FUTURE_OF_GM

HEY! The media has finally found it's tool to send HUmmer back into the sh*tter again!!! WOO-HOO! And from the Detroit News on top of it all!!! And why the HELL would anyone want a 4X2 FJ?!?!?! It's a decent article.... The H3 didn't get trashed but I did not agree with the safety section as I think that should've been a tie and the Ride and Handling section because H3 now HAS a bigger wheel option available. The H3 does need a new engine though (GM, are you listening?!?!) ****WELL FOLKS, SAY GOODBYE TO WHAT LITTLE MOMENTUM GM HAD THE PRESS HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF ATTACKING *ALL* OF THE POSITIVE CARS WE HAD... EDMUNDS AND THE LA TIMES TRASHED THE LUCERNE, DETROIT NEWS DESTROYED THE H3, MOTOR TREND KILLED THE HHR... LOOKS LIKE THE ASSAULT IS COMING FULL SWING AGAIN, GOD FORBID GM TRY TO DO ANYTHING BUT DIE. THEY WON'T STAND FOR THAT!***

LET US LOOK CLOSER AT THIS ARTICLE TO SEE THE RE-OCCURING THEME AND IT'S REAL GOAL. Very intentionally put there to undermine both Buick's and GM's quality. Yep... It's collapsing alright... Buick is UP for the quarter, Cadillac has been on fire for 7 years now and Saab is finally showing signs of life. This, of course, is excluding the 187% increase in Hummer sales.... OH, WOE IS ME!!!!!!!!! Plays GM out to be the 'big, bad, corporation' Gotta work bankruptcy in there somewhere! Good thing that sort of arrogance now lies at places like Toyota. The tone of this statement is to make GM out to look like it's in denial. More TRASH talk to undermine GM's reliability. Reinforces the "Don't be lead into feeling sorry for them, even if they do offer cash." mindset... Almost like a pep talk to a kid. Implying that Buick is dead... And you can smell the arrogance in this statement (No mention of Buick whipping Lexus ass in the J.D. Power ratings though...hmmm. Guess that "ledge" is around back. OH WAIT, we justify THAT with 'save our ass' statements like "Lexus buyers are more picky" RIGHT?) Then again, that would UNDERMINE the WHOLE POINT of the article, right? You know, a GOOD smear campaign usually AT LEAST has correct facts. Sweet victory for you media guys right???? Not only do you insult Buick, but you also step on the grave of Oldsmobile? AGAIN with the quality bull$h!. OH, AND IT RECEIVED THE HIGHEST "DOMESTIC" REWARD IN J.D.POWERS.... Because we all know that import elite are far and above domestic buyers... Carve out a chunk of the market for Japan Inc. and then fence it off... THAT'S the medias motto! Lucerne seems to be doing well. I beg your f*ckin' pardon?!?!?! The Lucerne is a HUGE hit IMO! Buick's new goal to only sell a few models fits into the SLOAN model perfectly! GM divisions NEVER were full line manufacturers until the late 60's and 70's. Their goal to become the american lexus is more of a PR ploy than anything substantial since 'head in the sand' idiots like you have told the masses LIES that make them perceive Lexus as better than Buick now. *****ANOTHER SMEAR ARTICLE AGAINST BUICK! AND FROM CALIFORNIA NO LESS... MAYBE THAT LUCERNE IS DOING WELL IN CALI THEN, BECAUSE, HONESTLY, WHY ELSE WOULD ANYONE DO A RANDOM ARTICLE SUCH AS THIS??? OTHER THAN TO SMEAR BUICK'S NAME. NOTICE HOW THE ARTICLE REPEATEDLY FOCUSED ON BAD QUALITY, WHICH IS, I THINK, TO COMBAT BUICKS RECENT HIGH QUALITY RATINGS AND THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO NOTICE. ALMOST A "REINFORCEMENT" ISSUE TO MAKE THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAYBE BEGINNING TO LOOK SNAP OUT OF IT AND PASS BUICK BY. OR MAYBE THIS IS PRINTED TO TRY AND CAST DOUBT BEFORE THE ENCLAVE DEBUT. OR, HELL, MAYBE SINCE PONTIAC IS ON THE SKIDS NOW, THE MEDIA IS FOCUSING ON BUICK AND TRYING TO GET A 2 FOR 1 PHASE OUT (WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE VICTORY!)

Too bad none of the Japan Inc. cars seem to suffer that fate in the rags....LOL.

This is ridiculous..... I hate dumbass politically correct americans... They're a DISGRACE to my name and this country. Just another death tactic aimed at hindering the success of an american automaker (Yep, they're all probably too STUPID to know that X is now a part of DCX)

THIS is why I was worried about Cadillac and subsequently started that thread about it... GM, you CANNOT allow Cadillac to regres!!!!!! They need freshened product and they need it NOW!!! Not 3 years from now, that'll be too late!

I wouldn't mind seeing them tone it down a bit. (THe SEMA pix look good---those are the pix I'm referencing BTW) But I certainly DO NOT want GM to NIX this entire project simply because they chose the wrong add ons. I guess THAT'S ultimately what I'm getting at. Well, that and I think we're going to need something A LOT more radical than a REGULAR G6 with different wheels and a new powertrain for this thing to even REGISTER on most peoples radar. For something like the CTS, which has individuality, subtle performance mods work well. For something like the G6, which while a VERY attractive car, is sort of commonplace and mundane by nature, we're going to need more drastic visual enhancements. This is especially true given what *I think* will be the target audience. AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE is the current GTO... Amazing performance bargain! In 2005 GM tried to spice things up by adding SUBTLE appearance mods and an even BETTER powertrain. Despite that AWESOME performance/powertrain, did that subtly moded GTO sell any better???? In order for this thing to make a splash we're going to need more than "tweaks" and motor.

What a f**kin' surprise ehh? Every other auot rag in america illustrates how the GTI whips the weak ass Si all over the place, yet Edmunds has a completely different take that isn't grounded in reality... I swear, anymore, I'm beginning to think they're as bad as Consumer Reports... What's with the big Japan Inc. push lately??? Nah... First of all that might introduce the **RISK** that an american car might win a comparo (Although I'm sure they would 'bull$h!' it into second or third with 'subjective' and 'feel') and 2) that would go against the media's STAUNCH policy of shedding POSITIVE PR on any of the big three. (Even the new products are beginning to get ignored)

I support GM 100%! They're just doing what they have to do to survive... If the government won't fix things so that they can play fair, then WHY SHOULDN'T THEY CHEAT??????? WHY should they play fair when NO ONE ELSE HAS TO?!?!?! Maybe, just maybe americans will wake up someday and realize that their governments ineptitude combined with their own apathy will eventually destroy this country... But, IMO, until then F*** america, they sold GM out long ago. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Well, america DONE UNTO GM when they decided to "OUTSOURCE" their purchases and turnabout is MOST CERTAINLY fair play! And this little SMEAR piece isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

WOW, Morici sounds SO anti-GM that you can see right through it... I'd rip this article apart, but I have moral issues about shooting DEAF and BLIND fish in a barrel with an AK-47. P.S. It's also easy to see where this authors bias lies... With her 'Oh so in demand' Piece of $h! (Seriously, these are the OLD imports that sucked) imports. Probably the only reason why she got the last Tercel was because it was one of 2 Toyota sold in that town on that particular year. LOL. See, this is what's wrong with the media.... WHERE did this idiot who is EXPLOITING GM's problems for his own gain, even COME FROM?!?!?!? She refers to him as "AN EXPERT" but I have yet to see any credentials.... And therein lies the problem, because people are TOLD that he is an expert and that his opinion is worth more than tits on a boar, they'll BELIEVE EVERY WORD HE SAYS. Me, personally... I think we should take everyone like him out behind the barn analyze his thoughts first hand, if you get my drift.... But then, there'd be no media now would there?

THis sounds more like an efficiency thing to me... The article clearly states that they will speed up production on the two remaining shifts and actually UP production from 433 cars per shift to 500 per shift. This is a good move IMO as long as quality isn't sacrificed. LESS workers/MORE production... WHo can argue with that?!?!?! No, wait... Doesn't that mean we're losing 433 cars on the third shift??? Yeah, I guess so.... I dunno, the article has me a little confused because the GM rep kinda talks like demand is outpacing supply. But either way, the extra 299 a day could be FLEET capacity for all we know, if indeed we are losing production (Which upon a second glance I think is the case). And what about the G5??? Will it not require a few of these people to be re-hired? Cobalt was up HUGE last month though.... ****On a related note: WHY IS GM NOT MAKING MORE OF AND PUSHING/MARKETING MORE ON THE REGULAR SS MODELS? I'VE SEEN MAYBE 5 AT DEALERSHIPS SINCE THEY WERE INTRODUCED AND MAYBE 10 ON THE ROADS.... WASN'T THAT MODEL SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEEF OF THE LINE UP?!?!?!?!?!? Seriously! GM IS REALLY MISSING THE BOAT WITH YOUNGER BUYERS BY NOT MARKETING/OFFERING THE COBALT SS AND SC/SS AS WELL AS THE COLORADO EXTREME CORRECTLY. The cars are STYLISH, EFFICIENT and CUSTOMIZABLE, yet GM will not devote resources to them. The EXTREME especially has been a HUGE flop and a HUGE opportunity squandered as GM had MUCH respect/equity with this age group in the S-10 Extreme. The regular Cobalt SS is the SAME story. The SC/SS, while respected because of it's EARLY exposure isn't getting the attention it deserves now. It's like there was a WHOLE line of introductions that weren't even acknowledged by the media (Cobalt SS, GP GXP, V-Series STS/XLR etc.)

I think you guys are missing the point entirely... The G6 APPEALS to YOUNG people (NOT BMW buyers) I noted that in MY thread that I started a few days ago. Pontiac has ALWAYS been one of GM's most youthful divisions in appeal and execution. YOUNG people DRIVE Lancers, SRT-4s, Riced out Civics, Cobalt SCSS, Ion RL's, WRX's Altima SE/R's, etc... This car fits PERFECTLY with THOSE offerings. (Now if GM would just offer AWD) The fact that it DOES NOT appeal to so many of us die hard GM fans in and of itself could be considered a HUGE success.

EXCELLENT piece!!!!!! GM needs MORE PR like this!! Wagoner and Lutz need to BLITZKRIEG the media with "GM is the HERO led by the HEROES!" articles and interviews.

Looks like "the street" got what it wanted... A sell of GMAC. Now let us watch as GM rots ('the street' now has no use for them, so they'll ruin them)

Okay, so now we're comparing GM's numbers to *AT LEAST* 7 'japanese' companies combined?!?!? God I should hope they outproduced GM!!!! Cute. That's what happens when your GOVERNMENT is 1) worth of $h! in the first place and 2) backing you with national healthcare, closed market tactics and currency manipulation. ***What's even more sad is that THIS is blatant proof that AMERICA as a whole is crumbling, yet the majority of it's citizens are either 1) So inept that they're clueless to it or 2) Don't care enough to change it. The empire crumbles... Another underhanded insult. WOW!!! Impressive! Looks like the media has done it's job well!! Self loathing americans; this is your finest hour!!! ***THis is further proof that it's over folks! Japan Inc has surpassed GM and Ford and NEXT the media will push Korea (That Azzera is apparently BETTER than that Lucerne and that SOnata is apparently better than that Fusion----Remember everyone?!?!?!?) The whole tone and purpose of this article is biased against GM and Ford... (Notice how it makes them out to be 'so last year' and the title SUGGESTS that the japanese are somehow superior in nature AND notice all of the underhanded 'big three' references YET Chrysler is NEVER mentioned?!?!? (Remember, they get exempted from most criticizm of "domestics" now because we whored them out to the Germans) I guess Detroit has been doing TOO well lately, so more propaganda "study" pieces are needed in the news.... Well, either that or Toyota didn't have ENOUGH of a "record setting" month.

This is an excellent article and I think MORE of this is needed. 'The Rick' AND 'Maximum Bob' need to come out swinging. I LOVE the attitude and confidence in 'The Rick's' responses. He IS truly a fighting spirit and to that I can relate. I *STILL* have a tremendous amount of confidence in 'The Rick'. But, that said, I DO respect Buickman as well. He served GM well and like it or not deserves respect for that regardless of whether or not we agree with everything he says.

Chevrolet/Chevy Trucks: Why is Aveo down so much??? Ramp up for the new model? Cobalt is through the roof! (Hope it isn't fleet--I don't think it is, as GM cut back fleet sales) Impala is flat; good I guess. Malibu is up slightly and MC is down (Seems like the ramp up has been VERY SLOW and I *STILL* don't see many on lots, or any promotion. It's a shame that the MC is Chevrolet's 'bastard child') Colorado needs a refresh BADLY! Equinox has died (Sad after it did so well in the beginning) Tahoe is amking MARKED gains. Trailblazer needs a refresh, but isn't off too much. The Uplander numbers are surprising. Avalanche is WAY off, no doubt due to the change over. Pontiac: SV6 is showing good numbers (percentage-wise) G6 is up HUGE!!!! Hope it isn't all fleet! GP up, again, hope it isn't fleet. GTO down and Vibe is WAAAY down. Why? GMC: Canyon is D.O.A. how about that refresh GM? Envoy is down quite a bit, maybe the Acadia will fix that hole. Sierra is a bit off just like Silverado, Yukon and Yukon XL showing bad numbers, no doubt because of the switch. Buick: ALL OF THE BUICK TRUCKS ARE UP, Terazza, Rainier (These 2 especially) and Rendezvous! Lacrosse is down a lot Could the Lucerne be cannabalizing it??? (Well, at least until Edmunds and Co kill it's momentum) Cadillac: CTS is flat and still strong despite its age. DTS is carrying the division though! XLR is down pretty bad (But it is/was winter) and the STS is down quite a bit... Not good GM. Escalade is up and EXT and ESV are down no doubt because of the ramp up. Saab: 9-2X is STILL tanking... 9-5 is surprisingly down given the new redesign?!?!? 9-3 is flat and doing well. Saturn: Ion is down, Relay TANKED but Vue is STILL selling well!!! Hummer: H1 is up, H2 not doing so well, H3 has been a runaway success!

LOL, because, in that piece of $h! the engine will sludge and BLOW UP WAAAAY before the redline... So, hence, no need for the redline (That red paint is costly)

LOOKS LIKE THAT LUCERNE WAS SELLING TOO WELL!!! WHY IS IT THAT WHEN A DOMESTIC IS SELLING WELL WE TEND TO SEE NEGATIVE P.R. AND NEGATIVE ARTICLES ON THE CAR IN QUESTION?!?!? OH YEAH!!!! TO THROW WATER ON THE FLAMES (If I have to type that one more time today I'm going to shoot myself) Looks like they nitpicked the car to death. AND, why exactly, if they have already reviewed a CXS are they reviewing a CXL now?!?!?! Oh wait.... TO THROW WATER ON THE ***BANG**** OWW, dammit, too bad I just shot myself in the foot!!!! But anyway, you get the picture... More biased BULL$h!.

Typical MT They're just trying *ONCE AGAIN* to throw water on the flames of one of GM's hot sellers. I would expect nothing less.... And I assume that the Caliber placed 4th?!?!? (Yeah right!!!) Dodge HAS a hit in the Caliber, I'm ALREADY seeing them a lot around here. The HHR was placed 3rd simply because of the badge... I find it hard to believe that they didn't just go ahead and place the Toyota above the FORD OWNED Mazda 3 (Which I like a lot) But I guess that would be VERY hard to justify. As for the Vibe.... Silly people, don't you know that the tie up is only used to belittle and humiliate GM, and is NOT to be used for their advantage. (Especially in this case, that'd piss Toyota off to bad, then the check would get lost in the mail) SO, what's the first thing you read in a GM or Ford article when they're writing up a car that's on the same architecture as another division????? It's: "Well, you can get this same car for XXX cheaper from GM's own Chevrolet." This is NO DOUBT done to create in-fighting and cannabalization. But when it comes to the Matrix/Vibe, FUNNY you didn't see that same sort of statement now isn't it?

Bunch of whiners....

Personally, I think it would great without ANY spoiler or a small subtle one. Picture the car without the spoiler, it looks SOLID and stealthy.

Ridgeline is FINALLY selling, after the media shoving it down our throats with suger sweet reviews for a YEAR. Not so you say??? Then WHY is it JUST NOW taking off after the SLURP-SLURP TOTY award?

It took GM 20 years to realize that americans DO NOT WANT japan-ized american cars... They want EXCELLENT, technological, efficient AMERICANIZED american cars!!! You go GM!!!

I think GM has positive momentum at EVERY division right now. That said, I think Pontiac is currently the anchor... It needs MORE.

Hmmm.... Guess my "useless observation" thread was somewhat RELEVANT after all. The media will DESTROY it. A.K.A. "Here is your GTO replacement for the forseable future... ENJOY!" SWEET!!!! Nice to see Ram Air make a comeback to the Pontiac line... Now they need to do the same thing with the G5 to further differentiate it! Damn! I would've NEVER guessed that to be the case since I RARELY see a GP GXP. Better yet, WHY did the GP GXP NOT receive more media exposure?!?!? It seems that both it and the Impala have been virtually IGNORED. (Surprise, surprise) The *ONLY* GP GXP article I recall was the SHORT and very positive Car and Drivel write up. AS FOR THE CAR, I think I can do without the red chrome, and I absolutely can't wait for all of the condescending remarks from the media about "Christmas at Pontiac" and "Cheap red plastic" and "Looks like GM's red ink has translated to the G6's interior." The front is okay... The grille could be considered too big, but I think the front and stance as a whole is awesome and will look a lot better in person. The rear needs to lose that "Batwing" spoiler... TONE IT DOWN GM!!!! The combination of the GM bade and GXP badge looks like sh*t. (I like the idea of the GM badges---On some vehicles GM executes it flawlessly amd seemlessly, then on some, such as this, the base Cobalt, most of the SS cars and the Equinox it just looks chintzy. And yes, I'm pretty sure we were previously introduced to this car at SEMA last November. (WOW, show season for us GM-ers sucks more every year. Guess that's what happens when the press runs your company and it's bank account into the ground) I absolutely LOVE the wheels though (NO, THEY ARE NOT GTP WHEELS, read the press release again... These are 19 inchers.) and I LOVE the hood intakes (They are *classic* Pontiac at it's best) ***Overall though... I like it!*** Of course, I LOVE aggressive designs (Last gen Grand Am, WS6 Trans Am) I think they're trying to do 2 things with this design.. Rope in the YOUNGER buyers that the Grand Am GT enjoyed and appeal to 'ricers' that drive aggressive looking Lancers and hopped up Civics, AGAIN, young people. The Grand Am enjoyed a pretty positive image with young people, probably way better than the average G6 sedan does. I actually like it A LOT save for the red interior chrome and the 1980 Porsche wing! and I'd buy it... And honestly, there really hasn't been a Pontiac that I'd seriously consider besides the Solstice in 2-3 years. And you know what? 1) It'll probably be toned down for production and 2) I *BET* they'll hit their target audience... What's wrong with a big prominent grille??? It worked for Chrysler, Toyota is trying it, Audi & VW seem to be benfitting from it, Dodges' SRT-4 has an excellent reputation and who can forget the scowling Lancer??? NOTE TO GM: PRODUCE IT!!!! Just tweak it a bit! P.S. Hows about offering 'smoked' headlights???