SoCalCTS

Enzl, Do you know the difference between "wanting to do something" and "threatening to do something?" I don't think you do. Maybe you need an Eng-Rish lesson! Lighten up! Here is a fact for you: The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan have outscored the Toyota Camry in initial quality.

Fleet Central news release [/b]Chevrolet Impala Earns Back-to-Back Fleet Car of the Year Awards Bob Brown, associate publisher, Bobit Business Media (right), presented the 2007 Fleet Car of the Year award to Bill Gibson, GM director, fleet & commercial sales (left), and Ed Peper, GM, Chevrolet. December 12, 2006 TORRANCE, CA – One year after the completely redesigned 2006 Chevrolet Impala captured the Fleet Car of the Year award, the 2007 Impala again was chosen the industry’s most popular car in an annual award program sponsored by Automotive Fleet and Business Fleet magazines. Fleet professionals selected the mid-size sedan from a record field of 61 domestic and import-badged nominees. Votes were cast online via AF’s Web site, www.fleet-central.com. Chief among the Impala’s fleet-popular attributes are flexibility, safety features, interior roominess, “timeless” design, engine selection, and the driving experience, according to Rob Minton, communications manager for GM Fleet & Commercial Operations. A standard feature on LTZ and SS models and available on the LT version, the rear seats fold flat into the floor, providing 18.6 cubic feet of cargo room and 123.1 cubit feet of interior volume. New for 2007, a 3.9L V-6 engine features GM’s first V-6 application of Active Fuel Management, which seamlessly allows the vehicle to run on half its cylinders in low-demand situations, improving fuel economy by up to 8 percent. Standard on the LTZ and available with the LT, the 3.9L engine uses variable valve timing and a variable-length intake manifold to help produce 233 horsepower and 240-lb.-ft torque. A 3.5L V-6 is standard on Impala LT models, delivering 211 horsepower and 214-lb-ft. torque. A Flex-Fuel version of the 3.5L engine is compatible with E-85 ethanol fuel. All Impala engines are matched with the Hydra-Matic 4T65 electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. The Impala also offers several safety and security features, including standard front seatbelt pretensioners and front dual-stage and side-curtain airbags. The 2007 Impala received Five-Star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for frontal and side-impact crashes. Impala models are equipped with OnStar capability and new in the 2007-model year is the available 7.0 Generation OnStar with Turn-by-Turn navigation. GM’s Advanced Automatic Crash Notification system, another OnStar service, is also available on the 2007 Impala.

Daily Tech Story Not be outdone by DaimlerChrysler, GM shows off its own communications system It looks as though DaimlerChrysler isn't the only automotive company looking at car-to-car communications systems. General Motors has announced its new vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) system which is currently being tested on Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel and Saab models in Germany. Like DaimlerChrysler's system, V2V uses Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology, GPS and a vehicle’s numerous computer controlled active safety systems to relay data back and forth between vehicles. The system is capable of relaying such data as Emergency Brake Warning, Blind Spot/Lane Change notification (with accompanying blinking LEDs in the side view mirror and vibrating driver's seat), Forward Collision Warning and Emergency Vehicle Warning (with location and direction of travel for the emergency vehicle). "Driving is a very complex task. Knowing where the other guy is and where he’s headed can be as critical as being in control of your own vehicle," said GM's Hans-Georg Frischkorn. "With V2V technology, we intensify the driver’s awareness of his environment to improve road safety, without any distraction to him and certainly without reducing his level of control. This sixth sense lets drivers know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow." Whereas DaimlerChrysler's system will be employed in high-end Mercedes vehicles at first, GM is using off the shelf components to drive down costs and implement the system on as many vehicles as possible.

When it comes down to it, looks sell the car. Squeaks, rattles and cheap plastic can be fixed in future model years. Design is key and refinement comes with practice.

Except China doesn't have an autobahn or anywhere else that you would need a V-12.

build it! build it!

More like 30/40 <PG for the Aura with the 2.4 ecotec and probably the city mileage will be potentially higher once the official numbers come in. So clearly the Aura is a better deal.

aerator

International Herald Tribune Nissan, Suzuki and Mazda make least progress towards cutting CO2 levels The Associated Press Published: October 25, 2006 BRUSSELS, Belgium Nissan Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. were at the bottom of a league charting how close carmakers are to cutting carbon dioxide emissions by a 2008 target, an environmental transport lobby said Wednesday. Some three-quarters of the 20 most popular car brands sold in Europe last year are not on track to making more fuel-efficient vehicles — despite the car industry promising to cut emissions that cause climate change a quarter below 1995 levels, the European Federation for Transport and Environment, or T&E, said in a report. Only models made by Fiat SpA, Citroen, Renault SA, Ford Motor Co. and Peugeot are close to offering a range of cars that use 140 grams of fuel to drive a kilometer, it said. Europe's biggest selling carmaker Volkswagen AG is only halfway to that target, with its cars averaging 159g/km, it said. This was "starkly different" from direct rival Renault which had cut emissions to 149g/km, making a far greater effort than VW, it said. While Toyota Motor Corp. sells a low-emission hybrid model, the Prius, it was not making its other cars as fuel-efficient, it said, ranking the company seventh. Japanese and Korean automakers overall had a disappointing performance with no brands in the top six and three of the worst performers. CO2 emissions from transport — both cars and airlines — are growing and jeopardize the EU's commitment under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions by 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. "If climate targets are to be met, companies must improve efficiency across their entire range," T&E said. "One or two very efficient models that sell in limited numbers are not enough." The group said it was clearly possible for car companies to meet the target but the lack of incentives — and legally binding rules — has not encouraged them to make more fuel-efficient models. Transport made up 28 percent of Europe's CO2 emissions in 2004, the European Environment Agency said. Half of that comes from passenger cars and vans. The study was commissioned from the London-based Institute for European Environmental Policy which analyzed sales data from 1997-2005 supplied by R.L. Polk Marketing Systems GmbH. ___ On The Net: Transport & Environment: http://www.transportenvironment.org BRUSSELS, Belgium Nissan Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. were at the bottom of a league charting how close carmakers are to cutting carbon dioxide emissions by a 2008 target, an environmental transport lobby said Wednesday. Some three-quarters of the 20 most popular car brands sold in Europe last year are not on track to making more fuel-efficient vehicles — despite the car industry promising to cut emissions that cause climate change a quarter below 1995 levels, the European Federation for Transport and Environment, or T&E, said in a report. Only models made by Fiat SpA, Citroen, Renault SA, Ford Motor Co. and Peugeot are close to offering a range of cars that use 140 grams of fuel to drive a kilometer, it said. Europe's biggest selling carmaker Volkswagen AG is only halfway to that target, with its cars averaging 159g/km, it said. This was "starkly different" from direct rival Renault which had cut emissions to 149g/km, making a far greater effort than VW, it said. While Toyota Motor Corp. sells a low-emission hybrid model, the Prius, it was not making its other cars as fuel-efficient, it said, ranking the company seventh. Japanese and Korean automakers overall had a disappointing performance with no brands in the top six and three of the worst performers. CO2 emissions from transport — both cars and airlines — are growing and jeopardize the EU's commitment under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions by 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. "If climate targets are to be met, companies must improve efficiency across their entire range," T&E said. "One or two very efficient models that sell in limited numbers are not enough." The group said it was clearly possible for car companies to meet the target but the lack of incentives — and legally binding rules — has not encouraged them to make more fuel-efficient models. Transport made up 28 percent of Europe's CO2 emissions in 2004, the European Environment Agency said. Half of that comes from passenger cars and vans. The study was commissioned from the London-based Institute for European Environmental Policy which analyzed sales data from 1997-2005 supplied by R.L. Polk Marketing Systems GmbH. ___ On The Net: Transport & Environment: http://www.transportenvironment.org

Someone needs a geography lesson!

Ford has new leadership since then. I doubt they would want to be part of the Nissan-Renault mess. the new head of Ford is the guy that turned Boeing around.

I saw an Aura also. It had the brown Moroccan interior and not a single thing needs to be changed. THis car blows away anything from Europe or Asia at the same price point.

Does the Aura have a NAV system as an option? any pix of it?

I'm talking about the next gen CTS. More DIC is better, Why downgrade? No complaints here either.

Seriously. The center stack has too many buttons. The DIC is way too small. Where are the displays for climate control. Why isn't there a NAV system. Why is the clock so large? Etc, etc, etc. I am 100% serious. This interior already screams "last years model!"

Our forefathers fought for our rights and now Americans simply sit back and let those right be stolen by folks who hide behind waving flags. The flag waving politicians are nothing more than snake-oil salesman stealing your rights and tax dollars. We need to take back our country and restore our personal freedoms. We need to get rid of the "un"Patriot Act.

I proclaim this vehicle... DOA. yuck.

GM is number one in China. Renault-Nissan could give a sh** about GM's North American share. They just want to be number one in China and buy their way in cheap. Renault and Nissan are already "also rans" in the chinese market. Wake up and smell the coffee GM shareholders. Don't let Renault buy GM's best asset at "fire sale" prices.

I hope the interior looks nothing like that drawing. The current interior is better than that! The center stack looks cheap.

GM should allow Renault to buy a stake in GM only if Renault allows GM to buy a controlling stake in Nissan.

The Saab style vents were a thousand times better looking than the new ones. Overall, it looks pretty good.

GM-Ford. The "Big One" has a nice ring to it. DCX is not even American. All their commercials call Chryslers "German Engineered" cars and they just talk about German technology. Screw DCX! GM-Ford would be the largest automaker in the world. Cadillac and Lincoln could share platforms and Hummer and would fit nicely with Land Rover. Saab and Volvo could be quirky together. Mercury and Buick are a nice fit also. GM-Ford by far makes the most sense.

The stratus was gross. It doesn't even look similar.

Cadillac doesn't need stick shifts. This should only be an option on V-series vehicles if they have it at all.

GM has the top percentage of cars sold so I think they are building cars that people want to buy. Sure they can build better cars but maybe they need to do a few rebadge jobs on thier best cars in the mean time.