tama z71

General Motors Preserving America’s Last Big Business A Tama Article March 28, 2006 General Motors A perfect storm of business and economic factors has brewed at a time when General Motors is already facing an internal revolution. These forces threaten to tear the company down in the midst of its largest ever corporate and product restructuring. Of these factors, the American media has done what no other rival nation ever could – they have created a culture of self-defeatism that inclines American consumers to dismiss the products built within their borders. Combine this national mentality with fearsome and well-managed foreign firms, and our economy, the most open in the entire world, has become a profit playground for foreign investors. Where the popular media went to work on molding public perception, Japanese auto manufacturers were at the task of lobbying the federal legislature, ensuring themselves a consumer foothold and financial leniency in the lustrous American consumer market. Now that these companies have a firm hold in our country and our government, America’s carmakers are starting to decline. Aid is scarce from a government who is adamant about free (?) trade. Though GM has largely cleaned up and put away the problems created within its own headquarters, these external issues may well prove too much for the struggling manufacturer to overcome. Amidst endless talk of bankruptcy, the company’s future is now in question. Despite the effect of the media on our people and the Japanese Business Machine on our government, GM’s effect on our people and our economy remains unquestionably greater. If the corporate giant is allowed to fall, the shock wave will be felt by every person in the nation – whether we want to admit it or not. The Media Mass media is a powerful tool. Dictators have used it to brainwash an entire people. Orson Wells used it, albeit accidentally, to lead Americans to believe that an alien race had arrived and overrun the world. Special interests use it to bend public perception toward their respective political views. Today, a small, tight-knit group of media elite uses it to bend numbers, obscure truths and often times flat-out lie (DeLorenzo). “Media bend the truth? Surely you jest.” While it is clear that most of those in the media use the power inherent to the position to carry out an agenda, the system of the auto monthlies is fail-safe. Should blatant favoritism be called into the public eye, apologies are given, the public receives a few good words of reconcile and lessons learned, and the system returns to normal. The automotive media is somewhat exclusive, in that no other media body is capable of offering an editorial view and consistently presenting it as “fact” (DeLorenzo). One of the biggest complaints of those who criticize the media hierarchy is the well-documented favoritism displayed towards foreign cars. This notion was best defined by the story of the Ridgeline pickup, introduced by Honda for the 2005 model year. The notion of authorial preference is first validated in Car & Drivers June 2005 article “Do it all compact pickups” (Car & Driver). In this comparison, the Ridgeline is pitted against the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Dodge Dakota – all classified as midsize trucks (Car & Driver). Honda, however, has referred to the Ridgeline as a “half ton truck” in several often-played television commercials. The rest of the half-ton category includes the Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan and Dodge Ram. The Ridgeline has a base MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price) of $30,590 (Car & Driver) -- that is over three thousand dollars more than the nearest midsize competitor. After considering average transaction prices, the Ridgeline is priced closer to competitors’ comparable full-size entries than those midsize trucks used in the C&D comparison (Edmunds). The Ridgeline took first place in the comparison. When pitted against all half-ton competitors, the Ridgeline is outclassed in every term of space, power and capability (Edmunds). The second example of direct favoritism deals again with Honda and again with the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline was awarded “Truck of the Year” by Motor Trend for model year 2005. In their criteria, Motor Trend states that the winners are chosen based upon significance in the vehicle’s perspective class (Motor Trend). Please remember, Honda categorizes the Ridgeline as a half-ton, and it falls thoroughly short in the aggressive half-ton segment. Since its introduction, Honda has cut Ridgeline production twice, in addition to falling short of its 2005 sales goal of 50,000 units. (Autoweek) Without managing to make any sort of great impact with buyers or within the vehicle segment, the Honda Ridgeline fails the Motor Trend test of significance, leaving the once coveted “Golden Calipers” award as just another example of the media’s foreign free pass. To those readers who have conscious minds and are capable of feeling emotion, the most striking element of the automotive media today is the collective lack of creativity. Articles are predictable, as the same complaints are brought up in each vehicle, regardless of actual competence. The redundancy of the monthly auto magazines has been best explained by Peter DeLorenzo of Autoextremist.com. “In simpler times, the monthlies were given priority to get their pictures and write their stories with enough lead time (as long as two to three months) built in to match the embargoed release date set by the manufacturers, which everyone adhered to, for the most part. This "long-lead" date worked cozily for the monthlies, and when everyone abided by this "gentlemen's agreement," everything worked just fine - then the manufacturers' PR types could sit back and smile when their latest models dominated the major car magazines covers at the same time. But when Autoweek really began to gather steam, the difficulties with the process manifested themselves, and the established system began to get frayed around the edges, especially since the lead times for a weekly publication were dramatically shorter than those for the traditional monthlies. Yet still, the gentlemen's agreement remained intact and everyone soldiered on, comfortable in its predictability.” The integrity of auto media has been tarnished for quite some time, but remains unchanged as legitimate competitors are left little room in this monopolistic sect of the media. However, the explosion of the internet has allowed any person with a keyboard and an audience to become an automotive expert, resulting in the widespread plagiarism of an ideal. This is not the direct plagiarism of one man’s work – rather, it is the plagiarism of an ideal; one common train of thought that runs rampant in the words of would-be journalist. This train of thought states that American products, despite any significant change or significance, cannot quite catch the detail-oriented Japanese – ever. Right now, the poster boy for the auto media is General Motors. The flurry of problems and changes the company is facing right now are cannon fodder for the insatiably hungry media machine. After all, Americans have an innate desire to see the big guy fall, and we just love to hear bad news. The topic has become a work for what seems like every single member of this sect of the media (Eisenstein). The articles are so numerous and overlapping, DeLorenzo’s theory of media redundancy can be validated five times over. In the public’s endless desire to see the big guy fall, we have forgotten how much the big guy really means to us. Perceptions often do not mirror reality, and the sensationalist automotive media has served only to further engrain that baseless ideal into the mind of America (Langley). The Government General Motors has to deal with the mountain of legacy costs resultant of headquarters’ past inadequacies. The biased media is a slap in the face. Governmental indifference is pure salt in an open wound. When asked what he thought about the domestic Big 3 (GM, Ford, DCX) during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Bush offered his signature one-size-fits-all style of response (Autoweek). “I think it's very important for the market to function… …As these automobile manufacturers compete for market share and use technology to try to get consumers to buy their product, they also will be helping America become less dependent on foreign sources of oil… …I have been very reluctant,” Bush said, cutting off his sentence. “I'm mindful of the past where at one point in time, a predecessor of mine was faced with that same dilemma. I would hope I wouldn't be asked to make that decision [regarding a government bailout]… …This is going to be a very troubling time for workers and their families… …That's not how the market works and that's not corporate responsibility as I see it,” he said [in response to government bailout]. “I'm very firm on seeing to it that this government holds people to account.” (Autoweek) President Bush managed to offer no relevant response regarding the state of the companies, the role of foreign currency practices, nor the need for government to help pick up and revive the single greatest contributor to the American economy since the beginning of the 20th century. How strong should the role of government be in our economy? While Mr. Bush has often spoken of the need for the American economy to remain mostly independent of government controls, he has also stressed America’s role as the leader of the emerging world economy. On every corner of the globe, first world nations have a system of government funded national health care. America has yet to adopt such a system. For private companies, this means greater financial responsibility to their employees and a massive strain on the corporate entity. For decades-old companies such as General Motors, it means casting off an entrenched system of high benefits and generous pay. The overhead has become a specter above GM’s corporate entity, as legacy costs and payrolls cost GM over 1500 dollars per car sold (DeLorenzo). Multiply 1500 times the number of cars GM sold last year, 4.45 million (North America sales), and the result 6.68 billion dollars. That is 6.68 billion dollars that could have gone into research and development, debt payments, factory retooling, and a countless number of other essential programs. Washington’s refusal to adopt any type of national health care plan is putting America at a grave economic disadvantage, and may very well contribute to the demise of one it’s most storied and significant businesses. Japan Inc. Of all the competition GM has faced, Japanese competitors are by far the most logical (what company should be forced to compete with its own media and government?) Since the Marshall Plan took hold after WWII, the unstoppable Japanese economic machine has come to be known as Japan, Inc. In this instance, Japan, Inc. includes the Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Nissan-Renault companies. These are car companies -- straightforward competition. GM has dealt with competition for the 100+ years of its existence, and these should prove no different. Just good old car vs. car competition. Right? Wrong. By 2000, GM had finally managed to put its car line on par with the top Japanese competitors in terms of quality and dependability. The General has also managed to start picking up quality awards (from a still begrudging media), most notably from established publishers such as J.D. Power & Associates. Though the required steps for regaining control from Japan Inc. may seem clear, a series of economic procedures and unspoken codes of conduct have once again put GM and the rest of Detroit under the gun. Japan’s most effective weapon for entrenching themselves in the American economy has been their acquisition and placement of lobbyists in Washington (JapanYes). By systematically placing their interests in government and gaining holds with influential people, they have managed to protect themselves from any major legal backlash (JapanYes). The Japanese have effectively placed themselves in a position of favor by lobbying Senators and building factories in their states. Such actions also allow these Tokyo-based firms to pass themselves off as “American,” insuring against consumer backlash and creating the guise that they are contributing to the American economy. In spite of the cash infusions these plants have put into their local economies, it is estimated that for every job Toyota creates in America, 30 more are lost (JapanYes). Inversely, Japan has set up a complex structure of governmental red tape that serves to discourage foreign competitors from making headway into the Japanese home market (JapanYes). When governmental controls prove too politically incorrect, coercive tactics such as delayed shipping and unnecessary inspections serve to put the foreign business at a financial disadvantage. Without the ability to create even a toehold in the staunchly nationalist Japanese market, the business either fails financially or gets frustrated and is forced to leave the market (JapanYes). Such acts go uncontested, however, as each Japanese company has a literal army of lawyers at the ready, set to crush any foreign firm that may bite at their ankles. Such measures of economic independence and governmental protection have placed Japan Inc. on a pedestal that no truly free economy will be able to disassemble. It is a system of protectionism and nationalist sentiment that is still used to define America – but serves as a clearer representation of modern Japan. The Japan, Inc. system has ultimately served to take over the freest economy in the world – ours. General Motors has perhaps the most expansive outreach of any company in North America. The initial success of the company during the pre-depression and postwar eras literally shaped the middle-class landscape that is definitional of modern America. The effects of the company have reached a point where whole towns and entire communities thrive and die with the GM plant built there (Peters, NYTimes). Our media has created a false image of Detroit in the mind of Joe America, however, by blending “fiction” with “innuendo” to create “fact.” The President who so prides his administration on fair and free trade has dismissed aid to the biggest contributor to our economy as “not the marketplace as I see it.” Japan has done what any good competitor would, and taken those tactics to a level that are certifiably illegal. GM has contributed to the growth and prosperity of America more than any other business entity. Today, it faces the very real possibility of bankruptcy, or worse. A complete downfall of the company will adversely affect every single person in this country, regardless of how many jobs Toyota created last year. It has been made painfully clear that the government will do nothing to help. In its current financial state, GM will be hard-pressed to bring to the public the fantastic products that they are preparing to have completed by late this year. Americans need to shake the false imagery of the auto media and demand help for the largest private provider of health care in America. Today, we see ourselves as incapable of creating a viable product. Our generation is descendent of the World War II generation – the generation who won the greatest conflict in human history on the back of its mighty manufacturing homefront. But now we are bred to believe our work inferior to the Japanese, because the chrome on our door handles does not shine as brightly as a Toyota’s? America needs to wake up and give itself a swift kick in the proverbial ass. If we fail to realize that we are starving our own businesses, our country will be hurting far worse than we could ever have possibly imagined.

Cool. And to what long-term, hands-on experience with these trucks can you reference your claims?

News like this needs to get to the homepage ticker instantly.

The truck for those who want a truck 2004 GMC Canyon Z71 A Tama Review Accurate assessments of the GMC Canyon have been few and far between. More power! Bigger cabin! Isuzu? These and other cries of misinformation would leave the media sheep to believe that this little piss-bucket is yet another sign of GM’s inability to shake its old ways. Despite having been on the market since December of 2003, this truck has been misrepresented even by those who would defend it. The constant flow of inaccuracies about the GMT-355 twins pains me, and it pains me to the point where I feel the need to forego hour’s worth of study hall time this past week in order to assemble a comprehensive and unbiased review of my own vehicle, one GMC Canyon z71. Many of my fellow enthusiasts have become quite accustomed to the Car and Driver School of Foreign Preference in Automotive Journalism. Please understand that this article is being written in a fashion that many of you will find slightly unfamiliar and somewhat frightening at first: sensibly. I will be judging this truck not on its ability to gracefully maneuver the figure-eight track, nor its ability to comfortably move a family of four and the occasional load of groceries. Rather, I will grade this truck on its ability to perform truck-like duties. I am not Car and Driver. I don’t give a darn about car-like attributes. Despite media forecasts, I believe that the great percentage of truck owners still buy trucks because they didn’t want a high-riding car. Before you take a swig of that Tacoma Kool-Aid, have a taste of what the General has to offer the midsize segment. Bottoms up. First Impression From a faraway glance, there is no mistaking this truck for anything but a GM. The tear-drop headlights and aggressive nose instantly allude to cues of the Canyon’s bigger brothers, the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado. Take a gander around the truck, and meaty 31-inch treads are set off by excessively large fender flares. Riding two inches higher than the standard z85 suspension and set off by the aforementioned exterior cues, the Canyon z71 looks to be a competent off-roader. Square-edged fender flares form the illusion of movement while at rest, and help what is normally an afterthought add to the edgy styling of the truck. BUT, closer inspection reveals large body panel gaps that lend some evidence to the influence of Isuzu engineering on this truck. The large, chrome-framed grille with black crossbars is a page right out of the GMC family style-book. I can’t help but wonder how good the front clip might look with a chrome honeycomb grille and cleaner fascia. Let’s all pray for a Denali in 2007. Exterior While purely subjective, of those who have reviewed the truck (professional or otherwise), the great majority agree that the GMC Canyon is the best looking of the midsize batch. Not only good, looks are also deceitful. Line the Canyon up against a similarly equipped Toyota Tacoma, and the Canyon instantly appears better suited to accompany the lone Ranger (hah!) in the now nearly-abandoned compact class. While appearing much smaller than it’s greatest sales competitor on the outside, clever packaging inside allows for very comparable passenger room. More on that later… Next to kicking the tires, knocking on the sheet metal is a test of new-car durability that has survived every trend from big muscle to noisy rice. A healthy knock to the panels of the Canyon, and one is greeted with a hollow-sounding, confidence-diminishing thack! It’s a shame, and one of a series of needless cost-cutting measures that serve only to diminish the perceived value of the truck. As far as work purposes, the Canyon falls right into the middle of the mix. Not quite as useful as the Nissan Frontier’s standard bedliner and Utilitrack system, but not as useless as the Honda Ridgeline’s sloping bedrails and 5-foot long exterior trunk. The bed is easy to reach into from all angles and is fairly deep. The six foot bed of the extended cab provides plenty of item-space, and six tie-down hooks at the corners are passable. However, with standard bedliners becoming common and cargo management systems finding favor amongst those who carry stuff in their beds, the scheduled 2007 refresh is looking like a mighty fine time to let these features find their way into the ass-end of the Canyon. *Note* Here’s a nifty trick! Visit your local truck-outfitter and purchase a tonneau cover for your GMC Canyon. Voila! You’ve just doubled the locking waterproof cargo capacity of the $35,000 Honda Fridgeline. Congratulations! Interior When creating the insides of the Canyon, the General made two mistakes of biblical proportions: 1. They let Isuzu engineer it. 2. They let Isuzu engineer it. Hop on in and the first thing that catches your eye is the darn near Kia-like level of fit and refinement. Panel gaps are tremendous; there’s over an inch of atmosphere between the interior door panel and the b-pillar. Dashboard pieces are too numerous and fit crudely. Door-mounted armrests are completely unpadded, not an issue with even the S-10 of years before. The center console is small, hard and flimsy. Exert any pressure on it and you find yourself pulling back quickly for fear of breaking it. Seats are relatively flat and unsupportive; great for hopping in and out, but hard on one’s back during those hour or more treks. Buy an extended cab, and you will be greeted by a cacophony of squeaks and rattles coming from the jump seats and other equipment from the rear of the cab. My quarrels with this truck are few and far between, but the incessant rattling from the back of the cab is nerve-wrenching. Make sure you vie for the optional six-speaker sound system and one good Metallica album; you’ll want them to override all that damned ruckus. Interior quality: 0 out of 10. Now, move away from the notion of matching the vaunted foreign quality standards for just a moment -- think of yourself as a construction worker, a farmer, a utility man -- think of yourself as someone who uses a truck for truck purposes. If you are now in the utilitarian mindset, or are indeed one of the many truck shoppers who still buys a truck for just such purposes (and I know there are more of us left than the media would love to say), you have found your ideal machine. Where GM falls short in quality, they make up for it with their legendary ergonomics. Overall interior room is surprisingly spacious; headroom is generous, legroom is cavernous, and ingress and egress are so fluidly painless that it the thought of smacking your head never presents itself. I stand at six feet two inches, and with the seat pushed all the way back I can nearly straighten my legs entirely out. Horizontal legroom is EXCELLENT. With a column-mounted shifter and the absence of the high center console found in the Canyon’s competitors, knee room is generous and allows precious stretch-room for those longer trips. Move onto the dashboard, and the theme of simplistic operation is ever present. Three big HVAC knobs - one for temperature, fan speed, and direction - are placed under the radio faceplate, just as God Himself intended. Radio controls feature one dial for volume, one dial for tuning, and all other controls are placed intuitively. Finding the appropriate button without lifting your eyes from the road is a feat accomplished in a day or so of driving, making this an incredibly easy truck to command. The ease of use continues in front of the driver, also. Two big gauges for speed and rpm command most of the space behind the steering wheel, and they are superbly legible (even during direct sunlight.) The leather-wrapped steering wheel is big and meaty, and makes the drive that much more enjoyable. The digital Driver Information Center is helpful, but isn’t quite as comprehensive as the nifty little self-statistician that can be found in the Canyon’s bigger brother Sierra. Interior Space and Usefulness: 11 out of 10. Overall, the sheer ease of use in the Canyon will leave the truck purists salivating, but those who seek even a minimal amount of refinement will leave disappointed. Essentials Often in the crosshairs of the Canyon’s harshest critics is the powertrain. Even from those who own and love their Canyon, the battle cry for more power and more cogs is loud and never-ending. After a year and nearly 10,000 miles behind the wheel of my truck, I can honestly say the controversial Atlas inline-5 is an acceptable engine for the truck. It’s acceptable. Meaning, it could be incredible. Anyways, the 3.5L is a perfectly suitable powerplant for the application. Low end torque is plentiful; nice for those who don’t like to wind out their motors to get ‘em going (ahem, japan cars). Take-off from zero is good, and the truck gets to 35 without breaking a sweat. However, a few more cabbittees at mid to high revs would be helpful. Passing at turnpike speeds, while not difficult, is a calculated maneuver. An increase in displacement would likely ease this discrepancy. The push-button four wheel drive is an excellent feature. The 4x4 system in the Canyon is very effective, and can push the underachiever Generals uphill through a foot of snow like a hot knife through butter. However, I have had one buzzkill experience with the four wheel drive. When in 4x4 Low, the gearing wouldn’t set back into 2 wheel drive, resulting in an hour delay from the trip home: a one-time only occurrence, but disappointing nonetheless. The General seems to have no greater target on its back than its liberal use of 4 coggers in this time of 5 and 6 speed transmissions. While the extra gear would be nice to have during some extended uphill driving, the tried and true 4L80-E is a tough little gearbox. GM’s transmissions have proven their longevity and durability to be better than the gearboxes of anyone else in the business. “Slushbox” seems to be the popular term with the media; and if “slushbox” refers to liquidy-smooth shifting of the Canyon’s automatic module, then so be it. As far as overall driving experience, the Canyon provides one that is surprisingly fulfilling, even in high-stance form. Steering is very predictable and comparably sharp, though the slow-speed turning radius is unacceptably largenormous. The suspension is rather bouncy, as is expected from the stiffer z71 package, but large potholes are well isolated and don’t seem like they will shake the truck into oblivion. Find a windy road and you’ll have fun tossing the Canyon in and out of corners. If the truck provides this much pleasure in off-road form, the ZQ8 package must be a delight. Overview For all its shortcomings, the GMC Canyon is a great little truck for those who don’t want a pussified high-riding car. The General’s truck-building experience and reliability are second-to-none, and so far sales have reflected that (combined Colorado/Canyon sales well exceed that of the Toyota Tacoma). With a bigger motor on the horizon and promise sent from GM’s media-doll Hummer H3, the next iteration of the truck is shaping up to be a humdinger (oh thank heaven for twenty-0-seven!) Good Calls -solid powertrain -super ergonomics -handsome good looks -great work truck Not so Good Calls -piss-poor interior -no long bed option -cost cutting abound The 2007 redesign will determine whether or not GM wants to remain competitive in the midsize market. For now, legitimate truck buyers rejoice – the General’s got your midsize refreshment on tap… Cheers.

Usually I like DeLorenzo's work, but this looks like one of those "last night at midnight oh $h! i forgot!" pieces.

are you $h!tin me?

Fantastic. I will pull up the old article tomorrow and throw in some updates.

do you have to be a mod/admin to contribute? cuz i had an excellent write-up on my canyon a few months back

not even at all

You're right, pricing is still obscene. My Canyon listed for 28K and sold at 22. They need to bring it down 3-4K all around the board.

I think the front fascia is good. I know its a selling point for many of the people who own their 355s, myself included. With the 900s though, they should go one-piece headlamp, aero fascia and power dome hood as well. I think itd look excellent. Something like the old Canyon AT4 concept.

Will 2006 be the year of the 355? Two trucks need to outpace one in 2006 A Tama Article The difference may only be less than 5700 units, but the pressure for sales will continue to mount on GM in 2006. Chevy Colorado - 128,359 GMC Canyon - 34,845 Toyota Tacoma - 168,831 Despite having twice the models, twice the dealer network and the hugely successful employee pricing program, sluggish year-end sales put GM behind Toyota in the 2005 midsize truck market. A total loss? Probably not. GM managed to climb from the number three spot with the 355 twins to outsell the Ford Ranger for the first time, and locked up a solid second place in terms of sales. But GM can no longer be happy with "just an improvement". If they are as serious about regaining power as they say they are, GM must take the mentality that second place is just the first place loser. With the new year but 2 months young, the 2006 models have already been locked in, making any significant changes impossible until the '07s are rolled out. That doesnt mean the General need sit on it's hands for another 11 months, though. In the meantime, GM can make a few small adjustments that will bode well for sales in 2006. Marketing Updating the trucks will have to wait. Updating the image will not. In this arena more than any, GM perenially gets shamed by the PR juggernaut that is Toyota. To answer the challenge, GM need only adopt Toyota's new method of advertising to Generation-Y. Such ads as "Meteor Proof" and "Adrenalitis" speak in an overstated tone of sarcasm and humor that defines the generation molded by the humor of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. Take this method and throw it back in their faces. Show a twenty-something guy with a lab coat and jeans mention and question Toyota's claim of "meteor proof." Chip a golf ball at a Tacoma, and on impact, blow the thing up with an explosion so profound that it could be taken only as comedic genius. Fight explosions with explosions. Or something like that. Also, attack the competition. Call out the Tacoma's poorer gas mileage. Attack it's "too big for parking lots and gas consumption" size. Play up GM's technological advantage with its "state of the art" inline 5. Toyota may very well have the edge in any one of these areas. If GM can advertise to the contrary, then people will believe the Colorados to be superior in all areas. People believe what people see, and no advertising group makes that more true than Toyotas PR department. Creative Advertising I have sitting in my garage a one-off pickup truck. It runs on tapwater, generates 400 horsepower, can tow a small house and has an interior that catches Lexus with their pants down. Next to it is a 2004 GMC Canyon. It gets 25 mpg highway, has enough power to two tow full-size atv's and a bedfull of cargo, and has a 4wd system that will get me out of mud, sand and knee-deep jello. No one in the world has ever heard about the super truck. No one has ever heard of the Canyon, one that is identical to the 34,845 of them that sold last year, either. Why not? I wont advertise my truck, and GM won't advertise theirs. The lack of exposure is just painful. Throw in some TV spots, and hit especially hard on Comedy Central during Daily Show and Colbert Report hours. Grab ads on sites for EXPN and Outdoor Life Network, and make the truck visible to the 20-somethings who will be buying it. Sponsor a year long wakeboard tour, and put the Colorado on a floating display in the middle of the lake. Vortec engines are used in all wake and ski boats, giving the Chevy automatic recognition. One untapped market is mountainboarding. The sport is rugged, raw and an off-roaders wet dream. To be the first sponsor around and create a loyal relationship with a major manufacturer (www.mbs.com), as well as establish your own perennial tour, opens you up to a whole new customer base. Canyon doesnt fit the Professional Grade mantra. This is a prime target. If the automotive market has tought us anything, is that perception is 90 percent of reality and one hundred times more important. GM needs to improve 355's image as much as the product itself. 2007 holds tangible changes, but we cannot wait that long. It's time for GM to take the mask off its PR department and let them get creative, and it needs to be done now. GM can't afford any more bad press.

The difference should be between the chevy and the pontiac, not the two pontiacs. Those two quotes in particular scare the $h! out of me.

Give it some more interior color options. The ones we have now are pretty blandtastic.

f@#king edmunds... couldnt just tell us that they found some pictures. they had to preface it with two sentences of *gm is doomed!* thats why the media is biased.

If these media clowns had any idea how Japan Inc. came to such dominance, they wouldnt have the balls to even dare suggesting that Toyota is no longer an import.

Im one/eighth of the way down on that read. I can only say one thing. If you are one of those folks who believe talk of the Japanese "Continuing WWII through economics" is a bunch of conservative-driven and outlandish crap, you are so far wrong. Why is Japan allowed to get away with this? This is just unbelievable. And taking Bush's reaction into account? I now have no respect for the man.

big words make head hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!

is that real? the profile is 100% tacoma, the mirrors are stolen off of the 900s (the toyota spy shots clearly show blinkers on square mirrors), the nose could well have been stolen from the ftx concept and it just doesnt seem 100% there.

site please?

That will be my next vehicle

Does Ford design every single interior with a ruler and a t-square? Come on, already.

When the 303-hp Grand Prix GXP (27990) has a base price in very near line with three of the four competitors (more than the G6), I find it hard to believe that the test wasnt at least somewhat biased as far as category of car tested. I guess it depends on C&D's stipulations for finding similarly-equipped cars to compare, really. By the way, what are the stipulations this week?

If GM is looking for public response on this car, then lets give it to them. I want at LEAST 20 pages of replies from you guys telling GM how quickly they need to produce this baby. LET 'EM KNOW HERE!

Yeah. The pontiac one is absolutely sick, but it does only go as far as the front page.