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It's the future FWD flagship sedan from the affordable division of Hyundai/Kia. This car will more than likely be crossed shopped with upper trim levels of the Malibu, Camry, Accord, Altima, Mazda6, and even Hyundai's own Sonata as well as a fullsize FWD competitor such as the Ford Taurus. I think it will make this sedan a lot less exclusive than many of the cars on your list. I agree that it won't be as volume oriented as the mainstream midsize sedan mainstays, but it will be geared to be more volume oriented than cars like Hyundai's own Genesis sedan, the Dodge Charger, or even the Pontiac G8. It will be big and comfortable, but I think Kia will also keep it accessible. The current Amanti is not a volume player in the U.S. mainly because it looks like a design from the late 80's/early 90's (at best). I'm just going to agree to disagree with you. I still think this car is a major step forward for Kia (a company I didn't really have much use for until recently). If they keep the production version close to this preview version, then I think the car should help the brand continue to make an impact on the global auto market.

I guess I'm looking at it from the standpoint of a former Audi designer working his magic on the Kia brand and actually producing what I think are some nice looking and desirable mainstream sedans (both the Forte and this car). Most of the products you mentioned are truly unique and stunning, but those products are either exotics, luxury segment products, RWD vehicles, or coupes; primarily, vehicles that don't exactly qualify as high volume products. For any auto manufacturer to bring a sense of style to the volume mainstream sedan segment is also a major design accomplishment. The fact that Kia is managing to do this is also a major deal considering the endless parade of blandness and mediocrity that has preceded it (Amanti, Spectra, and Optima). This is the major reason that I see the Forte and this car (which I think is actually more of a production preview than a pie in the sky concept) as major steps forward for the brand. As for the similarities between the Passat CC and this car, I really don't see a lot that has been copied. I guess we'll just have to disagree on that one. That's the great thing about styling, it is very subjective and everyone connects to each design differently.

Other than sharing the infamous "4-door coupe" profile, I don't think they look all that similar. Both cars happen to be very nice looking sedans, though. It's not like the Kia car is one of those annoying Chinese knockoff copycat vehicles. Of course, this is just my opinion.

It might be a deal that GM just doesn't know what to do with Pontiac; they haven't really appeared to have known for quite some time now.

If Zeta is more flexible than Sigma, then I think GM should invest further development in Zeta to make it lighter, more fuel efficient, and ready for the future. It should become the corporation's sole volume RWD car platform (or at least volume as far as RWD is concerned), eventually replacing Sigma in the future (it wouldn't replace the Y-body, because the Y-body is not a volume platform). This next gen Zeta platform could be used to create a midsize sedan (Grand Prix), large sedan (Bonneville), and coupe (Trans Am, essentially the next gen Camaro) for Pontiac (which would become a RWD affordable performance sub-brand paired with Chevrolet in the corporation's Affordable Mainstream dealer network; Chevrolet's car products would all be FWD to better fit the brand's affordable mainstream volume mission). The next gen Zeta platform could also be used to underpin the next gen CTS midsize car series as well as a large flagship sedan for Cadillac. GM needs to quit wasting time, resources, and opportunities second guessing themselves and just simply commit and make it happen. As far as Kappa: While I like the Solstice and Sky, it seems like the entire project was a total waste of time and resources for GM. Affordable, low volume, 2-seat "toys" built on a profit losing unflexible platform was not where the corporation's focus should have been directed when the corporation was still pumping out volume products (especially mainstream sedans) that were outdated and uncompetitve. I know that the Kappa project does illustrate what GM can accomplish in a timely manner when it decides to commit and focus, but it is also the one time that someone should have intervened and aborted a project that really hasn't done much to reverse the fortunes of the corporation. It is ironic that this underachieving project was conceived and implemented in a timely fashion, while projects that can have a much wider positive impact on the corporation get bogged down in indecisive, second guessing, political horseplay. No wonder the corporation is hanging on by a single, rapidly fraying thread.

I would probably have to agree with this. Most of the G6's retail numbers were probably obtained through some really fantastic deals. If that generates sales for GM and manages to keep them afloat somehow, then so be it (although I don't see how it really serves to generate any profits for the corporation). I would say that the same situation probably existed for most of the Impala's retail numbers also. This is just my speculation, though; I'm not submitting this as fact.

Best case scenario on this would be for VW to take over the Saturn dealership network as a base for launching Seat/Skoda in the U.S. VW has claimed that they want to surpass Toyota as the world's number one automaker. Introducing Seat/Skoda to the U.S. would give VW the chance to do that. By taking over the existing Saturn dealership network, VW can establish Seat/Skoda as its own distinct and separate affordable network while preventing it from competing with or cheapening VW or Audi. This would give VW a 3-tier brand hierarchy in the U.S. that should help it capture more market share. Seat/Skoda would serve as an affordable Euro network, VW would serve as a German mainstream network, and Audi would serve as a German luxury network. Since Seat/Skoda products share platforms with VW products, it should be possible for VW to build the Seat/Skoda products in its existing or upcoming North American production facilities. This would help them avoid any unfavorable exchange rate effects on the price of imported vehicles. Renault/Nissan could use the existing Saturn dealership base to relaunch Renault in the U.S. This would help them establish Renault as a separate Euro based brand in this market. Since Renault products share platforms with Nissan products, there is no reason the Renault products couldn't be built at Nissan's existing North American production facilities. I think this scenario is less likely than the first one (which may be highly unlikely too) since Renault/Nissan is struggling during this current economic crisis. Samsung and/or Dacia might be more lucrative ventures in the U.S. for Renault/Nissan at this time as both brands would allow them to set up a sub-Nissan affordable network in this market. I would love to see Puegeot/Citroen PSA cut a deal with SDC to relaunch those brands in the U.S., but that would be a much more difficult deal to arrange since PSA doesn't have any existing North American production facilities. The exchange rate effect on Euro built/imported products from this company would probably price these vehicles out of the range people would accept or expect to pay for these non-premium products. If Saturn is going to link up with a Chinese partner, then my preference would be Roewe/MG (although I would much prefer any of the options listed above over this). Any other Chinese, Indian, or Malaysian automakers would be totally unacceptable as far as I'm concerned.

If Pontiac represents mainstream blue collar America, then it shouldn't really be a part of the B-P-G network (which should be a midmarket premium dealer network). If that is the case, then GM should plan on implementing the following strategy early next year: 1) Reduce Pontiac down to the G8 sedan, G6 coupe, and Solstice roadster/coupe and move the brand into Chevrolet dealerships. If the rumors are true about Holden developing lighter and smaller next gen Zeta based Commodore and Statesman sedans, then GM should make plans to build them at Oshawa and sell them in under the Pontiac brand in North America as the Grand Prix and Bonneville, respectively. All of Chevrolet's sedans would remain FWD, which fits the brand's mainstream mission. The Solstice would ride out the rest of its current model cycle with Pontiac and then be discontinued (I seriously doubt there will be a next gen version since the current version is not profitable and the government probably won't allow GM to spend development money on these automotive "toys"). If GM is planning on a smaller and lighter next gen Zeta based Camaro, I would move that next gen model to Pontiac as the Trans Am. I would develop a FWD midsize coupe on the SWB Epsilon II platform for Chevrolet to sell as the Monte Carlo; this car would essentially replace the G6 coupe and serve as competition for the Accord and Altima coupes. 2) Move the Vibe to Saturn and let it ride out the rest of its current model cycle with that brand. This would allow GM to discontinue importing the relatively expensive and unsuccessful current model Astra. Saturn will finish the rest of its term under the GM umbrella with the Aura sedan, Vibe 5-door, Vue CUV, and Sky roadster (I would discontinue the Outlook as soon as possible). 3) The current G3, G5, and G6 will be discontinued once Pontiac makes it move to Chevrolet dealerships. 4) With Pontiac gone, Buick/GMC would be free to pursue the midmarket premium segment. I would move up the intro of the Insignia based Buick Regal sedan to early next year since Buick/GMC will have no midsize sedan to sell once Pontiac and its G6 line makes its departure from the dealer network. When smaller next gen Opels are ready for the market, I would make plans to build and sell them in North America under the Buick brand; this will allow Buick/GMC to offer smaller premium products to complete the network's lineup. 5) I would make the Corvette its own brand and move it into Cadillac dealerships. The current Corvette's nearly $50,000 MSRP makes the car an inappropriate presence at Chevrolet dealerships. If people are going to spend that kind of money on a car they should be receiving the premium treatment which should be in place and practiced at all Cadillac dealerships (since Cadillac is supposed to be the corporation's flagship luxury brand). This strategy would configure GM's remaining 6 brands (if Corvette became its own brand in North America) into distinct dealer networks that target specific demographics and price ranges: * Chevrolet/Pontiac: Affordable/Mainstream. Chevrolet would be the mainstream volume anchor for the corporation with FWD cars and CUVs plus affordable trucks and SUVs. Pontiac would be the affordable RWD performance car sub-brand. * Buick/GMC: Midmarket Premium. Buick would be the volume anchor of this premium network with a lineup of premium FWD cars and MPVs. GMC would offer premium CUVs, SUVs, and trucks. * Cadillac/Corvette: Luxury/Specialty. Cadillac would carry RWD luxury cars and AWD CUVs. Corvette will continue to carry the Corvette. Of course, all of this will work if and only if there really are next gen Zeta based products on the corporation's product development schedule. There's really no reason for Pontiac or its blue collar American image to be eliminated; however, it might be better if GM reassigned the sub-brand to a dealer network (Chevrolet) that targets that demographic.

I agree. GM should slap the "LeSabre" name on the back of the 2010 LaCrosse instead and see what happens. No one knew what a "LaCrosse" and "Lucerne" was when GM came up with the stupid idea of replacing Buick's well recognized model names (like "Regal" and "LeSabre") with these bland, unknown, and unproven poser names. "LaCrosse" and "Lucerne" need to be retired to the automotive model name graveyard. If the "LaCrosse" name has market equity in China, then let them keep the stupid name. Give the North American market version of the 2010 LaCrosse a name that will tell potential buyers that this great looking sedan is the brand's new flagship. I also worry about the lack of marketing money for this product (like you pointed out). Here Buick will have its first truly modern sedan of the decade and GM is seriously lacking the funds to proudly promote it. This car needs a name change and some major promotion to help it take off (as well as it can in a very unstable economy at least).

The only thing I would change is that I would enlarge the Kia badge and insert it in the middle of the grille opening. This is a beautiful car, Kia should show their pride in this awesome design and place their name front and center in the middle of the grille. This car is a nice followup to the great looking Forte. If Kia nails the next gen Optima like they have these 2 sedans, I wouldn't be surprised to see the brand make some significant gains in the market (especially on the overhyped Toyota and Honda brands).

Yowsers! That looks awesome! Everybody better look out for Hyundai/Kia, they seem to be right on track to dominate the industry. I do have to admit that Kia is still a little inconsistent as far as personally impressing me. The Soul is a mixed bag to me, but (to be fair) these little box on wheels designs just don't appeal to me (although the Soul looks to be the best looking one of the lot). The Forte sedan is impressive and might just become a segment leader (if Kia nails the quality while keeping the price competitive); I think it might just be the best looking mainstream compact sedan for the forseeable future. After the Forte debuted, I thought it was smooth sailing for Kia after that; then they introduce the rather awkward redesigned Sorento. With Kia getting supposedly sportier, I guess I was expecting the next gen Sorento to be more like the CX-9 or Murano design-wise. It looks like they started in that direction with the front end design and then changed direction with the rest of the vehicle; it just doesn't look like the homerun Kia will need in this segment. If the production version of this sedan doesn't stray too far from this great looking concept car, then Kia will definitely have won me over again. At least Kia looks like they will have nailed their sedan styling in the future. I can't wait to see the production version of this beauty. I think Hyundai/Kia should let Kia have the FWD large car segment to itself since Hyundai has the RWD large cars (and this car is definitely much better looking than the Azera). Hyundai/Kia should give Hyundai a midsize MPV based on this platform as the next gen Entourage; Kia could then have the Sedona minivan all to itself. I know there is going to be some overlap between Hyundai and Kia in some of the major segments (compact sedans, midsize sedans, and crossovers), but Hyundai/Kia should try to give each brand some exclusive products also (the Soul is a good example of a segment that should remain a Kia exclusive).

Oops! I forgot what today was...

I had offered the suggestion in previous posts that the next gen Commodore and Statesman could be downsized in an effort to create smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient RWD vehicles. The next gen Commodore could be downsized into a RWD midsized sedan thats about 190 inches long on the current car's 114.7 inch wheelbase; this car could be brought here as the Pontiac Grand Prix (because Pontiac needs to get rid of the ridiculous, meaningless, sterile G-numeric model designations, like yesterday). A turbocharged version of the 2.4 DI 4-cylinder could serve as the base engine and the 3.6 DI V6 could serve as the optional engine (a GXP version could be fitted with a turbocharged 3.0 DI V6). The next gen Statesman could be downsized to 197 inches on the current car's 118.5 inch wheelbase (which would make it roughly the size of the current Commodore); this car could be brought here as the Pontiac Bonneville. The 3.6 DI V6 could serve as the base engine and a turbocharged 3.0 DI V6 could serve as the optional engine (a GXP version could even be fitted with a small block V8). That would be the extent of Pontiac's future niche lineup: 2 affordable and fun to drive RWD sedans. Buick can stick with FWD as well as the Opel based products. GM can also use this version of Zeta for the next CTS (CT5?) car series as well as a DT7 flagship sedan for Cadillac. An AWD compact car series (AT3?) could then be developed on the Theta-Epsilon (or Theta Premium) platform if Zeta can't accommodate a compact car series. GM just needs to commit to something and make it happen. The corporation has the platforms and other raw materials available to form some coherent product strategies.

While I do agree somewhat with the statements about the media's role in attempting to shrink GM and eliminate brands, I think GM has also played a major role in continuing the prevailing misconception about Buick, Pontiac, and GMC being separate brands. The brands were combined into one sales channel, but GM has still failed to define the mission of each brand with coherent product strategies or establish the overall purpose of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC sales channel in general. There is overlap within the sales channel as well as with Chevrolet. Until GM eliminates those overlap issues, I fear that many people will still fail to see Buick-Pontiac-GMC as one unified sales channel with a distinct purpose. I believe that the Buick-Pontiac-GMC sales channel has the potential to be relevant and play a vital role in the market and in GM's brand hierarchy, but GM needs to give the sales channel the goods to reinforce that potential.

I think GM should not worry about establishing Cadillac in Europe at the moment. GM should focus on reestablishing the brand's luxury cred in the U.S. and expanding the brand into developing countries that still view the "American Way Of Life" as something to aspire to. Europe is fiercely loyal to its domestic brands and it will be extremely hard to establish Cadillac there. Cadillac can still be a proud global luxury brand without having a major presence in Europe. Lexus and Infiniti have both made quite a name for themselves and they are not well established in Europe either. It would actually be great to see Cadillac establish its dominance in the luxury segment on its home turf once again.

Thank goodness someone can make a decision and act on it faster than GM. I sincerely hope that this move helps Chrysler survive and eventually thrive.

Agreed. I still have a hard time believing that GM will actually follow through with the Alpha platform also (if they even survive, like you said).

I don't understand why GM couldn't follow the plan below: * Caprice: Develop a large FWD sedan replacement for the current FWD W-body Impala on the LWB version of Eps II. This car would be about the same size as the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and would also mirror that car's engine offerings (3.0 DI V6 as the base engine and 3.6 DI V6 as the optional engine). This car would serve as GM's Taurus/Avalon/Azera/Maxima competitor. * Next gen Impala: GM should make plans to build the next gen Zeta based VF Commodore at the Oshawa plant and sell it here as the next gen Chevrolet Impala. This car would be the brand's flagship car. The 3.6 DI V6 would serve as the base engine. An SS trim level could offer a turbocharged version of the 3.0 DI V6 or a small block V8. This car would serve as GM's Charger competitor. It would also prevent any unnecessary model year gaps in the Impala's future. * Next gen Malibu: The next gen Malibu would move to the SWB version of Eps II and be aligned with the global Epica/Tosca sedan. GMNA would take the design lead on this product to ensure that it is a proper followup design-wise to the current Malibu. I wouldn't want the next gen Malibu to look like a design followup to the current Epica/Tosca. * G8: The only unfortunate casualty of this plan would be the G8. Once the current Commodore ends its model cycle, the G8 would disappear. I think Pontiac should follow Buick into aligning itself with Opel. Buick would carry rebadged Opel sedans, 5-doors, and MPVs to complete its lineup while Pontiac would carry rebadged versions of the Euro brand's sportier coupes and 3-doors to form its "niche" lineup. Of course, all rebadged Opel products that Buick and Pontiac would carry should be built in North America. Essentially, there is absolutely no need for the current W-body Impala to stick around for 7 model years nor is there any reason to have gaps between its model cycles.

I copied and pasted the info so that no one has to bother waiting on the link. Source: GMInsideNews

This was posted on GM Inside News this morning: Link: Visit My Website Source: GMInsideNews Of course, the article ends with the typical "under serious consideration" disclaimer.

It looks fine based on that one shot, but that isn't enough to make a final decision. Once pictures are released revealing every angle of the exterior and interior, then a final decision can be reached. I will say that if this car turns out to be as attractive as the Forte, then Kia might just have a hit on their hands with this car.

I sort of view a production version of the Groove as a smaller companion to the Orlando, just like the Meriva is a smaller companion to the Zafira. I could see Chevy getting a LWB Gamma based Groove to complement the LWB Delta based Orlando. Instead of simply doing an update of the HHR on Delta II, maybe GM should do a sportier type of wagon influenced by the 2004 Chevrolet Nomad Concept (Link: Visit My Website, Source: NetCarShow). I know that concept was RWD, but I think GM could do something similar to it on Delta II. The concept wasn't exactly the most attractive vehicle, but it had a definite cool factor. If Chevy could modify some of the awkward elements while retaining the cool factor of the concept, then they might have something unique that would appeal to a wide audience.

I totally agree with this assessment. Would I prefer the G8 without the nonfunctional hood scoops?; definitely. Do I think the nonfunctional hood scoops on the G8 are unnecessarily garish or hideous?; not really. I also think that the G8's front end treatment is the most attractive derivative of all the global versions of this sedan.

+1 I think GM should give Buick the next gen Astra sedan and 5-door and position them to compete against the Jetta/Golf 5-door and Mazda3 sedan/5-door. Based on the spy shots and leaked images, the next gen Astra sedan and 5-door will be much better looking than either one of these proposed competitors. Pontiac would receive the next gen Astra coupe (or Callibra?) to solidify its position as a sporty niche sub-brand. Link:Visit My Website Source: TopSpeed The Chevrolet Cruze would be positioned to compete against the more mainstream Corolla and Civic sedan.

I'm assuming the Opel version will be the next gen Zafira. I was hoping to see the next gen Zafira in the U.S. as a new Buick Rendezvous. Buick needs a smaller people mover. Since GMC is getting the Theta based Terrain, I thought Buick could get the next gen Delta II based Zafira as a more car-like sub-Enclave people mover. I agree with those who hope that this news means that the Orlando will still be available in the U.S. even if it is built elsewhere. I think it would be a valuable addition to Chevrolet's lineup here.