hyperv6

I have not seen anything offical but I am betting you can also expect a Camaro for the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and the Daytona 400 too. GM has retained the rights to these race tracks after dropping hte others the last I heard.

Why should GM pay taxes as Tom Dashle, Tim Geithner and Bill Richardson all seem to feel taxes are optional or not needed till you get appointed to a cabinet post. I know GM could not pay them and if the goverment asks questions Rick Wagoner could just say "I Forgot"!

At the rate it is going we all will be in those Bamboo cars like they built on Gilligans Island. You know the one they had to pedal. Oh can't do that either because the drivers/engine emissions would not pass CARB reg is he ate Mexican.

Oh god now you cant use those. We would deplete the balsa wood in some remote village in Sumatra and the electic sewing machine motor will put too much ozone in the air an effect the migration of the whoopty bird. Excuse me while I go dig out the 12 inches of global warming in my driveway.

Good read and brings up point none of use have even considered yet. Autoline on Autoblog by John McElroy Big Problems with California's CO2 Standard Earlier this week President Obama instructed the EPA to determine whether it should grant California a waiver to set its own CO2 standards for cars. It's a hugely controversial issue, and one that's fraught with major problems for the auto industry. First off, cars and trucks account for only 18% of total CO2 emissions in the United States. Yet it's the automotive industry that's in the cross-hairs, and California's rules are designed to "hold the automaker's feet to the fire." But even if it eliminated all automotive CO2, that still leaves 80% of other man-made sources untouched. Besides, California's standard will merely bring the federal standard forward by four years. What's the big rush? Even more importantly, California only accounts for 1% of global CO2 emissions. So is it really fixing anything? And above all else, whatever reduction the state achieves will be immediately replenished by CO2 and other green house gasses blowing in from India, China and other points in Asia. "By 2020 cars will have to average about 49 mpg, trucks will have to average 33 mpg." You can't blame the state for trying, but you can blame it for trying something that's unworkable. California set a CO2 standard that requires a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2016. But that translates into an average of roughly 43 mpg for cars and 26 mpg for trucks. By 2020 cars will have to average about 49 mpg, trucks will have to average 33 mpg. This is California dreaming! Right now only one car can meet that 43 mpg standard and that's the Toyota Prius. Even the Honda Civic hybrid falls short. Not one truck even comes close to the standard. And remember, that standard is what the entire fleet has to average. So you're telling me the entire fleet will be completely retooled to meet that standard by 2016? In two design cycles? I'm telling you it ain't gonna happen. It's not a question of foot-dragging or a lack of technology, or even a question of money. It simply is not physically possible to change the fleet over in that time frame. Even meeting the federal CAFE standard by 2020 will be a stretch. Detroit isn't the only one fighting this, by the way. Toyota, Honda and Nissan are opposed to the California standard. That's telling. Those companies already meet stricter CO2 standards in Europe and Japan. But fuel prices, driving habits and customer requirements are far different in the USA and not even the big Japanese car companies see how they can meet the California standard by the 2016 deadline. You'd hear more squawking from the Europeans except that they're exempt. Any automaker selling fewer than 60,000 vehicles in the state doesn't have to meet the standard, even though this gives giant corporations like the VW Group, the BMW Group and Daimler a free ride. "It simply is not physically possible to change the fleet over in that time frame." Technology is riding to the rescue, but it takes time to ramp it up. Electric cars and plug-ins will help immensely, but they're not going to be available in large numbers by 2016. Diesels are unlikely to sell well as long as diesel fuel is priced above gasoline. CNG has never caught on, despite big subsidies from the state. That means automakers will have to severely limit what they can sell in California and in the other states that plan to adopt its CO2 standard. (As of this writing: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.) Automakers will be forced to restrict their California fleet to vehicles that can meet those numbers. Yes, they will be able to allot a small number of full-size trucks and big cars to sell in the state, but once the law of supply-and-demand kicks in, the price for them will climb steeply. Drivers may find it more attractive to keep the vehicles they have rather than buy new ones, which defeats the effort to reduce CO2. Drivers close enough to the state line may decide it's easier to buy a new car next door and drive it home. How will that be policed? Forget about those "Vehicle Locators" that dealers use, if the exact car you want can't be sold in your state. And pity the auction houses that are going to have to determine if auctioned cars can be legally transferred to the wrong state. I predict that once consumers learn how limited their choices are, they're going to hit the roof. Environmentalists beware! You're setting up the system to generate a big public backlash against CO2 legislation. Those who want to fight global warming would be better served coming up with a comprehensive national plan that actually works, rather than picking on the car companies to score political points. John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

I work in the performance aftermarket. The modifications are permitted in CA. You just have to have approved CARB parts. There are waivers for years and etc but those too have changed from time to time. The aftermarket companies have to pay thousands of dollars to get parts approved so they have to be good sellers to recoupe the cost. The sad part is many parts added to many cars will infact improve emmissions but will not pass just because they did not pay the money to get the CARB number for that part. Modifications are legal for the most but they have to be with CARB approved parts. Local laws may vary. I know they were hitting thr ricers for a while with local laws. SEMA is on a constant fight to keep the MFG in many states. In fact the laws in many states vary so much on emissions and noise on exhaust now it is hard to know who is doing what. Just this year we no longer sell Converters in California due to the restrictive laws and it has increased prices there a lot.

It has been a bad winter again. The bars are just very trendy anymore. The hot club opens and last for a few years then a new one opens and become the new place. The old hot place fades quick. Kent, Akron and Start Tech [now Stark State] have been growing and growing. Akron is taking over down town. The Flats are tanking. Most of the places other than the strip clubs are closed or closing. It is nothing like it was a few years back. The only good thing there now it to eat at the Hard Rock at Tower City and then fight your way past the youth gangs [they will ask you what you want and steal it for you at a discount] and pan handler to see a concert at the Tower City Amplitheater. Cleveland is a hole but still nicer than Detroit. Akron is all about living out of town. Canton has a lot of money around it aand many Million dollar houses in areas. A million dollar house here is a $10M in California. Even in Bath west of Akron many Million dollar houses. Lebron James tore down an old Million Dollar house to build a bigger one? Not sure why as there is plenty of open property here. He has to stay close to the Olive Garden since he eats there and hangs at Best Buys a lot. He also is at a lot of High School games locally with a few NBA buddies. He showed up with Dwayne Wade at Barberton high school for a St V game one night. Chrissie Hynde built a vegan resturant next to Luigi's in Akron. Let put it this way people are still out the door in the cold waiting for the Pizza and no one is waiting for the veg. Still the best pizza around and the guys that draw the Funky Winkerbean cartoon in the paper still go there to get ideas for the comic strip. My family is form Holms county area. It is even growing down there a lot. It's not like it used to be. Even on tv show 24 last week they mentioned Kidron Ohio as a terror target. They said 39,000 people would be killed? Even on aution day when the Amish come to town you would be hard pressed to have 6,500 people in the area. I have to watch this weeks show to see Kidron fares. LOL.

Sorrry but most areas here the jobs moved to where the burbs. The city down town is Pawn shops. Hospitals and a few resturants. after 6 PM it is a ghost town. If gas prices rise the people will just pay more or stay were they are at. Since that many companies are in the burbs now. We have had several attempts to put high buck apartments and housing downtown and they all went belly up. The City has had to step in every time to bail them out and tear them down or adapt them to something they could be used for [half way house etc]. Chrissy Hynde has the latest effort that the downtown critics love but everyone else ignores as it is expensive and your in a bad neighborhood. The people that now work in the burbs some are living farther out where you can see the stars at night. The only negitive are the occational road apples form the Amish buggys. The bottom line is preople love the freedom of their car and will not give it up unless forced. Then if forced it will not be without a fight. Their is the utopian world of how things should be and then their is real life. Things may evolve but I don't see any major changes.

No it got better about 15 years ago after most of our problems left town. Just kidding! No it really not to bad now accept for the 12 inches of snow yesterday. We don't have a lot of issues here the burbs grew well and we are doing fine. At least most people can afford to live here. Akron is becoming a solid white collar area and reshearch area for Polymers. Many of the 4N tire companies have built places here and Goodyear is building a new head quarters here too. It not getting any better but it is not getting any worse right now vs other areas. Now Youngstown that is a differnet story. Industry will not go in because of the union mentality and they have lost many new plants because of it. Now if we only could improve the weather this global warming is freezing us out here. We have had 3 winter with many snow records and low temp records. We already had a -20 this year. We just set the record for the most snow in January.

You may be right but the mass majority of Americans outside major metro areas think other wise. You think you have a fight to take away their guns just wait till you take away thier cars. That is the major problem with most electric cars today as to use most you have to change your driving habits. Few are willing. In fact the auto companies are working hard to make electric cars that will not change life styles. The Volt is a good example. The Eviroment is important to many till you tell them they have to change somthing or give something up. 3 Hours to Cincinnati and your where you need to be. If you take a train it may get you there faster but how long is the bus trip to where you need to be. Or is there even a bus that will take you there? Taxis are not cheap or even common in many midwest citys. Nothing is close togehther here either. Also most people live out of town and the cities here are dead. No one wants to live in a city here and are willing for a hour drive or more to get to work. What might work in LA will not work in Akron. As I have stated some of these thing will work well in some areas but others no way. Just the way it is. People complain that the Goverment is taking away their rights to fight terror or guns but you take away their right to drive and go where they want your really going to have a real fight. Americans have always come and gone as they please and few will acccept nothing less. I just hate to see every expenisve rail systems go into areas where they will not use and money that could be used in better way go wasted. Not that the goverment has wasted money before... If they want to put a system in where it will be used go for it. Jut in Ohio I hate to see a billion dollar system go to somthing that serves very few. Here in Akron they just spent $17M on a bus transfer stantion that few use. It will become more a homeless shelter than anything. They would have been better off building a real homeless shelter.

Cincinati in 2 hours. but by car we can get ther in just a little longer and still have a way to reach where we want to go away form the train station. What time you save getting there is lost oce your off the train unless there is a way to get where your going. If it is in the burbs your screwed. Taxis and Buses are not often an option. Accept for some inter city folks here with out cars few people have an interest in public transportation. Heck we hardly have a downtown as it is. After 6 PM most people are 30 Miles oput of town or more. Many small cities and areas away form the large metro areas are where people use door to door transportation and expect nothing less. Heck they put in bike lanes here but no one uses them. Part due to the weather and two we just don't have people that ride for more than just pleasure. Besides most here value their lfe more as they would get run over. It is a different mind set in parts away from the metro coast. There is no right or wrong here just choice and different life styles built around the Auto in many areas of the country. The rail thing is Europe works but just as many other things is Europe work there does not mean they will work in many areas of this country. Just look at the reluctance of Diesel cars in this country vs Europe. It is not one world.

The rail thing may work in the large cities and east or west coast city coridors. But here in the areas inbetween you will find few riders. They keep wanting to build a rail system here in Ohio and it will fail. The cities now have buses with few riders, Cleveland has a transit system with few riders and Amtrack pulled out of stopping here since no one got on or off. The people in most interior states like their freedom and ability to go when they want to where they want with little problems. We have few traffic peoblems and seldom have time to wait for someone else to do the driving. Any system here will become a burden for the taxpayers as they will build it but it will never pay for itself. I can see it working in the right places but only in a few. San Diego to Seattle or Boston to Florida. but that is about it. Some smaller rails in Chicago and Dallas? It is not a case of right or wrong here it is just different life styles. I did like the BART in San Fran but people here in Ohio would never support a system like that no matter how good.

If it were only that cheap and easy. Also add to the fact the MAJORITY do not want many of the cars that are required. People did not buy truck because they had to. I feel we need to keep working on these technologies and improve them to the point they become a seemless flow from what we drive today into the new technology. But to require people to drive smaller cars with limited range and reduced power at a higher price few will buy these. The people pushing this agenda will next require that the older the car is the more tax you will pay to force you out of your older cars. They already do that in Japan. If they want to do this right a gas tax is what would work but they will not do that as they know the people would vote them out and bring Change again.

How many Gitmo people you want on your block?

I was just giving an example that most states can agree on much Speed, drunk driver leverls, emission or what ever. I only used speed as an example of non agreement so don't read so deep into this. Use teddy bears as example ifr you like what ever it was just to show non agreement on the state level. Also my point was to take some of the Trillion Dollars they want to pump up the economy and use it to fund projects in developing drivetrains and power plants Gas, electric or what ever to improve our tech nology. I would rather spend some of this money vs wasting it on Pork as it will go now. The private sector would get the goverment money to develop these programs and use the technology in new products. This is what happened in the space program with Boeing in the planes and the computer industry.

You missed my point.. If they can get 50 states to agree on speed limits how are we to get them to agree to just two standards for emissions. State opinion is as varied as it is here on this web site. If the goverment want to imporve thing with emissions they xould go into a program similar to the space program and set goals of developing realistic power plants that could be used in normal use. Better to put money into developing new technology in the private sector vs a bunch of public busy work that leads to nothing but a paved road only. The moon program is still giving today based on what we learned and expanded from it. It was not the fact we went to the moon that was important but what we learned by getting their.

How many speed limits do we have and are they equally inforced? If they can't get on one page for that how can we expect only 2 standards?

We fix our air problems here in Ohio, it was easy. We ran off all the MFG jobs in various ways and now we have a lot of unemployed people and no jobs. But then again we have cleaner air and all the time in the world to breath it since few have nothing else to do.

The point is not more efficent cars but as pointed out two standard or more could be in play. Also realistic standards that can be reached in a time most auto companies short money and failing sales is a large challange. but to ask for 45 MPG standards right now is counter productive. the bottom line is for the best interest of the MFG and consumers a national standard is the best for all. If you want to make improvments do it for all and not a state by state basis. If anything Obama is going to hurt the industry more to the point it will create more employment problems for him to solve. This right wing and left wing crap is what got you to this point time to get over it. Mccain would have probably done the same thing. As I have said time to wake up.

Guys this is not an Republican Democrat thing. It is much bigger than that. To think Obama is just another well intentioned occupant is alittle nieve. You don't get that far unless you sell your soul regardless of party affiliation. Time to wake up.

Talk about a mess? To give States the right to set their own standards is a problem even if there were only a few states involved but to give all states this right is a problem not only for a strucggling Detroit but also Japan. To give the auto industry a bail out then to sign a deal like this would be so counter productive. Obama may not have shown great judgment in some things in the past but even he should see the problems involved with an ailing industry and economy that will effect him. The sad part is something like this could get signed in this week and the vast majority of people will never know what it means to them or how it will effect them till it is too late. If many states follow the standards of the CARB board it is hard to imagine there will be much left of the industry in 10 years. Is the goverment pushing this to make the car too expensive or hard to obtain to force the public to take public transportation? People wanted Change, So be careful of what you wish.

This is the marketing GM has sorely lacked. They could not use this advertisinf 10 years ago but today with the better product they can. It is time to name names and call out the compitition where you are better and show it. As quality is on the rise then eed to maket where they are better their too. The key points in product marketing is Mileage, Quality and Value. GM needs to beat these into the public image of their products. The days of showing cool imagry and cool places is no longer effective. You can show a Cowboy chasing cows with a pick up in the mud but the calling out Toyota on mileage is much more effective in the information craved society. Pluse I am glad they kept Howie. You cant go wrong with Howie He appeals to women and he is a man's man. Even he can make the Traverse seem cool. GM could use him as a GM spokesman and not just Chevy. I also think they should try to get Clint Eastwood as a Voice over. He also has great appeal to many. He was a Olds man in his later Dirty Harry years.

Buick is not as damaged as one may think. It has been so long since they have had really bad cars. Infact it has been a really long time since they had many cars to offer to the public. The Lucerne and Lacrosse. were not great cars but not horrid either . They were not Skyhawk bad but not Audi great. The SUV and mini vans were ok but sold in such small numbers few people remember them or even name one. The present Enclave is a great product. For the most Buick is going to have a fresh start since they have has so little to offer for so long most people can even remember what they used to offer and even how bad they were. Lets face it we have drivers today that were born after the last RWD Buick was built. The key is for Buick to bring some quality cars out in the next couple years. The new Lacrosse will do well. The new Opel Insigna based sedan I think will do very well. The key to Buick is a few quality mid size to larger sedans in the medium price range. No cheap stuff below an Accura. If they want to do the new Astra replacment make it special like a GTI or Mini. But no more FWD Skyhawk and Skylark type cheap cars. Anything Buikc offers should sell as well in Europe as it would here. It is time to set standards. As for the Return of the Grand National as it always comes up, forget it. Times have changed and people expect better. Time has moved on and we remember it better than it really was. Buick is not going to break out in one year. Just as when Lexus originally came about it will take a few good quality models and a few years to earn their place. Lets face it. All the new GM product are their we just needs some time to earn respect and some good marketing to let people really know what they are all about.

What he said!

I expect the Converj to be built. The platform drive train is already being done. So most of the major cosr is right there. I see GM using this model as a non competing way to bring the cost down on the Volt or a way to reduce the loses. Either way what money GM spends here will save money they will lose the question is can they keep the cost to the point it will help the Volt or the Evoltech plaform or hurt it. Are there enough sales or buyers for a electric car like this? I would like to think so. Either way the Volt is not going to make money for a good while and needs help. The question is will this car help or hurt? This is not a case for Profit but stemming losses till a profit can be made. Will this car help stem the loss or just add to it? I think it would help and if sold world wide as it will find buyers with money. For it any reason the novalty. I could see all the Hollyweird idiots trade off their Prius for one of these. Note I am not a big eco guy but I do respect Ed Begley Jr. He really lives the eco life vs the many Hollyweird frauds. Besides it is fun to watch his wife beat on him on that show they do on the eco channel.