform to be produced in low-cost countries By ALYSHA WEBB | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS AutoWeek | Published 11/13/06, 8:25 am et Sketch by C&G member Bearrunner44 Link to Original Article @ Autoweek SHANGHAI -- General Motors is a global company, but so far it has had trouble creating truly global platforms that use huge volumes to cut costs. That's starting to change. Supplier and GM sources say GM is planning a new platform for small cars with worldwide annual volume of 1.4 million cars. The platform, called Gamma inside GM, will provide mechanicals for the next Opel Corsa and Chevrolet Aveo starting in 2009. Final decisions have not been made, but GM and industry sources say GM is looking at producing Gamma variants in Korea, China, Thailand, India, Germany, Mexico and Venezuela. Cars also may be assembled on the Gamma platform in eastern Europe. Gamma's global reach is a big step forward in GM's campaign to build more units using a few common platforms. In the past, GM's world-car strategy has been undermined by regional managers who demanded costly changes to their versions. GM's full-sized pickup and SUV platform accounts for more than 1 million vehicles annually in North America. Huge global platforms such as Gamma favor global suppliers that have factories in all major markets. The world cars also generate more work for small suppliers in low-cost countries such as China and India, where much of the production will take place. Badges will run the gamut from Daewoo in Korea to Chevrolet in the United States and China to Opel in Europe. "The Gamma purpose is to have a common platform which will integrate Daewoo and Opel models," says Ashvin Chotai, director of Asian automotive industry research for Global Insight in London. Cars from the new platform will succeed cars made on two platforms now, one from Daewoo and a second developed by Opel and Fiat during their now-defunct alliance. The current platforms account for the Daewoo Kalos, Matiz and Gentra, the Chevrolet Aveo and the Opel Corsa, Tigra and Meriva. In the United States, a Gamma car would replace the Aveo, which is a rebadged Daewoo. The current two platforms account for about 680,000 cars a year sold by GM in North America and Europe, about half of Gamma's planned total. Why the big increase to 1.4 million? GM is planning more sales in such fast-growing markets as China and India. The company also is looking at more models. Limited production is expected to start late in 2009, and higher volume is planned in 2010. The program is expected to run through 2015. Gamma cars will account for about 15 percent of GM's global sales, assuming modest growth for GM in the coming years. Engine sizes on the models will range from 1.2 liters to 1.8 liters, with both gasoline and diesel versions. The platform was developed at GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. in Korea, another sign that GM is eager to move some engineering-intensive work to low-cost Asia, away from Europe and North America. Short version A short version of the platform also will be built, suppliers say. Cars from the short platform probably will be assembled in Korea, India, Poland and China. They also will be assembled from kits in Columbia, Venezuela and Vietnam, say industry sources. GM announced plans this year to invest $300 million in a new Indian assembly plant with a 140,000-unit capacity. That plant will start producing the short-wheelbase Gamma in 2009. Chevrolet badges Cars built in India will carry the Chevrolet badge and likely will be exported worldwide, Chotai says. They would replace current Korean exports. In China, the Chevrolet Spark, an existing nameplate, will be assembled by GM's joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. and Wuling Automobile Co. That vehicle probably will be built on the shortened platform. Some Chinese-built Sparks probably will be exported, says a supplier, adding: "The China volume is heavier than you would think they could sell domestically."

Moving Up? Impala Goes Back to RWD in '09 By RICK KRANZ | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS AutoWeek | Published 11/13/06, 8:04 am et Sketch by C&G Member Yellowjacket894 Link to Original Article@Autoweek DETROIT -- Chevrolet's Impala is going rear-wheel drive in 2009. General Motors sources say the next Impala will share a rwd platform with the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, which will be built late in 2008 in Oshawa, Ontario. Impala production will start several months later, a GM source said. The rwd Impala also will be distinguished from the 2007 model by its long wheelbase and short front and rear overhangs. The car will be similar in length and width to the front-drive 2007 Impala. The passenger compartment will be larger than that of the 2007 Impala, the source said. The rwd platform is being engineered by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia. GM has yet to decide whether to maintain the Impala as a mass-market sedan or move it upmarket. An upscale Impala would enable GM to avoid a market overlap with the restyled and re-engineered 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The 2008 Malibu will debut at the Detroit auto show in January. While the Malibu's sheet metal is unique, the car is similar to the Saturn Aura in shape and size. The front-wheel-drive Malibu could steal sales from the Impala, GM insiders admit. And some buyers may prefer a front-drive Chevrolet sedan. The 2008 model will be larger than the current Malibu and will have a more luxurious interior. So will the Impala go upscale? "It is too early to tell," the GM source said. "With Malibu's introduction next year and market analysis and trends and things like that, I think anything I said about that would be speculative."

I'll make this car-related with some photos from the recent Tampa Auto Show... I know many of you are wondering, "What can we get Fly for Christmas?" Here's a hint... And my sweetie... Here's us with a Z06...

Speaking on the finding a great guy track, just keep yourself open to different things. Don't put it in your mind as something you must do this week, this month, this year; just let it happen and have fun. Plus, the good friends could be the ones that turn out to be something special. That's how it worked out with me - out of nowhere, a friend I hadn't spoken to in a year and a half calls me for help and two and a half years later, we're still together. I know its different because my girl has boobs and stuff, but the concept is the same. You probably can't find work at a VW dealership because you're too gay. Try SAAB. I'm somewhat joking. Good luck with the Hyundai thing, even if its just something lameass like detailing cars (j/k Northie!), it should be fun for you. As far as your second car, I'd advise you to set aside a little nestegg for your current car first, then go search for your dream project. Nothing's worse than sitting around with two busted cars and no way to fix them. Also, seem to have a detailed list of nearly impossible to find random-ass cars. Keep it that way. As long as you have a primary mode of transportation, you should be as picky as you'd like with a second, third, etc. car.

As long as cargo space isn't sacrificed. For example, the A8 is pathetic for a car its girth.

A Suburban getting 15mpg is excellent if you use it for its intended purpose.

As far as the GXP credentials go, please read all of the original post, especially the part that states this vehicle could carry either the GT or GXP tag.

Croc, you will end this bickering now. Period.

The biggest deviations from the Airflite concept are that goofy quarter-quarter window piece and the head/taillamps, three easily fixable things that could go a long, long way to making this car physically attractive.

An STS of this size clearly opens up room above for this long-drooled-over ultralux Cadillac. There has always been a sizing issue with Cadillac's sedans, whether it be CTS vs. STS or Seville vs. DeVille. This solves it.

SPY SHOTS! 2008 Chevrolet Equinox SS A C&G Exclusive! Cheers and Gears has paid for the rights to use these photos. Please link to the URL OF THIS TOPIC AND NOT HOTLINK OR REHOST THE IMAGES if you wish to share! Thank you! Cheers and Gears has paid for the rights to use these photos. Please link to the URL OF THIS TOPIC AND NOT HOTLINK OR REHOST THE IMAGES if you wish to share! Thank you! Just when you thought Chevrolet SSed everything it could, here comes another for next model year. Chevrolet's Equinox gets a boost in power and a mild exterior facelift with the SS trim level. From the outside, changes are modest with an grille that appears larger and more aggressive and a completely new lower front fascia. Note the new trapazoidal lower intakes remeniscent of the brake cooling ducts on the Silverado and Trailblazer SS flanking the new, larger main lower intake. It also appears that the Equinox has eschewed its large horizontal chrome bar in favor of a body-colored treatment similar to the Trailblazer SS. Although covered, expect chrome exterior door handles. Unseen here, the rear of the Equinox SS will be revamped to sport new dual exhaust tips. Also note the slightly lowered ride height, giving the Equinox a more aggressive stance. This Equinox's interior has been kept under wraps leading one to believe that a revision is in the works, perhaps in the arena of trim and design. Whether this is the case or not remains to be seen, but the unmasked interior of the Torrent GXP shown seperately keeps open the possibility. Expect more power from the 'high-feature' 3.6l V6, 275hp to be exact. This powerplant is likely to be mated with a 5-speed automatic transmission used elsewhere in the GM family. As with the Torrent, production is slated to comment in July, 2007 as a 2008 model. Expect the first public look at either the Chicago or New York Auto Show, although an early showing by either this or the Torrent GXP at Detroit is not out of the question. Special thanks to Chris Doane for the photography and information!

SPY SHOTS! 2008 Pontiac Torrent GXP A C&G Exclusive! Cheers and Gears has paid for the rights to use these photos. Please link to the URL OF THIS TOPIC AND NOT HOTLINK OR REHOST THE IMAGES if you wish to share! Thank you! Cheers and Gears has paid for the rights to use these photos. Please link to the URL OF THIS TOPIC AND NOT HOTLINK OR REHOST THE IMAGES if you wish to share! Thank you! Pontiac injects a bit more soul into the respectable Torrent crossover with a new performance trim bowing next year. From the photos, it can be seen that the exterior bodywork remains largely the same with clear differences being added intakes on the lower fascia and new, presumably more aggressive grille inserts. New large wheels are evident as well as chromed exterior door handles. Unseen in this perspective, the rear of the Torrent has been reworked to accommodate dual exhaust tips, which will likely be chrome-tipped. A keen observer will notice the Torrent's lowered ride height, another nod to the performance trim. Inside, expect this Pontiac to remain largely unchanged. Mechanically, expect GM's 'high-feature' 3.6l V6 putting out 275hp. A mating to a 5-speed automatic is most likely to round out the powertrain refinements. Production is expected to begin in July of 2007 for the 2008 model year carrying either the GT or GXP trim designation. Expect the first public look at either the Chicago or New York Auto Show, although an early showing by either this or the Equinox SS at Detroit is not out of the question. Special thanks to Chris Doane for the photography and information!

GM raises its prices to help offset costs Automaker increases stickers on about a third of its vehicles to cope with costlier raw materials. Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News Link to Original Article @ DetNews General Motors Corp. raised prices an average of 0.5 percent on about one-third of its vehicles this week to help cope with the soaring cost of raw materials, a company official said Wednesday. Prices rose from $60 to $425 a vehicle on 35 percent of GMs cars and trucks, GM spokesman John McDonald said. Most increases were from $90 to $140, he said. The company won't increase prices on the redesigned 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup truck, which started arriving at dealers this week. It also will not raise prices on other 2007 models such as the Pontiac G5, the Hummer H3 and the Saturn Vue Green Line, GM's first hybrid vehicle, he said. GM hiked the price of its best-selling U.S. car, the Chevrolet Impala, by $115. "These are extremely small in terms of the percentage," McDonald said. "But when you look at how much we sell, even this helps the bottom line." Automakers and their suppliers have been hit with double-digit increases in the cost of several crucial raw materials, from steel to the resin used to make plastic. Steel prices globally have gone up 13 percent since January. "High steel prices are adversely impacting the entire U.S. economy," Ford Motor Co. spokesman Paul Wood said. Ford officials said they don't plan price increases directly tied to materials costs. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group will increase the sticker prices for some of its 2007 models, but that will be offset by lower pricing for many extra features, Chrysler spokeswoman Christina Biache said. The company isn't attributing the increases to raw materials costs. Prices have been rising for several years and, which companies have largely avoided passing those costs on to consumers, they won't be able to avoid doing so for long, said Michael Robinet, an analyst at consulting firm CSM Worldwide Inc. in Farmington Hills. "They have been able to withstand it so far," Robinet said.

Buick sounds out the press on the Enclave Industry Observer: 11/10/06 Dubbed Snow White (yes, there's also Prince Charming and seven dwarfs), the mannequin head houses a digital recording tool to match the way humans process sound. _____________ Buick gave the press a glimpse of - and a listen to -- its 2008 Enclave that it will unveil officially at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month and on sale in the second quarter of next year. Until then, we're sworn to secrecy on the details of the vehicle, which is the sibling to the Saturn Outlook and the GMC Acadia. (The specs on the Outlook are public - a new platform specifically designed as a crossover, three rows of seats and available with Cadillac's 3.6-liter V6 paired with General Motors' new six-speed automatic transmission.) Beyond that, we'll say no more until the embargo lifts at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 28. Nevertheless, Buick general manager Steve Shannon said the Enclave has the same “library quiet” of the highly successful Lucerne sedan that recently went on sale. To prove it, journalists toured the sound labs at GM's Milford, Mich., proving grounds and experienced hands-on - or rather ears-on - how engineers ensure quiet and quality sound in the Enclave. Shannon said the Rendezvous, Buick's first car-based crossover introduced in 2000, laid the groundwork for the Enclave. The average Rendezvous buyer is 15 years younger than Buick's typical buyer. (Buick along with Ford's Mercury have the oldest demographics in the business with the average age in the 60s.) Rendezvous buyers proved to be loyal, with a third trading in for another Rendezvous. Likewise, Lucerne has helped shift Buick demographics. More than double the buyers of the LeSabre that the Lucerne replaced have household incomes of $75,000 or more. And double the shoppers of the Lucerne are under 55 compared with the LeSabre. “All of that sets us up nicely for the introduction of the Enclave,” said Shannon. —Michelle Krebs

GM seeks quiet riot for Enclave 2008 crossover boasts soundproofing features in a bid to compete with Lexus, Mercedes-Benz. Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News MILFORD -- General Motors Corp. will employ an arsenal of soundproofing technology in hopes of making its upcoming Buick Enclave crossover one of the quietest rides on the road. Buick officials said Thursday that the brand will face off with the likes of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz when the five-door luxury crossover debuts next year as a 2008 model. The Enclave will be built at GM's new $1 billion plant in Delta Township near Lansing. GM hopes a sleek exterior, laminated steel and perforated leather seats that absorb sound will quiet critics and sell the Enclave to a younger, more affluent crowd. The features are the latest incarnation of Buick's QuietTuning technology, used in such models as the Lucerne and LaCrosse sedans. "This technology is very powerful and very simple," Buick general manager Steve Shannon said Thursday at the GM Proving Grounds, where the Enclave underwent sound testing in high-tech wind tunnels and on low-tech bumpy roads. "This is basically a luxury car that just happens to seat seven or eight people." A quiet ride is not a perk, but an expectation in the luxury market, and it's an area where Buick has fallen short in the past, said Brian Moody, road test editor for Edmunds.com. "People who are purchasing luxury vehicles expect a certain serenity or quietness with a vehicle," Moody said. "If they don't get that, it seems cheap." GM has been on a mission to reincarnate Buick as an American version of Lexus, Toyota Motor Co.'s popular luxury line. Buick, while still profitable, has continued to lose longtime customers. U.S. sales dropped 15 percent in the first 10 months of 2006 from the same period last year. Among the Enclave's soundproofing features: Acoustically laminated windshield glass that sandwiches a sound-absorbing glass panel between inner and outer panels. Soundproofing foam in 28 places that expands to seal openings that could let noise in. Tires with specially designed tread to avoid the noise associated with larger tires. A team of engineers worked to ensure the Enclave absorbs sounds, reduces noise made by the vehicle and drowns out noise from the outside. One person's full-time job, for example, was to create the most pleasing sounds for functions such as shutting a door or rolling down a window, said Roger Barlow, a noise vibration team leader at Buick. "We're talking about excruciating detail," he said.Edmund's Moody said the QuietTuning technology should help the Enclave compete when it goes on sale next summer, But it won't be enough to sell the vehicle in the crowded luxury market. "There's more to a car," he said, "than making it sound quiet"

4 new Cadillacs debut in China GM tries to capture larger slice of exploding luxury car market, which is up by 24.5% this year. Associated Press Link to Original Article @ DetNews General Motors unveils the Cadillac SLS on Friday in Shanghai, China. GM has surpassed Volkswagen for No. 1 in China, which is the company's biggest market after the United States. BEIJING -- General Motors Corp. on Friday launched four Cadillac models in China, highlighting the country's growing market for luxury automobiles. The world's largest automaker said the Cadillac Seville Luxury Sedan, also known as the SLS, will be priced between 500,000 yuan and 750,000 yuan ($63,580 to $95,340). The Cadillac SLS is the sixth generation of the classic Cadillac Seville, which was launched three decades ago, a GM China statement said. GM said Chinese demand for high-end cars was expected to strengthen in the coming years. Luxury car sales in China rose 24.5 percent in the first eight months of the year, and annual demand for high-end passenger sedans is expected to reach 300,000 units by 2010, the statement said. Other luxury car makers including Britain's Bentley, a unit of Volkswagen AG, have seen sales surge in China as racing economic growth creates a wealthy elite. Rolls-Royce said in a report Thursday that China has become the automaker's No. 3 market after the United States and Britain. The company cited China's growing class of entrepreneurs as one of the reasons, and noted it was adding 200 employees to meet demand there for its $380,000 Phantom. GM, beset by sluggish sales and crippling legacy costs, needs China to provide growth it won't find in the U.S. and other Western markets as it engineers its comeback. While it's closing plants and trimming production in North America, GM is pouring more money into China -- with plans to spend $3 billion in 2004-07. It has five vehicle factories and one engine plant and an auto financing venture, and is quickly expanding dealerships.