hyperv6

No it is simple business. Cars will have to change in the future. Auto mfg will be forced into these new technologies at some point as pending new regulations will force them to it. California is now wanting 15% of the fleet alturnitive energy. Yes they stopped it once but don't bet on that it will continue to get overturned. Also the feds are pushing for the 53 MPG and that is not likley with just gas engine. To meet these future demands will require many things. New smaller cars, new lighter materials and new and different drivelines that is unless someone can find that 100 MPG Fish Carb that the oil companies bought and have hidden in Roswell. To meet these demads of tomarrow will require spending on these technologies today. Companies just can invest in 2025 technology now without some kind of return now. This is going to be an expensive 13 years in the future and the ground will be gained a little at a time and some money will come back with intergration of these technologies in these new cars. By creating markets for these cars suppliers will be more inclined to invest in development and work with the automakers. The fact is if there was not a market for better electric car batteries who would spend the billions needed to develope them? While these cars will not be profit centers they will help offset some of the development cost. It goes back to the chicken or the egg. The same needs done on Hydrogen cars. They are able to be produced but the issues of the lack filling stations is major issue. Also thinks like fill times as some of these cars have been know to take up to 30 mins depending on the system doing the fill. The Volt is only one of many more stepping stones to the future. It has taken the electric car from the over sized golf car class to a car the average person could live with. The next gen will lower cost and increase ranges. Things learned here will also be applies to other vehicles and even trucks. This will help hold the increase in cost of these cars too as the new technologies they will have to adapt will add great cost too. So right now if some of our green friends want to save the planet paying a high price that will offset the cost of our future vehicles more power to em. It was a good thing that the nay sayers to Daimler, Winton and Ford did not convince them that the Horse will never be replaced by those noisey, unreliable, dirty, over priced cantraptions they call an automobile. This is a case when you look at these cars and technology you need to have vision on where the markets are going and the great challanges they will face. The automobile will change more in the next 10 years than in any other 10 year span. This is not a short term vision this one is looking out 10-30 years out. It has to start somewhere and the sooner you start the less you will have to spend at one time.

GM has given the car the ability to drive and ride like a normal car. The key now is to make it cheaper to sell and operate. People shop with their wallets anymore. They all hate Wallmart and products from China but when push comes to shove they still choose product by the price. It will take time but the price of the Volt or Volt like cars will come down while gas powered cars will climb because of the added technology to meet future goverment regs. In time more people will be open to the Volt but again it is not a car for everyone.

The Volt and thsi segment is not going to go away. In the case of the Volt GM has too much money, time and rep invested to walk away. What many here fail to understand this for all companies even Tesla that these cars are a work in progress. Thes cars are no different when the first gas cars came out in many ways. The early gas cars were short ranged, unreliable and expensive. Hell you had to in many cases mix your own fuel. As time went on the cost came down, the range came up and they became reliable. It took a while to make them into something many could afford and live with.The same thing applies here. Add to all this the fact may more states are going to continue to force auto makers to make more green cars with their set standards like California. Also the 54 MPG is back and even if it stopped it will keep coming back even though there is no way for MFG to meet this. Yes the Chevy V8 get good MPG but even their best 4 cylinder can not meet this level yet. We may not have the Volt as a model but I do see them installing the technology in more and more cars. We may have several small vehicles with the choice of electric, gas or a gas and electrc powertrain to meet their needs and wants. In either case if GM walks away now on this program it will not only kill them public relations wise like the EV-1 but it will put them behind nearly every other MFG in the world. GM needs to make it clear that this is not the car they did to save GM. They did it because it is an area all MFG are going. They also need to make it clear that right now it is the best car for the technology involved and it will become better as things become more available to improve it with new investment by all in this technology. This was not intended to be a car for everyone now or in ten years. Now 30 years from now it may well be to the point it could be the car of choice or one most could live with and afford. The Moon was not accomplished on the first Mercury rocket shot and that is where we are. It will take time, investment and a series of models to get to where they are going. So for now it is a nich and will remain one for a while longer. But in time it will grow into a accepted segment in the market for all MFG. THe prices will fall in line with other models and you will have a choice as it will never fully replace gas.

I really don't need anymore black cars but I really like the Regal in black.

But GM claimed to have met or surpassed BMW in the past, Lexus claimed the same, ditto for Audi. Yet none of them are BMW, the 3-series and 5-series whoop on the IS, GS, A4 and A6. I want to wait to see reviews on the ATS, especially from European testers, they will be most critical. Car and Driver loves BMW, if the ATS can win them over, then Cadillac is getting somewhere. Did you say EXITEMENT!!!! That should be reserved for Pontiac, Buick can't handle it. BMW can't even beat old BMW in terms of handling and driving feel. This is true as I have seen more and more of the diehard BMW fans speak out and {the ones who care more about performance dynamics vs image] say how they have felt let down with many of the new models. It is not that they are bad but they are getting away from what they used to be and what they liked about the cars. It is something they could get back to. I think they hit it with the limited M1 but they missed it with the other M cars. I saw more people excited witht he M1 than any M3 in a long time. Cadillac spent more time on the chassis than any other part of this car. They still have technology but it is not the kind that needs to be fiddled with all the time. I suspect that since the press says the new Malibu has great driving dynamics even in eco trim the ATS should provide great fun. Magnetic ride is a trump card here as it works but there is little the driver needs to do accept set the level. THe car does the rest seemlessly.

Hah, I wish. The MD-500s are sort of the Ferrari of the non-military, helicopter world. Sadly, I don't have a spare million bucks. Just taker a lot of good pictures! Or get some naked ones of a few CEO's that are willing to pay. LOL!

Just get a Hughes painted up like Lutz and they will think you are just checking up on them.

The new systems are pretty amazing. My Buddys Beechecraft Bonanza G36 was built for a Dr and the good Doc added the best of everything and often two of each. I guess he had a fear of losing a system. The navagation systems are very good and are great for hitting the Islands off the coast. They use to fly from New England to Fl and at times to the islands till she was unable to get in the plane. I don't have a license but I get to take the yoke often when we are up. I was lucky enough to fly the B25 on one of my flights. It was like flying a big dump truck. My dad knew a lot of pilots so he got me in a lot of cool planes and copters when guys were going up. I love flying and would love to have my license but I could never talk the wife into a plane. Enjoy the flying I know you have to be having a blast.

It is nice to see a proactive GM. Who knows this added marketing may just keep the marketing fresh on this car. I would love to see them include real owners and how they love their cars and advertise how much gas they used, I saw Jay Leno uses his Volt daily since last spring and has only used a 1/2 tank of gas, It is the same tank the car was delivered fromt he dealer with.

Sorry they killed the convertible for now. It may be a roadster now. The Convertible may show up as a next CTS and I am sure on the Alpha Camaro.

I guess it is true my friend told me when she was at the Black Lake in Warren she saw some new S.A.M. stations going in. She thought it was to keep Lutz from Buzzing them, but now we know the real reason why. Many pilots today still fly the interstates LOL! When my buddy and I go flying we have two high dollar GPS systems in his plane to use but we still mostly fly by landmarks but we know the midwest and south east area pretty well. If we went farther west we would need help. I love the video. Was that a GO PRO? I wished I had one for my B-25 flights a couple years back. . I rigged up a old Sony and it did not come out well. On the B-25 on both flights just had too much vibration. The Go Pro does a good job. I have flow several planes but I still really admire anyone who can fly a chopper! . That is what seperates the skilled from the average pilots.

I too will wait for the fianl product but in this case it is on a new plarform with money and less restriction that they have never faced. Lets say I have a little more reason to be optimistic. At the very least I expect it to be one of the best cars GM has ever built in the modern era. I also expect a few here to hate the Alpha as they have not liked anything GM has done in last 50 years no matter what. Same song different dance for some. Buick can handle anything with care, attention to detail and investment. But for a few occations Pontiac could not generate much excitement either. They for the most were Buicks with red dash lights and cladding. In fact in the last so many years the only real excitment they had was with a old revamped Buick heart as they had no heart of their own. Pontiac reminded me of a movie set. It was like one of those western towns where it looked good out front but if you walked behind there was nothing there. The Solstice, Fiero, Bird, GTO and G8 were all they really have had to really have any exitement and only the Fiero and Soltice started life first as a Pontiac.

We work with Chip at work on some of his projects and he has done a few drawings for us to say thanks for helping him. His drawings are like Kenny Youngbloods and are a little cartoonish to the finished product. I expect the final car will have the stock rear and wheel base. He is more into doing paint stance and wheels on projects like this and I would expect he would not try to rework the rear in this fashion. I like Chip drawings as they are so similar to the Youngbloods old style. I saw Kenny two years ago and he is not able to paint or draw much amymore. His health is not what it used to be. I have two of his drawings and have them hanging in my car room in the house.

Cadillac claims the ATS feels as light and agile and fun to drive as a E46 3 series. They targeted the E46 3 series for size by 1/2 in most dims. They also targeted the weight of a 135i. The real focus of the car was drivability and they put most of the effort into that. The power, styling and interior were not things that GM was far off on. The rules in GM did limit the suspensions and they addressed it by tossing the rules out and doing it the way the engineers wanted it vs what GM corp wanted. This car was designed from the wheels up. As of now I would not even bring a GP into this concept. The GP while sporty is not even in the ball park of where the ATS is working to be. GM claims that they have met or surpassed BMW in all areas they targeted. The idea is here that if they can take a heavy Zeta Camaro and make it handle with super car like feel and ability think what they can do with a new lighter platform designed to use the Magnetic ride from the start. We have already see the reaction to the ZL1 and I get the feeling with this ligher and mor nimble car this one will just flat shock many people. As for the Roadsters they had to work with what they were given. FWD on the Allante was the major issue and the XLR was just an expensive Vette in the eyes of many buyers.This time they have their own rwd ligher platform to work with and I expect if the ATS is as good as it is the roadster will only be more amazing. The first road test should be this spring and we will know soon enough. The ATS will signal what to expect with the many cars we will see on this platform. THe others will have more power some will be lighter. All things that add up to even more excitement even for Chevy and possibly Buick at some point.

I am sure in this lawsuit happy society that GM took the long term effects to the car into consideration. Just because they are small does not mean they will fail. The V8 will find its way into the CTSV so why dupe it in the ATS. Not everyone wants a V8 anymore. The fact is the HP they will put in this car would be the same V6 or V8 as it is not going to get a supercharged 600 HP engine. The issue for you as the mechanic will be that these cars will become as difficult to work on. Dave Masch stated that all thge components wukk be very tightly packaged more tightly than GM rules previously allowed. In other words this car will be as much of a Pain to work on as most BMW's, But with todays cars major issues are not as common and warranties are much longer so it will become GM's issue to deal with more than mine. But then again I had to do some really stupid things on some recent GM cars. Taking a engine mount off and supporting an engine just to change a fan belt was not one of their better ideas. The first thing I would do is wait till you see what they have done first before you get too crazy on how really bad it will be. Much of the things they listed were already applied to the W body. Lighter control arms, aluminum sub frames, hollow bars and yes even smaller bolts are all found on my 04 GTP and none of them are pulling though are are hard to remove if needed. I live in the center of the rust belt. I can say it has held up better than many of the older cars I have worked on over the years. the old big bolts wopuld strip just like the small ones.

Did some checking. The new ATS has an Aluminum sub frame similar to the one used in the GXP GP. The ATS was designed around the 18 inch wheels to keep weight down and still look good. Larger wheels would have added weight themselves and to the car because it would have had to been larger in areas to deal with them. The ATS has much lightened suspension parts. They cut weight even going with smaller bolts and fasteners where they found they could without hurting the car, GM has stated the car can fit a V8 but many still expect a TT V6 in the coming V series. The V8 I expect will be held for the Camaro and the CTS coming to this platform. Also I suspect the Convertible if done will be a Camaro and CTS. I see the Camaro as a better home for a cheaper convertible and the CTS as a better home for the more expensive convertible. A small roaster would not cross lines for either. The Turbo 4 will have a 50/50 balance but the Manual if I read it correctly will have a 51/49. GM engineers love to point out that many of the past GM rules of development were broken building this car. The size of suspension parts, the fitment of engine items in much smaller areas and other key things that GM would force the engineers to follow till Lutz let them toss out much of the rule book and let them build the car the way they wanted it. One writer declared the ATS as a rulebreaker and it is the most radical car GM has built since the Volt. I would expect much more to come with more news at the first test drive and the coming model. I get the feeling that those who expected a 7/8 scale CTS will be shocked that this car will prove to be much more. We also need to keep in mnd this was one of the few programs that was never stopped under the Chapter 11. This will be one of the first cars to show the new GM and empowered engineer and what they can do. GM aways could build the cars they needed but someone had to set them free of the old rules.

With many small engines already at or over 300 HP and 300 ft-lbs and only gaining more in the the near future I suspect GM already considered this. I would bet the present car is more able than some suspect. Lets face it the power, torque and weight are not all that much appart anymore. The smaller enginer have much more power and the V8 is no where as heavy as it used to be. The Kappa with the Turbo upgrade was 340 HP and 315 FT LBS and many of the V8 converstions to little in the way of mods to make them work.

Walking aroud sucks but so does opening two doors if you just want to toss something in the back. It would be nice to be able to open the suicide door independent of the front but you know it would just add to the material for the Dumbest Stuff on Wheels. Idiots would not only open the doors at speed ripping them off but someone will be there with a Video too.

I wonder if they are removing weight this way? There is a lot of extra support they have to build in to remove the B pillar that you don't see. I like the present system best but I am not going to lose sleep if they change it. The B pillar missing is easier to get larger items in. It is a bigger pain when you arms are full and you have to open two doors in the present system. There are pro's and cons to each.

The Franchise laws are a great burden to the MFG and will be for a long time to come. Just look at the issued GM has trying to cut the number of Chevy stores. Hands being tied is too kind of a way to discribe it.

It was made clear in the media that this platform was being considered to replace the CTS. THey were reporting that long before it was reported here. So we do know they had been working to make this car a larger car than the ATS. The only thing was would GM change their mind later. That remains to be seen but I suspect the CTS will see the Alpha under it. We also know already that the Tubo 4 and DOHC V6 will find its way in. With the work on the Camaro being done it is a given a V8 will be fitted. Now just because a V8 is able to fit don't assume there will be multi offerings of this package. I suspect with the timing of the Camaro and loss of weight in this package the Turbo 4 and some kind of Turbo V6 will be set to play a large part of the Camaro. They will offer the V8 but look for it in a ZL1 or Z28 Package that will be a large jump in price. In other words if you want A V8 Camaro you can get one but you will have to pay a lot more for it. I see the SS going to a Turbo V6 and it will be over 400 HP. Ford has already shown they will be putting a lot of focus on the Ecoboost Mustang in the future and GM is not letting this go un noticed. GM wants to sell more smaller engined Camaro's and the way to do it is charge more for the V8. They win no matter what they do with this. They get the small engine sales or they get the V8 money. As for Stress I don't see it as a great problem. The small engines are putting out torque that is not all that far off from the V8 already and I am sure what ever needs they may have to address will not add much weight as much of the support is designed into the car as a package. Todays cars work as a package supporting much. Even the windshields anymore work as a supporting structure to stiffen the car. The Omega will fill the needs of a larger sedan and police packages. No need for coupes and other odd applications unless they want to adapt it for some kind of unibody SUV work etc like the Denali Show car. The time is coming where unibody trucks are going to start poping up. Dodge has already said this may be where the Dakota is going. I could see a large sedan platform being adapted to some kind of new crossover or SUV work of some kind too. It would not be the first car based Crossover and as long as it looks like a truck the car platform is forgotten by most buyers.

What I like is that we already know the Alpha will be a sedan, coupe, wagon and now a possible roadster. It makes one wonder what else could they do with it. A small unibody SUV kind of like the GMC they showed on the Zeta based Denali Show car. How about a El Camino for Camino? Who knows where this will go. GM has changed things as they go and may cook up new ideas on top of the ideas we have already not seen. This is only the begining for this car so a lot could happen in the coming years. We also know Cadillac and Chevy will be sharing so it only goes to reason Buick would have a posible interest. The extra money they had to develope this car will pay off in the long run for any divsion that uses this car. Cadillac did six different suspension before they settled on what they will use for the ATS. I would expect with that much work they would have learned a lot that could be used in many different kinds of models. It will be exciting to see what comes of all this.

What took so long for this story to show up here? They pointed out when this came out that this is where the ATS Convertible went. I really thing that this car will do more for GM and Cadillac vs the Convertible. The fact they got it away from the Corvette is the best part. It will have it's own area vs just being seen as a over priced Corvette. I saw the Covertible sales limited at best so the Roadster is not going to hurt that in my eyes. I can only imagine the weight on this one. 3300 on a sedan a smaller roadster should come in under that.

The mark up prices will not last. The car is more than it should be and it is far from a collectors car. In time the dealers will fall in line when they see they are not going to move them. In the mean time GM should reward the dealers moving them. The Volt technology will remain. It may move to another or more models but this is not a one time shot here. GM has too much invested and will find ways to bring the price down and the range up. There had to be a market to get suppliers on board and now that most companies are using similar items like electric motors and batteries it is now worth the investment. The Goverment should have invested into a NASA project that would have helped in this area vs many of the wasted projects that the present admin pushed. Money to contractors on one project are more effective vs money to may small companies that end up going bankrupt with products no one wants.

THis will either make or break GMC. I think people will pay for it if it is right but if they do fail to pay the extra buck it will crush GMC. But this is something that needs to be done. GMC will be able to afford to sell less vehicles if they get the higher price.