hyperv6

Details determine results and profits.

I saw no shortage of 4 or 6 cylinder Terrains two weeks ago. The only things that were rare were any Carbon Black model as it is very popular. I did note we had 3 models like ours to choose from with all the options we wanted in the SLT2 FWD. I just looked and there are none in Ohio that way. I found one in PA and IN. So the dealers in Ohio are either moving them fast or trading out of state. We did not move on the $1,000 off because we did not even know of it till we went to buy as it had not been anounced yet. But on the Terrain/Nox.SRX web site I have seen a few people take advantage of it. The forum has gain many new member of late. That is the issue with the Edge I had. It was $10,000 more optioned the way I wanted it than I would give for it. The old Escape is a little dumpy like an old CRV was. The new one should attract more buyers as it is less base looking. This SUV segment is so mixed with product. It is not like your normal 4 door sedan segment where you have just one style or class of car. This one it ranges from basic to car like to Luxury like to Sporty like to Truck like and even minivan like. There is different appeal to all of these models and each attract different buyers. GM's Nox and Terrain are a good example. While they are nearly the same they each have a different feel to them. The Nox you feel more like you are in a car. In the Terrain Sitting up high and seeing the whole hood makes yoy feel more like you are in a truck. This segment has merged the Car wagon, Minivan and large SUV into one segment and has taken the public by storm. Just really look around at how many are on the road anymore and in parking lots. They really have replace many cars, large suv's and minivans.

No Camaro at this point at Vegas but the Camaro Diciples will be meeting and advising on present and future product. I would have to assume they are already being quized on things for the Alpha at this point. As for the 1LE it is kind of like a Z06 like Camaro. Autoblog was already saying it would be slower than the Boss in lap times. I think they should wait till they drive it first. It is anymore the most HP does not always lap the fastest. Now this is what I expected the Z28 to be now I wonder what else they have planned.

Watch this weekends NHRA Summit Race at Vegas. The Pro Stock Teams are running and Chevy will have people in town. I just have a hunch with this LE1 news and with who is in town they will have the new cars unveiled? The feed back I have heard from KB Racing they are happy so far with the testing so far. The timing for all this news media is just right for the drag cars to be unveiled even if they are not race ready yet. I am not sure if they are ready to race yet but the last I heard they are not far off. I wonder if a COPO could also appear? It still would be hard to stop running the GXP's with the way they are running right now. At least the chassis and the engines will not change.

Like I said we don't have all the facts here. It sure makes it an easy thing when you don't have to factor in any of the details. It was made clear the sedan was not coming back till the new DI V8 was released.

GM needs that little people mover they showed in China. It for a MPV was pretty stylish with the aero fins and all. I expect any new models will be on the second gen.

Loaded versions of it's competitors (Highlander, Murano, etc) are probably in the same range... Still too much If I am paying that much I would move up to the Arcadia or Explorer. Or even a full larger Tahoe. If you are going to pay that much it is better to add the little more and get the larger vehicle.

I had little issue with bulk as most in this class are heavy. The issue is the bulk in the price. There is no way in the world the edge should have a sticker over $42,000.

Thanks I will try to post some more of the less exciting ones. I need to get some of my Sprint SP on here as I never scanned any on the computer of that car yet. I am going to Go through some of his papers on his cars and see what all I can find. It has been years since I have looked at them. I still have his owners manual from his 56 or 57 Cadillac somewhere. It is like it just came out of the glove box. I also have the Cadillac clip on Vanity Mirror that was on that car.

We don't have to like it but there are too few of us to change it. I do know there many in GM that still want to give us some RWD fun and they will if things are right. The coming RWD sport sedan is just that. GM would be here with or with out it but there are those who value these within GM and they don't want GM to be seen as on dimentional like Honda.

Rotors on all cars rust unless they have ceramic rotors. All my GM car do the same when I wash them. Exhaust can have a little surface rust mostly at the welds but all MFG use low grade staniless that for most will last the life of the car. THey all have parts that rust on engines. In GM's case most are coverd with so many plastic panels now that you never see it. I am not a Ford fan in anyway but they have come a ways from where they were a few years ago but to me the gains are not worth the extra price they are charging. I have always felt I got a little more and a little better with GM. I may not be a Ford fan but I have to be honest and fair that they have improved. There is no way in hell I would give $41K for an Edge when in my eye it is a good $31K vehicle.

If I recall the #1 car in OZ was a Mazda 3. The Zeta is still doing well at #2 but the Falcon has taken a great hit the last few years. Hyundai also has made market gains there too and not with RWD. MPG and affordibility are a global thing with cars and many people can't afford as much car as they used too, I think this is part of why the Cruze is doing well and I expect the Verano to also do well.

The real issue is you just did not get your way. The fact is GM has more things to do than just address the minority issues of a limited production Sports Sedan till the have their priorities in order. They have to take care of the mojority of the market first and if they can afford to do it they will address the rest with what we want. Trucks, Cruze, Malubu and the new Impala are all more important than any RWD car including the Camaro no matter how you try to justify it. The wants of the general public come first and the niche markets come second. Like I have said we need to cheer the small appliances as they will pay the way for the lower volume cars we love. I want the same things you do but I also understand what GM has to do. Things are not always as easy as we like to believe. We are all guilty of over simplifying things here as we always do not have all the facts and we also don't have out asses on the line and may lose our job with a mistake. Mark Reuss worked on the Zeta and loves the car. He also is a champion of RWD so if there is a way to do these cars he will find a way. Lutz too will do what he can to fight for them. But they also understand they have to take care of the primary buyers first.

The New Escape is just anoher example of an improved Ford vehicle but much more over priced than what is on the market. Ford is doing this with all their new products and as long as people are willing to pay it that is fine but if they stop buying there are many good vehicles out there to take their place.......

I have been telling this for the last 2-3 years but few listen. Either way the Zeta is getting old and you can only update so much to the point and then a new clean sheet is a much better choice. Most of your fumble and tease was pre Chapter 11 and while a RWD was nice GM had greater issues at stake line the much higher Cruze and Malibu. These are the cars that make the RWD possible, While there is a customer for RWD it is a much smaller group then the applicance cars. Sorry but boring cars are the high volume profit centers. I wish to it were different but we are in the minority here. I wish I could live on cake and ice cream everyday too but thats not wise either. I will stand by my claim the next gen Zeta will be replaced in time by a much lighter and updated car that will make the present one easily outdated. It will be improved in all areas and will not just be a Holden but a Chevy and who knows what else. Be it based on a Alpha or Omega. While the new car standard worry me they are getting companies to build better performance cars by removing the mass and that has been long overdue. I think your eyes will be opened when you see the new standard ATS road test and take a test drive. When you are driving remember the performace one is still to come.

No pain no gain.... GM's greatest issue is most of their vehicles are 500 pound min over weight. Even my new Terrain show the bulk. If they can cust weight and not add to the cost or hurt durability the weight loss is a win win. Not only better MPG but better performance overal. Better handling, stopping and accelration. What more could you ask for. My Terrain as stopping ability that is with in 6 feet of a Boxster. Imagine if it was 500 pound less in weight. Great brakes can be masked by too much mass. Colin Chapman understood the performance end but never the durability. The company in the future than masters both will have a geat advantage. FYI Vaporware is a so overused term today and does not apply to what we we are speaking on...... simple physics! Less mass less fuss. Less mass is a demension of performance that improves all areas not just one. It is the key to all things that are good as long as you factor in the durability and find a way to do it affordably.

7% is short term and is only buying time till they get to the platform they will need. This is not Holden this is GM. Holden is no longer as autonomous as they once were. The American accent here should be a good sign of that. I don't understand your fear of a newer lighter better RWD Zeta replacment. I agree the present car is good but I also understand the same type car 500-600 pounds lighter will not onl;y perform better but also live longer into the future. I see it as preserving the RWD for all of us.

I don't expect the Alpha cost will be out of line as they would not be using it for the next Camaro otherwise. Chevy has an advantage by using the Cadillac platform as it help take much of the development cost while Chevy will help give them back volume on the platform. Weight is going to be an issue on all vehicles from here on out. It is either lose weignt or lose the platform. You can bet on who is in office that could kill the new CAFE laws. The weight of the present car was ok 10 years ago and for a couple more years but time and regulations have passed it by. To cut structure will make it a weaker car and to add enough more expensive materials to make it lighter will only add cost. Like I said read up on how and why GM did the Alpha and you will understand what their thinking is. Agree or not this is GM's mind set. If there was an easy and cheap way to cut weight they would have done it by now. All they are doing now with the token hood swap and other small bits is buying time.

You can't put all the chips on a Diesel. While you may be able to grow this market with time you can not expect it to carry an entire line. Also how much woud it add to the cost. if it adds too much people will go to other vehicles. While those in other markets love and undestand Diesels the Ameican market needs to start all over again. Accept for the pocket of full size buyers there really is little love or understanding in the general public. You can do it with time and you will need to offer them but it will still not carry the vehicle alone. You will need to come up with an efficent gas package with a few tricks. Might want to note most small SUV's will do 3500 pounds now. I would like to see them bump this up for this one to make it more appealing. Most small SUV with a V6 will haul two wacerunners ans a small boat with ease now. I would like to see them target the Explorer with this one. A powerful DI Turbo V6 would be nice amd challange Ford head to head and under cut their price. Lets face it the Ford Explorer, Edge and Flex are all nice but way over priced for what you get. We looked at an Edge vs the Terrain and it was stickered over $10K more. There is no way that it is worth that much. The same for the Explorer. Fords Ace in the Hole is the Ecoboost. While the MPG is not that much more than a V8 by a MPG. Also it has great power. The key though is Ford has done a better marketing job with it than I have seen with any engine for a long time. The Ecoboost is a brand onto it;s own, GM beat Ford to the DI Turbo but who really knows about it? This alone helps Ford sell trucks and SUV's.

All I can tell you is what I heard from a GM engineer connected to the Zeta RWD program. The upgrades or weight reductions you posted here are just the final phase of the Zeta and what they can trim. To cut away at the major bulk would damage the cars strength or make it too expensive to build. Look at the underside of the then ATS and you will see how and where they pared down a lot of weight and that is just what you can see. The Alpha was built with strenght and weight reduction right from the start. It is easier and better to design new vs trying to fix old. GM can afford to do it right this time. EIther way I see the Alpha and the New Omega taking the place of the Zeta. I really don't see that as a bad thing.

Most would go to Chevy just as most of the Pontiac owners. I like GMC better but for the styling but if I had not choice of GMC it would be Chevy. Pickups owners are too corperate loyal to go too far from home.

What many forget is the GMC line kept a lot of Buick dealers open and alive when they only has an old Lacrosse and a SUV to keep them going. The GMC profits then and even now support these dealers more than the cars do. The GMC dealer I just bought my SUV from is GMC only and had not even got the Buick dealer that they have been promised. They are still alive and doing well even with out Pontiac. That is telling on the profits of the truck line.

Here is a model 57 similar to the one I have in the blue print. I just looked at it is 1923 not 26. Here is a model 57 bus from Six Wheel Corp. They owned the market till GMC took over. Many cities used their buses and many were exported. The 6 Wheel line in Phili PA. I would love to the the UAW guys who complain today about condition work here for a week. If I get time I may scan more but these are some of the more interestng shots. My Great Uncle was not Zora Duntov but he was a key part at GMC and one of the unsung people who help Make GM #1 years ago. If I am of off on dates and some facts sorry but I am work on things I heard as a 10 year old. I am glad my mom had forsight to put many of these photo's in book as I had more and they were damaged in a drawer. I wish I had known how important they would become to me. I was amazed at how well they scanned. To be honest some of them look better here than in the real photo. The Digital has brought out some of the details much better.

And now for something a little different. How about an 8 wheel bus? Detail on the steering. The bus was one of several used to haul workers to the Akron tire plants from Goodyear Hights housing development. Goodyear finaced and built affordible housing to draw in workers to Akron. Firestone did a similar thing with Firestone Park. Both are still here and many of the old houses are still in pretty good shape.