Flybrian

They'll be carrying a whole lot less to the lake, beach, and mountains in their LS600h. Maybe that's what their environmentally-friendly Land Cruiser is for...

People who care about their personal emissions would buy cleaner vehicles than the LS600hL. The fact that these buyers own multiple homes show their lack of regard for the environment. Think about it. Its a hollow status symbol. Also of course "not outside California" because emissions standards such as CARB's don't apply outside of Calfornia. What are you quoting actually, press releases? The rest of us are looking at a real-world evaluation.

Who cares? Since 2005. Your big flaw in your argument, Toyoguy is...yourself. You say its a fast sedan, yet counter that its buyers don't care if its fast. Again, compared to the LS460 in the real world, it offers less fuel economy, slower performance, more weight, and less trunk space...for more money...lots more. Answer me this: Why buy it?

2008 Chevrolet Vectra The Chevrolet Vectra, one of the most sophisticated sedans in Brazil is now more improved for 2008. The new Vectra will arrive in Brazilian dealers nationwide by the beginning of August. With modern design, new parameters of technology, and a spacious interior, the 2008 Vectra incorporates a new range comfort and convenience features, such as “Blue Vision” halogen light bulbs in all trims, armrest for the models equipped with an automatic transmission, a Shark-type antenna, new leather seating, and three new color options. "With its array of new content, the Vectra is very competitive in the midlevel sedan segment and designed with consumers who appreciate comfort and technology in mind," says Ray Young, President of the General Motors Brazil. "Since its launch, the Vectra established a new standard for luxury cars in the Brazilian market, a standard that is even more evident in the innovative 2008 line," adds José Carlos Pinheiro Neto, Vice President of GM Brazil. Design and Features The changes for 2008 begin with the exterior, which features a new selection of colors that reflects the Vectra’s elegance. A gloss black replaces solid black; Ash Azul join Mahler White, Polaris Silver, Hazel Beige, Red Chardon and Cinza Bluet already available. Another important feature of the 2008 Vectra is "Blue Vision" halogen bulbs with a blue lens that produces intense “daylike” lighting. Supplied by Phillips, this new headlamp technology blends technical innovation with safety and security and driver comfort, offering a more contemporary appearance and better visibility. Standard in all 2008 Vectra trims, they produce brighter beams, aiding forward vision in both urban and rural environments. The 2008 Vectra also incorporates new structureless rubber windshield wiper blades. These blades – supplied by Bosch – provide 30% more durability than conventional blades while adding a sleek, modern appearance. Structureless wiper blades apply force evenly across the rubber blade and therefore clean the surface better. When parked, the blades are almost imperceptible to the driver and is more aerodynamic, reducing the possibility of noise and lift-up from wind. New features are also present in the flagship Elite trim of the 2008 Vectra, including new Argento leather. Another new feature is the contemporary shark-fin antenna, designed to flow with the lines of the car. It was developed to provide excellent reception while retaining a sleek, unobtrusive profile. An integrated center armrest is also featured on the Elegance and Elite Vectra models with automatic transmissions. Earlier this year in February, GM Brazil introduced the new Vectra line with the entry-level Expression. For a very competitive price, the Vectra Expression comes standard with air conditioning and hydraulic steering as well as power windows and mirrors. Powertrain The engine selections for the Vectra are of excellent design, offering exceptional power, low emissions, and the inherent value of excellent design. They are the 2.0l 8V Flexpower and the 2.4l 16V Flexpower engineered by GM Powertrain. 2.0 litre 8V Flexpower Standard on Expression and Elegance Manual (E85) - 119mph, 0-60 in 10.0sec Manual (gasoline) – 118mph, 0-60 in 10.5sec Automatic (E85) – 118mph, 0-60 in 11.9sec Automatic (gasoline) – 116mph, 0-60 in 12.3sec 2.4 litre 16V Flexpower Standard on Elite Automatic (E85) – 124mph, 0-60 in 10.5sec Automatic (gasoline) – 122mph, 0-60 in 10.9sec Sales Success Since its initial launch in October 2005, the Vectra found its place in the demanding Brazilian marketplace. Before its arrival at dealerships, GM Brazil had already received 5,000 pre-orders for the Vectra. By December 2005, a total of 8645 Vectras were sold. Since then, demand for the Vectra has anything but slowed. By early January of 2007, sales have already passed the 50,000 mark. Photo Gallery

MORE SPY SHOTS! 2009 BMW X6 Link to Original Article @ Winding Road

He was going to Starbucks.

G > W Bonneville FTW

You're pretty much correct. Most mainstream Japanese loyalists appreciate the aura of a Japanese car, not necessarily that of a specific manufacturer.

Astra is also a good consideration if you can wait a few months.

Used '01-03 Olds Aurora.

Four-Door Wrangler Sizzles SUV accounts for 82% of Ohio plant's output By BRADFOR WERLNE | Link to Original Article @ AutoWeek | Published 07/16/07, 10:32 am et TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited four-door has gone from hot to hotter. The Chrysler group's Toledo Supplier Park is cranking out 600 vehicles per day. Of those, 82 percent are four-door Unlimiteds and 18 percent are two-door units. Earlier Chrysler reported the mix was about 60 percent four-door and 40 percent two-door. The four-door Wrangler is available in hard- and soft-top versions. "Demand for the hardtop four-door is much higher than we expected," said Cynthia Sidoti, Toledo Supplier Park plant manager. The 2007 four-door Wrangler began arriving in dealerships last September. In June, Jeep sold 10,952 Wranglers, the best June results ever for the Wrangler, according to Darryl Jackson, Chrysler vice president of U.S. sales. Dealers say they've had a difficult time getting the top-of-the-line Rubicon version of the Wrangler, which is trail-ready and has Chrysler's MyGIG entertainment and information system that includes navigation. "The market is overwhelming," Sidoti said. For 2008, the MyGIG system will be available without the navigation. The Toledo Supplier Park is closed this week for model changeover. Workers will return July 23 and begin building 2008 models. One change that dealers will notice immediately is a new Wrangler color. It's Detonator Yellow, which is fitting for one of Jeep's most explosive-selling vehicles.

Toyota lags General Motors in second-quarter sales Associated Press | Link to Original Article @ Detroit News TOKYO -- Toyota slipped behind General Motors in global sales in the second quarter but retained its lead for the first half of the year, numbers showed today, as the two companies jostle for the title of world's biggest automaker. The figures -- and sales growth rates -- indicate that Toyota could overtake GM as the No. 1 automaker, a title the U.S. giant has held for 76 years. Typically, rankings are determined by full-year production figures, not sales, so that distinction will have to wait until data is tallied for the entire year. Toyota Motor Corp. said worldwide sales in the April-June quarter totaled 2.37 million vehicles, while GM said its global sales reached 2.41 million, according to preliminary numbers. In the first quarter, Toyota sold more cars and trucks around the world than GM for the first time ever -- 2.35 million vehicles to GM's 2.27 million. But strong growth at General Motors Corp. in Latin America, Asia and other emerging markets lifted sales by 0.4 percent in the most recent quarter, again putting it ahead of Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer said its quarterly sales rose at a much faster rate of 7 percent. Many analysts expect that Toyota will surpass GM in both sales and production for the full year. Figures tallying sales for the first six months of the year give Toyota the edge, 4.72 million vehicles sold compared with the 4.67 million for GM. "Toyota is making a solid move to the top," said Shigeru Matsumura, an auto analyst with SMBC Friend Securities Co. in Tokyo. "The company's comprehensive strength in the fields of production, technology and sales has been made over a long spell. Its solid footing is stronger than that of GM's." The Toyota City-based automaker has snatched U.S. market share away from Detroit automakers as the surge in oil prices has increased demand for Toyota's fuel-efficient models, including the Corolla, Camry and hybrid Prius. A decade ago, GM controlled about a third of the U.S. market while Toyota had barely 8 percent. Today, GM's share has dwindled to 24 percent, while Toyota's has climbed to more than 15 percent, a market share comparable to Ford Motor Co. But Toyota's success has triggered concern among its executives of a political backlash in the United States. Lawmakers from manufacturing states claim the Japanese government has kept the yen artificially low, giving Japanese automakers an advantage. Some U.S. legislators also criticize Toyota for importing nearly half the vehicles it sells in the United States. Last year, Toyota imported 46 percent of its U.S. sales. To deflect criticism, Toyota has steadily expanded production capacity in the U.S., in April breaking ground in Tupelo, Mississippi, for its eighth vehicle assembly plant in North America, the fourth in five years. The factory is set to begin production in 2010. A series of recent recalls has also raised some doubts whether Toyota can maintain quality standards as its global sales expand rapidly. Toyota executives have repeatedly expressed concerns about sliding quality and have promised to strengthen quality controls. GM, meanwhile, is seeing its biggest sales grow outside the United States. Its sales in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East grew 19.7 percent during the quarter, while sales in Asia rose 8.2 percent. Sales in Europe rose 4.7 percent, while sales in North American fell 7 percent, the company said. In the first quarter, Toyota's group global production totaled 2.37 million vehicles, slightly more than GM's 2.34 million. Toyota is set to release second quarter output numbers later this month. In 2006, Toyota's global production was about 9 million vehicles, while GM and its affiliates produced 9.18 million vehicles worldwide.

U.S. casts shadow on GM global surge Sharon Terlep | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News General Motors Corp. is shattering sales records, besting competitors and making money almost everywhere in the world. Those successes will amount to little, however, if the automaker can't resuscitate sales in its money-losing North American operation -- something GM says isn't likely until at least 2008. GM sold 2.4 million vehicles around the world in the second quarter, with 1.4 million of those cars and trucks going to consumers outside the United States, according to sales data released Thursday. GM reclaimed the No. 1 global rank for the second quarter after outselling Toyota, but Toyota’s six-month sales exceeded GM’s. According to Bloomberg News, Toyota sold 2.37 million vehicles in the April-June quarter - the first quarter in the Japanese fiscal year - but still outsold GM by 42,000 vehicles in the six-month period to June 30. On a worldwide basis, 2007 is shaping up to be the second-best sales year in GM's history. Take the United States out of the equation, and GM shattered its quarterly sales record. But the United States is anything but out of the equation. "You cannot be profitable as an auto manufacturer without being successful in the U.S.," GM sales analyst Paul Ballew said Thursday. "It's still the biggest, most important market." Ballew said the United States will be the auto industry's biggest profit center for the remainder of the decade. While he expects GM's U.S. sales performance to improve in July compared to June, when demand fell 21 percent, he doesn't predict a significant rebound until next year. U.S. buying power vital The carmaker's biggest quandary: How to sell more cars and trucks to Americans. GM needs the buying power of U.S. consumers and their affinity for pricier, high-profit vehicles. Even in wealthier foreign countries, consumers prefer smaller vehicles and tend to lean more toward cars than profitable trucks. "This market is not an optional market; you can't walk away from it," said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. "They've got this big boil that unless it is taken care of, it can destroy the whole game." Look no further than GM's first quarter to see the importance of U.S. sales. Financial losses concentrated in GM's home market all but wiped out the more than $300 million in profits generated by the automaker in three regions outside North America. GM finished the quarter barely in the black with $62 million in profits. One analyst succinctly summed up GM's problem in a headline on his research note Thursday: International Good, U.S. Bad. "In an indication of GM's broad-based growth strategy, each (international) region notched record sales for the quarter," wrote Bear Sterns analyst Peter Nesvold. "The combined effect of these improvements scarcely offset continued weakness in North America." Consistent growth abroad In a conference call Thursday with reporters and industry analysts, GM's Ballew ticked off an impressive list of statistics: GM sales increased in every region outside North America in the first half of the year, with Latin America up 18.6 percent, Asia Pacific up 14.3 percent and Europe up 5.3 percent. Second-quarter sales outside the United States grew 8 percent to a new quarterly record, outpacing the industry average growth rate of 6 percent. Sales surged 19.7 percent in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. GM reported record demand in China, the world's second-largest automobile market outside the United States, with sales up more than 6 percent in the quarter. Those global victories are not insignificant, Cole said. As the worldwide market grows, it's crucial that automakers be well positioned to compete in those burgeoning markets. GM has done more than rivals Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group to entrench itself in countries with the fastest-growing auto markets. In China, the world's fastest growing market, GM's share of sales is second only to Germany's Volkswagen AG, which has two Chinese ventures. GM Shanghai had a 10 percent market share through April, behind VW's 16 percent. "GM is very rapidly becoming a global company," Cole said. At the same time, GM's success abroad isn't guaranteed. The competitive pressures threatening GM at home are emerging abroad. All the major players in the auto industry are scrambling for a bigger piece of the business in emerging markets. Toyota Motor Corp. outpaced GM in global sales for the first time in history in the first quarter of the year. However, in figures reported early today, the Japanese carmaker sold 2.37 million in the second quarter of 2007, putting it behind GM for that period. Toyota is still on pace to take the No. 1 title for all of 2007, with projected sales of 9.34 million units to GM's estimated 9.2 million. "The key," GM's Ballew said, "is to not be excessively dependent in the U.S. while still being successful in the U.S."

Welcome to Sketch Competition #20! Sexy. Fast. Exciting. Old? All terms that can adequately describe the current crop of Kappa roadsters, the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn SKY. And though certainly not old to the public, to us they may seem a bit - well - been there, done that. After all, we have been witnessing the Solstice's gestation for the years leading up to its debut and that goes for SKY as well. By the time any car reaches the showrooms, we've already become used to it and are looking ahead to the next big thing. Even more relevant to the current Kappas is the fact that they were, frankly, cobbled together from exisitng leftover componants and do have some deficiancies - limited trunk space, an altogether goofy-looking ragtop, and no factory coupe variant of either. The latter is especially disappointing to those who loved the idea of the hot Pontiac hatch that the original Solstice concept promised. Well, its time for you to correct that for the next time around. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to design the next generation Pontiac Solstice and Saturn SKY. Any design work you do is completely up to you, keeping in mind the size of these cars are meant to be kept as tight as possible - these are roadsters amongst roadsters and should not grow in size beyond their current dimensions. Aside from that, you're free to do whatever you want. Bodystyles also are limited to convertible, coupe, or hatch. Your choice. Again, we highly encourage you to design interiors along with multiple exterior views to really give a complete feel to your design. In these cars especially, interior design is paramount and we'd love to see awesome interiors with awesome exteriors. The last constraint is that this must be a Pontiac or Saturn vehicle. You may even change the name if you so choose, but this must be either a Pontiac or Saturn. If you're wondering about why there's a restriction...well...it says 'Part I' for a reason. :AH-HA_wink: Please include at minimum 2 (two) of the following: -3/4 Front View -3/4 Rear View -Interior View **Entries without two perspectives will still be accepted, but will incur a 1-point penalty at the end of voting** Remember, people will be voting based on the overall presentation of your entry, so the more views, the better, including ones not specifically listed above. Aside from 800x600 size guidelines, remember this must be a Pontiac or Saturn vehicle. The winner will recieve a GM-related prize! Deadline is Monday, August 13th@ 11:59PM your local time. Good luck!

And the winners are... 1st Place Gizhost (39pts) 2nd Place Gizhost (35pts) 3rd Place MarioBro88 (23pts) 4th - Gizhost - (8pts) 5th - MDM - (7pts) 6th - MDM - (4pts) 7th - SpaceCowboy - (2pts) The battle was on between compact SAABs during the voting session and Gizhost scored 1st place with his "why-isn't-SAAB-building-it-now?!" 9-1 Viggen hatch. Congratulations for narrowly beating out...your own compact convertible entry! Kudos to MarioBro88 for his simple but handsome 9-1 subcompact, an ideal companion for urban driving. Thank you again to everyone else for your entries...maybe someone will steal some of our cues for production in the future; I'm sure we won't mind. Thanks for entering and please join us again in our next competition! The Chevrolet Volt choppin' competition is up and running, so get to choppin'! Do anything you want to to Volt - productionize it, redesign it, make a totally different car from it - just use it! The 1st-place winner receives a GM-related prize as well as having their concept featured on the Cheers and Gears homepage and Design Showcase! Check out the Showcase for all out past winners. Congrats and thanks again!

Good luck. Don't have to tell you how fun it is fighting insurance claims assholes.

Whoa. BMWs and other European cars certainly have their fair share of black rubber rubstrips. Look at recent SAABs, Volvos, and BMWs. I agree they do look horrible. The last Cadillac with that kind of cheap trimming was probably a '96 Sedan DeVille and it wasn't even that thick.

SAAB needs too much work for too little return. Keep fostering SAAB's development overseas and just import various models for the states. Don't develop vehicles necessarily geared for the US-market. No one actually gives a crap in this country. Purists bitch about the cupholder opening counterclockwise instead of clockwise while the general public is apathetic.

A Regal LS both handles well and returns good fuel economy. Another consideration is an Olds Alero.

What Drew said. But realistically, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, and Kia need to leave. Make way for Alfa-Romeo and Citroen.

2008 Infiniti EX35 Preview A performance coupe with crossover body language? by Marty Padgett | Link to Original Article @ TCC | (2007-07-18) Infiniti's EX crossover concept, which made its debut at this year's New York auto show, will go on sale in production trim in December. Infiniti promises the EX's shape belies a "performance coupe soul," and promises an interior that's both "indulgent and inspiring." The new crossover is built off the FM rear-drive platform of the Nissan Z and Infiniti M, FX, G37 models. High levels of handling precision and balance are claimed for the SUV. In concept form, the EX's wheelbase measured in at 112.0 inches for a small turning radius, while the rear multi-link suspension utilizes a low shock absorber layout to enhance cargo area utility. The concept rode on 19-inch seven-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels with 245/55R19 tires. A V-6 engine-likely the 306-hp version of Nissan's 3.5-liter V-6-is coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. When it goes on sale at the end of the year, the EX may be the first vehicle to sport two new technologies aimed at reducing accidents. The first, an Around View Monitor, use small front, side and rear- mounted cameras to project an all-around view of potential objects on every side of the vehicle - helping reduce blind spots when parking. The Lane Departure Prevention system builds on the Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system that is currently available on the Infiniti FX and M. Rather than just use an audible/visual warning system to alert the driver of unintentional vehicle movement outside the designated lane, the LDP uses the vehicle's Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system to help assist the driver in maintaining lane position if the vehicle starts to drift outside the lane. Both Lane Departure Prevention and the LDW systems use a small camera installed behind the windshield to detect lane markers in front of the vehicle and calculate its position relative to lane markers and warn the driver of lane drift (pending lane change without use of the turn signal) with a visual display and audible buzzer. If the driver does not return the vehicle in the direction of the center of the travel lane, the LDP system assists the driver by using gentle control (generating part of the necessary yaw movement), using the VDC's brake actuator to control the brake pressure of each individual wheel to generate the intended movement.

Low NVH for New Duramax 4500 GM's new light-duty diesel to be quiet, clean By RICHARD TRUETT | Link to Original Article @ Autoweek | Published 07/16/07, 11:16 am et DETROIT -- The 4.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine that General Motors plans to introduce in 2010 in light-duty pickups will have breakthrough technology in emissions and noise reduction, says the engine's assistant chief engineer, Jim Minneker. The new diesel is being designed to meet the most stringent federal and California emissions standards and will be available in all 50 states, Minneker said. It will use a urea injection system to control oxides of nitrogen, or NOx. But GM won't be part of the German Bluetec alliance of Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW and Audi. Those automakers plan to sell their clean diesels under the Bluetec banner. Although he wouldn't get into specifics, Minneker said the new engine will have advanced technology that reduces the production of NOx in the cylinder. NOx is suspected of causing cancer. Another goal, he said, is to make the new diesel engine the smoothest and quietest in the industry - something GM may have to do to silence critics who remember the automaker's troublesome diesels of the late 1970s and early 1980s. GM has been granted a patent for the engine's crankcase and has applied for more patents for the fuel and emissions systems, said Minneker, a 37-year GM powertrain veteran. In other diesel developments, GM confirmed last week that it plans to install diesel engines in Cadillac and Saturn cars and crossover vehicles in 2010. GM will use a 2.9-liter V-6, made in Italy by VM Motori, in the Cadillac CTS and Saturn Aura.

General Motors exec takes Chevy Volt to Capitol Hill today David Shepardson | Link to Original Article @ Detroit News | Washington Bureau Plug-in hybrids will be on center stage in Washington today as the Chevy Volt makes an appearance on Capitol Hill as part of General Motors Corp.'s effort to convince Congress to pass a more palatable fuel efficiency increase. GM's No. 3 official, Troy Clarke -- head of North American operations -- is returning to the Hill today to meet with a about a dozen mostly undecided lawmakers. He also will show off a GM concept car, the Chevy Volt, in trying to explain why the company believes the long-term answer to energy independence is through biofuels and the electrification of the automobile, rather than spending tens of billions of dollars to meet 4 percent annual corporate average fuel efficiency. The Volt -- which GM hopes to start production of in 2010 if battery technology evolves sufficiently -- would allow drivers to go up to 40 miles on an electric motor, while the vehicle also has a traditional internal combustion engine. Clarke's visit comes two days about 100 auto dealers from the Detroit Three and Toyota blitzed Capitol Hill to support a fuel economy measure that is less onerous to automakers. The new push comes as it is still not clear whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring up fuel economy legislation before the end of the month, although it seems more likely she will wait until after the August recess, U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and others say. The Senate last month approved an energy bill that would require automakers to increase fuel efficiency by 40 percent to a combined 35 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks by 2020. GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner has said the government's $40 billion estimate of GM's costs to increase efficiency by 40 percent over a decade is "probably low." The Volt will also be on display at the National Press Club for an event sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute on the future of plug-in hybrids. Ford Motor Co. has said it hopes to start building plug-ins in the next five to 10 years, while Toyota and Honda are both doing research on plug-ins. Also Thursday, the U.S. General Services Administration, will take possession of one of 55 Saturn Vue Green Line hybrids the government has purchased. "GSA has leased these vehicles to the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, along with the Departments of Energy and Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Space and Aeronautics Administration. GSA will also retain several hybrids for its own use," the agency said in a statement. Jill Lajdziak, general manager of GM's Saturn Division, will hand over the keys to GSA's administrator, Lurita Doan, this morning. The Saturn Vue Green Line is a mild hybrid that's less costly than a full gasoline-electric vehicle like the Toyota Prius but gets a smaller fuel economy boost. Wagoner said Saturn hopes to introduce a plug-in hybrid of its Vue by 2010 and said last year that the vehicle is "in production."

General Motors posts uptick in second-quarter global vehicle sales Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News General Motors Corp. said today it sold 2.405 cars and trucks worldwide in the second quarter, up slightly from 2.395 million in the same period last year. While North American unit sales were down 7 percent to 1.2 million vehicles, the Detroit-based automaker gained ground outside the United States, posting a record of 1.39 million vehicles sold. That's up 8 percent, and GM said its non-U.S. sales accounted for 58 percent of its global total in the second quarter. Sales in specific regions include: A record 293,300 vehicles sold in the Latin America, Africa and Middle East region, with Brazilian sales up 23 percent An 8-percent gain in the Asia Pacific region, where GM sold 338,000 vehicles, including 234,000 in China A 5-percent gain in Europe, where GM delivered 574,000 units. The results are preliminary and numbers are rounded, the automaker said in a statement.

*cough*99lesabreholdsitswater*cough*