Northstar

I thought this would be a fun topic. If you could bring back or create five new GM vehicles that aren't currently in the lineup, what would they be? Here's my list: 1. Cadillac ULS - range topping Cadillac to compete with 7er/S-Class/etc. 2. Buick Velite - RWD sedan, coupe, and convert versions based on the concept. 3. Pontiac "G8" - RWD sedan based loosely on the GTO (next gen GTO, if there is one). 4. Pontiac Kappa sedan - something to give Pontiac a model below the G6. 5. Chevy Camaro - self explanatory I think.

Those rims look like the Aura rims. I think they must be a GM accessory for the Solstice (dealer installed).

It does look surprisingly good in white. Funny they put a golf bag in the trunk but there doesn't appear to be any clubs in it. I wonder if it still fits once you put clubs in it.

These were shown while the site was down, and no one ever posted them, so here they are: Compass: Patriot: The legendary Jeep® brand hints at global portfolio expansion and explores all-new territory with the world premiere of two compact SUV concepts - the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass Rallye. The Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass Rallye concepts are compact Jeep 4x4s that would deliver fun, freedom, utility, capability, as well as the potential for exceptional fuel economy and interior flexibility - all at a great value. The two concepts make their world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) on September 12. The Jeep® Patriot concept offers a modern interpretation of classic Jeep styling: rugged, strong and capable. It would appeal to young buyers looking to join the brand in a genuine Jeep vehicle that would deliver fun and freedom at a great value. Jeep Patriot not only looks like a Jeep, but all-new Jeep off-road technology would ensure Patriot could be a Jeep Trail Rated 4x4, making it the most capable vehicle in its class.

I think LA might get a few more debuts, but probably not that many. If it was in Nov. this year it'd be a great oppurtunity to debut the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade for GM. Who knows, they might still get the Escalade debut.

Here's what I'd do if I was out to make a car that would take the sales lead from the Camry: Model: Chevy Malibu Platform: Epsilon II with FWD standard, AWD optional. Engines/Transmissions: 2.4L Ecotec standard, 3.6L HF V6 optional, hybrid model with 2.4 mated to electric motor. 5- or 6-speed manual as a no-cost option (5-speed for 2.4, 6-speed for 3.6), 6-speed automatic standard. Size: I'd make it a couple inches bigger than the Camry and those couple of inches would go straight to interior room. Interior: obviously I'd use really high quality materials and have some contrasting colors to give the interior a little character. If I wanted to sell 450k units/year of this vehicle, then I'd buy the highest quality materials available to still make a profit at that high of volume (meaning I could probably buy pretty good materials if I sold that many). If I were GM I wouldn't really care if I made a huge profit; pulling even on cars is pretty good for GM, and I'd be more focused on taking sales from the Camcord by spending a lot on development and materials. Bodystyles: I'd probably want a sedan, coupe, and wagon, but since Pontiac already has the G6 coupe there would be overlap. Therefore, I'd probably just go with the sedan and wagon. Styling: It sounds like the next Malibu is a real looker, and any car that looks good and is executed well should sell. Just because Camcord buyers are used to bland styling doesn't mean they won't buy something that is distinctive as long as it is good looking. Pricing: I'd try to undercut comparable Camcord models by $1500-2000 but I'd still leave myself some room to give the dealer some room to negotiate to get the deal done. Safety: I'd probably have Stabilitrak standard on V6 models and optional on I4 models, although I don't really know how much it costs so I'd have to know that before making a final decesion. I'd have 8 air bags standard. The Sonata looks like a pretty good effort actually, though not exactly what I'd be looking for. I wouldn't say it's as good looking as I would want the next Malibu to be, but it's better than the Camcord, has a big interior, undercuts the Camcord in price by quite a bit, offers pretty good engines, it only comes in a sedan currently, but I believe a coupe is on the way; the only thing it really misses is the optional AWD. I also don't care much for the interior design, but I haven't sat in one so maybe it works when you're sitting in it.

I know this isn't actually sales figures, but it relates to them, so I decided to post this here. From TCC: With the impact of "employee pricing" wearing thin with consumers, Merrill Lynch analyst John Casesa said Tuesday he expected, based on interviews with carmakers and dealers, that August sales would hit a SAAR of 16.9 million. That would still be an increase from the 16.7m SAAR in August 2004, but at a higher cost of marketing. Last month, the industry posted a SAAR of 20.7 million. Casesa projects GM sales to be off ten percent from a year ago, while Ford sales are trending five percent higher and Chrysler is showing a likely gain of two to three percent versus a year ago, at best. The brokerage also predicts that sales of the non-Detroit OEMs sales will increase six percent year-over-year, boosting market share by about 220 basis points to 41.5 percent. GM has trimmed its inventory in line with production, as has Chrysler. Ford, which didn't start its employee pricing offer until July 1, has the highest inventories among the Big Three. -Jim Burt A 10% drop in sales really isn't too bad, IMO, especially if GM can get inventory restocked and have a decent September.

Huh? That's a bowtie. :blink:

Haha, that's funny. Bob really cares about animals/wildlife I guess. He's having a fundraiser at his farm for the Michigan Humane Society in the next week or so I think. For $250 you can buy a ticket and go hang out at the Lutz farm for a day.

No problem BV. Here's mine:

Here it is in about 1/3 the size as before. In case anyone didn't read in the first post, please resize the pic to 768 x 511. If you forget it's ok, I'll just resize it before voting.

Having more Admins gives us the ability to have more control of the forums if there is only one of us on and there is a problem. We were already all close to being Admins anyways by being Global Mods.

It's not on Theta. The Grand Vitara is on a RWD/AWD platform. Click Here and then click on "2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara: All New From The Ground Up" for the press release.

By Greg Migliore Automotive News / August 22, 2005 http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=13123 DETROIT -- Suzuki's redesigned 2006 Grand Vitara SUV is getting a $604 price increase for base models when it arrives in showrooms in September. The Grand Vitara has a new, light-weight unibody with a built-in ladder frame, which Suzuki says delivers a smoother ride. The vehicle also is 1.2 inches wider and 12 inches longer than the 2005 model. It is has a 2.7-liter V-6 engine that makes 185 hp. The base model has a five-speed manual transmission, six airbags and rear-wheel drive. It starts at $19,594 including $595 in shipping charges. Four-wheel drive is an option. The premium package adds alloy wheels, a six-disc CD changer and privacy glass. It starts at $20,494 with shipping charges. The XSport package, which begins at $21,994 with shipping, also includes fender flares, five-speed automatic transmission and a keyless entry and starting system. The luxury package includes leather seats and a sunroof. It starts at $23,894 with shipping charges.

EDWARD LAPHAM COMMENTARY 8/23/05: Can a U.S.-built car be the next great Euro roadster? By Edward Lapham Automotive News / August 23, 2005 General Motors execs expect big results from the low-volume Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters, which will be image-building halo vehicles for their brands. Initial Solstice sales make it popular, but production is being ramped up slowly, so Pontiac dealers are clamoring for more cars. Some Pontiac dealers are grumbling that GM shouldn't give Saturn dealers a version, even though it goes into production this year. What's less certain is how Europeans will accept the Opel roadster that is expected for 2007. The Opel model will be built on the same rear-wheel-drive architecture as the Solstice and Sky, and at the same GM factory in Wilmington, Del. The Wilmington Opel will replace the Opel Speedster, which is built by Lotus in England. The Speedster is a true mid-engine European sports car, but it hasn't sold well. Opel sold only 220 units in the first six months of the year, before production ceased in July, according to Automotive News Europe. The Vauxhall version sold in England also was a sales dud. It's hard to imagine that an Opel roadster built in Delaware couldn't easily top those numbers. One European marketing analyst told Automotive News Europe that Opel might be able to sell as many as 8,500 a year. The issue is not where the vehicle is built. After all, BMW roadsters built in South Carolina are sold all over the world, even in Europe. The trick will be to produce a car that appeals to European tastes and meets European standards. If that happens, the United States could become a significant source of rear-drive Euro roadsters.

I don't think we've kicked you off FOG, we just haven't gotten around to modding you again.

Are you considering buying? If I was deciding between the two, I'd definetly go for the Cobalt; it's got a better interior, gets better mileage, is a lot cheaper (unless you get a SS S/C and get a pretty base Colorado), and is probably more fun to drive. Unless you're going to be hauling/towing stuff or going offroad, I'd definetly go for the Cobalt.

This thread that had a bunch of rumors in it, one of which was a Camaro with a V8 under $22,000, got me thinking: Why not put a V8 in the base Camaro? It'd be great for advertising, and would basically compete with Ford's V6 Mustang. Even if it didn't have 300HP, it'd still be better than the Mustang's 210HP V6. What about fuel mileage you say? If GM does a Gen IV 4800 with DOD, I'm guessing it'd get pretty good mileage. The 5.3L LS4 with DOD in the Impala gets 18MPG city and 28 MPG highway, and weighs 3700lbs. The difference in weight should be enough to give the Camaro a bump of 1-2 MPG alone, and the 4800 should get better mileage than the 5300. Even if GM went with the 3900 I'm not sure it'd get much better mileage; the 3900 gets 19MPG city and 27MPG highway, which is pretty comparable to what the LS4 gets in the Impala SS. Finally, a Mustang V6 gets 19 MPG city/28 MPG highway, so a base Camaro V8 with DOD would get comparable numbers, if not better. Our insiders have said that the rumors (at least most of them) are not true, so I'm not sure we'll see a Camaro with a V8 standard, but I don't see why it couldn't work. The Camaro had been unsucessful against the Mustang in the last few years it was around, so why not get a leg up on the Mustang and offer standard V8 power? Just imagine the marketing... "The new Camaro comes with a standard 285HP V8 and gets better mileage than the Mustang V6." Anyways, here's my proposed Camaro lineup: Base - 4.8L DOD - 285HP Z/28 - 5.3L DOD - 365HP SS - 6.2L "LS3" - 425HP Thoughts?

No one really, we're all just going to pick up the slack. I don't know if anyone noticed or not (and this isn't taking anything away from 98's posts) but a lot of his topics never got a reply anyways. I don't think we'll have a shortage of news because everyone is going to pitch in (everyone being the mods in particular, but obviously members can post topics too) and pick up the slack.

The GMT900 Avalanche looks so much more modern when compared to the current one. The current one looks like it's lunging forward about to fall on it's face while the GMT900 looks nice and composed. If the wheels on the current one are 16s or 17s it looks like the GMT900 has 18s or 19s.

Looks good Olds442, I was actually doing a coupe too (though not a GNX).

The days of supply thing is misleading... If there were 10,000 CTSs on the lots in Febuary and they sold 3k in January, then that's like 100 days of supply. If there were 10k CTSs on the lots in July but they sold 6k in June, then that's like 50 days of supply. It is good that they are selling well though. I'm guessing the overtime is due to having very few left after the Employee Discount, but either way overtime is good.

Well his daily driver is a Maxx, but I think he might have thought the LaCrosse was a "grandma's car" because I think it reminded him a lot of his old LSS. Maybe it was just a grandma's car in regards to the cars he had been driving... GTO, G6, Cobalt SS, CTS-V, STS, SRX, 9-3 and such. I think it just took a lot more work to throw around the track than the other cars listed.

I think he's left for good. He said he thought it was time to move on and post exclusively at an Oldsmobile forums.

Corvette Z06 SS: We've been talking about it for a while, and with yesterday's news about the LS3 and LS9, I think it's definetly possible. Camaro: I think it's possible to put a V8 in the Camaro at under $22k. I also think it'd be a good idea to do because then they can advertise base V8 power, something the Mustang doesn't have. They do it in the Impala for $27k, and it has a lot more standard stuff than a base Camaro would. Cien: not buying this, although I heard that GM was until recently still considering the Cien. Sixteen: I suppose it's possible they will eventually build it, but not by the time he says. I'm guess he's getting it mixed up with the ULS because that's about the time it's supposed to come out. Also notice he said it wasn't quite as big as the concept, and the ULS would be a slightly smaller Sixteen. Roadmaster: maybe they decided that they should do a two-seat Velite as the Buick flagship, but I don't see the need. H4: It certainly better be off-road capable. Hummer shouldn't put something out that isn't "Trail-Rated" they don't need to follow Jeep. The GMC Theta should be capable of attracting similar buyers if done correctly.