Flybrian

What's with all the plastic, cladding, et al references with Pontiac? What year is it? Yeesh.

Whoop Whoop! Pull over, that ass too fat.

Chevy needs to 3.6l/6As and 2.4l/6As, no 4cyl/4-speeds

Well...maybe not the Lucerne! Any idea what a naturally-aspirated 2.0DI would make in terms of horsepower? As-is with the turbo, its a very compelling engine for a G5 GXP, which - executed properly - could make a compelling companion to the Cobalt SS.

2.0 > 1.0, so sure.

lol. The RDX didn't hurt anyone's sales.

And that's my point - its not that pillerless hardtops are unsafe, even for side impact, its just that they're naturally less structurally sound than an identical pillered car and the structural changes necessary to make it as rigid are beyond the financial means of most manufacturers.

Urban driving. I'd want an auto. My father would, too. Some people just want a fast little car, though from the sounds of it, the chassis tuning could make this thing fun in the twisties.

Meaning that a Mercedes hardtop will actually be stronger and more resiliant than, say, a Chrysler or Toyota hardtop. After experiencing their convertible offerings, any pillarless hardtop from either would be a death trap.

That's because its a Mercedes. Anyway, the Amanti looks better after the impact.

GM pedal to metal for Malibu Automaker plans to pump $100M in a marketing blitz for a redesigned '08 sedan critical to its future Sharon Terlep | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News NOVI -- General Motors Corp. plans to pump more than $100 million into a massive marketing blitz for its upcoming redesigned Malibu sedan, the automaker's most critical car launch in years. Chevrolet marketing director Cheryl Catton said Wednesday that advertising and other promotions for the dramatically remade Malibu will rival Toyota Motor Corp.'s campaign last year for the made-over Camry as well as Chevy's investment last year to launch the revamped Silverado pickup truck, GM's best-selling model. When asked if GM would spend upward of $100 million, Catton said that's the level of spending required to make a mark in the brutal midsize sedan segment dominated by the Camry and the Honda Accord. "We're going to market with a company that is saying, 'What's it going to take?' " Catton said. The first new Malibus will hit showrooms Nov. 1 as 2008 models. GM has been working to generate hype around the vehicle since last winter, when the automaker released photos of a striking two-tone interior that will come as an option on the vehicles. The Malibu debuted at the Detroit auto show in January. Pricing has not yet been announced. A 2007 Malibu LS starts at $17,865. While still largely dependent on sales of its high-margin trucks, GM is looking to its cars more this year as it prepares for the Malibu launch and the debut of the made-over Cadillac CTS. Meanwhile, sales of GM's new pickup trucks have fallen short of expectations in a tough market. "This is GM's attempt to get back into the passenger car market," said analyst Erich Merkle, of IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids. "It's incredibly important. They have to figure out how they're going to be competitive outside of pickup trucks. They can no longer neglect every other segment." GM officials have said they're considering a strategy for the Malibu similar to one used to pitch the new Saturn Aura sedan. Called the "Side-by-Side-by-Side" comparison, the promotion had dealers make an Accord and Camry available in showrooms for consumers to test drive along with the Aura. Catton said GM plans to cut almost in half the number of Malibus sold for use in daily rental fleets. About 40 percent of Malibus are currently sold to fleets. Catton said GM wants to get that closer to 20 percent. Fleets sales are less profitable and vehicles known as rental fleet favorites generally lose their value faster than other models.

Nah.

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CHEVROLET INTRODUCES TURBOCHARGED 2008 HHR SS DETROIT - During the nation's largest celebration of automotive heritage, the Woodward Dream Cruise, Chevrolet introduced the newest member of the prestigious SS family: the 2008 HHR SS. The HHR SS combines all of the style and capability of the popular HHR family with uncompromising performance, including a turbocharged and intercooled engine that produces 260 horsepower (194 kW), unique exterior styling and an SS-specific interior. The vehicle was developed by GM Performance Division (GMPD), with a team of engineers and designers dedicated to crafting nothing but high-performance vehicles. "With its muscular stance, turbocharged power and track-capable handling, the HHR SS is a worthy addition to SS lineup," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "It also reaffirms in a big way Chevy's commitment to the sport compact market." Standard features include unique exterior appointments, with all-new front and rear fascias, new front grilles, a rear spoiler and 18-inch polished forged aluminum wheels wrapped with Michelin performance all-season tires. Inside, SS-embroidered sport seats - with ultra suede inserts - a new gauge cluster with 140-mph speedometer, an A-pillar boost gauge and a new, driver-oriented steering wheel and shifter support the serious driving capabilities. Along with its high-performance attributes, the HHR SS comes standard with a host of safety and convenience features, including the StabiliTrak electronic stability control system and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. Optional equipment includes side-impact air bags and a power-operated sunroof. "This vehicle delivers all of the style, comfort and convenience found in the HHR portfolio, but also offers outstanding performance and versatility without sacrificing fuel economy," added Peper. "There's simply nothing else like it when it comes to four-door driving fun for the value." The HHR SS arrives in dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2007. An SS from the get go The '08 HHR SS was engineered by GM Performance Division and is the first SS model developed since GMPD was charged with overseeing all of the "go, stop and turn" requirements demanded of any new Chevrolet wearing the SS badge. "Beginning with HHR SS, all future SS models will have superior power, braking and handling capabilities for maximum credibility with our customers and enthusiasts alike," said John Heinricy, GM Performance Division executive. "The SS badge represents high performance, and the HHR SS delivers with a fully-integrated, balanced driving experience." To that end, the HHR SS was engineered to offer more than simply increased power. An all-new FE5 Sport suspension was developed and tuned at Germany's famed Nürburgring racing circuit. It includes specific stabilizer bars, spring rates and damper tuning - all designed to complement the turbocharged powertrain. Consequently, the HHR SS delivers a sports car-like maximum lateral grip of 0.86 g (with manual transmission). The brake system is enhanced, too, with a four-wheel disc system and standard ABS. StabiliTrak electronically controlled stability control system is standard. The HHR SS's performance rubber meets the road via Michelin Pilot Sport MXM4 P225/45R18 tires mounted on 18-inch polished forged aluminum five-spoke wheels. SS style The HHR SS is distinguished on the exterior with several unique features: New air dam-style front fascia with fog lamps New mesh-style upper and lower grilles New rear fascia with outlet for single bright exhaust tip Rear spoiler (mounted above rear glass) New rocker moldings Body-color door handles, mirror caps and rear license plate surround SS badges on the front doors and rear liftgate Large, five-spoke 18-inch polished forged aluminum wheels and performance tires are standard and are tailored with the specific body enhancements to give the HHR SS a lower, performance-oriented stance. Likewise, the available exterior colors enhance the sporty nature of the vehicle. They include Victory Red, Black, Light Tarnished Silver Metallic, Mystique Blue Flash Metallic and Sunburst Orange II Metallic. Like the exterior, the interior is unique to the HHR SS, including SS-embroidered sport seats with ultra suede inserts, a specific gauge cluster, an A-pillar-mounted turbo boost gauge and a new shifter arrangement. Three interior color combinations are available: Ebony, Light Grey and Victory Red.

This really should be the Sequoia.

First Look: 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Images Link to Original Article @ AutoBlog Apparently, some Central American importer jumped the gun a wee bit on releasing photos of the '08 Land Cruiser. Here it is...

Thanks for the heads up, Ed!

Help Saturn Name its 2009 Colors A little request from Saturn was e-mailed to me yesterday. Here's an excerpt. And here is the color palette. So, fellow C&Gers, lets come up with some good, creative names. Please submit to this thread a name for each color. If you can't think of a good name for each color, that's fine; just submit the ones you can think of. Remember, the deadline is next week, so submit your ideas now! We'll take the best ones and formally submit them on C&G's behalf. Thanks and have fun!

People ask me for directions all the time. Once, a local police officer asked me where a street was in town. I was like...wuh? I told him there's a kind of shortcut and I could show him if he wanted. So I did. And he followed me. It was odd to say the least. I really do know this area, so its not without cause. In a related vein, everytime I go to the autoshow, random people ask me questions about the cars and I don't mean stuff like, "Isn't this one awesome?"; more like, "can you get this one with a V8?" or "Can you get the captain's chairs?" or "Isn't this one built on the same frame as the blah?" And I'm not there even talking about it with whoever I'm with; I'm just standing there!

Deadline extended until Sunday, August 19th No one has any more ideas? Convertible? Sports coupe? Wagon?

Deadline officially extended to Sunday, August 19th

If anyone would like to add anything concrete besides my pure engine speculation, please do so.

SPY SHOTS! 2009 Pontiac Vibe The phrase 'change is the only constant' could accurately describe the state of the Pontiac division as of late. News of a partial or full switch to rear-wheel drive vehicles for the next generation, talk of a new GTO, an Alpha-based G6, and the persistant rumor of GM shuttering the brand completely have only added to the general confusion regarding the performance division. One of the most cryptic futures to be determined was that of the 5-door Vibe wagon. Introduced for 2003, the Vibe was the latest in a line of vehicles created from a partnership between Toyota and General Motors. The Vibe, along with its Toyota Matrix sister, was the first of these cars to be a true collaboration instead of a light rebadge - Toyota supplied the powertrain while GM did much of the design work. Both cars sold well, so well in fact that Matrix production was relocated to Toyota's Cambridge, ONT plant due to capacity issues at the NUMMI factory in Fremont, California. Fast forward to today where the future of the Vibe was a subject of debate, mainly whether a front-wheel drive vehicle has any place in the 'new' Pontiac. Apparently, it does. We're happy to be among the first to bring you these very candid shots of the next-generation Pontiac Vibe, courtesy of a poster from GenVibe, a Pontiac Vibe enthusiast site. As you can see, the 2009 Vibe (GMX-126) takes the cladding molt of the 2005 refresh a step further with truly clean bodypanels free of even bodyside moldings. Medium-sized headlamp elements sweep up along the fender as the trend is today with amber directional indicators resting above the white beams. The trademark Pontiac twin-port grille is present and has been squared off in keeping with more recent models. Folding sideview mirrors debut for 2009 as does a subtle beltline dip in the sheetmetal, recalling the lines of the G6. In the rear, the taillamps are stacked and the larger, upper unit appears to contain reverse lamps. Inside, the interior show improvement from the first-generation with a modest but distinct evolution. The podded gearshift quadrant is now more intergrated with the center floor console and the radio headunit is completely integrated for a cleaner look. The passenger side now features a seamless airbag housing. Over on the driver's side, extra bright electroluminescent displays are housed in three seperate pods - one for the tach, one for the speedometer, and a third offset oval pod for fuel/temp gauges and a driver's info center. Trademark Pontiac red illumination is present in the gauge demarcations. A large Pontiac Arrowhead occupies the center of the steering wheel, flanked by redundant stereo controls. Metallic door panel trim is new and combined with the two-tone, adds a touch of sportiness and class to the cabin. The center stack, however, loses the 110v power outlet found on the current model. Like the current Vibe, this 2009 model will carry Toyota powertrains. The base model is likely to recieve Toyota's 2ZR-FE inline 4-cylinder, which produces 136hp and 129lb-ft of torque and is currently found in the Corolla and Scion xD or the 2AZ-FE I4 making 157hp and 162lb-ft of torque and found in Scion tC, new xB, and upcoming Toyota Blade. Its possible the base model may also carry the new ValveMatic I4 as all Toyota models are slated to have the technology by 2010. The GT model will return for 2009 and is rumored to have an automatic option. One thing not known at this time is whether the next Vibe will even be called the Vibe. Its possible it may carry a G-prefix designator as other Pontiacs do, possibly G4. We'll know shortly, though, as the Vibe is scheduled for an introduction at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. The next-generation Vibe will continue to be assembled at the NUMMI plant in Fremont. Enjoy the photos and thanks again to GenVibe!

Hey! Welcome to C&G and thanks for the awesome pics!

I'm tempted to tell you to check out www.ChevyPrizmEnthusiasts.com, which you'd go to, then tell me, "that site doesn't exist," to which I'd respond, "Exactly." What's the year again?