Flybrian

What Northie said. On RWD vs. FWD, remember that drivetrain configuration is but one variable that determines an automobiles success. Myself, I'd rather have a world-class FWD car (G-body) over a lousy RWD one (Crown Vic) and the market tends to agree. Fact is, final drive wheels do not sell a car by itself; look at what a great job the Fords are doing. But a well-executed world-class RWD car has a destiny that no one can deny. Look at how well Chrysler did at first with an ugly "wagon", a last-minute Dodge, and a cartoon of what a car from the USA should look like. And let's be honest here: Chrysler has absolutely no business making cars and haven't since the 1960s; the fact that they can't sell these 'world-class' LX cars today is proof. Ford still makes rear-wheel drive cars but they're such junk no one even cares. You think GM will do as poorly as its neighbors did? You think people in this country won't fall in love with a line of well-executed, well-built, bespoke cars, something that they still really haven't seen yet? If anyone can create authenticly American cars, its General Motors. And if GM can't do it with its resources, its know-how, and its heritage, then my friends, you may as well put a deposit on your Hyundai Snoremobile today.

That wide-bottom grille looks like $h!.

I think my uncool choice of a Black Onyx LaCrosse CXS with Driver's Confidence Package, Moonroof, and Chrome Package would instantly eliminate me from being considered...

Yellow. Decals. Factory fartcans. Twin power bulges. That's gotta have like a power-to-weight ratio of eleventybillion:1.

You are Mr. Refinement, so you would absolutely laugh your ass off at the Prius. Seriously.

I can guarantee you some of them are thinking, "Where the hell are they getting THAT from?!"

While the timing is drawn out yet again, it seems to tie up alot of the loose ends we've been speculating on - the fate of the STS, when the G6 will migrate to RWD, an Alpha BLS for the NA market. I have to wonder about acceptance for a larger CTS, but even that aspect (at first blush) makes perfect sense - those who bought the CTS are used to a larger-than-class car anyway. One hopes more is true than wrong...

None.

The STS is a great car unto itself. Unfortunately, you get a better-designed CTS for less or a larger, roomier DTS for the same price.

No more Chery?

Really cool there, John. Congratulations to your son for having his story featured. Never gets old seeing proud GM families!

And yet a few lines down, they talk about sexy toothpaste, so take it with a truckload of salt...

AutoWeek thought this was more relevant and I cannot really disagree with their analysis. While Pontiac's fleet percentage is mainly the result of the heavy rental bias of one outgoing model (Grand Prix), Chrysler's is spread across the entire lineup. Consider Chrysler has more volume and the average age of a Chrysler car is less than a Pontiac, their strong reliance on rental sales is far more disconcerting.

I think its a shame they can't somehow still integrate the oversized generator capacity of these -800 hybrids into the new ones somehow. Even if they do take up extra space, make it optional. I've seen demonstrations of its capabilities and its very impressive to see that a truck can literally run a (jokes aside) well-furnished double-wide trailer home. I would love to get one of the -800 hybrids for that reason. With hurricane season around here? Fuggedaboutit.

Saw an Audi R8 yesterday Nissan Versa sedan. Goddamn those things are digusting. A few Tundras. Puke.

Sunburst got canned on the CTS a looooong time ago I think. It seems like that.

Rental King Nearly half of Chrysler's sales are to fleets By BRADFORD WERNLE | Link to Original Article @ AutoWeek | Updated: 04/26/07, 9:53 am et DETROIT -- With fleet sales accounting for nearly half its total sales, Chrysler is gaining an identity as DaimlerChrysler's rent-a-car brand. Soft retail sales led the Chrysler brand to rely on fleet sales in a big way last fall and early this year. According to an Automotive News analysis of industry fleet sales by brand, Chrysler was the industry's top fleet-sales brand from November through February. For the six-month period through February - the most recent month for which brand data are available - fleet sales accounted for 48.5 percent of the Chrysler brand's total sales. The Chrysler group has been working hard to clear a backlog of vehicles caused by the company's much publicized overbuild of 2006, which caused grief for so many dealers. It has been a huge problem for the Chrysler brand, which had to clear out inventories of minivans and Sebrings. Dodge also has had relatively high fleet sales, while Jeep's fleet sales mirror the industry average. Among other brands, Pontiac was the top fleet-sales brand in August and September. For a brand-by-brand list of fleet sales, see www.autonews.com/fleet. From September through February, the Chrysler group's fleet sales accounted for 34.3 percent of its total sales. For the same period, fleet sales generated 32.8 percent of Ford Motor Co.'s domestic brand sales, and 26.6 percent of General Motors' total sales. Estimates of fleet sales were generated by the Automotive News Data Center, which compared its own overall sales data to retail vehicle registrations provided by R.L. Polk. Fleet sales involve the purchase of 10 or more vehicles at a time. Rent-a-cars Fleet sales to corporate customers such as Wal-Mart or the Post Office can be profitable. But automakers risk losing money on sales to daily rental fleets such as Hertz or Avis. In recent months, Ford and General Motors have tried to scale back sales to daily rental fleets. But the Chrysler group's sales to daily rental fleets appear to remain high. According to an industry source familiar with the fleet business, daily rental fleets accounted for nearly 80 percent of the Chrysler group's first-quarter fleet sales. By contrast, daily rental companies accounted for half the first-quarter fleet sales of GM and Ford. Last week, Chrysler group spokesman Markus Mainka noted that the volume of the company's overall fleet sales had actually declined in the first quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier. Likewise, Mainka added, the volume of the Chrysler group's sales to daily rental fleets also declined. But fleet sales still account for a big proportion of the Chrysler group's total sales because its retail sales are so soft. In February, the most recent month for which R.L. Polk data are available, the Chrysler brand's retail registrations slumped 36.2 percent compared with the year-ago period. "Chrysler is incentivizing the fleet business a lot more than the consumer side because they need the volume to look halfway decent," says Art Spinella, principal of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore. The second half of 2006 was a tough period for the Chrysler brand. The division was clearing out minivans in preparation for a redesigned Town & Country, which arrives in fall. And it had to trim Sebring inventories to make way for the redesigned 2008 model, which debuted last fall. "It's clearly an inventory clearout for them," Spinella says. The Chrysler group has continued to draw down its inventory of unsold vehicles. But the residual values of its cars and trucks could take a hit when all those rental vehicles enter the used-car auctions this summer, Spinella predicts. Because of production cuts this year, Chrysler probably won't face the same problem in 2008, he adds. New ad blitz To revive the brand, Chrysler is launching an advertising campaign this spring that will emphasize the brand's premium position. Featured will be several vehicles, including the Sebring hardtop convertible. The ad campaign should help vehicles such as the formerly hot-selling 300 sedan, whose sales have been slow. Likewise, dealers say customers are unfamiliar with the new Aspen SUV because there has been little advertising for it. The new 2007 Sebring sedan, launched in the fourth quarter 2006, also has had a slow start. Chrysler recently ran ads showing more of the features and attributes of the vehicle. The PT Cruiser will die in 2008; it will be replaced by a crossover in 2010. The Pacifica will be discontinued in 2009, according to a forecast by Global Insight. Dealers fret Besides the new ad campaign, DaimlerChrysler has taken other steps to help Chrysler brand dealers. The company has worked to bring Chrysler franchises together with Jeep and, in many cases, Dodge. The Chrysler brand now has just 126 exclusive outlets among its 2,836 franchises. But the brand's weakness is increasingly difficult to mitigate. Excluding fleet sales, the Chrysler brand generated just seven retail sales per franchise in February. By contrast, Honda division's retail sales averaged 92 vehicles per franchise. So Chrysler-brand dealers who don't have other brands to fall back on are struggling. "They don't have a broad enough product line," says Doug Alley, whose family owns a Chrysler stand-alone store and a Dodge store in rural Kingsport, Tenn. "All you've got to sell is PT Cruiser, 300 and Town & Country." Alley says the new Aspen SUV has been a flop since it was introduced late last year. "We concentrate on the used-car business in that store. A stand-alone Chrysler (franchise) in any market is just not viable." Dan Hughes, owner of Trice Hughes Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep in Princeton, Ky., praises the Chrysler vehicle lineup but says it's often difficult for him to get the cars he needs. Some Chrysler models are delivered to his lot for courtesy delivery to local rental car companies before he gets any to sell to retail customers. Says Hughes: "If I want to drive one, I have to rent one before I can get one on my lot."

Hybrids on Hold GM axes hybrid pickups until two-mode system debuts in 2008 By RICHARD TRUETT | Link to original article @ AutoWeek | Updated: 04/26/07, 10:06 am et DETROIT -- Despite rising gasoline prices, General Motors quietly has dropped the hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. GM's next hybrid pickups are due in about 18 months. The Silverado Hybrid sold for $30,040 including shipping, about $3,000 more than a V-8 powered Silverado with the same size engine and same trim. The Silverado Hybrid and the more upscale Sierra Hybrid were launched in late 2004. They were GM's first gasoline-electric hybrids. But neither truck received much promotion, and sales were slow. The total production run of both trucks was about 3,000, according to GM. There are a few unsold models of both trucks in dealer inventory, said Chevrolet spokesman Brian Gobel. Production ended in December. Neither truck generated much buzz, mostly because the hybrid system didn't drive the vehicle on electric power alone. The fuel economy increase of 2 mpg compared with a standard Silverado or Sierra was not dramatic enough to captivate buyers the way the Toyota Prius did. But the trucks did offer several unique features, including an onboard 2,400-watt generator and four 120-volt outlets. They also gave GM bragging rights about having the most fuel-efficient V-8-powered full-sized pickup. In idle mode, the trucks could generate enough electricity to power a house. GM officials had hoped the hybrid Silverado and Sierra would find a market with construction workers, campers and others who needed electricity in remote places. GM Powertrain spokesman Brian Corbett says the trucks helped GM hybrid engineers learn how to calibrate software, package batteries and integrate new technologies. The skills have come in handy on hybrid versions of the Saturn Vue and Aura, along with the Chevrolet Malibu. "It was the first hybrid pickup from an OEM. It had hydraulic-electric power steering and we downsized the torque converter," Corbett said of the vehicles' use of new technology. The trucks were phased out when production of the classic version of the Silverado and Sierra stopped in December. GM officials decided not to launch a new version of the hybrid trucks using the previous model's GMT 800 powertrain on the current GMT 900 platform. Instead, new hybrid versions of the Sierra and Silverado are scheduled to be launched in late 2008. The trucks will be equipped with a two-mode hybrid system that GM is developing with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. The two-mode hybrid provides electric drive and a huge increase in fuel economy, GM says. Early testing has shown a fuel economy gain of about 25 percent, according to GM engineers working on the project. Corbett said there are no plans to equip the new versions with the power-generating feature of the original models.

The 2004-style Malibu Classic is likely to be a primarily fleet-only car, especially since the 2008 Malibu is seen as a step above and beyond its predecessor. This is much like the 2004 N-body 'Chevrolet Classic.'

According to dealer guides as well as folks I spoked to up in Detroit, the only way to get a 4cyl Aura is with the hybrid powertrain.

Its slated to be replaced with a turbocharged SS powered by the same drivetrain as the Solstice GXP and SKY RL (260hp 2.0l)

I figured this was significant enough to warrant its own thread... HIGHLIGHTS LED tail lights with light pipes Cut and sew instrument panel and door trim (LLT) 3.6L VVT direct injection V6 engine for 1SB Equipment Group Upgraded instrument panel cluster with multi line Driver Information Center (DIC) Available (C3U) double-sized UltraView sunroof with power sunshade Available (P62) 17" x 8" machined-faced aluminum wheels Available (P63) 18" x 8" aluminum wheels with high-polished finish Available (P75) 18" x 8" aluminum wheels with premium multi-coat painted finish Available (UAV) navigation system with 8" pip-up screen. Includes Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround Sound with true iPod functionality (steering wheel controls and radio display), XM1 Real-Time Traffic and XM1 Real-Time Weather (requires [Y44] Seating Package) New Key Fob design New exterior colors (12U) Black Cherry and (89U) Crystal Red Tintcoat. (89U) available at extra charge. New interior colors 194 Ebony with Ebony interior accents; 394 Cashmere with Cocoa interior accents and 894 Light Titanium with Ebony accents StabiliTrak is standard Standard Tire Pressure Monitor Standard 17" wheels Standard (U2T) Bose 8-speaker audio system (LY7) 3.6L VVT V6 SFI engine becomes standard engine for 1SA Equipment Group Upgraded instrument panel, console, and door trim with integrated center stack Manual telescopic steering column (with rake) 6-speed automatic transmission (upgraded from 5-speed) 2" wider track with improved rear chassis structure Upgraded brakes Available Collections: (PDP Luxury Collection; (PDQ) Premium Luxury Collection and (PDR) Performance Collection Available Packages: (Y40) Luxury Level One Package; (Y41) Luxury Level Two Package; (Y42) 18" All-Season Tire Performance package; (Y43) 18" Summer Tire Performance Package - 1SB only; (Y44) Seating Package Available All-Wheel Drive with new active transfer case (improved power and handling, quieter) Available (TT6) HID headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting and LED light pipe accents (included and only available with (Y42) and (Y43) Available (U2R) audio system with 6-disc in-dash CD changer, MP3 playback and 8 speakers Available (U2S) audio system with DVD player, MP3 playback, Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround 10-speaker system, 40GB hard Drive Device (HDD), with true iPod functionality (steering wheel controls and radio display) Available (UHA) EZ Key passive entry system Available (TSQ) accent lighting, LED spotlights with lighting pipes Available (KB6) heated/ventilated driver and front passenger seats Available (N38) power telescopic steering column with rake and memory Available (B19) Wood Trim Package with real Sapele Pommele wood on instrument panel, center console and door trim Available (B20) Wood Trim Package with real Sapele Pommele wood on steering wheel and shift knob Available (CE1) Rainsense wipers Click here for full details

And the winners are... 1st place - MarioBro88 - 26pts 2nd place - Skip0110 - 19pts 3rd place - Robonaut - 12pts 4th - Flybrian - 9pts 5th - Zulehan - 6pts 6th - Ravenfreak13 - 2pts Big congratulations to MarioBro88 who takes 1st place in this competition, winning his very first Design Competition here at C&G! As an example of those that enter these contests to improve their skills at doing something they enjoy, we give him our kudos. Special thanks to all who entered their crazy designs and we hope to see you all in the next competition! Our latest competition - Choppin' Competition #40 - HHR Panel - has just begun! Your subject this time is the new Chevy HHR Panel hitting dealerships soon and your task is to customize it to your liking in any way you can come up with. Make an ultra sleek street cruiser or a unique personal statement. Let your creativity guide you! Be sure to get your entry in before the 11:59PM May 11th deadline! Also, vote in our NYIAS Redux competition and show your fav artists some support!

Welcome to the Choppin' Competition #39 Voting thread! Remember, artists who entered must vote for someone other than themselves. Those that do not vote or vote for themselves will be asessed a two (2) point penalty. Voters, please nominate two (2) entries in this format: 1st place 2nd place Each first place vote earns 2 points, and each second place vote 1 point. Voting begins now and will end Saturday, May 5, 2007 @ 11:59PM. Only those votes cast during that time will be counted. Remember, the 1st place winner will recieve a special GM-related prize from Cheers and Gears! 1 2 3 4 VOTE----------------VOTE----VOTEVOTE----VOTEVOTEVOTE--VOTEVOTEVOTE-- -VOTE--------------VOTE---VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- --VOTE------------VOTE----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ---VOTE----------VOTE-----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ----VOTE--------VOTE------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- -----VOTE------VOTE-------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- ------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- -------VOTE--VOTE---------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- --------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- -----------VOTE----------------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE---------VOTEVOTEVOTE-- Good luck to all who entered!

I have to say this is one of the most enlightening threads ever on C&G. Thanks for all who have contributed so far and I hope the discussion continues on and on...