Flybrian

Offering your property to the local Toyota lot to park overstocked Tundras next Spring? Sounds lucurative to me.

Go back to 1999 when that was a topical and witty joke. Sheesh.

*Insert cockpit joke here...or somewhere*

I think you need to put up some cedar siding on your house. I'll pay for it. Ooooh. j/k! How about a few dozen rustbucket Chryslers (anything over 5 years old) for spite?

GM never made a formal announcement on the release date of 6-speed -900s; GM has explicitly said Spring 08 is launch for the 4cyl/6AT combo.

Pontiac G6 GXP Street Package Real Life Shots I really don't care what anyone says, this car doesn't look bad at all in person. In fact, it looks pretty darn good, especially with the metal grille and hammerhead spoiler. I could leave the hood scoops, but the rest is sharp. Feel free to flame me now. And thanks, Ryan, for the pics!

Seriously, Mazda has no idea how to photograph cars because if that interior is high-quality and dynamic, these photos sure don't capture its glory.

Those are poor comparisons, Ocn. The versions of those cars imported were either not very good for this market or simply not very good in general.

The ultra-rare '88 Pontiac Fiero Grand Floridian Olympic Suncoast Presidential Diamond Jubilee Congressional Town Coupe?

No, you can get the Summer Perf Package and Premier Lux Collection, no matter how you click it.

Knew Reg appreciated HSM for a reason...

That skirt makes it easier for her OB/GYN.

GM @ FRANKFURT Opel Flextreme Concept - Image Gallery Opel Flextreme - Press Release

Mine's been posted, too...

2002-2006 were truly doldrum years for the Camry. Poorer quality, cheesy materials, uncomfortable seating position, comical styling...

Corvette Racing's Future Depends on Aston Martin Link to Original Article @ AutoWeek | By GARY WATKINS Corvette Racing will confirm its continued participation in the American Le Mans Series--as soon as the Aston Martin Racing team does the same. GM road racing manager Steve Wesoloski even suggested that questions about Chevrolet's 2008 plans should be directed at Prodrive (which runs the Aston team) boss David Richards. "As soon as they announce they are coming back, we'll announce that we'll be back," he said. "I think you should ask that question to David Richards and George Howard-Chappell [who also runs Aston racing]." Wesloski and Corvette program manager Doug Fehan denied they are trying to goad their rival into returning, and they distanced themselves from a Corvette ad in the Mosport ALMS race program that clearly took a swipe at Aston. A picture of a Corvette passing a solitary team member, which just happened to be Howard-Chappell, bore the words: "Corvette: Turning participants into spectators." Wesoloski insisted that Chevrolet's Canadian subsidiary created the ad and had no understanding of the image's significance. Should neither Aston nor any other meaningful opposition join the GT1 class next season, Corvette Racing will almost certainly end its long-time participation in the series. It has always insisted that it could only justify racing alone for one season only. "The only thing I can say with any confidence is that we will be at the Le Mans 24 Hour next year," said Wesoloski. He also said that any operation built around Le Mans will not involve a full assault on the Le Mans Series in Europe, something that the team considered for this season. In the longer term, Corvette is reviewing its options. It is evaluating a step down to GT2, while Pratt & Miller--which runs the team--appears interested in moving up to the new class for prototype coupes that is due to become Le Mans' top class in 2010. Aston is also evaluating the future of prototypes. Any chance of it rejoining the ALMS appears to hinge on the series giving it some kind of performance break(s) akin to those it received the last time it competed in the ALMS, in 2006.

Nardelli: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep brands here to stay Josee Valcourt | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News Chrysler LLC CEO Robert Nardelli said today that the automaker has no plans to drop any of the Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep brands, but hinted that some individual vehicles could be vulnerable. He didn't name specific models. Nardelli also said that parent company Cerberus Capital Management LLP will not be involved in the ongoing labor negotiations with the United Auto Workers. His comments came in a speech to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, his first major public appearance since being named chairman and CEO of Chrysler early last month. Bargaining is underway over UAW contracts that expire next week. Chrysler previously has indicated that vice chairman and president Tom LaSorda will continue his lead role in the union negotiations. Jim Press, Toyota's former North American chief who was hired away from the Japanese auto maker yesterday, will bear the same titles as LaSorda but focus on sales and marketing strategy. Nardelli, the former Home Depot CEO, today outlined a five-point plan to improve Chrysler, which became private Aug. 3 when Cerberus closed on its $7.4 billion deal for an 80.1 percent stake in the floundering automaker. The initiatives he outlined are dubbed "Customer First," "QualityPeriod," "Going Global," "Be Green" and "Powered by Great People." The CEO, who said he feels "excited", "privileged" and "humbled" about his new job, called the Chrysler workforce "men and women that really know what they're talking about," and "people who are absolutely passionate and committed." "I've never seen an organization that's more willing to play for the brand on the jersey than the name on the back of the jersey," Nardelli said.

I'd put the LH cars in a class above them, comparable to the H/G bodies of the time. And vis a vis the Accord? Personal ideals aside, compare pricing, feature content, performance, size, economy, even reliability (proven and documented). I just don't see how anything came close for those years.

Name a great midsizer from 1997-2000. $25,000 bought you a sizable sedan from Buick with 240hp, 24-26mpg combined, large trunk, room for five, an incredible sound system, extremely composed and quiet ride, and supreme reliability. For $25k at that time you got what, a 190hp Maxima? A tepid 626? A snoring Camry? A better-get-it-towed Passat? A AAMCO-special Cloud Car? This testament to quality and ergonomics...?

So, if I made a Luminamino...

I'm going to miss them, too. In the late-90s, the Intrigue, Regal GS, and GP GTP were simply the best midsizers on the market. Period.

NY Times Wheels Blog: Wrong about Saturn By Kyle Johnson, Director, Saturn Communications | Link to Original Post @ GM FastLane Blog There was a puzzling post by Jerry Garrett in the New York Times' "Wheels" blog yesterday. We were puzzled mostly because we were surprised to learn that we were dead, according to Jerry -- "killed off" in some sinister, if wholly imagined, plot. He called us "a different kind of car company, indeed." Okay, Jerry caught us. We are different. We're not the Saturn we used to be. In fact, we are about to launch our fifth all-new product in the last 18 months – and we have expanded our strong customer treatment programs: no haggle/no hassle pricing, 30 day/1,500 mile exchange program, 24/7 live web chat, at home test drives, just to name a few. Jerry's main concern seems to be our collaborative relationship with Opel , which baffles us, frankly, because there's not a company out there that doesn't borrow freely from itself when it sees opportunities to improve. And we strongly believe that the Saturn-Opel design and development relationship makes sense for both the European and North American markets, and gives both Saturn and Opel the strongest lineup possible. This kind of globalized product development process is working: Astra, Aura, Sky and Vue are all acclaimed, and Saturn sales are up -- even in a rough year in the overall automotive industry. So what's wrong with that? Isn't being a good car company supposed to be about having great products and having retailers treat customers well? So why does Jerry think that it's bad that we’ve changed our business model so that we’re bringing better products to the market? We'll continue our collaborative relationship with Opel. But Saturn is, was always, and will remain a North American company. Saturn and Opel will continue to have unique regional vehicles; you're probably not going to see an Outlook in Europe or a Zafira in North America. We're confident that if Jerry actually had the opportunity to drive a Saturn -- any Saturn -- he'd think differently about us. By our records, Jerry hasn’t tested a Saturn recently. We'd like to remedy that. So Jerry, what kind of Saturn would you like to drive, and where can we drop it off? -------------------------------- C&G Members, click HERE to respond to Mr. Johnson's blog post and make sure you tell them where you're from!

No, thanks. I gave up my Power Wheel when I was six.

I apologize and yes, I realize the Competition Hot Topics don't get updated as quickly as they should. I'll try to get it up there quicker. Notwithstanding... You really expecting this news to be front-and-center headliner here?