Northstar

Will the car at LA only be shown after the unveiling at NAIAS? Otherwise it wouldn't really be a debut at NAIAS.

I editted the contest to be just the bottom pic to speed things up so we can stay on the deadline.

I think that may have something to do with the quiet tuning. Didn't a mag complain that the 3.6 in the SRX was noisy?

Here are some higher res pics:

The preliminary fuel economy numbers are dissapointing, but other than that it sounds like a solid little vehicle. If it keeps the same price point I think it will keep it's #1 sales spot.

Exactly. The GTO I sat in yesterday had some shiny plastic, but none of it felt cheap to the touch.

Welcome to Choppin' Competition 13! Your task is to chop the photo provided below in any way you want. Change the wheels, background, etc. Please resize your entries to 768 pixels wide. This week there are two pics to choose from. You can chop one or both, and if you chop both they will be considered one entry (so they should have the same mods done). The deadline for entries is Saturday, Decemeber 24th at 11:59 PM EST. This deadline is could be extended depending whether or not choppers need more time. Here are the pics to chop:

Welcome to voting for Choppin' Competition 12! If you entered the competition, you MUST vote. Artists should also not vote for themselves. Artists who do not vote or vote for themselves will be assessed a 4 point penalty. You get two votes. 1st place votes receive 2 points. 2nd place votes receive 1 point. Here are the chops: 1 2 3

Sorry these weren't posted earlier, but I think everyone got busy all at once and no one had much time. Anyways, here are the results: In first place, with 17 points, was Bimmer325! In second place (tie) with 11 points, was NOS2006: Also in second place (tie) with 11 points, was -Camaro- Congrats to all the participants!

Did you sit in the Aveo or just see it on a turntable?

I'm not sure, but I believe griffon said it was getting a new, more econmical engine lineup.

The 2.8L really has no place in the US market until it gets direct injection. I think the 3.6L should be standard in both the Lucerne and LaCrosse with 240hp, and then have an optional DI version in both making about 280hp. Replace the Northstar with the 4.7L UV8 when it comes out in the Lucerne.

The sedan isn't bad, the hatch is horrible, and IMO the 2007 Aveo is way better in terms of both interior and exterior design:

The next-gen LaCrosse will be Epsilon II, so I see no reason to build a Buick on Epsilon I until then, the LaCrosse will suffice.

Acadia concept? I figured the Acadia was ready to go as a production model. Isn't it a 2007 model? I'm guessing the Outlook will debut at LA (Saturn seems to like the LA show recently), so I don't think that's one of the other two. The Buick is coming out last of the three Lambdas I think so if the Acadia is just a concept I wouldn't expect the Enclave to be there in production form. So that still leaves us two debuts to figure out.

I think there would be room right under the grill like on the silver one, but if it couldn't fit there then there would be a problem.

On the 11th apparantly a new version of the T2X concept debuted. I first saw it on GMTV and took a print screen of it, and I was only able to find one other pic of it. Anyways, here is the old T2X that debuted back in April: And here is the "evolved" one: Here is the only other pic I could find of the new one: Obviously there must be a bigger version of the last one I posted, but I couldn't find any. Regardless, I think the new Chevy grill inserted into the old black space makes it look a lot better, and I really think GM could do good producing something like it.

It won't be an Aveo replacement concept because the 2007 Aveo debuts at LAIAS and thus will be at NAIAS. I suppose it could be some sort of minivan concept, but that'd be lame. Chevy Lambda concept maybe?

Randomly. If a vehicle could debut in March there's no reason to delay it a few months just so it can debut in September. That's too many lost sales and it just doesn't make sense. In the old days when everyone debuted the new vehicles in the fall it was fine, but you have to adjust to the competition.

The new VUE arrives April '07, so I'm not sure if it would already be debuting.

I remember AH-HA posted something a while back after he saw the Malibu that the Aura was more "Euro" and the Malibu was more "American," and I don't remember him saying they were alike, so I'm not going to worry too much.

It looks pretty good, but I have to ask: What's the point of the Liberty and the Patriot/Compass if this is going to be produced?

Well, they could make the ION through 2006, which would mean there should be a supply through 1Q 2007. If they could get the new Astra done by 1Q 2009 as a 2010 MY, then they'd only be without a small car for 2 years. That could give buyers time to forget the awful ION and the other vehicles time to improve Saturn's image. I would like to see the planned '08 ION that C&G previewed to be released, but if we only have to wait 2 years for a better one then I'd wait. IMO, the only thing that's really groundbreaking about the '08 ION pics is the exterior. The interior looks like an improved HHR interior, and IMO is no better than the current Astra. In two years that interior will be nothing special and look dated.

That just means that the pics won't be available on Jan 12th at 12:01 AM, or whatever day they debut; rather they will be available when the vehicle debuts (so if they debut is set for 3:00 PM then we won't see pics until then). What's up with only 6 new vehicle debuts? Two of them are just hybrid versions of vehicles we've already seen (so they aren't really "new") and two of them are just versions of the Escalade. What about the Avalanche? Suburban? Lambdas? Aura? Hopefully those debut at LAIAS and will still be at NAIAS... otherwise it will be a lackluster show for GM.

This sounds like an excellent move by GM. I remember two years ago Mazda wanted to "own New Year's Day" with the 3, and I thought they did a pretty good job with it. Hopefully GM can do the same with the new Tahoe, and hopefully the dealers can get the '06s off the lot between now and then.