The O.C.

Don't confuse this engine with the 4-cyl unit more recently found in the Liberty. My understanding is that this is a version of the new BlueTec (did I get the name correct?) found in the E320 CDi Benz. I think the reviews have been quite favorable on THIS engine....although I haven't had a chance to drive one....

NEW CONTRACT BETWEEN BIG 3 AND UAW STUNS AUTOMOTIVE WORLD Innovative agreement cinched by Wal-Mart inclusion By BT Justice April 1, 2007 The winds of change blew like a hurricane though Detroit this morning. Just after midnight, a surprise announcement was made that a new three-year labor agreement had been hammered out between the United Auto Workers Union and the Big Three automakers. The new contract with General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Group contains unprecedented elements, including an alliance with Wal-Mart that gives UAW members a 50 percent discount on all purchases at the giant retailer. The current contract expires September 14, so announcement of a new labor agreement five and a half months early was a surprise. Before going into effect, the contract must be approved by the union’s members, but Ron Gettelfinger, UAW President, predicted, “Ratification is a slam dunk.” The announcement was made at Solidarity House, the international headquarters of the UAW, in Detroit, with senior management of the three companies sharing the stage with the leadership of the UAW. “From the beginning we focused on cooperation with the union,” said a joint statement issued by the CEOs of the Big Three. “Both we and the UAW leadership took a long-term view of actions that could save union jobs and save our companies.” The statement was signed by G. Richard Wagoner, GM’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Alan R. Mulally, Ford’s President and Chief Executive Officer; and Thomas W. LaSorda, Chrysler Group’s Chief Executive Officer. In reaching agreement on a new contract, the automakers and the UAW made unprecedented concessions to each other. Wages of UAW members will be cut more than 40%, to approximately $27 per hour including benefits, which is the average paid to hourly employees at U.S. plants of Asian and European automakers. To compensate for the pay reduction, UAW members will receive a half-off discount for all purchases at Wal-Mart, though purchases must be made through self-check cashier stations. “I’m not happy about pay cut,” said Jon-Jon Baumer, a 16-year employee at Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant, in Avon Lake, Ohio and a member of UAW Local 2000. “But I’ll be able to buy a gallon of top-quality pickles for $1.49. You can’t beat that.” A major concern of the UAW has been declining membership, which has fallen from 1.5 million members in 1979 to 540,000 members today. GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, the parent of Chrysler Group, have agreed to assist the union in increasing membership by calling for federal legislation requiring all jobs at all automotive plants in the U.S. be unionized, and the contract will not be ratified until the legislation becomes law. In addition, the three companies have agreed to UAW representation at all of their plants worldwide that are currently not represented by a union. “This means we no longer oppose jobs going to Mexico, China and other countries because work will be done by UAW members,” said Gettelfinger, who predicts UAW membership will more triple this year because of the new contract. Another concession made by the automakers is to transfer overseas any UAW member whose job in the U.S. is eliminated, along with up to five family members. “Many of our rank-and-file are excited about the prospect of moving out of rust-belt cities to areas with better weather and better food,” said Gettelfinger. “Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to live in China or India?” Other notable factors of the contract: • A requirements that all salaried employees work five days per quarter in a manufacturing plant and earn UAW wages, rather than salary, during that time • All salaried employees will become honorary UAW members and pay UAW dues • Bonuses will be paid to salaried employees only in years in which their company’s market share increases. “It’ll be fun to watch the white-collar guys find out what real work is like,” said Bonnie Le Casque, a member of UAW Local 909, who works at GM’s powertrain plant in Warren, Mich. “To be honest, I think I’ll enjoy going over to the Gear Jammer and having a beer with them at the end of a shift,” added Le Casque. “But I’m not looking forward to the re-work we’ll end up doing because of them.” The deal also allows Wal-Mart to purchase cars and trucks at a significant discount. The terms have not been announced, but some analysts predict Wal-Mart will begin selling vehicles as well as parts at its 1,075 Wal-Mart Discount Stores, 2,256 Wal-Mart Supercenters and 579 Sam's Clubs in the U.S. “The new contract is win-win-win-win-win,” said Jason Vines, Chrysler’s vice president of for communications. “That’s five wins if you weren’t counting. The Big Three reduce costs, consumers buy our products for less, the union increases membership, Wal-Mart increases sales and profits by retailing vehicles, and UAW members receive unprecedented purchasing power at Wal-Mart,” said Vines. “As everyone knows, if Wal-Mart doesn’t have it, you don’t need it.” Not only is the new labor agreement unique, but the process that led to it was equally extraordinary. Formal contract negotiations were not anticipated to begin until June, but each of the automakers has been holding preliminary discussions with the UAW for about a month. On the evening of March 15, a Wal-Mart manager in Auburn Hills, Mich. noted a large purchase of pizza, potato chips and soda made by a DaimlerChrysler employee, who explained the food was for the contract negotiation team at Chrysler’s nearby headquarters. “The next day, a plane load of managers from Bentonville showed up with food, coolers and a couple propane grills,” according to Vines. “Discussions took a sharp turn for the better, and we had so much food we decided to invite over the negotiating teams from GM and Ford,” said Vines. “The rest, as they say, is history.” Because the announcement of the new contract took place in the early hours Sunday, many news organizations did not have representatives in attendance. Further details of the new agreement will be released tomorrow. (April fools my friends!)

Buick really should be positioned as a step-up......'cause right now, in overall public perception.....it's not seen as that. Buick used to provide "Premium American Motorcars." There's nothing in the lineup right now that I'd consider "premium." The Enclave is a GREAT first step towards that mantra, however. One problem that Acura has been dealing with is the fact that their FWD-based models are seen as having way too direct of a link to the FWD Hondas they are based upon. Acuras play in that same middle ground as VW, Volvo, etc. Most people don't give them the same credibility that they do Lexus, BMW, Mercedes. Buick faces the same challenge....LaCrosse = Chevy Impala with a different skin and interior. I see Buick as having the potential to be a step above the Acuras, VWs, and Volvos of the world......leaving Cadillac free to move further up in prestige and capability. But to do that, GM has gotta invest in the RIGHT products.....! And I believe, more often than not, it's gonna mean RWD.

I LOVE her.......one of the best movies that I've seen recently...... :-)

Awwww.......12,000 miles into it and I LOVE my CTS.....! (However, the body around my sunroof flexes and creaks really bad when you "twist" the suspension, say when pulling from a level road onto a raised driveway, etc.) Other than that, it has a great ride-and-handling compromise. Only thing is....EVERYONE tries to "race" me.....they must think it's a v-Series.

I know my car's RWD.....but the Aisin 6-speed manual in my CTS Sport is a BEAUTIFUL tranny......by FAR the smoothest-shifting GM manual transmission powertrain I've ever driven. It mates pretty well with the 3.6L HF V6......

Actually.....the V8 weighs LESS than the SC3800.....!

While I think the Ram is the nicest-looking truck (exterior only) on the market, that platform is now way past it's prime. Plus, it's "new" interior introduced a year or two ago is now clearly made of worse materials and fit-and-finish than even the nasty Titan's......

I find it hard to believe they ranked the Titan ahead of the Tundra...!

I'm glad they firmed up the LTZ suspension. The rental I had in Vegas awhile back was pretty sloppy......although it didn't float that much, if you took it anywhere aggressively through a turn, it hit the bump stops and exhibited major understeer....

.....like GM's embarrasment of losing their hold on the midsize sedan car market.......?

All I can say is......I've seen maybe 6-8 new Tundras on the road around SoCal during the same time I can only remember seeing at most 2 (!) new Silverados (no Sierras.) Now granted in the long run, GM will remain the sales dynamo that it's always been in full-size trucks.....but I'm really shocked I haven't seen any more Silverados or Sierras. Contrast that with the new GMT-900 SUVs......that were EVERYWHERE out here as soon as they were introduced.

I agree.....and "disappointing" sales of the regular-cab version isn't noteworthy. Seems no one is selling regular-cab versions any more in any sort of volume.....GM and Ford included.

Considering the curb weight of the new CTS (3,800lbs + for the V6 versions) I think the lighter M3 will most likely do just fine with 420hp.

I know plenty of non-union people that have GREAT retirements (my Dad is one....) ??

....WELL......A V8 Lucerne or DTS can't keep up with a V6 Azera.......

The interior is simply uncompetitive for this marketplace and it's truly a shame GM didn't give us the "new" SLS interior. In some ways, this interior even falls behind the original CTS' interior.....with the CTS, at least you got a distinctive look with some distinctive materials....even if it wasn't as plush as the competition. With THIS STS interior, you have a simply bland design utilizing just plain mediocre material and switchgear quality. Everyone remember the original ('92 was it?) STS' Audi-esque interior materials.....with the Lexus-esque HVAC/Radio controls.......and the Benz-esque Zebrano wood trim? In many ways, that interior is way more upscale in look and feel than the '08 STS interior.

Depends on your definition of "more car." I don't think DTS is half the car the CTS is.....from a styling, design, performance (chassis-wise and transmission-wise), and image standpoint.

The horsepower is kinda moot.....as torque takes a dip. Plus, buff mag tests of the DTS 292hp version and 271hp CXS show that the performance is similar enough that you can't really tell the difference between the two motors. Suede seat and door panel inserts and some plastic silver trim in the center stack don't necessarily make a "Super" model in my mind. Finally....while the leather-stitched dash is nice, I wonder how that will mesh with the large swath of hard plastic that makes up the rest of the dashboard?

I agree 100%.....hence my post in the LaCrosse Photo Gallery about how I couldn't BELIEVE that GM spent development money on these cars. They really aren't all that distinctive from the standard models.......and one COULD argue that the "Super" models are what the standard Buicks should be anyway.....at least in style, trim, etc., even if not in powertrain. Can anyone really see a LaCrosse target customer choosing a LaCrosse Super over a Lexus ES350 for similar money? Nah......

.....and I'd get this over a CXS.....because?

I absolutely cannot believe that GM spent development money on this wasted project.

The dealer couldn't even get the stupid-ass badge on straight. This is a sick joke and a serious problem for Buick Motor Division.....I don't care WHO your customers are. Not one person on here can say that dealers that do this to the Buicks they sell are doing anything to help the division..... AAARRRRGGGGHHHH this pisses me off.

LOL...... It's NOT fun. I go out there for work sometimes and it's just gross...... We call Fontana....."Fontana-tucky" (no disrespect to those C&Gers that live in Kentucky....) On a quick trip through the inland areas like Corona, Riverside, Fontana and such, it might seem nice....because off the freeway, you see tons of new housing developements, attractive glass-building office parks, and such going up. It's still expensive, but it's so way more affordable than LA and Orange counties that alot of businesses are locating out there.....and lots of people are moving out there that can't afford to live by the coast. What happens, is that the Inland Empire, as locals around here call it, comprised of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, has a population on it's own of around 4million people. When people say "LA" has bad congestion and smog, what they are REALLY talking about is those Inland Empire areas that are being overrun with people moving out there (congestion) and all the bad air quality (smog) because of the hot weather conditions and the proximity of these areas to the mountains (the smog is blown inland from the ocean and settles over Riverside, backed up against the San Gabriel mountains.) You hardly ever get smog in the coastal areas. PLUS, and I'm trying to remain tactful on how I say this......you get REAL undesirables that move out there.......for obvious reasons (cheaper, etc.) SO, you might buy yourself a new house in an attractive housing development in the Inland Empire.....only to end up with a house full of 15 mexicans next to you. I'm not talking about Americans of Hispanic desent....I'm talking mexicans....illegal aliens....and other assorted types. Crime is abundant in those areas....and the whole area ends up getting a real trashy feel. Wow....didn't mean to rant.....but when most people spend a short time here, driving through or whatever, and they say something like "LA is ugly" it's usually because they ended up driving through these inland areas and stuff..... But I digress.....a car fan should definitely see the Peterson Museum on Wilshire Boulevard on the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles city line......and take a trip to AutoBooks in Burbank.

Riviera ANY day....! Much sexier, cohesive design on the exterior......way more stylish interior. I like the 4.0L DOHC motor, but the supercharged 3800 was in it's prime back then.