Northstar

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...n=2&docid=28297 GM Delivers 368,776 Vehicles; Retail Sales Up 8 Percent # Sales Gains Driven By Launch Vehicles # GM's Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Post Significant Increases: Pontiac G6 Up 35 Percent, Chevrolet Impala Up 29 Percent In Total Sales # Full-Size Pickup Truck Retail Sales Up 27 Percent; Large Utilities Up 22 Percent DETROIT - General Motors' dealers in the United States sold 368,776 new cars and trucks in August. Retail sales were up 8 percent on a sales day adjusted basis, compared with August 2005. "August retail sales were up almost 30,000 units compared to last year. That's great news. This was one of the stronger retail months of 2006, with our performance led by such launch vehicles as the Pontiac Torrent and G6, Saturn Sky, Chevrolet Cobalt, Impala and Buick Lucerne," said Mark LaNeve, General Motors North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Importantly, we're capitalizing on the sale of fuel-efficient cars and trucks including such "30 mpg and Above Club" members as Pontiac G6 coupe and G5, Chevy HHR, Cobalt, Malibu and Impala, and Saab 9-3. Our large pickup retail sales for Chevrolet Silverado, Avalanche and GMC Sierra were up 27 percent compared with a year ago. Customers clearly are responding to the quality, value, versatility and fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks. We encourage everyone in the new-vehicle market to take advantage of our Final Summer Bonus Cash sales event that runs through September 5." Due to the success of new products, GM has seen sales strengthen over the last few months. GM market share on a retail basis has improved significantly in the last 90 days due to great launch vehicle performance and a broad-range of fuel-efficient vehicles. Consistent with our North America turnaround plan, GM continues to run above 3 million retail units on an annualized basis. GM also continues to reduce its reliance on low-margin daily rental sales. Daily rental sales were down 20 percent compared to year-ago levels, and were down 23 percent compared to July 2006. Total fleet sales (including daily rentals) were down 15 percent (14,112 vehicles) compared to year-ago levels. Total GM U.S. retail passenger car sales are up 5 percent versus August last year, demonstrating that GM can compete in all product categories and take advantage of shifting consumer preferences. Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Saab and Buick all saw retail sales increases in August. Buick Lucerne, Pontiac G6, Chevy Malibu and Impala drove the mid-car category. There were retail deliveries of 9,021 Buick Lucerne; 7,889 Pontiac G6 (up 18 percent) and 10,109 Chevy Impala (up 62 percent) vehicles last month. Chevrolet retail sales were up 8 percent, to 144,640 vehicles, led by an 11-percent increase in retail truck deliveries. Chevrolet also had a 3-percent hike in retail car deliveries, driven by more than 60-percent increases in both Monte Carlo and Impala. GMC retail sales were up 17 percent for August with 36,394 vehicles delivered, driven by 9,407 all-new 2007 Yukon and Yukon XL sales. Cadillac retail sales were up 17 percent, to 17,062 vehicles, led by a 22-percent hike in retail trucks, including 3,762 all-new 2007 Escalade and Escalade ESV sales. There was a 13-percent rise in Cadillac retail car deliveries, including 4,041 CTS; 3,138 DTS; and 2,658 STS. Saab delivered 3,157 retail vehicles in August, up 18 percent compared to last year. Saab 9-3 sales were up 39 percent retail. Buick retail deliveries were up 10 percent, to 17,711 vehicles, powered by a 31-percent rise in retail car deliveries. There were 13,981 combined retail deliveries of LaCrosse and Lucerne, marking the third consecutive month exceeding 10,000 units. Saturn retail car sales are up 5 percent compared with August 2005, with 8,677 vehicles delivered, including 1,073 Skys. Chevrolet HHR and Equinox, Saturn Vue and Pontiac Torrent pushed total small utility sales up 18 percent compared with a year ago, and up 45 percent in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period a year ago. Chevrolet HHR saw a 62-percent increase in retail sales compared to last year and had CYTD deliveries of 53,208 vehicles. Chevrolet Equinox had one of its best retail sales months of the year with 7,737 deliveries. On the truck side of the market, large pickup truck retail deliveries were up 27 percent with 43,185 Chevy Silverado and 16,530 GMC Sierra trucks sold. Chevy Avalanche retail sales were up 42 percent compared to a year ago. GMC had one of its best retail sales months of the year, with 36,394 vehicles delivered, a 17-percent increase from August 2005. There were 2,002 GMC Canyon retail deliveries. GM sold 5,214 all-new 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche; 11,144 Tahoe; 5,332 Suburban; 5,869 GMC Yukon; and 3,538 Yukon XL vehicles at retail in August. HUMMER had its second-best total sales month of 2006 with 6,711 total deliveries. H3 led the charge, up 10 percent in total sales over August 2005 with its third best month since launch. CYTD total HUMMER sales of 46,497 vehicles were up 49 percent compared with the same eight months one year ago. GM's luxury utilities also posted solid retail sales results in August, with the all-new 2007 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Cadillac SRX. August was the best retail sales month of the year for large utilities, up 22 percent retail; large luxury utilities were up 17 percent. GM sports cars also posted very strong August retail sales results, with a 93-percent improvement compared with year-ago levels. Corvette retail sales were up 31 percent, with 2,984 vehicles delivered. Pontiac Solstice (1,515 vehicles) and Saturn Sky (1,073 vehicles) are continuing their brisk retail sales pace. LaNeve was very encouraged by strong June, July and August sales performances, led by GM's launch vehicles and passenger cars. "Offering industry-leading products with best-in-class features and outstanding fuel economy means we are doing the right thing for the customer. We are seeing a continuing stability in our sales and positive momentum." Certified Used Vehicles August sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 44,717 units, down 12 percent from last August. Total year-to-date certified GM sales are 347,596 units, down nearly 4 percent from the same period last year. GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling certified pre-owned brand, posted 38,123 sales in August, down 13 percent from August 2005. Year-to-date sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles are 300,205 units, down 2 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted 3,609 sales in August, up 4 percent from last August. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 1,976 units, down 30.5 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 928 units, up 2 percent. In its eighth month of operation, HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned sold 81 units. "Although August sales were challenging, the industry's top-selling certified brand, GM Certified Used Vehicles, increased sales 14 percent over July, while both Cadillac and Saab Certified Pre Owned Vehicles showed positive year-to-year gains in August," said LaNeve. ------------------------------------------------- The Lucerne had a great month and the LaCrosse did OK. The CTS did well, and the STS was close to last year's numbers. The Escalade line churned out 5500 sales! The new Aveo seems to have gotten off to a quick start, and the Cobalt and Impala were both strong. Chevy truck sales were up a surprising 11k units, with the Tahoe, HHR, Equinox, Avalanche, and Silverado all posting strong results. GMC was also up 6% even with $3/gallon gas. The G6 seems to be getting a boost from the convertible and coupe, and the Solstice continues to do well. Aura sales were less than I was expecting, but it's still very early on; the Sky did well. The H3 is doing very well for Hummer, and sales should improve in the future with the addition of a V8 model.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?...4&make_id=trust HIGHEST SALES EVER FOR FORD'S NEW MID-SIZE SEDANS; NEARLY 23,000 FUSIONS, MILANS AND ZEPHYRS DELIVERED IN AUGUST * Combined sales for the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr in August were 22,863 – easily eclipsing the previous monthly sales record for company's new mid-size sedans. * Overall, Ford's August sales up 6 percent compared with July 2006, but down 12 percent compared with August 2005 when Ford offered employee prices to all customers. * Car sales were up 9 percent compared with July and 9 percent compared with August 2005; truck sales were up 4 percent compared with July, but down 21 percent compared with August 2005. * Ford Mustang posts best August sales since 1979 including over 800 Shelby GT 500 models. Total Mustang sales were 17,933, up 64 percent from August 2005. * Ford F-Series posts second highest sales month in 2006. Total sales were 76,804, up 11 percent from July, but down 15 percent from last year's record sales. DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 1 - Consumer demand continues to grow for Ford's new mid-size sedans (Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr). Combined sales for the trio totaled 22,863, up 13 percent from the previous best sales month (20,267), which was May 2006. Demand for these products is expected to remain strong in the coming months as 2007 models will incorporate several standard safety features (e.g., side air bags) and all-wheel drive as an option. August sales totaled 255,112, up 6 percent from July 2006, but down 12 percent compared with August 2005 when Ford offered employee prices to all customers. The Fusion, Milan, and Zephyr are helping the company to increase car sales and market share. Total Ford car sales were 9 percent higher than July and 9 percent higher than a year ago. Ford Mustang "rocked the house" in August with sales of 17,933, up 64 percent compared with August 2005. It was the highest Mustang sales in August since 1979. Included in the total were over 800 Shelby GT 500s. The company's truck sales were up 4 percent compared with July 2006, but down 21 percent compared with August 2005. Ford's F-Series truck had its second highest sales month in 2006. Sales for America's best-selling truck in August were 76,804, up 11 percent from July 2006, but down 15 percent from last year's record sales of 90,388. "Retail business was very strong at the end of the month," said Al Giombetti, president, Ford and Lincoln Mercury sales and marketing. "Zero percent financing put a big dent in 2006 model inventories." Giombetti noted August retail sales challenged March as the best retail month of the year. Ford's zero percent financing program is available on 2006 models and concludes September 5 – after the Labor Day weekend. ------------------------------- Five Hundred sales were terrible, as were the F-150s and most of the SUVs, but the cars did okay other than the Five Hundred.

Dyno sheets: 3.9: http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en/produ..._LZ8_Impala.pdf 3.6 http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en/produ..._LY7_Acadia.pdf The 3.6 makes more torque at basically all RPMs... in addition it never has less than 200 lb-ft while the 3.9 does dip below 200 for a little while.

Actually, I think many of us are basing it on the reviews. Of course they could be wrong, but it seems to me that if they say something is not at all involving to drive, they're probably right.

Also, when I can drive my GTO for fun about 20% of the time and the rest of the time in the city (meaning about 1/4 of that time I'm sitting at a light) and get 14MPG, I'd say 13.8 is pretty bad.

Umm, the Cobalt SS is rated at 23/29 MPG, while the Avalon is rated at 22/31. So, they're HP numbers would probably be pretty similar, with the Avalon having the edge if they did much highway cruising.

I think Z28. It goes along with Z06, and SS has really become to watered-down.

Not really. The OHV engines just made more torque than HP because they made such a lousy amount of HP. The only thing that made great torque was the supercharged 3800. For example, look at the larger 3.9L OHV V6 from the Impala: only 240 lb-ft, while these 3.6L DOHC engines are making around 250lb-ft with less displacement.

The LS would be a great car to be driven around in if you didn't have the money for something like a Bently, S550, etc., but if you're actually going to be driving it, I think there are much better choices.

And I assume the Boxster came out on top?

13.8 is still pretty damn bad. Didn't they get like 13.x from the Tahoe?

That's pretty impressive to say the least. If you add 15% to those figures (I believe that's what the GM press release said DI would add) you get over 315HP.

The Aspen might actually sell a few units if you can get the HEMI for under $37k.

The VUE GL might not be a bad choice, though it is near the end of its lifecycle. I actually like the Torrent GT/Equinox SS suggestion, if you want some extra power. When is the HHR SS going to be out? That'd be comparable to the Caliber SRT4.

I had/have one in the Alero, but not in the GTO. I do miss it sometimes, but I just roll the windows down anyways, plus the GTO is so much fun to drive that I hardly ever wish I had one. Sometimes when it's a beautiful day out I wish I had one, but most of the time I don't even think about it.

On the topic of top speed: I'm guessing it will be capable of about 230MPH. The Z06 went 207MPH in a C&D (or MT?) test, so I see no reason why with 100+ extra horses and 200+ less lbs that the Blue Devil can't gain 23MPH.

Only problem would be paying the rest of it...

I didn't mean it should cost the same as the Corvette, I just meant that it should be more expensive than other Pontiac's. Also, decontenting the GTO wouldn't have lowered the price that much... it had leather and 6-disc CD, along with dual power seats. That's probably about $2k right there, but there isn't much else that could be taken off except for the speakers being reduced to maybe 6. There's not a whole lot more you could take off except power mirrors, power locks, power windows, but everyone wants those anyways. So basically you're looking at a $30k MSRP instead of $33k, and I think most people would go for the few things you could take off anyways. Buick should not have a sporty coupe. It should have a larger, "touring" coupe. Also, the PA was heavily fleeted (percentage of sales) and it was basically the only car in its market, while the GTO had next to 0 fleet sales and had a lot more competition. I think there are plenty of people in their 30s who can afford $33k GTOs or $40k Buicks... but I think most of them would perfer a Pontiac. Once you get over 45 or so then they'd start to perfer the Buick. We're not talking about $20k vs. $80k. Neither Pontiac nor Buick could sell a car for $80k. Pontiac's sell relatively well right around $30k, from what I've read. The GP GXP accounts for 30% of GP sales (and none of those are fleeted - many of the other ones are, so it's really probably 50% of retail sales) and those are right around $30k. The Bonneville also outsold the Park Avenue in 2002 and 2003 (only years I checked because both were still selling ok then), and many of those were over $30k too. So, I think Pontiac CAN sell in the lower $30k range. I agree with your last couple paragraphs, but a "cheap GTO" would be $33-35k. Buick is supposed to be moving up right below Cadillac anyways, so the V8 Riveria should start at about $39k and move up to about $43k. Then the V6 Riveria could be priced below that ($33-38k) and it wouldn't interfere with the GTO because they would be a lot different. Finally, I've said it before, but the feel of a Pontiac vs. Buick should be so different that one would not cross shop them. Pontiac = sport; Buick = touring.

Yeah, I was going to try to contact him anyways about it to see what he did exactly, but that's kind of been put on hold since I'm at college now. It could be that the dealership was just wrong or something, but my GTO is definetly more "lopey" than the one we had at the dealership I worked at. But, I in the thread on LS1GTO, they specified that you didn't need to upgrade your heads, cam, etc., for it to work fine, so I don't know if it's really an issue.

http://autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...41/TOC01ARCHIVE DETROIT - General Motors has shown auto dealers fastback coupe and Euro-styled crossover variants of the Cadillac CTS, sources close to Cadillac say. Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor says developing a broader line of CTS-based vehicles - as BMW does with the 3 series and Mercedes-Benz with the C class - would boost revenue for the vehicle program. But Taylor says GM's board of directors has yet to approve the plan. The restyled and re-engineered 2008 CTS sedan is scheduled to reach dealerships in fall 2007. It's a key part of GM's effort to build on the revival of its luxury brand and attempt to win more conquest buyers from European luxury makes. The coupe and crossover are "taking shape," according to sources close to Cadillac. A third spinoff is likely, one source says. All-wheel drive is a likely option for the CTS lineup, sources say. Three sources close to Cadillac, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have seen the derivatives. Cadillac's key competitors field a broad line of entry-luxury vehicles, such as BMW's 3 series, Taylor said in an interview with Automotive News. A full line boosts revenue for the entire platform, he says. Cadillac could get additional volume by selling CTS niche products overseas. "If you leverage these platforms in automotives, that's the name of the game because that's where we make all of our money," Taylor says. "It's a smart area for us to go because the CTS has created credibility for us." Taylor is optimistic that Cadillac will get board approval for the derivative products, but he also is cautious. "Until the board has signed their check to us, I've seen way too many of these programs go the other way," Taylor says. Cadillac sold 57,211 units of the CTS in 2004 and 61,512 last year. This year Cadillac sold 34,672 units of the CTS through July. That's down from 39,446 in the year-ago period. Dealers are counting on the 2008 CTS to continue Cadillac's revival. "Most of where we've given up money this year has been in the small-sedan segment, so the new CTS will be important," says Howard Drake, co-owner of Casa Automotive Group in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Drake sells Hummer, Saab and Cadillac. Taylor hopes to keep momentum strong for the current CTS through new advertising and marketing. He anticipates flat to modestly increased CTS sales this year, compared with last year. Taylor admits that having the CTS at the end of its life cycle is tough for dealers and GM: "We're biting our lip because we've got one more year to go." ---------------------------------------- Hmm, so I wonder if this CTS crossover is going to replace the SRX? It wouldn't make any sense to have the BRX, SRX, and CTS X-Over.

I think the GTO always has been an aspirational vehicle, and I think it always should be. If someone wants a similar coupe from GM for less, they can go buy the V6 Camaro. The GTO has never had a V6, and never should. The Camaro, which is targeting 100k per year, can't even bring in its base price to $20k most likely. The GTO should give the buyer everything you can get on any Camaro or Mustang plus more. Well if we go by what people are going to pick before they actually sit in and drive the vehicles, then Buick is not going to have a chance in hell against Infiniti. When people actually sit in the vehicles and discover the GTO is just as nice and has better acceleration, then maybe they will put the Pontiac vs. Infiniti behind them and realize what a great car the GTO is. Also, I don't think $33k is anywhere out of Pontiac's range. They're selling G6 converts that are near that like hotcakes, and the Solstice GXP is around $30k before dealer markup, and they'll sell every one they can make. And the GTO shouldn't be very popular. Everyone should want one, but there shouldn't be 100k GTOs running around. It should be Pontiac's Corvette. The problem here is that it's impossible to deliver the GTO under $30k. It has a high-horsepower engine and sophisticated chassis. Maybe if it didn't have leather, 6-disc, etc., it would be just barely under $30k, but many buyers would have checked those options anyways. They both need a flagship. Buick has the Lucerne at the moment, which isn't too bad. You say Pontiac blew their chance, but the GTO didn't even miss it's mark by more than a couple thousand units. Then you say Buick had the boring PA, well, didn't it blow it's chance too then? It also had a chance with the Lucerne, was that not good enough? Pontiac after 2008 is slated to have: G6 Solstice G5 Buick is slated to have: Lucerne LaCrosse Enclave Pontiac has a NG G6 and Solstice on the books, Buick has both a NG LaCrosse and Lucerne, and the Enclave will be brand new. The G5 is a rebadge so it shouldn't even count. At least all of Buick's vehicles are non-rebadges. It's impossible to stay under $30k if you're going to have any type of aspirational vehicle other than the Solstice. The G6 costs nearly $30k in GTP form, so how is GM supposed to give Pontiac a RWD V8 sedan for under $30k? It's not going to happen... Price should not be the issue. You seem to be too caught up in "Pontiac can't come into this price range because that's Buick's price range." It shouldn't work like that. The target markets should be different enough that it shouldn't matter. Some people like sporty styling, while others like more understated styling. Pontiac should be going to the sporty styling, and Buick the understated. It shouldn't matter that there's a $33k G8 with 400HP sitting on the showroom next to a $35k Lucerne because the G8 should offer such a different feel than the Lucerne that one buyer would never have to decide between one or the other.

My dealer currently has 16, all of them over $20k, except one, which is listed at $0... and they still can't sell it?!?!

600HP and 630lb-ft from 2500-5500RPM on stock engine? So, if I get an internship and make $10k next summer, who thinks this is a good idea? http://www.ls1turbo.com.au/ The car fitted with it ran a 10.53 @ 137MPH, and it's heavier than the GTO... so that means under 10.5 in the quarter I may need to upgrade the tranny, but other than that it can run on the stock motor, and has a good warranty.

I wouldn't be surprsised if they do. Pontiac needs something as a flagship. And I don't ever recall them marketing it as anything but a RWD V8 muscle car. They never tried to market it as a luxury vehicle. And actually, for the price and market segment, it didn't sell bad at all. It sold better than the Trans Am did, and I believe it also outsold similar Mustangs such as the Mach 1 and Cobra combined. Also, it costs $33k. How many vehicles for $33k sell in huge numbers that aren't luxury-branded? I'm guessing the GTO outsold LaCrosse CXS, and it's sold by a more premium brand for the same price, and it's in a much bigger segment. Umm, the Corvette gets ragged for having an interior not up to par for it's price. I really don't see what you're talking about... why would you not want something to be comfortable and nice? That makes absolutely no sense at all. So you're saying all Pontiac's should have poor materials, and be terrible to ride in? The only thing that would accomplish would be giving sales away. The Camaro and Firebird has POS interiors and it showed on the sales charts -- maybe if they had interiors as nice as the GTO's they wouldn't have gotten axed. This still makes no sense... people definetly DO NOT lose interest if something is nicer than expected That would be a bonus. Pontiac has a pretty damn good history of selling coupes if I'm not mistaken, and the market these days demands a good interior in any car. Again, this doesn't make any sense to me. I have seen NO ONE comment on "Oh, I like how the GTO was fast and handled well, but I really didn't want to buy one because the interior was too nice for me. I would rather go spend the same amount of money on something that has a worse interior."

While I think a Buick would be better, I don't see the need for anything more upscale than a Denali minivan, so I guess it's fine that GMC gets it instead.