hyperv6

Too many at GM too think volume and not profit. Many times in the case of a fine luxury car less is more in the eyes of the consumer. The less they see of a particular popular model around the more their ego is fufilled. All the part of image. I will have to try to find out what Packard said as it had to have been a whopper. Cadillac here showed how to tell Packard FU with class and style, I like that.

The following was published by Cadillac in a print advertisement circa 1915 in response to a Packard advertisement crticial of Cadillac. I believe it still applies. The Penalty of Leadership "In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be mediocre, he will be left severely alone - if he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious, continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy - but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant. There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as human passions - envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains - the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. "That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live - lives." I see this still relevent today as it was in 1915. Cadillac need not be the highest volume or the fastest, they just need to be the best and be the leader in the market segmsnet. Cadillac needs to be the one other copy.

Cadillac needs to worry more about the ATS and next CTS. For now the SUV's are fine and making money. They can address them once they get the cars in order. The SRX today like it or not is what the public wants. The RWD as good as it may have been was not what they wanted. Sales proved it. I have driven them and there is nothing wrong with either. It just proves GM needs to give the public what they want. GM has for year really misjudged the market on many models and today they seem to be doing better with changes Lutz brought to their way of thinking.

With Benz where they are and Toyota struggling... Boys it's time to go pick that vine clean. In all truth it is a good time for GM to make some headway here. They are not going to the front in a year or so but they can carve out a place to be and grow. Also a stron buy American setiment is growing in this country. Give em a good car and they will come. I think this has helped the Cruze.

I got invited to the opening of a Movie Corbin Bersen produced tonight. It was premieried here in Akron. As we walked out I saw a black Bentley Continental GT. This is a car that you don't ask if it has push rods or DOHC, You don't ask if it has a V12 or V8, you don't even really care if it is a Bentley or not. The styling on this car and the elegance speaks a powerful language and it is a design that makes you feel it not just see it. The lines of the car and the trim on the interior speak volumes of what Sport Luxury has become. This is the kind of car that has image and power all over it! When someone drive in with one of these you get noticed and it is not something you see just anywhere. Though around here they are becoming more common. I saw one in the snow last year. The CTS Coupe is close to this in presents but I would like to see the interior a little more to the Bently style of detail. Imagine if the could do a ATS coupe with this kind of styling and presents. Add to that a great engine and chassis. This is where Cadillac needs to go on all levels. Park that Bentley GT next to a DTS and you can see what has been wrong. Or if you like to compare sedan to sedan use a Mulsanne. Here are 4 things pointed out on the Bentley web site and I feel Cadillac needs to apply to all of these. Engineering Passion Performance Technology Craftsmanship Styling with Passion or Presents These are what the Cadillac class should be all about. I added the last one and I feel it is the most important. I am not saying Cadillac needs to build a $200,000 coupe or sedan. By all means no! But these points can be applied to a car in the range of $40K-90K with no issue. Prove yourself here you can move up later. Cadillac just needs to carve out it's own place and grow the brand back to what it once was. It is not so much out selling Benz or BMW but growing Cadillac to what it can be. If Cadillac makes a car that looks like $200,000 and sells it for $60,000 they will make gains to a bright future. Styling draws customer like a moth to a flame. Then once you get them to this point the rest of the car can sell itself.

I agree fully here. But even with the Granite I have no issue with it as long as it remains only a GMC and not shared with Chevy. I would also want the expanding pick up bed version. I think GMC is the perfect place to try out new ideas and segments. They have little to risk with the way they are set up. They have the profits from chromed Chevy rebodies but can move and attempt to make new segments. I would let Chevy do the more sporty truck and street trucks. The ZQ8 S 10 and Colorado are fun trucks that needed more engine to go with the suspension. I would love to see more done in the full size with a truck that handles as well as hauls. I loved my ZQ8 as it was like a Camaro with a pick up bed. Too bad it only had a 4.3. Some of the off road stuff like the Jeep like Hummer tuned GMC could be shared with other GM branches around the world. I see GMC as a good fit for Holden with the open territory and off road needs there. A SUV with Range Rover traits could also be a good move for GMC but keep it away from Chevy.

Cadillac is not going to out volume Benz as they have too many different models and makes around the world. Cadillac needs to beat them in image and make a good profit. With GM they can afford to sell Cadillac in smaller volumes at a higher price and make more money on less cars. Many other makes sell less cars and make enough money to make their brands stand out. This is not a matter of who is number one in sales, it is about being a member of the club and being considered one of the best while making a good profit. High end luxury and sports cars is not about volume. If anything high volume hurts image. A Cadillac in every trailer park is not a good thing. People in this class want to be special. Buick is there for the common man to buy in larger volumes. The key is to get Cadillac to the point it has earned this image and status.

No worries as I am well aware of my typo's and really don't care. I spend all day everyday behind two large flat screens dealing with customer and companies. I have to be spot on there. At Home I am off the clock and pretty much do not take the time to worry about typo's. The spell check here does not work for me either and the several people I have ask said they did not know what to do to fix it. When I type on the fly or the I phone there are typo's when I have time to recheck there are none. Just the way it is. Sorry if it is a challange but I think you are sharp enough to get the point. What made GMC a GMC was Large Trucks and Buses, the things Chevy did not make. Today they are gone but the fact remains GMC is an blank slate that can be made into anything it needs to be. The trucks are a given since they are cheap and profitable but GMC needs more than just making everything a Denali. The Ganite is a good first step It is something Chevy does not have and will fill a niche left by the HHR. Hummer should have been a GMC model It would have been cheaper to do and it would have been easier to adapt to other models. I would still see the Hummer H3 or what ever they were calling the Jeep like Hummer they were considering. A real off road small vehicle would fit nice here with a Turbo 4. The flat torque curve and low end power with high MPG would be a nice fit here. A GMC to challange the Raptor would be the best choice here. I expect one soon but it should not also be a Chevy. A performance line of trucks in 4x4 and 2x4 like Fords SVO would be nice. Do special editions like Ford does the Harley trucks. A line of special order fleet truck as Ford does would also help. I have seen some of the large Logging pick ups they make for the lumber companies and other trick fleet editions. Let GMC do the fleet work and let Chevy work on the normal public offerings. To survive GMC need to reinvent its self. They can take the chance on special models and limited versions. Most would add profit as none would be cheaper models. Just for God sake just don't keep forcing a lot of chome on us and a Denali name on ever model. In time this will wear thin and the public will move on. They need to be more open minded and keep it fresh. As for your error, that is ok as I always thought of you as cube short anyways. Sorry that was too easy.

The 366 was a V-8, but I'm sure this was your frequent typo-itis and you meant 306 V6. Not a typo of just a mistake, I had worked on many 366 Big Blocks too and just made a mistake. But that is ok as you also made a mistake too. The engine was a 305 V6. I guess it just proves neither of us know or can remember it all. But thanks for the boorish rude comment anyways. We had a few of the 305 V6 engines back then on some medium duty trucks. I had worked on them back when I was still in school and learned to drive trucks with one. They were very old but I at least got spend some time on them and learn a little on them. At least we never had any with the plaid valve covers. They seem to be a thing GMC collectors have made a legend of as good ones are hard to find today. I saw one set years ago and just thought someone painted them. http://www.6066gmcguy.org/GMCplaid.htm Hmmm? Is this what really makes a GMC a GMC lol!

As of now Cadillac is not taking Benz on head to head as they just don't have the models now to do it in each class. There is still work to do before they can accomplish this. This will take time and each new model needs to be well excuted. A failure will only add to the time and cost of rebuilding. Sales numbers = superiority This is not always true in luxury cars. Some have to do this as they can not sell the model at a high enough price to make a large margin. While others can sell at lower volumes at a higher price to make the profit. The key here is to to work to the lower volume and higher profits to enhance your image. Porsche in the 80's tried the high volume route and paid a price in poorer image. Today the price of a 911 is back up there and they sell less but make more money. The age of the 924, 944 and cheaper 911 almost killed Porsches image. They may have sold more cars but they did not make the money. The ATS will be the volume car as GM needs this yet as they add other models and more expensive models it will take some of the burden off this car. Cadillac will have to transform to where they are going. Where they start is not the final desination. They have to earn the Image and preception and prove they are worthy of consideration. Even then it will still be a difficult job to change minds and how people in this class precieve Cadillac. Styling: is the most important thing. It is what stimulates a buyer more than anything. When they see the car it is the first sense GM contacts with the buyer. Note this is an area Cadillac can really work. Lets face it the German cars while not bad are not stellar exhibits of styling and design. Quality: The new product needs to be trouble free and the best on the market. It will still take time but you have to prove you can make a better car. GM is able to do this now, they just need to make few mistakes and if they do have an issue be proactive. Technology; This can include everything from performance, onboard electronics to safety. You have heavy marketing from Benz flipping cars in crash test to BMW showing how their cars perform. They like to show all the trick features you can't get on a Chevy or VW. Perception: What people think of your car means a lot here. The buyers in this class read and learn much on these cars as few take lightly on spending large sums with out knowing the product. Benz and BMW market strong on the images they have built. We all know that they are the end all be all car of the world but to most of their buyers they drank the Kool Aid and are believers. GM needs to convert and convince the public they are not the 864 Cadillac of the past. Like DOHC or push button start buttons or not most see these as advancements. These are things that people do not need but want in this class. Image: This is the tough one as Image can not be bought or sold. Image have to be earned with great product and excellent marketing. It takes time and can not be forced. Cadillac once held the image of the worlds best many years ago. they lost it and now have to re earn it with each and every model. Ego: Cadillac needs to feed the ego of the buyers. This is where they have to give them the kinds of cars they want not the cars they need. Many in this class are concerned on how the car represents them just as a good suit. A man does not need a Armani Suit as a JC Penny may do the same job just as well. But the image of of power and exclusiveness reflects back on the owner. The same holds true on these cars. Cadillac needs to be a car that everyone wants but not everyone should or can have one. We can argue all you want that Cadillac can or can't fight BMW or Benz. The fact remains if they are to survive they have to as long as Buick the 800 pound Chinese Gorilla is still in the room. Cadillac has no room to move down and only a path that leads up. While they may not take the lead in this group they can survive if they prove they belong and make consistant market gains. One main key here is to make sure even if a platform is shared with another GM divivion that it has little to show it does. Even shared engines should be tuned and dressed differently. These cars need to offer what you can't get on a Chevy. I know econoimics are in play and some things have to be shared but every effort needs to done to hide the shared items. LS engine is not a bad thing for Cadillac but it also hurts it's Image wise with many potential buyers too. Not everyone is in love with a Chevy engine. Like it or not it is as much a liability in this class as help. I really think GM can do this with the right people calling the shots. But I am sorry to say there are still some within GM as lost as some here in really understanding the segment , the buyers and what Cadillac needs to be. If some t GM were in charge they would recreate the Cimarron all over again. Today is a global market. Cadillac has to sell here and elsewhere like the rest of it's challangers. While it need not make a major impact in Europe it still needs a presents there to be considered legitimate by many buyers. The only luxury car without a world market is Lincoln and they too are struggling with poor image and poor preceptions. I would like to see Cadillac get the ATS and CTS right. Then move on to a larger RWD sedan. Then once they have gotten these right I would love to see a car in the vein of a Bently Coupe that will offer a show case of luxury and performance. It would be low volume and I would still keep the price near $100,000 When I say Bently I mean a car that has styling and performance that look and runs as well. It can still be a V8 and does not have to over reach. But when I see Bently coupe here just the styling and trim alone make you say wow. I would like that kind of impact. That is what I would like to see in a so called flagship. Imagine a Sixteen like car as a real functioning coupe. The reason I picked the coupe I see it easier to style and build. It also would bridge a sedan and 2 seat roadster that Cadillac is just not ready for. The styling cues also can be used on the other cars in the line. But the first step is to get the ATS and next CTS the kind of cars people will wait a month or more to get at the dealer because of demand.

You mean like this? ... Maybe this: ... Maybe it was this: ... Maybe this? ... or this? I love it when people pick out a random, singular feature and declare the 'cause of death' all due to that- almost always quite entertaining. I just love it when some deflect when they have a weak argument. You know as well as the rest of us there are many things involved. The point here was taken from Bob Lutz and his perspective on one of the major issues at Saturn. He was just pointing out how GM did not know their market or customer and tried to force on the public their preceptions of what they thought they felt the needed.

Pushrods in the CTS-V aren't a tough sell. All you have to do is say "Five Hundred and fifty six horsepower" It is the HP not the pushrods selling the V. But then again what percentage of the CTS sales are V's. There is a large group of people out there that believe correct or not that German engineering is superior to American no matter how often their BMW has a $1800 issue. Benz and BMW market themselves on techology from safety to performance. People buy into this. Years ago people tought the orange peel on a Germans car paint was because they used more paint than Detroit. I had a Ford engineer tell me that was what people would tell them in clinic in the early 80's. People though bad paint was a good thing when it came to the Germans. He told me Ford used to put a little orange peel in to try to give the same impression for a while. He is also the one that told me they don't fool proof cars they idiot proof them as the public can never be underestimated. The public as a whole are fools but you need to cater to them. Give them what they want or they will go else where. While luxury car buyers are not your normal grease under the fingernails kind of gear head many are still the want a be gear head that has the money to buy his performance. He like the brag factor or more of everything. He may not install bigger turbo's or a larger intercooler but he can tell his golf partner he has a bi turbo and 500 HP, that is what he cares about. He is not a Camaro Gear Head kind of guy and needs to be treated as such. Now on a Camaro I see a DOHC as a negitive as most of these guys want tradition. But then again the Gen y drivers like the new way of things as they have grown up with the new technologies. I see it in our customers at work. The old guy wants a SBC and the young guy wants the larger Turbonetic's turbo for his 4 cylinder. Most of our sales staff hate inports 4 cylinders but their money is a green as the old guys. This is where I see offering both is not a issue but a requirement. The trouble here is a preception of what Cadillac owners are and what they need to do to increase sales. Some of the old way will work but GM and Cadillac needs to adapt to the modern buyers that are going else where. You have the present buyers they need the people that are else where and have an opinon of a good car that does not include Cadillac....yet. You can argue to him and show him the push rod engine all you want but in his mind the he see's the other engines as more advanced and better. I see the ATS as a step to go after the new target market for Cadillac. I think there will be some suprises with this car for all groups. The buyers of import luxury and performance are not the same kind of old people that have been tooling around in Buicks and DTS. The market has shifted and Cadillac is going to shift with it if it is going to survive. If not they could easily end up just like Olds and Pontiac. Before you say no who ever thought Olds and Pontiac would die. True enough. I'd still like to see Chrysler build a V10 w/ Hemi heads. I wonder what will power the NG Viper... The Hemi engine is part of Mopar's distinctly American flavor. I suspect with Fiat in charge it will be 8 cylinders and may even be more than on cam. There has been a lot of hinting of Alfa being used.

It may be an underdog but it is #1 in sales right now. Hell I went to the Funneral Home last night for calling hours and there were three Cruze in the parking lot. GM keeps this car in the top 5 in sales it will do well to rebuilt peoples faith in them. So far anyone I have spoken too that has driven one or owned one said it is a sweet car. That is not something I have ever heard someone say about the Cobalt or Cavalier.

Where in the world outside GM fans are they crying and demanding pushrod engines? It may be all you post and I don't disagree but people are buying otherwise. Do they need DOHC no but do most people world wide want and expect it yes. It is like the traction tale for FWD. People today want FWD for the most part because they get better traction. Not true but it is easier to use for the unskilled driver. Point and shoot. It all comes back to preception, ego and wants of the customer. There are many automotive snobs that will refuse a Chevy powered Cadillac no matter what you show them. Smart no but their money is green and you will not get it otherwise. If GM is to keep the LS based engine in their cars they really need a specific Cadillac tuned version that offers what Chevy does not offer. Mine is begger better and fancier, in this class Imsge is king not logic.

Point is odds of a V12 are slim to none. You have 4-6 and 8's to work with and that is it. That is off the table due to economics and the goverment. But that is not to say many other options are open. Now what you do to them is what makes people take notice. People in the segment are not Camry buyers and often know ICB and DOHC along with many other advanced features like Direct Injections and Turbo Charging. Image and ego play big here. When I go by the Firestone Country $$$$ Club the parking lot is all about one upmanship. The guy did not buy the Benty coupe because it was a good buy and the Benz Black series is not there because he saved money. these cars are to show power and image. What does the car say for the owner. Most Ferraris are not sold to people for track day but to people who want to be noticed. There is no generalities here better is better. Sales determind if you have it right. Like the CTS coupe you are not going to make all happy but most will love it. You can't tell me when you look at this car that the styling moves you inside and makes you say wow. You can't say the Dame Edna Styling on the BMW moved you in a similar positive way. The segment has really not been challanged in a great way and GM can step the game up and challange. To this point they have played around in conservitive ways. But as much as I like the CTS they have not gone far enough to challange and make people notice. They are at best like Lexus and just hoping to be involved and not the leader of the group. The things GM needs for Cadillac is to make cars that project an image that people with money want. They have done this with the Escalade but have not gotten there yet with the cars. You have to feed the ego of the owners.

It used to mean a 366 V6 and Semi Cabs, Medium Duty Stake trucks and other real trucks. Today it is a different grill an extra chrome. I do have to say I have always liked the GM styling over the Chevy. I am not a Denali fan but the present GMC pickup has a much nicer nose than the Chevy.

I don't think undercutting is the key. The key is to offer a better car with no excuses. Better styling, better interior, better all around performance better options. Leave off the goofy tech things like self parking and give them the kind of tech buyers in this class really want and can really use. On board systems that are easy to use vs I drive etc. Also work on Image. This is not about selling high volume here with the price charged sell less but make more per unit. High Volume hurts an image faster than anything. The Town Car for intents with volume became a taxi. Like DOHC or not buyers in this class expect it. Turbo and Twin turbos are now expected on V6 applications. BMW I see today is looking to offer 3 turbochargers on a 6. Is it needed no could they do it with no turbo and push rods... yes but people expect more when paying this price. The only more we will not see in this class is pistons. The large engines are as wide spread as we will see. The V8 will survive but I see it shrinking in size. Going cut rate will leave you as a competitor of Lexus and Hyundai. That is Buicks job. Cadillac has to pay all the chips as they can't go back. It is all or nothing here and they have to get it right.

The point is he knew this but he had to convince the people at GM to do this. They were focused on filling needs and not wants. He had to show them this is why they were not selling faceless Saturns. Yes GM though Saturn people wanted non discript with little badging and no grills as they just wanted a good friendly dealer to work with. Not it was not till he got involved that Saturn started to look good. But he points out like I have there was no money to market the cars and it was too late to save them. Now you can be snide at Bob but the fact is there was a whole cast of highly intelligent people at GM that had no clue. This is not an isolated thing in buisness. I see it in my own marketing department. Too often the people making and selling the product only think they know their customer. Just look around at the many messed up marketing things going on.

Unless you are a member if the club you stand little chance of getting anything done. The powers involved would have used the media to eat him alive. Agree or not agree with him Bob is brutally honest in saying what he feels and believes. It has gotten him in trouble many times in buisness but in politics it is a death sentance. Kind of like now how the goverment is going after Roger Clemens for lying to Congress. It is ok that the largest body of liars to lie to the public they get 30 years in office but if a citizen lies to them it is 30 years in jail. It is sad to say we could use a large group of Lutz like people to call out the system in this country but they don't stand a chance. Anyone suited for office often is too smart to run.

I spoke to a co worker today who has a Eco, he loves it! He gets mid 30's around town and 42 highway. He said he thought he would never buy GM again but after driving the Cruze he was sold. He even said while it is not a race car by any means it is a peppy comfortable car to drive. Long trip are not a pain and have been a pleasure. He said he had wished the Problemed Colorado he had was as good as this car has been. He said it must be a good example of old GM vs New GM. He loved the Ecotec engine so much now he is looking to put a Turbo 2.0 in his street rod for something different and fast.

As Bob Lutz pointed out and this I feel applies to Cadillac more than any other GM car. GM needs to build cars people want with the things they want or expect. Any 2 year old used car can meet the needs of any driver with no problem. A new car needs to give them what they want to the point they will pay the extra money. The wants need to drive buyers to the point they would be willing to wait to ge the car they want if they have to order it. This is where the image, styling, special featues and technology applies. While cars like the CTS Coupe have this now the key is to make each year they continue to build it make the present owener wished he waited a year for the new features. You have to keep that carrot out there infront of the mule. Note when I say technology and features I don't mean gimicks that wear off like self parking etc.

Much more of what Chevy has provided with the Cruze. Give the people more than they expect and want as a fair price. People in this class want dramatic but elegant styling, nothing too crazy or odd. Cadillac has that going now and they don't try to copy BMW or Benz as many other try to do. They look like a Cadillac. Along with styling performance is key. They need to get performance suspensions and engines that are special to Cadillac. Even if they share an engine with the Camaro they need to tune it and make it special in some way. Technology sells Audis and other German makes. Brag power has been key in this class for years. In the future it will have to be done in many cases with smaller engines and this is where TT V6 engines play well. It will be interesting to see what other technologies they will apply. They keep building cars like the CTS coupe and sedan and build on what they started they will do well. The ATS I expect will be a leap forward as will the next CTS. They will address things that they could not afford to address in the past. The future ATS and CTS need to be no excuse cars. If Chevy can make the Cruze work they can do well here too. Money and proper funding can make a difference in the final product. We are now just seeing this. Also after reading the Lutz book I can see the product will be more and better focused on the real customers and not the imagined customer by GM think groups. THis is where their misses have come into play. Lutz pointed out great styling sells cars. It may add more of a blind spot like the rear window in the CTS coupe. But if the styling is done right people will let the blind spots fade away and not effect them. It is much harder to sell a car with good sight lines that look crappy. Ever really hear owners of a Ferrari complain about blind spots?

I love how so many people dissed the Cruze before they saw one, sat in one or even drove one. It has to kill many writers now the car is showing well in test and with the public. I wonder what crow taste like...Chicken? GM needs to keep building on this and keep the car current, a good value and high quality. Lutz left GM with a good car I just hope he left enough good people there to keep it on track. This is why I don't get too excited on many new cars when they are just sketches or incomplet camo. I sense the new Malibu will also be a second helping of crow. I just love to see the Asian fan boy squirm on other web sites when good things happen for Chevy. They really hate it.

I see limited appeal. A car needs to look better than just at 0.40.

I for one was under whelmed by the first Cruze I saw. It was a LT and a preproduction car with little on it. I saw the Ford and thought it may be in trouble. But since now that I have seen better Cruze on the road it is a good looking car. To be honest I like it as it does not look like anything else and it not got some crazy styling that ages fast. It looks like a Chevy and does not have to be ashamed to do so. The Ford on the other hand looks like a Mazda. The Hyundai's I feel will age fast in the styling department. They are trying to look like a cut rate Benz. The key to the Cruze is it appeals to the main group buying cars today. It is no more a Cheers and Gear car. But then it should not be as what we all crave here would not sell in the top 10 for the most part. People like quality sedans with good MPG and comfort. They want something that will get them point to point affordaby and looks good but not wild. The Cruze delivers these in spades. It has been termed a compact car for adults. It will be interesting to see how the Buick takes off. In photo's I though what a mistake but in person it was a very nice looking car. The Cruze is not a car I would want for myself but it is the car GM needs and the market wants. The key now is to keep the quality and features up and not cheapen the car. They need to make this car like wine and make it better with age. This is the kind of car that can win hearts and minds of the paying public. The earthquake produciton cuts may have given more the open mind to test drive a Cruze but it was the car that has to sell itself. They could have gone to Honda or Hyundai very easily.