smk4565

Success will depend on the motor. If the Converj has the same motors at the Volt, it is Cimmarron 2 at $50k or more, which is a losing formula.

Why does the interior look like it came from a Mazda or Mitsubishi? They have made a more Asian looking Cruze, and it doesn't look at all luxurious. GM keeps saying Buick is a luxury brand, but the interior of this looks like a Lancer or Mazda 3 and not like a Lexus or Lincoln. And who are they kidding with that spoiler. First off it is a Buick, it shouldn't have a spoiler, secondly, it is front drive, a rear spoiler on a front wheel drive car makes no sense.

Terrain is ugly. But if you need awd, there is the Fusion, Taurus, MKZ, MKS, Milan, Impreza, Legacy/Outack, SX4, Lancer/Evo, CTS, 3-series, C-class, G37, TL, RL, 5-series, E-class, 300, Charger, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, IS, GS, STS, 9-3, S40, V50, V70, S80, Passat, Matrix, LaCrosse, M35x, and Nissan GT-R.

I tend to think the opposite about an SUV in Pittsburgh. Because we have so many hills and windy roads, I think a car is better. The engine has to work more to lug an SUV up a hill, and they body roll more in turns. But SUVs are terribly over rated in my opinion, cars are faster, handle better, ride better, brake better, steer better. Even here we have bad snow maybe 5 times a year, and the other 360 days you don't need awd. And if you think you actually need awd, then there must be 50 cars that offer it

CTS dropped 27%, 3-series dropped 9%. 3-series dropped 800 units, CTS dropped 1,000 units. The 3-series is still the #1 selling luxury car.

A problem GM has is after products are on the market a couple years they tend to drop a lot. CTS is no different. When it was brand new, and they advertised it a lot, it sold, then it gets a little dated, ads slow down and sales drop. The winners are the Lambdas, SRX/Terrain/Equinox and 2010 LaCrosse, but look at how bad the old Equinox/Torrent and LaCrosse were. Question is how will the Equinox or LaCrosse be selling in 3 years when the initial buzz is gone. The challenge is to build a car that car sell well for 5 or 6 years in a row. CTS sales don't surprise me at all. When it came out I said the car was too big/heavy to perform with a 3-series, and the interior/equipment/materials aren't as good as the A6 or 5-series. Plus Cadillac's image isn't as good as the Germans or Lexus.

This company is a disaster, I can't believe people actually buy things like a Dodge Journey or a Chrysler Sebring when there are at least 5 much better options in their same class. Chrysler is currently the Sebring, 300 and Town and Country. Why even bother, especially when all 3 have a Dodge clone.

3-series outsold the Cobalt and Aveo combined. And GM delayed the Cruze? The crossover sales were strong, this is GM's biggest strength right now. But will GM focus on SUVs again and ignore cars like they did in 2002-2005, because SUV trends come and go, small and midsize car sales are always there.

They are having a strong year. Hyundai us a company to be reckoned with, it will be interesting to see where they are in 20 years.

X3 sales are a problem, a small crossover should sell better than that. BMW prices are pretty high, they probably will post a nice profit at the end of the year because of that. Volume may not be great, but the mark-up on the cars is.

But this isn't apples to apples because of the different drivers. If I go out in a CTS-V having never driven the car or not knowing the track, and race Michael Shumacher in Mercedes E350, he'd beat me despite having half the horsepower. They need the same person driving the CTS-V and the M3 to get a really good comparison.

The problem with this is it is testing who is the best driver. Because Heinricy is obviously much better than Lutz. What they need is to put every car in the hands of The Stig and then see which one has the best time.

It better get more than 32 mpg, otherwise people will get a Fusion Hybrid or Prius. The Prius gets a combined 50 mpg, that is the number the Volt has to beat when burning gas. If they can get 40 miles off electric, then 50+ when burning gas, they have something they can sell. Basically, the Volt has to be a better deal than a Malibu + $15,000 for gasoline.

There is an base model with a BMW V8 making 470 hp also, but even that is close to $400k. Awesome looking car though.

Audi's aren't supposed to be flashy like a Cadillac or Mercedes. Many people like the conservative, contemporary look, and want a more understated luxury car. Plus less flashy looking cars to to age well, compared to Chrysler products that look dated after 2-3 years on market. Audi wouldn't be my first choice, but I can see why a lot of people like them. We still don't really know if the Regal is meant to compete with the Fusion Sport, Mazda 6 and Altima (sportier), or the Camry, Sonata and Milan (the softer cars).

Because a TL is more expensive than a LaCrosse, and the Regal is "a few thousand less" than the LaCrosse. It's the same reason the Malibu or Aura with a v6 didn't compete with Acura. The CTS competes with the Acura TL. But I agree the TL is hideous looking.

They aren't going to put a high pressure turbo 4 in a Buick. The fuel efficiency isn't great, and 290 hp turbo in a front drive car is going to lead to horrible torque steer. This car is taking the place of the G6 and Aura and will be lucky to get more than 220 hp in top level trim. Look at the engine downsizing going on at GM right now. The Equinox was V6 only, now it will be mostly 4-cylinder, with a 3.0 liter as the top engine (they used to offer the 3.6). Buicks used to have the 3800, even V8s in the LaX and Lucerne Super, but soon the 3.6 will be the biggest Buick engine with the 3.0 and 4 cylinders making up the bulk of sales. GMC had the Envoy with the 4.2 I6 and 5.3 V8, gone and replaced by the 4 cylinder Terrain and 3.6 V6 Acadia. On to Cadillac, SRX V8, dead, now a 3.0 is the biggest SRX engine. XTS is rumored as V6 only (Northstar V8 gone). Basically, GM vehicles that had V8s 5-10 years ago, now have the 3.6 V6 (Cadillacs, SUVs, top end Buick). And the middle range GM cars that used to have V6s (Nox, Malibu, Regal, etc) now have 4-bangers. We are going to see small to midsize being 4-cylinders, with the 3.6 V6 in the 2010s being like what the Northstar was in the 1990s. The 3.6 will be reserved for Cadillac and full sizer vehicles like the Lambdas.

You'd think GM would have learned by now, but they seem to have a desire to keep repeating the same mistake. Oldsmobile was to be the import fighter, it went out of business Catera was an Opel for the U.S., it was a bust GTO was imported for the U.S., it was a bust Saturn Astra was in imported Opel, it was a bust Saturn Aura was inspired by Opel, another bust Saturn became the import fighter, went out of business Pontiac G8 was imported, slow sales and Pontiac went out of business. So now Buick is the import fighter and getting cars from Opel, gee I wonder what will happen to Buick in 4 years.

No, It couldn't pass for an Audi. Audi's do not have tacky shark tooth looking vents up front, or flashy body cladding. Audi's are more understated, elegant and classy looking. To me Audi's are a little bland, except for the A5, but a lot of people like a luxury car that isn't flashy and looks like a grown up's car. The Insignia OPC, much like the G6 GXP, looks like it should be in a fast and furious movie.

Very true, almost looks like a Mazda or Hyundai, although I think the new Sonata looks better. There seems to be a lot of hope that they make this car sporty, but Buick has nearly zero appeal to non-traditional Buick buyers. People who want a sporty car are going to buy a Mazda, Subaru, Nissan, VW, etc, they aren't going to look at Buick, just like that demographic won't look at a Camry. If they try to make this car sporty (in hope of getting former Pontiac owners perhaps) it will be a sales dud. Soft and cushy with good mileage is the way to go.

They won't put a manual in a Buick. This car is to replace the G6 and Aura basically, and GM needs loads of 4-bangers for CAFE because they make the Silverado. The big question I have is how do they tune the suspension, size and price this will overlap with the Malibu, so do they make it sportier, which doesn't fit with Buick's image at all, or extra soft and quiet.

People that want speed don't buy Buicks, so a 2 liter turbo is fine. The Passat is a 2 liter turbo. The Lucerne has 227 hp, so 220 hp in the top end Regal makes sense. I imagine the Malibu will lose the 3.6 liter in favor of the 3.0 V6 or a turbo 4 in time as well.

I read in the past that the Regal would be 4-cylinder only. Likely the 2.4 liter, and a 2.0 turbo. The Insignia and the Chinese version both have a 2.0 turbo version making around 215 hp. I doubt the 3.6 liter ends up in the Regal, maybe the 3.0 V6, but GM is downsizing engines, even the SRX, Equinox, and Terrain don't have bigger than 3.0 liters. The Regal isn't going to get a better engine than a Cadillac SUV.

Hooray! I hope they have a Joseph Abboud edition with 2-tone seats. Really, the 2011 Saturn Aura, has become the 2011 Buick Regal. Proof that GM had too many brands and dumping some doesn't hurt them at all.

The Corvette does have a lot of middle aged man to baby boomer appeal. If they get to the point where only guys in their 50s are buying Vettes, it isn't going to be a cool car for long. Price is a bit of an issue also, I know price has gone up on everything, but $48,000 base is a lot for a Chevy with an interior comparable to a $24,000 car. Either quality and refinement have to go up, or price has to come down.