CSpec

True, but Ep 2 is substantially upgraded, and wider. W is a similar size to this new Lax too.

ARGH the Lax is not on the same platform as the Malibu and Aura! Good review otherwise.

Nice pics. What camera are you using? I just went to the west coast with a Canon Rebel XS and I'm a bit disappointed with the pics but maybe I just didn't use the right settings.

I'm a big fan of the new Lacrosse. The old one was completely inward looking, designed to appeal to their traditional customers and improve things that were wrong with the old Regal. However, the new Lax was designed to beat the world in the market segment it claims to compete in. Its refinement and attention to detail, especially the interior styling, makes it a winner for me. I am a bit worried about its weight however.

I think that as long as the neighbors don't mind, it's fine. But since they do mind, there should be a system in place to fix it. The Coase Theorem says that the optimum solution is the cheapest, and I think that just taking down the signs is cheaper than building fences or landscaping work.

This goes with what we've read about the Auto Task Force's findings. They went to Detroit assuming that GMC would be killed but immediately changed their minds when they saw the figures.

Wow nice find. Old GM used to leave us little hints in their video and photo releases, and I'm excited to see they're still at it. From what I can see it looks pretty similar to the concept which I think looks pretty good. Ted, maybe you should add a C&G watermark to those images?

I was thinking the exact same thing. How does this help the environment again...? Besides the smoke that seizure mixture causes, building a new car and shipping it to the dealer isn't exactly green.

They are indeed much better drivers in Europe. The test is very difficult and driving education is much more thorough and costs a fortune, but it shows in how efficiently their traffic moves. No oblivious people sitting in the left hand lane. How did you maintain a steady speed with the pedal to the floor the entire time? If I did that I would eventually start accelerating, regardless of what gear I was in.

I don't think the mere fact that the Chinese version is testing here means anything, but I think this would be a good addition to the Buick lineup that wouldn't cost very much to implement.

I would recommend using Google and saying: Saturn Ion site:cheersandgears.com

Yeah he made the ZR1 his 2008 Car of the Year. They didn't have very kind words about the Challenger compared to the GM cars though. James was negative about the CTS at first but once he got it into a twisty mountain road he was blown away by its grip and handling.

I remember this picture. Brings back good memories of people trying to increase the brightness and contrast and what have you. Do you still have that picture of Chicago Auto Show setting up before the Lacrosse was unveiled? They were testing a presentation on a video screen and someone caught it with the event's webcams, which you could control at the time. Goooood times.

I just took Acela on Monday. The train is fine, comfortable seats, but the track is laid out in an impossible way and goes around many many tight curves and it doesn't go nearly as quickly as it should. Also, it's not cheap at $90 each way, it's only slightly less expensive than flying. In its favor is good legroom and you emerge at Penn Station (which is a total dump btw) instead of Laguardia, but it needs to be much faster. I like California's high speed rail plan: in order to accommodate future population growth, it is a cheaper plan than expanding airports and widening/adding Interstates and other roads. For places that already have a good highway network and airports, this isn't nearly as pressing.

I agree, go with the Megane.

Hold on here. The stimulus only offered up $8billion for high speed rail, which isn't enough to do any significant work on any high speed line. These new trains may be capable of going 200 MPH, but I would put money on the fact that the track is not suitable for such speeds. High speed rail track needs to be 1) electrified 2) fitted with concrete ties instead of wooden ones and 3) very, very, very straight, with no level crossings. Things like the TGV in France and the Shinkansen in Japan got all new track with very gentle curves, and overpasses for every road. It will be quite a long and expensive slog in this country before there are any real high speed trains. Also, the stimulus bill defines travel at 110 mph to be "high speed", whereas the average speed on the TGV network is 150 mph and trains top out at over 180 mph, with faster trains and more high speed track on the way.

Hey, don't shoot the messenger.

Lutz: Oops, G8 Not Actually Becoming Caprice Bob Lutz says on GM's Fastlane blog that he has come to realize that there is no business case for continuing to import the G8 as a Chevy. Story Link

I remember that Lambda minivan. Lutz went on record before the program was canceled that the next minivans would "look like spaceships", and I'm glad we were able to find a picture of what he was talking about! Also, I like the GMC sub-Theta. The Terrain takes a lot of cues from that I think.

Yes, Congress is qualified to evaluate business decisions of profit-maximizing firms. I'm sure GM was just being mean and its executives were probably drunk when they made their decision to stick it to the working man. If this passes, God help us all.

Majority of House supports bill to reverse dealer closings David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau Washington -- A majority of House members have signed onto a bill to reverse the closing of 789 Chrysler dealerships and block General Motors Corp. from closing more than 1,300, while the full House could vote on the bill as early as next week. The Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Maffei, D-N.Y., now has 221 cosponsors -- a majority of the 435-member House. GM's executives met with Maffei this week. On Wednesday, the bill had just 202 cosponsors. Late Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved by a voice vote an amendment that also seeks to reverse the dealer closings. GM's vice president for sales, service and marketing, Mark LaNeve, said he and his boss, GM North American President Troy Clarke, met with more than 20 members of Congress over the last two days. LaNeve said GM, in the second quarter of 2010, will take another look at its closing dealers to reconsider some if the market or GM's sales improve. "This has been the most difficult, hard thing I'd every have to do," LaNeve said. "In terms of creating a viable, competitive GM on taxpayer dollars, you can't look in the mirror and say we didn't have to restructure the dealer body." The bill would require GM and Chrysler to "honor those rights ... prior to the commencement of the bankruptcy cases of each corporation, including dealer rights to recourse under state law." Chrysler's 789 dealers, nearly a quarter of its network, closed in early June. GM sent termination notices to about 1,300 dealers and expects another 1,280 to close voluntarily by the end of 2010. GM is giving closing dealers 16 months to sell their inventory and up to $1 million in wind-down payments and has agreed to hear appeals. It has reversed its closing decisions in at least 70 instances, LaNeve said -- saying the decisions were driven by data or "extraordinary circumstances." "We didn't reverse anybody because they said they would do better in the future," LaNeve said. Chrysler offered no appeal process and no money to closing dealers. It gave dealers just 26 days to close their doors. On Thursday, Chrysler defended its actions, saying it had "used sound business judgment during the bankruptcy process to determine the appropriate size for its dealer network. Annual new vehicle sales have declined roughly 40 percent in the last two years, which leaves Chrysler at a level that cannot support the previous size dealer network." But Chrysler said it is still talking to its former dealers. "Chrysler continues to work with discontinued dealers on issues related to redistribution of inventory, parts and special tools," the company said. The closings, it said, were "tough, painful business decisions to be made, including reducing the number of manufacturing facilities, employees and dealers. These decisions were not taken lightly, nor were they made irrationally." Chrysler said the bill with 222 supporters "would jeopardize the viability of the new company." Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is circulating a letter trying to broker a compromise. "Those of us from states that have a significant auto presence have always understood that auto restructuring will only be possible through shared sacrifice among all stakeholders," Peters wrote. "We fully support efforts to provide assistance to automobile dealerships whose franchise agreements are being shed as part of the bankruptcy process. The owners and employees of the dealerships affected by this decision were not responsible for the financial crisis that has necessitated automobile restructuring, and neither are the thousands of hourly and salaried workers who are being laid off, the retirees whose benefits are going to be cut or the auto parts suppliers who are going out of business." An ad-hoc committee of auto dealers -- co-chaired by Jack Fitzgerald, owner of Fitzgerald Auto Malls in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida; Alan Spitzer, president of Spitzer Management Inc. with dealerships in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida; and Tammy Darvish, vice president of DARCARS in Maryland -- issued a statement praising the legislation. "A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, an astonishing 222 members, and a quickly growing number in the Senate, from both parties, now fully recognize what is clear to the American people: The leadership of GM and Chrysler made a horrible mistake by their arbitrary termination of profitable dealerships," the statement said. "Detroit and the (White House's) auto task force's flawed business plan will lead to the direct loss of more than 169,000 good jobs and cripple the U.S. auto industry's ability to come back from bankruptcy." A Senate version sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has 14 cosponsors, including Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; and Robert Bennett, R-Utah. More than 100 auto dealers from across the country will join with senior members of Congress on Tuesday July 14 on Capitol Hill to make their case for immediate passage of the bill. Clarke and LaNeve, will meet with Senate aides this afternoon after a day of meetings Wednesday. Chrysler Deputy CEO Jim Press also has been meeting with key officials on the Hill. Two top White House auto advisors, Steve Rattner and Brian Deese, met with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and GM and Chrysler executives for nearly 90 minutes Wednesday in an effort to reach a deal to head off legislation.

Thanks Ted! Awesome stuff.

What company ever wants unions?

Yikes. I had forgotten about that--I think that was even before my time at C&G! I wonder where to find that old STS scan... it was all over the web at some point, someone must have saved it.

It looked pretty similar to this: