Flybrian

Do they realize they're in SoCal?

We can all get one for $299/mo W.A.C. Whoop-de-do.

"Tell 'em about it, Jo-Jo!"

What they don't tell you is that no one is buying the SLR and Mercedes is still 2500 units short of its contractual agreement with McLaren. Something needs to boost sales and this probably won't be it.

Me, too. So why don't some of our 'choppers lay their skilled hands on it?

But of course it is but for the money, I'd want something with some style and brashness, which brings me to... ...as if I could afford one either.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! Thanks again. I'm going to make you our official proofreader.

Yeah, that's the thing. You can kiss the '87 Omni or the rusted-n'-busted '76 Newport with a LeBaron hood and St. Regis doors goodbye, but decent cars...I doubt people would give those up.

General Motors of Canada June Sales (June 2006 and June 2005 have 26 selling days) Link to original press release @ GMCanada Oshawa, Ontario (Tuesday, July 04, 2006) – For June 2006, General Motors of Canada dealers delivered 45,307 vehicles, up 4.6 % over the same month last year. Passenger car sales for the month were strong, up 15% to 24,435 units, and trucks were off by 5.4% to 20,872 units. Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service, and marketing said “"Our June results for Canada were driven by continued sales increases for our many new models. We have maintained our strategic focus on high quality new designs and value pricing. Our traditional Canada Wide Clearance began mid-June, providing consumers with even greater value on our remaining '06 models." Chevrolet cars were up 25%, driven by strong results from the Oshawa-built Impala (up 145%), Cobalt (up 54%) and Malibu (up11%). Pontiac also posted solid gains of 18%, driven by the G6 and Torrent. Saab set another monthly record, up 28%, and Cadillac was up 7% over last year. Sales Highlights for June 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt continues to gain momentum with another record month, exceeding last year’s combined sales for Cavalier and Cobalt GMs mid size cars were up a combined 40% over last year. This gain was led by the Chevrolet Impala and Pontiac G6, both more than doubling last year’s June sales results. GM continues to grow sales in the important small utility segment, where combined sales of the Saturn Vue, Pontiac Torrent, Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet HHR was up 68% GMs new full size sport utilities, including the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, with Active Fuel Management technology were up 60% from last year. The Oshawa-built 1500 series Silverado and Sierra crew cabs were up 23.5% and the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon saw another strong month, up 27% Sales of GM luxury brands remain strong with Saab setting another monthly record, up 28%, and Cadillac up 7% over last year. Headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, General Motors of Canada employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. GM of Canada manufactures a variety of vehicles, engines, transmissions and other components, and markets the full range of General Motors vehicles and related services through 765 dealerships and retailers across Canada. Vehicles sold through this network include Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac.

Told you it was for real this time. Even BV can access it. Booya!

Click this... It actually seems like a good program, but it just sounds sad.

GM won't revive employee pricing For now, the carmaker wants to focus on lower vehicle prices while Ford, Chrysler push discounts. Brett Clanton / The Detroit News Link to original article @ DetNews.com DETROIT -- After letting a no-interest financing promotion expire Wednesday, General Motors Corp. is resisting the temptation to roll out another big summer sales promotion -- for now. GM told dealers this week it will reinstate until July 18 the rebates and low-interest financing deals that were in place before the automaker's "GM 72 Hour Sale" launched nationwide on June 27. The automaker has not said what it will do after that. But officials are clear on one point. "We have no intention of going back to employee pricing," said GM spokesman John McDonald. Last summer's employee-pricing-for-everyone promotion was hugely successful for GM. But the automaker said in January that it wants to move away from big discount programs, which erode resale values and confuse consumers. Instead, its goal is to price vehicles closer to what customers actually pay. But sticking to the strategy may prove difficult this summer. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group has a new employee-pricing deal that offers zero-percent financing and a 30-day return guarantee. And Ford Motor Co. has a program that offers cash rebates, no-interest financing and free fuel for six months on most Ford vehicles. Both programs expire at the end of July. Some GM dealers wonder whether GM will be forced to offer a more aggressive discount plan in coming weeks if Ford and Chrysler draw buyers with their promotions. But Tom Waurishuk, sales manager at a Saturn dealership in Stamford, Conn., said he hopes GM sticks to its guns and tries to get off the incentive roller coaster. "You can't keep doing it," he said, "because it's a never-ending cycle." GM's lower-rebate strategy has had mixed results so far this year. While customers are paying slightly more for GM vehicles and residual values of some models are improving, the company's sales are down more than 12 percent through June. Yet GM may have gotten a boost from its 72-hour sale. That program, which offered zero-percent financing for 72 months on most 2006 models, was a runaway success, said GM dealers. Steve Cook, owner of Cook GM Superstore in Vassar, said the program turned what is traditionally a slow week into a hot one. Cook said he usually sells about eight new vehicles during the first week of July. "This year, I'm pretty darn close to 40," he said. And while the campaign has expired, it is still luring buyers, he said. Tammy Hess, 30, said the promise of a good deal helped sway her to purchase a 2006 Chevy Malibu sedan on Friday. "I had been looking for a while," she said, "and then I heard about the deals." GM will continue to offer zero-percent financing for 72 months on select 2006 model-year SUVs, including the Chevy Trailblazer and Chevy Tahoe. The automaker is trying to reduce its overall incentive spending as part of a sweeping turnaround plan. But GM's McDonald said the company will keep offering "tactical" rebates in competitive vehicle categories as needed. You can reach Brett Clanton at (313) 222-2612 or [email protected]. ----------------- Tactical rebate "strikes" versus strategic "carpet bombing" of incentives is what GM needs, IMO. Use better and bigger rebates on a few leftovers as necessary and give dealers the flexibility to get stale models off the lots while keeping rebates low on new models that should sell themselves anyway.

Chrysler deals lose big buzz Fewer taking advantage of automaker's employee discounts Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News Link to original article @ DetNews.com The revival of employee discounts for all by DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group isn't shaping up to be quite the megahit it was last year, when Chrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. sparked a frenzy of summer car and truck sales by offering employee prices to everybody. Chrysler dealers say it's too soon to call the campaign a hit or a miss, but note that consumer response has been mixed compared with last summer, when buyers flooded showrooms to take advantage of what appeared to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "Most people are inquiring about employee pricing," said Hamlet Andreasyan, sales manager at La Brea Chrysler Jeep in Los Angeles. "But it's nothing like last year." Chrysler spokesman Kevin McCormick said the program, which was launched July 1 and runs through July 31, had to compete with the July Fourth holiday weekend and consumers may have chosen to head out on road trips rather than into showrooms. "As we go further along into this, we'll have a better sense of the strength of the program and the strength of the awareness as customers are making their purchasing decision for cars and trucks," McCormick said. "Sales figures at the end of the month will be the telling metric." It wouldn't be a surprise if the promotion doesn't turn out to be the phenomenon it was last year, said Tim Calkins, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Employee pricing, introduced last year by GM and quickly copied by Ford and Chrysler, was "totally new and stunningly big," Calkins said. "Now it doesn't have that feel." The challenge with repeating such a sensational program is that it has to be bigger and go deeper than the original, Calkins said. "To get the same effect, you need to take more and more," he said. Going into the second full week of the promotion, dealers are hoping traffic picks up as more consumers learn about the deal. On Friday, several shoppers at Southfield Chrysler-Jeep said they were scouting out new cars, at least in part, because of the employee pricing offer. "I'm looking to buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and hoping to do that before the employee pricing program ends," said Michael Reinglass, 35, of Chicago, who was in town visiting family with his wife. "You can get a break on the pricing so I'm trying to take advantage of that." Julie Ramirez of Livonia leased a new Jeep Grand Cherokee Friday. Ramirez said employee pricing was a factor in her decision and made a significant difference in her new monthly payments, which kick in next month after her current lease on a Chrysler Sebring ends. "The Grand Cherokee is more expensive but because of the employee pricing, the payments will stay the same," she said. Chrysler brought back employee pricing to help clear a stockpile of 2006 vehicles and make way for 2007 models. In a report Friday, Merrill Lynch auto analyst John Murphy said Chrysler has a 98-day supply of light trucks in inventory, 24 percent above normal. Shoppers can combine the employee discount with zero-percent financing or cash rebates of up to $3,500, depending on the model. They can also return their new vehicles within 30 days if they're unhappy with their purchase. Chrysler rolled out the program by kicking off a major advertising campaign that features DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche touting Chrysler's cars and trucks as offering the best of American and German design and engineering. Kevin Primus, sales manager at Bay Ridge Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Brooklyn, N.Y., did not see a deluge of car buyers in the first days of the employee pricing offer. "On Saturday and Sunday, we (sold) less than we normally do, and on a Monday it was average," Primus said. "Hopefully, this weekend, we'll get to bear the fruits of employee pricing." Zangara Dodge in Albuquerque, N.M., reported fewer customers, though heavy rains and the holiday weekend may have deterred would-be buyers. About half of the consumers who visited the dealership were unaware of the new employee pricing program, said owner Ken Zangara. John Henke, marketing professor at Oakland University in Rochester, agreed with Chrysler officials that it was still too early to decide if the program is a boom or a bust. "They have to get time for the word to get out," Henke said. "For people who are undecided, they have to think about (the purchase) and rationalize it. To say that the program isn't working is much too premature. They have to give it another month." Hollywood Chrysler Jeep in Florida doesn't have to wait. Business has increased about 30 percent from June, said John Berry, sales manager. "People who realized that they missed employee pricing the first time around are coming in," Berry said. Among popular cars customers are nabbing while the incentives are in effect is the Chrysler 300C, he said, which usually isn't sold with discounts as deep as the employee pricing. Showroom traffic at Performance Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Glendale, Ariz., has spiked about 25 percent, said Eric Dohrman, general sales manager at the dealership. "I sold seven Durangos in two days, where as last month I sold 14," Dohrman said. "It's a really good deal for the midrange to high-end cars." You can reach Josee Valcourt at (313) 222-2300 or [email protected]. ------------- And on the flip side... GM Won't Revive Employee Pricing

Link to original article @ TCC.com Leo Burnett Gets Axed on Caddy Account In what can hardly be called a surprise, General Motors Monday fired long-time Cadillac ad agency Leo Burnett. Burnett, which had lost half the business a few months ago after Liz Vanzura moved from HUMMER to run the Cadillac brand, will continue to handle Pontiac advertising and various GM retail business ads. The agency will hand over reins to Boston-based Modernista on Oct. 1. Modernista, which also handles HUMMER, was tapped by Vanzura to handle Caddy's CTS, SRX, performance V-Series models and other projects a few months ago. Burnett was to continue on STS and Escalade. But the arrangement wasn't working, said GM insiders. Burnett had been on and off the griddle with GM for several years on what is a $225 million account, because of uneven creative work and the inability to retain top creative talent on the account. The last straw was when the agency produced an especially bad Super Bowl ad for the Escalade last January. The lameness of the ad-which depicted the SUV dripping with chrome on a runway in a surreal fashion show-was particularly damning because Detroit hosted the big game and the Escalade was the sponsor of the MVP Award. The ad was also expensive, requiring a rented airplane hangar, model Rachel Hunter and some 250 extras over the course of a week's worth of shooting. The loss of the account will undoubtedly mean a major layoff at Burnett's Troy, Mich., offices. "GM today is moving fast, making dramatic changes in how we run out business and offering up some beautifully designed and well-engineered cars and trucks," Mike Jackson, VP-marketing and advertising for the automaker in North America, said in a prepared statement. "We are also making some changes in how we market and advertise these products as we work to revitalize our sales and marketing strategy." Burnett is said by GM insiders to not be safe on the Pontiac business either. The company is already known to have seen a presentation and strategy for the brand by New York ad agency Deutsch Inc. According to sources, the strategy was very well-received within GM regarding where the company wants to take the brand in the next few years, but didn't answer how to market the brand during transition. Still, Deutsch got some Chevrolet project work out of the effort and is laying in wait for a bigger assignment.-Jim Burt

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Excellent! What options are you looking at with the Lucerne?

Road and Track has reported in their latest issue that GM has given the greenlight to produce the Saab Sonett as a roadster followed by a 2+2 coupe, both carrying styling traits from the Aero-X concept. The Sonett should go on sale in about two years.

GM CEO put in charge of exploring deal Link to original article @ San Jose Mercury News San Jose Mercury News By Michael Ellis July 08, 2006 General Motors' board of directors Friday issued Chief Executive Rick Wagoner a vote of confidence by putting him in charge of talks with Renault and Nissan Motor on possibly joining the French and Japanese automakers' alliance. After an unusually short meeting lasting about 80 minutes, the board did not follow the suggestion that billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian first aired publicly last week that GM directors form a committee to study the benefits of a three-way alliance. The board instead gave Wagoner the OK to meet with Carlos Ghosn, CEO of both Renault and Nissan, to discuss a partnership and ordered the GM CEO to keep the board informed of management's assessment. The board's statement is a clear sign that directors aren't ready to ditch Wagoner, analysts said. 'In the back of my mind, I'm hearing a little Tammy Wynette. This news today reinforces a theme of `Stand by Your Man,' ' said David Sowerby, a Bloomfield Hills, Mich., portfolio manager with Loomis Sayles, a firm that manages $80 billion in assets. 'They're showing faith in his integrity to do what's right for the company.' Although analysts view Kerkorian's proposal as an effort to oust the GM CEO and replace him with Ghosn, Wagoner said in a statement that he will enter the talks with Renault and Nissan with an 'open mind.' 'Given the complexity of any potential relationship, it has to be carefully considered on its merits before coming to any conclusion,' Wagoner said. 'We are committed to an objective and thorough review of that potential.' Wagoner and Ghosn are scheduled to meet Friday [7.14], a person familiar with the schedule said. Ghosn will fly to Detroit from New York that day to visit Nissan's technical center in Farmington Hills, Mich., Nissan said. Neither GM nor Nissan officials could confirm the meeting date. Both Nissan and Renault issued statements saying that they look forward to starting the talks soon. The board's decision is an apparent setback for Kerkorian, who owns 9.9 percent of GM's shares and is the automaker's single largest investor. However, a statement from his investment company, Tracinda, indicates that he will continue to push his agenda. 'We believe that the upcoming meeting between Mr. Wagoner and Mr. Ghosn is a good first step, but a full and objective evaluation of this unique opportunity will require establishment of a board committee that receives independent financial and legal advice,' Tracinda said. GM shares closed up 28 cents, or nearly 1 percent, at $29.48 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. Copyright © 2006 San Jose Mercury News, All Rights Reserved. ------------------- Friday will be interesting indeed.

I see now. You're right, and they do... LARGE FAMILY CARS FRONTAL OFFSET CRASH TEST DETAILS

Clicky Standard ABS, traction and stability control, side curtains for all three rows and torso airbags for the first row.

Clicky So, I guess we know the Avenger will have standard side curtains and torso airbags.

Yes. From all I've heard, the torque steer is not as bad as one would imagine and if anything, on par with less powerful FWD V6s from other manufacturers Wouldn't the opposite be true? I believe another thread mentioned the SS Impala tested better than the V6? Or am I mistaken... True.

That's what the FWD G-bodies are for!

I like the idea, too. I guess I like them less because I tried to buy a set and after spending $40 on them, they wouldn't fit my car (different clips) . So, that was an early birthday present for my father. They actually look good on his Bonneville because a) it has exposed wiper blades, so you can see them and b) its a more 'sporty' combination. Now, check out the coolest wipers ever...

I understand your point about a consistant product message, but consider Cadillac from Cadillac's perspective. Historically, the American luxury market changed from US-centric to Euro-centric. Big, wide, and heavy ceased being the hallmarks of high luxury to the majority of buyers while smaller, tauter, and a focal point on handling became the new mantra. The European marques didn't have to change a single thing and the Japanese entrants were so young, they could simply start off following that European theme. Our two luxury manufactuers couldn't. A slow transition incurrs far fewer 'losses' than an overnight makeover and Cadillac has been slowly weening the old-school luxury buyer into the contemporary luxury image Cadillac is trying to put forth now. You're under the impression the impression that DTS buyers would simply buy a similar Lucerne and you're completely wrong. Among these owners, Cadillac is still placed high and away from Buick. Cadillac would simply lose many of those sales. I've heard from one of the sales reps at the local Cadillac dealer that some folks who owned Sevilles and traded them for STSs traded them back for the '06 DTS when it hit the lots because they still wanted a larger car with a more comfortable ride. The DTS today is not the boat people think of; its a competant, well-handling large sedan that is really in a class all to its own. It offers a bit more luxury and a bit more cache and style that the Lucerne doesn't have and people like that. You say this is a problem out "here" meaning Southern California. Well, you've heard this before, but the entire country is not SoCal. Here and the Midwest and even the Northeast, there are many people who love a car like the DTS because - again - its plusher, bigger, and cheaper than anything the imports offer. Its a true highway cruiser, something that doesn't exist much more in this country outside of the wallowy, featureless Panther cars and the Lucerne. And Cadillac has done everything it can to contemporize it so it can fit in legitimately with the rest of the lineup, certainly light years more than the Town Car, which I believe now has 36% more woodtone than before. It may not be the favorite son, but its not a bastard child either. And even if you consider the DTS with its more responsive suspension, Xenon lamps, active cruise control, and good road manners the 'worst' Cadillac in the bunch, that's saying something, isn't it? The 'decorative' options, also, are a dealer thing and believe me, there are more of those in Florida than any other state. Cadillac can admonish dealers all they want and 'suggest' that they avoid selling such options, but when someone comes in and wants to stick $700 of lousy looking crap on a car and pay you $8000 to do so, why would you refuse? For the record, I've seen a handful of Lexus cars with vinyl kits and vogue tires. I learned recently that Lexus of Clearwater actually did it themselves in house for the customer. The market wants what it wants, ugly or not.