Flybrian

That quarter window dip is stupid. Also, stop importing cars designed to meet stupid EUROCAP pedestrian regs. We - as a generally better nation - don't require design-inhibiting criteria, so stop.

300M made 250hp out of the 3.5l iun 1998.

GM Sequel, Part II GM to build the Sequel, its hydrogen fuel-cell car, claiming it has increased its range to 300 miles and 0 to 60 mph in under 10 seconds Way back at the start of 2005, the world's largest automotive manufacturer, General Motors, showed the Sequel advanced hydrogen fuel-cell concept vehicle at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), billing it as the culmination of US$1 billion of intensive research it had conducted into fuel cell technology. Like most show cars, the Sequel was not a working model, but now General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner has gone on record as saying "the most technologically advanced car GM has ever built" has actually been built, has an operating range of 300 miles, and will be made available to journalists in the near future. The Sequel is a truly remarkable vehicle, having superseded the AUTOnomy and Hy-wire as GM's primary showcase of future fuel cell vehicles. See the extensive technical diagrams and photographic library we have assembled here, and read on for all the available detail. In announcing the Sequel, GM claims to have increased the range and halved acceleration times in comparison with its existing AUTOnomy and Hy-wire fuel-cell vehicles. Like these predecessors, the Sequel shares the 11 inch high skateboard chassis containing the hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, drive by-wire electrics , batteries ad infinitum . The space gained through the use of by-wire technology for the steering and brake control systems is used to good effect by the three high-pressure tanks. The mid-chassis location of these tanks affords good protection and benefits the vehicle's center of gravity. In addition, a large number of detailed technical modifications were made, so that the propulsion system represents state-of-the-art fuel cell technology. Thanks to the 25 percent power increase from GM's new-generation fuel-cell stack, the Sequel can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in under 10 seconds – while emitting only steam. The Sequel now has an operating range of 300 miles (480 kilometers), comparable to that of conventional vehicles with combustion engines. Byron McCormick, Executive Director of Fuel Cell Activities at GM says, "The Sequel is the car industry's first fuel cell vehicle to offer an operating range and performance in line with people's expectations. That takes us a big step closer to the commercial production of fuel cell vehicles." The fuel cell propulsion module consists of the fuel-cell stack, hydrogen and air processing subsystem, cooling system, and the high-voltage distribution system. This unit delivers 73 kW to the electric traction motors plus power for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, by-wire electronics and the battery. In a recent speech, Rick Wagoner began discussing GM "Beyond the Sequel." "We continue to make excellent progress in all aspects of our extensive fuel-cell research and technology-development program, and we look forward to sharing more news about it in the near future. Stay tuned."

I was expecting alot more than 232hp out of a Chrysler midsizer. What happened to the 250hp output of the 3.5l in the 300? The powertrain lineup seems all wrong and more suited for a Dodge or Plymouth, not the 'premium' brand Chrysler likes to play it is.

Sent... Plus, he's an asshole... If the reserve does not get met on this auction, I will order your Camaro with the options I want and you can sit and pout knowing I'm driving the NEW CAMARO that could have been yours!

"Considerably" would be in the neighborhood of $2.10/gal. However, I am thankful for the recent drop. $3.02 for regular is just ridiculous and, no, I don't care how much they're paying in Europe.

Despite massive restructuring, thousands of buyouts... GM keeps rollin' Brett Clanton / The Detroit News Link to Original Artcle @ DetNews John Brooks works at the Orion Township assembly plant, where more than one third of 2,700 workers took cash buyouts or early retirement packages. ORION TOWNSHIP -- It's hard to say which is more astonishing: that General Motors Corp. is cutting nearly 35,000 U.S. factory jobs this year or that the automaker's plants, by all accounts, are still running smoothly amid the jaw-dropping downsizing. There have been small hiccups along the way, and more are possible as thousands of GM workers depart in waves through December and the automaker races to train legions of replacements. But a look inside GM's Orion Township assembly plant this month -- where more than a third of the 2,700 workers took cash buyouts or early retirement packages -- suggests the transition is going better than most had anticipated. The factory, home to the Pontiac G6 midsize sedan, is running at roughly the same speed it did before the buyout program. Quality levels have not slipped. And replacement workers say they have been readily accepted by the old-timers, even though many are new to jobs on a modern vehicle assembly line. "They made us feel real welcome," said Tammy Grimes, 48, who arrived in June from bankrupt auto supplier Delphi Corp. under a special deal among GM, Delphi and the United Auto Workers. Careful planning credited GM credits the smooth hand-off to months of painstaking planning that tried to anticipate every problem that might arise from the unprecedented turnover. Experts say it is also a byproduct of hard-fought changes GM has implemented over the years to improve the efficiency and flexibility of its factories. "In the past, when the process was set up to be more dependent on the individual skill level of the operator, this would have been disastrous," said Ron Harbour, president of Harbour Consulting, a Troy-based firm that produces a closely-watched annual report on auto plant productivity. Now, with GM relying on a more standardized manufacturing process, inspired by the Japanese, the buyouts likely will have minimal impact on GM's short-term factory output, and will almost certainly create productivity gains later, Harbour said. Now GM must build on the strength of that start to its post-buyout transition. After a $10.6 billion loss last year, the automaker's turnaround is beginning to gain momentum and GM must convince Wall Street that its management team knows how to find the way back to profitability. Perhaps more than ever, GM also wants to set itself apart from Detroit rivals Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, which are showing new signs of trouble. New vehicles touted But the real test will be how -- or if -- American consumers respond to a raft of new vehicles GM is introducing this year. The product offensive, including a redesigned Chevrolet Silverado pickup, GM's top-selling model, is at the heart of an effort to stem decades of U.S. market share losses and improve the perception of GM cars and trucks. "It's not about surviving anymore," said Pam Mader, manager of the Orion factory. "It's about truly being the best." The buyout program has created a unique challenge for Mader and her team, who continue to be assigned aggressive performance targets even as her plant's work force undergoes seismic changes. The Orion plant is in the process of shedding 986 of the 2,695 workers on the job in March, when GM and the UAW reached a deal on the historic buyout and early retirement plan, officially known as the "special accelerated attrition" program. But at no point has the assembly line stopped cranking out vehicles. With Pontiac G6 sales on the rise and the recent addition of a convertible model, the plant kicked into high gear and even added Saturday hours. "I'm too young to retire," says Chuck Becker, who is one of about 260 replacement workers at the Orion Township assembly plant who have come from Delphi, a former GM subsidiary spun off in 1999. Workers have been replaced GM had to act quickly to plug holes created by the buyouts. In what may seem counter to GM's cost-cutting goals, the automaker has replaced every one of the 620 Orion workers who have left through a buyout or early retirement. Each week, a new group of replacements completes a five-day training course that preps them to take over for one of the departing workers. They begin with an orientation and class time to discuss safety and details of the job. Then, there's a ropes course in back of the plant to teach teamwork, followed by job-shadowing, test runs on the assembly line and one-on-one feedback sessions. On a recent tour of the factory, plant superintendent Don Arthur joked that with all the new blood, it might be a good idea to stay off the path where new forklift drivers learn the ropes. "The green aisle," he said, pointing to a narrow area hugging the plant wall, "is a very good place to be." But many newcomers have experience in manufacturing, even if they've never worked a modern auto assembly line. Take Chuck Becker. Prior to landing at GM's Orion plant this summer, he made steering components at a Delphi plant in Saginaw. When the bankrupt parts maker announced plans to close or sell the Saginaw plant, Becker, 54, jumped ship. Now he hops a van each day with half a dozen other former Delphi workers for the 75-minute drive to Orion, and counts his blessings for the opportunity. "I'm too young to retire," he said. About 260 replacement workers in Orion have come from Delphi, a former GM subsidiary spun off in 1999 that will return 5,000 workers to the automaker in coming months. Another 64 are from the GM jobs bank, a pool of idled workers earning nearly full pay despite there being no work for them. And 300 temporary workers were hired by referral or off the street at about $18 per hour with no benefits. A typical UAW plant worker earns closer to $27 per hour and gets a pension and top-shelf medical benefits. Payroll will shrink in time Once the buyout program is completed and the temporary workers leave, there will be fewer workers on payroll. "We don't anticipate the need to replace all the employees who participated in the attrition program," said GM spokeswoman Katie McBride, declining to specify how many hourly workers GM will eventually have left. The buyout program, a key piece of the automaker's North American turnaround plan, aimed to usher out thousands of retirement-eligible workers as GM moves to close all or part of 12 factories by 2008. But a better-than-expected response -- nearly 35,000 of GM's 113,000 U.S. hourly workers signed up -- left the automaker with many holes to fill to keep its plants running. Early on, the fear was that GM's quality would take a hit as it put a sea of inexperienced replacement workers on the job. But analysts, workers and union officials at plants other than Orion also said the process is going smoothly. "I can't say we've missed a lick yet," said Jim Kaster, president of UAW Local 1714, which represents workers at a GM small car plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that will lose 900 of 1,450 workers. "I thought quality would suffer greatly," said Eldon Renaud, president of UAW Local 2164, which represents GM workers at the Chevy Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ky. But he has not noticed many slip-ups as 300 of the plant's 1,075 workers make for the exits. In fact, new workers have come up to speed faster than he thought they would. "It's not rocket science," he said. Still, the entire process has been a poignant reminder to the UAW of its declining ranks within the domestic auto industry. After peaking at 1.5 million in the late 1970s, UAW membership now hovers under 600,000. Since workers began leaving in July, Mike Dunne, chairman of UAW Local 5960, which represents workers in Orion, has lost count of the farewell parties he has attended for long-time co-workers and friends. "We're going broke throwing them," he said. But Dunne is hopeful that GM is making the right moves no matter how painful they may be now. "GM has turned the corner," he said, "and we're on the way back." You can reach Brett Clanton at (313) 222-2612 or [email protected].

Heh. Allright, let's back down off the personal stuff please.

I will bring you down...I will bring you down to Chocolate Town.

There needs to be a Goodwill Edition Dodge Diplomat with three different paint colors and two donut spares.

5 1 3

Shortest lived marque (in recent memory), the Canadian GEO for P-B-GMC dealers: Asuna. Inclusive, all of its models (Sunrunner, Sunfire, and SE/GT). Existed for one year, so every Asuna is a 1992 model.

Yeah, please don't go the CR route. No one is interested in them anymore.

Hey, Ohsnap! Welcome to C&G! Don't let them scare you, we're perfectly friendly around this forum, but like all car forums, female starved so...expect some "Gotta pic?!?!" threads for a bit. Speaking of which, got a pic? j/k As far as an SUV goes, I'd also suggest a Torrent GT when it debuts. Good looks, not too small, and likely a very good mill under the hood. Plus, can't beat the price. Welcome again! Enjoy!

See how serious they are at QuietTuning?

This thread has officially outlived itself...

OnStar, GM map out plan for navigation system DETROIT -- More than 2 million General Motors products will come with factory-installed navigation systems by 2007. GM will seek to broaden the market for navigation systems through its OnStar telematics network. GM will offer OnStar's Turn-by-Turn Navigation system as a cheaper alternative to systems that use an embedded screen in a vehicle. With the OnStar system, a customer talks to a live adviser. GM will offer its system as a $100 option during the first year of service on a majority of GM vehicles, OnStar President Chet Huber said in an interview with Automotive News. The service will be free for the first year on most Buick and Cadillac vehicles. After that, customers will pay $299 a year for the navigation system along with OnStar standard services. If a consumer does not want to renew the Turn-by-Turn, it's $199 a year for OnStar standard service. Huber said a customer can choose to renew the navigation option each month. "It's a terrific way to bring navigation services to the broadest market," Huber said. "It seems to be a highly valued system among consumers. The fact that people are willing to spend an additional $2,000 on an embedded-screen system today indicates our feature should help sell cars." After talking to a consumer, an OnStar adviser sends step-by-step directions to the customer's vehicle through OnStar. The car digitally records the step-by-step instructions, and the audio directions are played automatically through the vehicle's stereo as needed, triggered by the OnStar system's global positioning satellite capabilities. "It can take you around the city or from coast-to-coast," Huber said. He said demand for in-vehicle navigation systems is rising. In 2005, 1.2 million model year vehicles were quipped with factory-installed navigation systems, according to a J.D. Power and Associates estimate. That's a 41 percent increase over the 2004 model year, Huber said. GM installed the navigation technology on some 2006 models at the end of the model year, he said. By 2008, all GM vehicles will have the technology. "The beauty of this execution is that the actual vehicle piece cost to execute this strategy is zero," Huber said. "So there's no additional hardware cost to these vehicles." VIDEO: How OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation Works

Sorry! Try it again

You read way too much into things...

Sonata's rental percentage is 50%. Bet you guys didn't know that.

Welcome to the Choppin' Competition #26 Voting thread! Remember, artists who entered must vote for someone other than themselves. Those that do not vote or vote for themselves will be asessed a two (2) point penalty. Voters, please nominate three (3) entries in this format: 1st place 2nd place 3rd place Each first place vote earns 3 points, each second place vote 2 points, and each third place vote 1 point. Voting begins now and will end Tuesday, September 9, 2006 @ 11:59PM. Only those votes cast during that time will be counted. Remember, the 1st place winner will recieve a special GM-related prize from Cheers and Gears! 1 - Cadillac Sixteen Presidential Limo 2 - GMC Topkick Rescuemobile 3 - Cadillac Cien Italian Police Interceptor 4 - Chevrolet Camaro Ontario PP Interceptor 5 - Chevrolet Corvette New York State Trooper VOTE----------------VOTE----VOTEVOTE----VOTEVOTEVOTE--VOTEVOTEVOTE-- -VOTE--------------VOTE---VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- --VOTE------------VOTE----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ---VOTE----------VOTE-----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ----VOTE--------VOTE------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE---- -----VOTE------VOTE-------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE---- ------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- -------VOTE--VOTE---------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- --------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- -----------VOTE----------------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE---------VOTEVOTEVOTE-- Good luck to all who entered!

Welcome to Choppin' Competition #27! You've waited for them and now they're out - the GMT-900 pickups; Chevy's Silverado and GMC's Sierra. And, you've seen just about every variation of them.. ...or have you? Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to modify the GMT-900 pickups in any manner you see fit. Your chop can be a new model, a revision that pleases your eye more, or even simple customization. Potential ideas include - Silverado SS, Heavy Duties, GMC-branded performance truck, highriders, and lowriders. Suggested Picture Sources... Silverado @ AutoDeadline Sierra @ AutoDeadline Size guidelines remain at 800x600, so please size your entry accordingly. That's it! The winner will recieve a GM truck-related prize from C&G! Deadline is Tuesday, September 12th @ 11:59PM your local time. Good luck and have fun!

I feel chatty... Oh-so chatty... So chatty and...

I like the dumb cashier that tested my ones. I told her it would probably cost as much to fake a #1 bill as its worth. That confused her, and it took her five seconds to resume checking my ones for authenticity.

You lost me with this...