Flybrian

Well, I'm going to keep an eye out for the ad. There is probably some disclaimer that allows it, but I know for a fact GMC is advertising the Sierra Denali and its 6.0l Vortec as the most powerful truck in its class, that class being half-ton pickups. Tundra is likewise in that class. It wouldn't be the first time Toyota mislead on power ratings. Remember the 280hp Avalon? Oh, I mean the 270hp Avalon? Wait...the 268hp Avalon.

You could always buy a... ...instead.

Speed Minder would be a green needle just like the speedometer needle. Probably doesn't have it. Low on gas? I suspect that'll be a common state for her. Yes, highbeams are floor-activated as WMJ said. You're probably just tapping them randomly. There should be a floor-mounted switch around where the parking brake is. Thanks again for taking good car of her!

Haha. Yeah! WTF?! lol So, everything vital works though, yeah? Oh, and does it have Speed Minder (a seperate green needle on the speedometer)?

Well, all I have to say is, thank you VERY much, my friend! When I eventually have my fleet, you'll be my Fleet Manager!

^^^

Its not your father's truck because your father was a man.

Pretty cool walkaround and drive of a vintage 93B on Jay Leno's Garage. Check out the video. VIDEO: 1958 SAAB 93B @ Leno's Garage

With all due defference to the WWE wanting to cover its own ass, I hope to God it was caused by steroids or some other chemical or narcotic-induced frenzy and that this was not an instance of cold premeditation. I don't want to think a father would murder his own child in a normal frame of mind.

I should've included that the horsepower ratings are the metric numbers in the article that I plugged into some conversion program, so...if it turns out lower/higher...sorry!

Very sorry to hear about that. My best wishes to you and your wife and you both will be in my prayers.

Though the idea of a Diesel Cadillac sends shivers down the backs of some, I would love to see a torquey 30-35mpg DTS.

GM's Cadillac Considers Hybrids for All Its Vehicles Link to Original Article @ Bloomberg | By Greg Bensinger June 26 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac luxury-vehicle division is considering hybrid versions of all its models as U.S. gasoline prices stay near $3 a gallon and the brand's sales decline. "Pretty much every program I am looking at going forward has got a hybrid as part of it,'' John Howell, Cadillac's product chief, said today in an interview in New York. He didn't give a time frame for adding the gasoline-electric versions. Cadillac is looking for ways to revive demand after its U.S. sales fell 3.4 percent last year, the first annual decline since 2001. Sales this year dropped 7.2 percent through May. Cadillac, known for larger cars and sport-utility vehicles, hasn't fared well as gasoline prices surged this year and in 2006. The division's first hybrid will be the 2009 Escalade SUV, Howell said. It will have the so-called two-mode system that increases hybrid fuel savings by more efficient adjustments to different engine speeds. GM plans two-mode hybrid versions later this year of its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon large SUVs and has said fuel economy will rise 25 percent from gasoline-only models. U.S. hybrid sales last year increased 23 percent to 253,652, led by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius car. Hybrids reduce fuel use and emissions by combining a gasoline engine, an electric motor, a battery pack and brakes that capture energy from stopping. Cadillac ultimately expects to raise annual U.S. sales back to 300,000, a level it hasn't reached since 1986, Howell said. Exceeding that yearly figure might make the brand ``too ubiquitous'' and reduce its appeal to luxury buyers, he said. The GM division is headed toward doubling its sales in China to about 20,000 vehicles this year, Howell said. The automaker is considering expanding Cadillac sales to Argentina, he said. Shares of Detroit-based GM gained 8 cents to $36.35 at 4:20 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have gained 18 percent this year. SPY SHOTS! Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Link to Original Article @ Left Lane News | By Greg Bensinger The Cadillac Escalade might be a symbol of excess among wealthy American consumers, but spy photographers have found proof the big SUV is about to show its greener side. Cadillac engineers have been caught testing an Escalade Hybrid prototype in the Nevada desert. Unlike the Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids, the Escalade Hybrid won't feature any unique styling cues to set it apart. Instead, its driver will have to rely on the relatively subtle badging to announce their eco-consciousness to their friends. Those Hybrid badges were covered with electrical tape on the desert-bound test models. Despite the tape, it was easy to read the raised "Hybrid" lettering when viewed from the right angle. A peek inside the cockpit revealed a large green Hybrid insignia on the Escalade's tachometer. Two electric motors will assist the Escalade's V8 engine, resulting in a 25 percent increase in fuel economy. Cadillac is expected to get the Escalade Hybrid to showrooms this fall.

Ay! Kia Picanto mi gusta! Ay!

I would really like to see Moraine continue producing the Trailblazer and Envoy on the next-generation compact truck platform. These would exist only as 5-passenger two-row BOF SUVs and be more akin to the old S-Series Jimmy and Blazer in price and market. Keep them tow-capable, offroad-capable, and offer a strong 4cyl, a V6, and a turbodiesel. Keep the SS going with a real lightweight 2wd Trailblazer a la Typhoon. There is a market for a 5-seat rugged SUV and there always will be. As I've said many times before, I predict it'll be whittled down to the 4Runner, Pathfinder, Explorer (I still don't think it'll be unibody), Grand Cherokee/Liberty, and Trailblazer maybe Envoy, too. But, they'll still sell.

GM sees future for Moraine plant Link to Original Article @ Yahoo! | Tuesday June 26, 3:09 pm ET The mid-size sports utility vehicles made at the General Motors Corp. Moraine assembly plant continue to be a strong piece of the GM sales, a GM regional leader said Tuesday. Steve Hill, general manager of GM's North Central region, said the vehicles -- particularly the Trailblazer and Envoy -- are part of the automaker's portfolio for the foreseeable future. Hill, who focuses on sales and marketing, was in Mason at Kings Island Resort to talk with about 200 local GM dealers. "Mid-size utilities have been a home run in the marketplace," Hill said. The GM Moraine assembly plant, which has about 3,000 employees, makes the GMC Envoy, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Rainier and Saab 9-7x and the Isuzu Ascender.

7.0l LS7 HSV GTS-R Coming in October Wheels reports that Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) will commemorate its 20th anniversary by unveiling an incredible limited-run musclecar that portends to be Australia's fastest car ever built. While the official name isn't yet know - some predict it will be a combination of two previous heavyweight concepts and be dubbed GTS-R 427 - its confirmed that it will be powered by GM's 7.0l LS7 V8 putting out around 516hp and 478lbft of torque. Expect transmission to be limited to the Corvette Z06's six-speed Tremac unit. Pricing is likely to run between $100-125k AUS, which is about half the price of the BMW M5. 0-60 is expected to match or exceed the M5's at 4.7sec and running 0-400m in under 13sec. Top speed is predicted to be ~180mph. As far as meeting demand, well, apparently four dealers have already taken deposits.

Delphi reaches labor deal with UAW, GM Deal, if approved, would include one-time payouts from GM in exchange for lower hourly wages for Delphi workers Link to Original Article @ CNNMoney.com | June 22 2007: 9:12 PM EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) -- Delphi Corp. said Friday it had reached a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers and former parent General Motors Corp. intended to allow the auto parts maker to cut wages and emerge from bankruptcy. The deal, which must be ratified by UAW members and approved by federal bankruptcy court, would clear a major risk for former Delphi parent GM (down $0.43 to $35.53, Charts, Fortune 500), which remains Delphi's biggest customer and heads into its own high-stakes labor talks with the union next month. Terms of the proposed contract were not disclosed but include one-time payouts from GM in exchange for lower wages, a person involved in the negotiations said. Hourly wages at Delphi would run up to $18.50 per hour under the deal, the person said. That would be a steep cut from the roughly $27 per hour workers earn now, but up sharply from early Delphi demands to cut hourly wages to as low as about $10. Delphi, which filed for bankruptcy in October 2005, had been looking for steep cuts in wages and benefits as well as the flexibility to close or sell plants in order to compete against low-wage parts suppliers from China and elsewhere. "The announcement today is a pretty big step in the right direction," said Bob Schulz, a managing director at Standard & Poor's. GM, which spun off Delphi in 1999, has estimated its exposure to the Delphi restructuring at $7 billion and said it could take a charge of $1 billion this quarter for a settlement. The long-running impasse at Delphi had been seen as a major risk to GM since any work stoppage at Delphi had the potential to shut down production at the automaker and cost billions of dollars. "The major risk - the threat of a strike - would now appear to be remote. From that standpoint, it's favorable news for GM," said Kam Hon, a credit analyst at DBRS. UAW officials met with leaders from the Delphi local chapters Friday afternoon in Detroit to brief them on the details of the agreement. Some union local officials said they could hold briefing meetings at the local units as soon as Sunday. The UAW is expected to be seeking a quick ratification vote for the agreement. Delphi plants shut down for a two-week period around July 1 and the UAW is set to begin a round of contract talks with GM and the other U.S.-based automakers later in July. "I don't think anyone would go to the rank-and-file with a deal they didn't think would be ratified," CRT Capital Group senior analyst Kirk Ludtke said. "The UAW leadership has a very good track record for getting their deals ratified." It will be the first contract vote for many Delphi workers. The parts maker has hired thousands of workers to replace those who took buyouts or retirements last year. About 20,000 workers represented by the UAW - or the International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America - took such buyouts. Their replacements were hired at lower wages and benefits. UAW leaders rejected a Delphi contract proposal in March, but submitted a detailed counter-offer in May and GM CEO Rick Wagoner said the sides were making progress in early June. Delphi has planned to cut 21 of 29 U.S. plants and about four-fifths of its U.S. hourly workforce in the reorganization. It plans to exit several businesses and has said it expected to cut thousands of salaried workers worldwide as well. On June 15, Delphi filed court papers requesting an extension on its sole right to file a reorganization plan through the end of 2007, though it said it still planned to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the year. The deal with the UAW could give Delphi a template for negotiating new agreements with its other unions, analysts said. The parts supplier also must complete negotiations with investors on a capital infusion. Delphi has been pursuing a $3.4 billion equity plan led by Appaloosa Management LP and Cerberus Capital Management LP to support its emergence from bankruptcy, which has remained contingent on deals with its unions and GM. Cerberus, which is acquiring Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler AG, is expected to withdraw from the plan and Delphi expects some changes. Highland Capital Management, the second biggest Delphi shareholder after Appaloosa, also has been considering a possible alternative to the current plan.

The 4.3l V6 is not only a loss-leader, but an engine meant for fleet buys and contractors and Oldsmoboi mentioned. Its not meant for efficiency, but for price. Ridgeline's V6 is the only powerplant available.

Jetta Gets Clean Diesel TDI in ‘08 Sedan will be the first model with clean diesel engine Link to Original Article @ TCC There are more details on the upcoming VW Jetta clean diesel model due in the U.S. next year. Volkswagen confirms that the Jetta sedan will be the first of the company's vehicles to get its new clean diesel engine in 2008. The clean-diesel Jetta TDI bows in the fourth quarter of this year. Production will begin in January of 2008 and will go on sale by late spring. The new diesel will be 50-state compliant and will be badged as a TDI. The engine will be a common-rail 2.0-liter diesel four with 140 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. The engine will use an oxygen after-treatment system and a particulate filter to meet 50-state diesel emission requirements. VW says the new engine's fuel economy and NVH will be significantly improved over the former 1.9-liter diesel engine. Pricing hasn't been announced but the diesel will be pricier than the gas-engined Jetta. Diesel Jetta sedans and SportWagens will hit California and New England first when they arrive in showrooms by March. Volkswagen is a diesel pioneer in the U.S. , with more than 800,000 diesel cars sold.

2008 Hummer H2 Hummer refines H2 interior, boosts power By RICK KRANZ | AutoWeek | Updated: 06/26/07, 9:57 am et DURANGO, Colo. -- The message for buyers eyeing the 2008 Hummer H2 is twofold: more refinement, more power. Hummer's biggest model undergoes its biggest changes - most on the inside - since it debuted for the 2002 model year. On the outside, the H2's styling gets only minor changes to the grille and lower front bumper. "Customers were looking for refinement on the inside," Hummer General Manger Martin Walsh said this month at a Hummer media event here. The basics: The 2008 H2 SUV and SUT interior is new - instrument panel, door panels, seats, headliner. Jim Dolot, vehicle line planning director, said Hummer owners were interviewed before the 2008 H2 was developed. The H2's exterior styling and the vehicle's size were reasons why they bought it. But the H2's interior did not communicate luxury or prestige. "It did not give them a feeling of a $55,000, $60,000 vehicle," he said. The H2's engineering and styling teams worked with their counterparts on the Cadillac Escalade program to choose premium materials and achieve gap tolerances of 1 millimeter or less. The Escalade and H2 are on General Motors' full-sized truck architecture. "We tested the interior with customers," said Dolot. "It is a huge improvement from their perspective from what we had before." General Motors also has given the H2 a hefty power boost, equipping it with a 393-hp 6.2-liter V-8 that produces 415 pounds-feet of torque. The previous engine was a 325-hp 6.0-liter V-8 with 365 pounds-feet of torque. The "very healthy improvement in torque" is noticeable when climbing rocks, said Jeff Luke, Hummer H2 chief engineer. The H2's towing rating gets a 1,500-pound boost over that of the 2007 model, to 8,000 pounds. The addition of the new engine, along with a six-speed automatic transmission, electric cooling fans in the engine compartment and other features increase the H2's fuel economy 0.7 mpg overall, said Luke. A combination of city and highway driving is estimated by GM to be in the range of 13-14 mpg. Added standard safety equipment for the 2008 H2 includes electronic stability control with rollover mitigation technology, panic brake assist (the first application for a GM truck), tire pressure monitoring system and head curtain side airbags for all three passenger rows. Notable features: For the first time, the Hummer SUV has a full third-row seat for two passengers and rear seat heating and air conditioning. A DVD entertainment system is available. What Hummer says: What is the H2's main competitor? "It fits in against Land Rover," says Walsh. "In some cases, it is not a vehicle that is a competitor. It could be a down payment on a vacation property." Compromises and shortcomings: Fuel economy and the high cost of gasoline. Sales totaled 4,954 in the first five months of this year, down 29.2 percent from year-ago sales. Nuts and bolts: Dealers are scheduled to start receiving the 2008 H2 in late July or early August. Walsh said advertising will emphasize that the "H2 is all new under the roof and under the hood." The skinny: Despite the significant improvements, the price of gasoline likely will determine the H2's fate.

And the winners are... 1st Place Yellowjacket894 (28pts) 2nd Place Burns (23pts) 3rd Place (t) Scarlet Swordfish (17pts) 3rd Place (t) Zulehan (17pts)[/size] 4th - MRDETROITMETAL - (9pts) 5th - Pontiac Custom-S - (4pts) 5th - Wildmanjoe - (4pts) Congratulations to Yellowjacket894 for his winning El Camino entry and thanks to everyone else for their excellent - and some not-so-serious - entries. Hopefully, a few of these ideas will manifest itself in a future El Camino to come stateside. I know one C&G staff member who would be glad for that day! Thank you to all who entered. Remember to enter your talents in our current Next-Generation Chevy Aveo sketch competition, which is well on its way. Get you sketch or rendering in before the July 14th deadline and make Chevy's next subcompact a real winner! 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!

And the winners are... 1st Place Dodgefan (29pts) 2nd Place MRDETROITMETAL (19pts) 3rd Place Giantshark18 (13pts) 4th - Gizhost - (12pts) 5th - Zulehan - (10pts) 6th - Gizhost - (8pts) 6th - Skip0110 - (8pts) 7th - -Camaro- - (7pt) Congratulations to Dodgefan for his awesome 1st-place El Camino rendering! Some real great and unique designs here that capture they powerful, aggressive nature of the El Camino that many miss. Hopefully, GM Design will check these out and incorporate some into what we hope will be a future American El Camino Thank you again to all for entering, please enter again in our next competition! The Whole New SAAB choppin' competition is alive and running, so get choppin'! Want a moden Sonnet? A hot 9-5? A sporty 9-1? A dynamic 9-4x? Well...make it for us to see! 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!

Its looks extremely cheap from that angle. No character. Throw on some sexy plastics...

If I send you one if these... ..will you slap it on the bumper?