The O.C.

Actually......business and marketing 101 says that is not the case. (Thank you GMI Engineering & Management Institute.) It's very likely, and very possibly, that General Motors would increase volume with remaining brands at or near levels they were at. Now, understandably this is most prevalent in like models. The accepted business theory is......if you did away, say, with Outlook and Acadia, and threw your marketing, advertising, and product support into Traverse and Enclave, you'd make up that lost volume and/or profit. If you magically did away with Saturn.....and threw all that financial support into the existing Chevy brand.....well....you can imagine how that would bolster Chevy's marketplace performance. No Outlook.....all into Traverse. No Aura.....all into Malibu. No Vue.....all into Equinox. No Sky.....throw it at (Pontiac) Solstice.

Exactly. I saw that same program recently. Was it CNN? I forget.....but it was scary the parallels between British Leyland and today's General Motors.

Uh....different milk producers? <duh>

Well, I for one really like this car......! It looks alot more elegant to me than the current generation. The rear decklid is kinda LS-like but the detailing in the taillamps and stuff sets it apart for me. I also really love the short front overhang on this car and how, when looked at in profile, the front grille seems to jut out ahead of the headlights.....almost Z4-like.....it looks "sharky" to me in the front. Also, the car looks sleek, but I'm glad they kept the big, airy greenhouse instead of going down the Chrysler-LX-style path of squashing the greenhouse to make the car appear lower to the ground. In fact, it reminds me of the glory days of the 7-Series of three generations ago (the one where we had a "733i"......) Interior simply looks fabulous.....a mixture of BMW with some Audi-like details in the area below the iDrive screen where the center stack meets the console. Overall, I think this thing TRUMPS the S-Class in so many ways it's not even funny. Nice job BMW! You've come home again........

But again.....the age-old question of why do you have to offer four of basically the same vehicle when you could theoretically sell just as many under one or two nameplates? Because of GM's archaic divisional structure. That's why. Traverse Enclave Do you really need an Outlook and Acadia in-between these two?

Just mutually exclusive in the U.S....unfortunately.....Europe has plenty of cheap, efficient cars that are fun and full of amenities....!

The rental agencies play this game.....so they can charge you a higher rental fee for what is effectively a smaller car. Charge you a fee for a "midsize" Corolla (that's actually a compact in real life....but they CALL it a "midsize.")

That's the proverbial nail-on-the-head. GM couldn't, and can't, do anything to change what's happening in our economy right now.......but they'd sure as hell be weathering the storm alot better if they had been on the ball the last 20 years instead of walking around with their heads up their asses.....ignoring the foreboding signs in the marketplace......

You're right! It IS still a piece of crap! (How do you think they can sell it for that low of a price?) I'll congratulate GM on topping this list.....it's just too bad it was with such a &#036;h&#33;box......

While you are most likely correct.....the real problem with GM is.....that when developing the current generation Corsa, way back when, they should have had the foresight (or the innovative thinking) to develop the current gen Corsa to be sold over here. Because of their slow wittedness, they will be, once again, late to the game in a burgeoning market segment here at home instead of leading the pack! Same issue with only now getting the Astra......

Believe it or not, the biggest complaint I get about the SRX is that it "looks too much like a wagon."

I've got you beat.....100% of the cars in my driveway have three pedals and I wouldn't have it any other way. :AH-HA_wink:

Vauxhalls really are simply re-badged Opels (in the purest sense.) From everything I know and have seen, they really do share everything excepts the badges. Trim, interiors, bodywork, powertrains, everything.

OK....can we get this straight once again........PBG and CHS are not "divisions".....they are distribution channels. Chevrolet is a division Saturn is a division Pontiac is a division Buick is a division GMC is a division Cadillac is a division Hummer is a division Saab is, I don't know if a division, but definitely something similar. That's 8 divisions guys.

With the power and torque this thing has, you think a leather dash or some optional goodies are gonna slow it down?

You mean to tell me that in the face of it.....$113K isn't JUST as impressive a value for this car as $103K? Just seems stupid to me.

He's not the only one...... A Hyundai Accent I was in as a rental was more impressive to me than any Aveo I've been in....and I'm sorry....I just don't see any drastic improvements to the '09 model.

That's one story worth a toast! Too funny.....I'm sure it wasn't at the time.....but now it's worth laughing about!

<hugs, pats, kisses> Don't worry hon.....things will get better!

Does anyone know why in the HELL you still have to pay $10K extra for leather-wrapped interior and other high-end features in this car? Every ZR-1 should come fully loaded. Otherwise, what's the point? So you can offer a "price leader?" Gimmee a break..... And it doesn't matter if some people "would rather not have the leather dash or extra features".......because Chevy will sell each and every ZR-1 they can....easily....regardless of how much it's loaded up or not....

In Europe (at least Great Britain where I get the mags from) there are many diesel combos that are NOT available with an automatic.....period..... But stick-shift penetration rates have historically been way higher over there than here (as we all know already....)

The reality of the marketplace is.....just about no one cross-shops the A4 with the CTS. They appeal to two very different portions of the "entry-luxury" segment. We don't see any crosshopping here at the dealership....and according to my Audi contacts, they don't see it either. A4 will remain popular for the very reasons it has done (relatively speaking) well in the past.....

SO true. They really, really, really need to put The Good Ole Boys Network out to pasture........for good..... Lutz, as one example, is better off to begin with because of his experience outside the tubes.....Chrysler, BMW, etc., etc.....but for a company the size and relevance of General Motors, you need way more than just one "Lutz."

All Calvin Klein....'cause I like the looks and feel..... I have a mixture of boxers, boxer briefs, bikini, yadda, yadda...... And.....I wanna hear Paulie's story........