Northstar

Yeah, I was looking through all the pics and edited my post. In the press pics I thought it showed wood around the rear climate controls? EDIT: Looking at the press pics again, it would appear that there wasn't wood there, I just thought there was and didn't pay close enough attention.

The interior in the Autospies pics freaking sweet. I'd definetly go for the ebony interior if I was buying one. There's a lot of pics of the interior without NAV too, and there is a lot of empty space but it doesn't look bad, IMO. I'm not sure about the exterior yet (I like it in black when you can see all the detail in the grill the best), so I'll have to see it in person to make a final judgement. EDIT: Some gripes I have with the interior after looking through all the autospies pics: - The overhead controls for the sunroof, rear seat control (flip and fold), and the rear liftgate look cheap, as does the light. That whole area looks cheap, but at least you don't have to look at it regularly. - Third row seat area looks cheap, mainly the "arm rest" area and cupholders (though there isn't much you can do back there I guess). - The climate and entertainment controls for the second row passengers look really bad. In the press pics it looked like there was wood around them but here it just looks like a big blob of plastic. It looks pretty good for the most part and the gripes are pretty minor, but it pains me that GM gets an interior so damn perfect only to leave out minor details that take away from it somewhat. How hard is it to make nice looking overhead controls and lights? Why must there be a big black blob of plastic for second row passengers' controls? I don't really know how you would fix the third row area, as I don't think any vehicle has nicely appointed leather and such on the "armrest" areas in the third row, so it's probably exusable.

That's funny about the CLS. Was the new Tahoe there?

Thats the SEMA HHR concept.

Saw a Lotus Elise today.

While I agree GM needs to get off the incentives, I think the smartest way to do so is keep the old stuff on them, and leave the new stuff off. The HHR and Impala were both selling very well without incentives, yet now they're going to have them? If GM would price new products right (like the HHR and Impala were) then it wouldn't need incentives, and it didn't on them. However, now that they're getting them they're going to need them for a long time now, because consumers will demand them forever if they have them once.

Special thanks to BuddyP for tallying the results since I've been lazy recently. 1st - 17pts mygraphix 2nd - 11pts decka 3rd - 8pts buddyp 6pts stlcadet 3pts timblazer03 6pts olds442 (didn't vote -4)

Good, it would have been a waste of money. Why would they make a concept car based on the outdated 9-5? At least they could show off some future cues and see if it's even worth keeping Saab around.

Check you PM box.

There aren't that many ways to design the side of an SUV without going way out there like Nissan did and making it look like crap. They're all big boxes, and it's not easy to design big boxes to look distinctively different.

Here's a new pic of the Escalade at it's debut: Unfortunately that's the only one.

Kappa cannot be modified to accomodate a rear seat without significant engineering costs, and GM isn't willing to spend big engineering bucks to strech Kappa if they can make a Sigma Lite that's very flexible and use it to make the same type of vehicle.

I think it's probably because the Lucerne is just now hitting lots, and it'd be stupid for GM to discount it heavily if it will sell at MSRP. In addition, even if it doesn't sell well there won't be many on the lots, so it's not like they'll be an overflow of Lucernes.

By: Jamie LaReau Automotive News DETROIT -- General Motors is starting a national incentive program to run through Jan. 3 despite claims that it would hold to its value pricing strategy. The program, called GM Red Tag Event, starts Monday, Nov. 14, auto dealers say. A GM spokeswoman declined to comment on Friday, Nov. 11. Under the program customers can get any 2005 or 2006 Buick, Pontiac, GMC or Chevrolet car or light truck at the supplier price plus $100, several dealers say. The exceptions to the sale are the Pontiac Solstice, Chevrolet Corvette and new Buick Lucerne, they say. The supplier price is the price offered to employees of GM suppliers. For example, a 2006 Buick LaCrosse has a sticker price of $23,595, says a Buick dealer who asked not to be named. The supplier price is $21,996, he says. Customers also can use any applicable incentives. GM offers a $1,500 rebate on the LaCrosse. Therefore, the vehicle would cost $20,596, the dealer said.

Congrats on the purchase! Are those new-for-06 wheels? Sorry, I don't know about the device you're talking about.

If the Lucerne and Enclave don't do well for Buick, it may be gone at the end of their lifecycles, but I have a feeling they'll do well and Buick will stick around. As for Buick's turn? It's kind of been happening over the past year or so and will continue until the Enclave. Then we'll probably have to wait a while for the next LaCrosse and RWD sedan/coupe/Velite. Buick got the LaCrosse for MY 2005, the Terraza for MY 2005 (granted it doesn't really count), Lucerne for MY 2006, and Enclave for MY 2007. It's not like they haven't gotten anything or aren't going to get anything.

The GTO doesn't have it because it doesn't represent the "new GM." There are others that don't have it such as the GMT800s, GMT360s, and other more dated models.

Saab is getting a BRX, and I'm not sure that Saturn is for sure getting a sub-Theta. There was also talk of a Buick Theta.

I'm think a supercharged LS2 with 500hp would be significantly cheaper than a GTO with the LS7, probably below $45k, whereas if it had the LS7 it'd probably be well over $50-55k.

The ebony interior looks pretty nice. Did you notice if anyone passing by took note of it other than you and your friend?

I think the details are simply amazing. If the XLR had this amount of detail it'd be better than the SL, and by far. No, it's not as bold and brash as the current model, but the majority of luxury car buyers don't want something that's bold and brash. Why do you think a lot of BMW lovers hate the Bangle look? It's too bold and not nearly as refined looking as the old BMWs they loved. Yes, Cadillac should be more bold and American than BMW or MB, etc., but that doesn't mean they should be as bold as possible. IMO, if Cadillacs are the boldest vehicles in their respective classes, then they essentially accomplish the task of being bold, because there's nothing else that's bolder which they compete with. Now, let's compare: Escalade: Navigator: GX470: QX56: Is the Escalade by far not the boldest one of the group? I guess you could make a case that the QX is more in-your-face, but it also looks retarded. Now for the interiors: Escalade: Navigator: LX470: QX56: I'd say the Escalade and LX430 are by far the two best here, and IMO the LX's center console and stack don't flow nearly as well as the Escalade's do. When was the last time you could honestly say a Cadillac interior was equal to or maybe better than a competing Lexus in terms of fit and finish and attention to details (design being objective)? The Navigator has painted plastic that's supposed to look fancy, and the QX is basically the exact same thing as the Armada. Oh, and Nissan didn't seem to take much crap for that, did they? I'd also like to point out for all those steering wheel bashers out there that the Navigator is the only one that has a unique steering wheel (and it's pretty similar to the Expedition). Furthermore, I doubt that anyone comparing an Escalade to it's competition will throw in a Tahoe to compare, so they won't even know it has the same basic wheel as a Chevy. They might throw in the Denali, but I doubt they'll get a negative vibe because the Denali and Escalade share a wheel.

The F/A-22 is simply awesome. I remember probably three years ago I got a USAF game for the computer along with a joystick. I could never figure out how to get it to supercruise, but it was still the fastest aircraft in the game and was probably my favorite weapon, at least in air-to-air combat. How many do they plan to build?

The new Passat looks pretty good from what I've seen (haven't sat in one). However, with the competition that's out there from BMW, Cadillac, Audi, Infiniti, and Lexus, I really can't see them selling too many of the 3.6L version. The 2.0T might do okay, but there are good alternatives at that price range too. You could probably get a 325i for a little more than a 2.0T.

Well, looking at the high-res pics it doesn't look like plastic because it's not grainy like the rest of the plastic. The stuff around the vents might be plastic, but I'm pretty sure the stuff in front of the passenger seat isn't plastic because it doesn't have any grain to it and it also has "Cadillac" etched into it in the lower right hand corner.

Wasn't Ford looking for something to compete with the Aveo? Maybe they go the same route as Chevy with four sedans (Aveo competitor, Focus replacement (or Ford's "Cobalt"), Fusion, and Impala. I assume you meant Fusion when you said Futura, right guionM?