Opinion

Jerome Flint Strikes Back--Booing the Home Team There you have it folks.

Bring it back, Bobby. Making the case for a great awakening. October 16, 2005 A Tama Editorial I DRIVE A TRUCK. I drive a truck because I need a truck. I need the last vestige of rear wheel drive in the Detroit stable. I need to carry stuff. I need to tow stuff. I need to drive where the pavement ends. And I need a vehicle with some balls. By dammit, I need my truck. I WANT A CAR. I want a car because I need a car. I have a girlfriend. I have a phone bill. I have insurance payments. I have to get to school and to work. And now I cannot afford gas. By dammit, I need a car. Catering to one need, my occupation in general contracting essentially …

Is the Chrysler Group in an Identity Krise? -Variance August 5, 2006 In 1998, Daimler-Benz merged with the Chrysler Corporation to form the company we know today as Daimler-Chrysler. Some would say this wasn’t so much a merger as it was a takeover. Either way, after a shaky start, the Chrysler half of DCX has made some solid strides in terms of product, most notably when it comes to RWD machines: 300C, Magnum, Charger and all of the great SRT versions (not to mention the upcoming return of the Challenger). However, what I’m concerned with here is the Chrysler Group itself. In other words, what the company sees itself (or at least, what it wants to portray itself) as…

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Okay, before you read this hold your breath. Then, relax and breath easily. This is a radical yet possible idea to rebuild Pontiac and Buick. Remember that these are just ideas and reflect little in fact. Pontiac and Buick will both see major reform but, Pontiac will be altered significantly. Pontiac will be a youth niche brand in the mold of Scion. Buick will be the second broadest brand behind Chevrolet in the model of Toyota. GMC would target Toyota trucks. Here's how it could go down if this were to happen. 2007 will be the last year for the Buick Rainier, Rendevous, and Terraza and the Pontiac Vibe. 2008 will be the last year for the G6, Grand Prix, and LaCross…

Get Your Priorities Straight A Tama Article February 12, 2006 When the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon made their midsize debut in late 2003, they were touted by General Motors as the most powerful and most fuel efficient trucks in the class. As unlucky timing prevailed, rival midsize trucks outgrew, outmuscled and outsized the GM twins, leaving them as the most fuel efficient trucks in class by a slim margin. Today, the Toyota Tacoma continues to run away with the segment sales lead. Dodge has introduced a refreshed Dakota, replete with the most powerful engine in the segment. More and more, the 355 twins are looking like the oldest trucks in the class, if only by a few…

The theme of this year's Detroit Auto Show was all about performance. A number of the showings from BMW to Subaru were high performance models of varying degrees. But there were some other surprises to make their way into the show. Which ones made the honor roll and which ones need to see me after the show? Its time for a Cheers & Gears' Report Card. Acura TLX Concept: B- This was a model I was excited for because I wanted to see how Acura would combine the TL and TSX. The results as shown in this thinly-veiled concept have me worried. Most of this comes down to design as it reminds of the ILX in a bigger package. Not sure if that what's Acura had in mind with desig…

Hyperautoenthusia -Variance January 25, 2005 The 2005+ Pontiac GTO. The 2002+ Infiniti Q45. The 2006+ BMW M6. The 1996 Chevy Impala SS. The 2007 Saturn Sky. The 1997 Kia Sephia. What do you suppose all of these cars have in common? They are all cars that I’d like to own one day. (Ok, not the Kia. That was just a sick joke.) There are many more cars I’d like to have, too. I have what is known as “hyperautoenthusia” (HA). Those infected ail from a distinct love of various automobiles and the desire to own them all. Symptoms include perusing automobile forums, car manufacturer web sites, eBay Motors and the like all day; taking note of the make and model of every car y…

G. David Felt - Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.cheersandgears.com China’s Influence on GM, EVs, and Others! We saw just at the end of 2016 Toyota saying they would build a team to focus on EVs. This being a complete reversal of their pledge in 2013 to focus on Hydrogen as the practical alternative to traditional ICE autos. Toyota will have a long range EV auto out on the market for the 2020 auto year. Being that 2019 is when you're 2020 autos will start selling, this puts Toyota 4 years behind GM's Chevrolet BOLT EV. What would cause this change to happen? China is what has happened. China started to push the global auto industry by stating that 8 pe…

Foreign Autos Strangle Domestic Economy During an interview taken in the 1950s, former General Motors CEO Charles Wilson delivered the famous quote, “What’s good for GM is good for America.” Fifty years later, that bold statement holds as true as ever. However, 50 years later, GM is no longer the automotive juggernaut that it once was, and what is now bad for GM is proving to be bad for America, too. Whatever the cause for decline in American automotive dominance, GM has lost nearly half the market share it had thirty years ago, and that number continues to fall today. The losses have reached into the pockets of GM’s longtime rivals as well, as Ford Motor has experienc…

Saturn Poised to Steal the Show By Bimmer325 Saturn's transition from second-thought to center-stage will soon be more apparent than ever. GM's planetary marque is a brand in transition, and the General isn't banking on any-one model to spark its turnaround. Rather, an entire fleet of compelling product is set to steal the show. The stage, it seems, will be the New York International Auto Show next month. Saturn's New Outlook Saturn's revolution commenced with the debut of the Sky, and if any vehicle could shatter perceptions of a brand, this is it. Its crisp origami design aesthetic is a mere sample of what’s to come, and those not familiar with it may be in …

2016… What a year. This year saw a number of things that no one thought would actually happen did. Not helping matters is the number of famous people that have sadly passed on. Here at the Cheers & Gears Detroit Bureau, it wasn’t such a great year for vehicles. For the 2016 review season, 44 vehicles came in for evaluation. Out of this group, only eight vehicles earned a spot of being my favorite vehicles from the year. Read on to see which vehicles made the cut. 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe It is amazing how far Cadillac has come in the past decade and proof of it can be shown in the ATS- V coupe. A 464 horsepower twin-turbo V6 makes the vehicle fly with no is…

Some people here on NET are marred by stupidity and so much ignorance it isn't even funny. Since Lutz's arrival we have see GM go from a company that produced mediocre vehicles that were reliable, and often attractive but never exuded the norm in terms of quality and performance. We have, because of Lutz's product direction, Welburn's design direction, and Andrew Farah's engineering direction, a company that hasn't once yet, in the past 5 years put out vehicle that didn't win some sort of acclaim. Corvettes are considered Ferrari beaters, Cadillacs are comparable to BMWs and Benzes, Malibus are more efficient and better styled than CamCords, Cobalts are as efficient as …

General Motors Preserving America’s Last Big Business A Tama Article March 28, 2006 General Motors A perfect storm of business and economic factors has brewed at a time when General Motors is already facing an internal revolution. These forces threaten to tear the company down in the midst of its largest ever corporate and product restructuring. Of these factors, the American media has done what no other rival nation ever could – they have created a culture of self-defeatism that inclines American consumers to dismiss the products built within their borders. Combine this national mentality with fearsome and well-managed foreign firms, and our economy, the most open i…

The Revolution Revisited -Variance April 14, 2006 You may recall six months ago I wrote my article Saturn’s Revolution. In it, I waxed lyrical about Saturn’s latest products and thought they were they key to a complete Saturn turnaround. The three products as you know are the Sky, Aura, and Outlook. The thing of it is that back then, we didn’t know the Sky would have much more to offer, the Aura was still a concept and the Outlook hadn’t even been revealed to public eyes yet. Fast-forward six months later to the New York International Auto Show... The Sky with No Limit If you needed any more reason to lust after a Sky, I’d first smack you upside the head and kin…

How I would structure General Motors North America. (Broken down into 5 sections) DISCLAIMER: I decided to sit down the other day and try to come up with a pretty cohesive plan for the future of GM given the market and their tough financial situation. My plan is probably a little on the heavy side and might need better focus. But keep in mind; although I put A LOT of thought into it, I didn’t directly research anything. So feel free to post whatever you want about the plan; criticisms, acclaims, adjustments, anything. But just remember, I’m an amateur and it’s a work in progress. SECTION 1: COMPANY & DIVISIONAL GOALS AND NOTES. General Motors: Times are tough r…

Per reporting by state news agencies like King 5, a bill is being discussed today, Thursday February 3rd, 2022. This bill which has been done via Pilot Programs starting back in 2017 would eventually replace Gas Tax with a Road Tax. House Bill 2026 in Washington State would mandate the Department of Licensing to establish an early adoption program that would require registered owners of electric vehicles to pay a fee of 2.5 cents per mile beginning July 1st, 2025. Participant would be mandatory for all new electric vehicles and voluntary for older current electric vehicles on the road. Hybrids would be allowed to voluntarily participate in the program on July 1s…

It was a night like any-other an uneventful stroll around town and I saw it my first Turd up close. It was sitting in a driveway next to a Buick LaX... Intresting I thought. Anyways as I am snopping the owner walks out the front door and says so you like my truck. I say well I am in the market (lie) and just wanted to see one up close. The guy then being a 30 something macho man goes on to say that it'll out tow a Ford SD or Silverado HD. I soon find myself at a loss for words... I said oh really, he said yeah on youtube you see Tundra's (Turds) all the time strapped to a Chevy and each truck trys to pull the other damaging the drive-shaft and so on. I said sir could it r…

SECTION 2: PLATFORMS & SUBSEQUENT MODELS *** Before anyone gets too worked up, please see the explanation behind some of these decisions in section 3. *** The way I see it, GM can operate on 9 (Maybe fewer) global architectures. Here is the GMNA line up based on the nine I would refine and re-engineer for the future. Gamma: Engineered to provide much better and a wider variety of cars here than the current Aveo. Idealistically this platform will be AWD capable. 1) Chevrolet Beat (5 door) 2) Chevrolet Groove (wagon) 3) Pontiac G4 (3 door) 4) Saturn Corsa (5 door and convertible) 5) Saab 9-1 (3 door & wagon) Delta: Basically Delta II 1) Chevrolet…

SECTION 3: DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWN: This section is meant to kind of segment the vehicles on a size and status basis and breakdown why specific vehicles are on specific platforms. Chevrolet: is the volume division and as a result needs to remain relatively neutral in its offerings, for the most part. By that I mean, user friendly and value based, not boring and de-contented. The meat of the line up needs to be attractive basic transportation for anyone. 1) Beat & Groove: Basic transportation with no extravagance. No performance models, those belong at Pontiac. 2) Cruze, HHR & Orlando: Cruze and Orlando need to be best quality and value in the class. HHR; sam…

Cheers and Gears Podcast #3: Green Stuff Edition WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR AUDIENCES UNDER 12. ALSO FARTS. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED. Hello and welcome to the third (sixth, but who's counting) C&G Podcast! Our weekly bi-weekly monthly whenever podcast comes to you on the third week of August, only a month and a half after the second one! In this episode many important things were discussed...as well as not so important things. Bull&#036;h&#33; Bull Droppings: 0-4:19 (feel free to skip if you are dying to get to the HARD issues). Devan flies a plane! (god help us) Viper GTS Nissan Leaf Fisker: Ca…

SECTION 4: THE SALES CHANNELS This section is meant to provide an illustration of the stair step effect, size and price relationship of each channel. It’s simple brainstorming and nothing technical. So don’t harass me too much if it’s way off. Chevrolet channel: Chevrolet 1) Beat & Groove 2) Cruze, HHR & Orlando 3) Malibu & Camaro 4) Corvette, Impala & Volt (Up here because of price and status) Chevy Trucks 1) Colorado & El Camino 2) Equinox 3) Traverse 4) Silverado & Silverado HD 5) Suburban Pontiac, Buick & GMC Channel: Pontiac & Buick 1) G4 2) G5 & Vibe 3) G6, GTO & Delta Buick 4) Lacrosse, …

SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE & SPECIALTY MODELS: Gone are the days of slapping a performance logo on a product simply because you made improvements to the product that bring it UP TO PAR with the class (Equinox Sport, G6 GXP, Lucerne Super, etc.) Each division, except Chevrolet, will have a more focused line up of ‘specialty models’ This will elevate the desire to own the products and give the divisions more individual identity to market. As for Chevrolet, well, they are the volume division so they’ll get more specialty vehicles than any other division to simply cover the market and better establish their branding (Just in case the divisional structure implodes some day…

The Spoof in Advertising “What the hell was that?” A Tama Article September 4, 2006 To most folks, advertising is an accepted, albeit annoying, part of everyday life. In fact, we Americans are so heavily bombarded by the advertising juggernaut that we now subconsciously filter it all out. What would be considered an offensive amount in other countries, we consider normal. But to a company, advertising is vital. It is the face of your business that is broadcast to the entire buying public. If played correctly, it can shape your corporate image contrary to any shred of reality. If done poorly, the effects are the same. Knowing that perception is 90 percent of reality …

I propose a plan to revive our Domestic Automakers home field advantage as well as give our Automakers a strategic advantage in other markets. 1) Restrict sales of foreign automakers to the sales of American automakers in that nation. Ex. If Detroit sells 1,000,000 cars in Germany, German automakers can only sell 1,000,000 vehicles in the US. Since we have the largest auto market of any of the homelands of the major automakers, we will have a major advantage in global sales. If other nations try to counter our restrictions by lowering the number of vehicles we can sell there, it will just hurt their own automakers here. This will encourage stubborn mark…

The Land of the Rising Sun Readies New Auto's. Autonews has been running a series on Japan Future Product and even built the following timeline. As the five year product pipeline based on Autonews compilation of rumors and facts they have come up with these nine that are to be their exciting products to look forward too. Do you agree or do you think there is something missing? #9 2017 Nissan Maxima #8 2016 Toyota Prius (Spy shots courtesy Autoblog) #7 2017 Honda Ridgeline #6 2015 Honda HR-V #5 2016 Lexus GS-F (Spy shots courtesy MotorAuthority) #4 2015 Lexus RC #3 2017 Honda Civic #2 2018 Toyota Supra #1 201…

The Auto Enthusiast Appeal -Variance June 6, 2006 Automotive enthusiasts and enthusiasm have and has existed probably for as long as cars have been around. There have been many automotive clubs, websites and magazines. You can read books and/or watch movies (such as Cars, a pic of which is above) or television programs featuring cars and driving. Of course, if automotive enthusiasm is nothing new, why am I bothering to write anything about this? It’s like writing about the new phenomenon of bathing or eating. Well, to some, those may be new things but I digress… The point is I think car enthusiasm is at its strongest level ever. All you have to do is look around… C…

Dear GM, I was born in Flint in the mid-eighties and have lived in or near it all my life. I've had to watch you gut this entire town these last twenty years by taking away our factories one by one and decimating our workforce. I'm not the only person who thinks this is unfair. I'm sure the entire city thinks its unfair. I'm sure the entire state, the entire country thinks what you did and are continuing to do to Flint is unfair and uncalled for. How can you wonder why you're losing sales to foreign competitors when you have shown so little loyalty to your home town? Toyota is showing more loyalty to the American cities they've put their plants than you have been.…

We all know my stance and opinions on the UAW (and Unions in general) and General Motors. I’m a firm believer in that the company and the membership can work side by side for the greatest cause, providing good pay for hard work. After all, that is the American Way as classified by our founding fathers. We are all raised in the sense that to achieve something, we must work to achieve it. The UAW had paved the way that “30 and out” is a very real possibility. You work 30 years, you are eligible for retirement with full pension, health benefits, employee pricing opportunities and the like. The UAW has also worked for its members to ensure a somewhat comfortable lifestyle m…

10,000 miles. 365 days. 1 Truck. 2004 GMC Canyon Z71 One-Year Update A Tama Review Accurate assessments of the GMC Canyon have been few and far between. More power! Bigger cabin! Isuzu? These and other cries of misinformation would leave the media sheep to believe that this little piss-bucket is yet another sign of GM’s inability to shake its old ways. Despite having been on the market since December of 2003, this truck has been misrepresented even by those who would defend it. The constant flow of inaccuracies about the GMT-355 twins pains me, and it pains me to the point where I feel the need to forego hour’s worth of study hall time this past week…

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...247173#continue In keeping with the theme of The O.C.'s thread, I choose to place this thread here because it is not recent GM or industry news. This is another blast from the past interview with none other than one Roger (Roger and Me) B. Smith. This interview in many ways is very appropriate in its content to recent news. It is a long but good read. It just goes to show, "There is nothing new under the sun." Enjoy! General Motors Corp. chairman Roger B. Smith - State of the Industry 1988 - includes related article: Yen's Rise Boosts GM's Morale - interview Ward's Auto World, Dec, 1987 by David C. Smith GENERAL MOT…

Maximum Bob A Tama Article www.cheersandgears.com April 16, 2006 General Motors Vice-President Robert Lutz gives much-needed personality to the cars and the company. Before General Motors lost itself in the corporate anonymity that is now definitional of the company, it produced some of the most memorable and legendary leaders ever to enter the car biz. DeLorean, Duntov, Engine Charlie Wilson – these were car guys who presided over a true car company. It has been almost four decades coming, but GM has found its next charismatic car guy in Bob Lutz. In his book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors, DeLorean detailed the systemic and anonymous nature of the 14t…

Popping out at SEMA, Henneessey doubles down on building the quickest & fastest car in the world. Bugatti; take heed. 7.4TT V8, 1600 HP / 1300 TRQ, 2950 lbs. 0-186 in less than 10 seconds, 0-250-0 in less than 30. Top speed : 301. For reference, the previous Venom GT already eclipsed Bugatti back in 2014, having been clocked at 270.49 MPH. Bugatti is said to still be working on it's response. Now it needs an upgraded response. Perhaps they might start off by building a supercar that doesn't weigh 5000 lbs. Slated production is 24 units, at $1.6 million per for the 'base' car.

I was outside yester raking the lawn when I decided to count each brand of car on my block... Here's the numbers: Ford(includes mazdas, volvos etc) : 9 GM:12 Chrysler(includes dodge, plymouth, jeep):11 Toyota:9 Nissan:4 BMW:1

A couple of weeks ago, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne made headlines when he announced that the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart would run their course - i.e. no second generation. Instead, the company would focus on building utility vehicles. This threw everyone in the automotive press into a frenzy with equal groups calling Marchionne a genius or a lunatic. But Marchionne also mentioned that the 200 and Dart could continue on if a partner could be found and build vehicles under a contract, a.k.a. badge engineering. This move presents a lot of risk for FCA. Badge engineered vehicles have never been a true success for anyone. There is also an added risk of…

The past month at Mitsubishi Motors has been tumultuous with the announcement that they had manipulated fuel economy numbers on a number of small city cars sold by them and Nissan. It would come to light that this manipulation had been going since 1991 on a number of models sold in Japan. Shares in the company dropped like a rock and there were concerns that Mitsubishi Motors would have to borrow money from other companies in the Mitsubishi conglomerate. But soon a white knight would appear, Nissan. The company that first discovered and reported it to Mitsubishi would buy a 34 percent share into the automaker, making it the largest shareholder. Thus, an alliance between t…

When General Motors revealed the 2006 Solstice GXP to the world shortly after midnight and into a hopefully better year than ‘05 it garnered the utmost of attention from enthusiasts around the Internet. The sleek, sporty, most successful GM launch since the “Lutz-era” began has sparked a firestorm of Solstii’s since it’s first initial build in August of ‘05. Since then, deliveries have reached as far up to V.I.N. 9,000 and above. While others report that the Solstice is still projected to build “only 20k units per year” I’d kindly like to argue that point. Considering the fact that the 2006 Pontiac Solstice was projected at 20k units per year before the GXP is one glarin…

Well we all knew it would not last. For those who do not know about it. The Goat will return... in either 08/09. So I can not wait to see the changes they will be making. http://www.cleveland.com/autoshow/plaindea...9520.xml&coll=2

Some of you may remember the traditional Full-size Cars of the 1960s & 1970s.They had big V-8s, RWD, and were well over 200 inches long, usually 210 or higher. Their flaws were their size and their poor gas mileage. The Oil Crisis of the 1970s,the influx of imports like Toyota, Datsun, and Honda, and gov. regulations slammed the brakes on a once thriving segment. Of these cars only the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and the Town Car are lone remains of a segment that once dominated autosales for 25 years or more. From 1955 to 1980, 2/3 of all cars sold were considered full-size. During the early 1980s volume collapsed altogether and the top selling cars were all comp…

Is driver chivalry dead? -VarianceJ30 November 16, 2005 I often find myself vexed at human nature. Most people on their own are courteous enough (or at least they don’t act like asses) to other people. Sometimes people will hold a door open for you, they’ll tell you the time if you ask, and they may even give you a little change if you need it. However, put them behind the wheel of a car and 9 times out of 10, everyone becomes an adversary. Nowadays, it seems more and more people are acting like they and they alone own the road. I seriously question how some of these people keep their licenses (or even obtain them in the first place). Here are some of th…

1975 Chevrolet Silverado K1500 MowerTruck Necessity breeds a monster. A Tama Article This is your land. Your domain is a backyard of which every man in America could be proud. You stand atop your kingdom, savoring your creation and challenging all those who look upon it to do better. All is as it should be in your world – until that son of a bitch next door does the one-up dance. Everybody has one. He is the guy across the property line whose accomplishments are always just beyond your reach. Your lawn is green – his is greener. Your sidewalk is clean – his is cleaner. Your shrubs look good – his look shrubbier. Every single inch of real estate you claim as your own …

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com In looking through GM's web site for interesting information, I came across the following story. Five Reasons Silverado V6 is The Little Engine That Can As this story states, the recently updated EcoTec3 V6 equipped Silverado is accountable for 20% of sales in North America. This is a 15% increase over last generations model. GM goes on to quote the following five reasons for this growth. 1) Purpose built for pickup use with class leading standard torque and towing. 2014 4.3L V6 EcoTec3 has 285 horsepower, 305lb-ft of torque. 2) For returning customers, comparable performance with much…

Recently I had the oppurtunity to drive two of GM's entries in the dying field of full size front-wheel drive luxury sedans, the Lucerne and the DTS. The Lucerne came to me as a 2006 CXL (mid level trim) from Avis for a trip to the beach. I found it odd that they were renting out the CXL since we rented a LeSabre from Avis last year, and it was a Custom (best seller package). The CXL has the leather seats (and the rental had the optional split bench), which really had a strong odor. They added to the standard equipment further with the Harmon Kardon speakers, power sunroof and rear backup sensors. The exterior styling was clean, if not a little too plain. The inter…

to read the preamble and analysis click here. http://www.christonium.com/automotive/ItemID=12363409028356 to get right to the point, just read the following. I continue to believe consolidation is necessary to improve the viability of the industry and that includes the terminations of brands and companies. It is time for governments to coordinate a restructuring of the business model prior to recapitalizing the industry. For example does it really make sense for the US government to aid both GM and Chrysler and end up with three weak companies including Ford or for France to bailout both Renault and PSA? Does the market need both Opel and VW or BMW and Mercedes-Benz?…

THIS thread made me decide to start a poll. It's rather simple: vote for which brand you think should get the second Lambda minivan (besides the Chevy). It seems many people think Buick or Saturn would be a better fit, and those are the only two options besides GMC as I think everyone agrees Pontiac should not have a van and Cadillac and Saab don't either. So, vote away! This WILL be sent to GM.

C&G Wants to Know Volume 1 - CAFE Our first installment of "C&G Wants to Know" is sure to be an interesting one. Anyone not living under a rock knows by now that new CAFE standards are in place that will require all auto manufacturers to have a corporate average fuel economy of 35MPG by the year 2020 while meeting intermediate milestones along the way. GM seems determined to meet these standards with an innovative approach befitting one of the world's most storied manufacturers, but a little help from the C&G faithful certainly wouldn't hurt. Your task is to establish a unique plan for GM to meet the new standards while continuing to produce vehicles that …

How I would structure General Motors North America. (Broken down into 5 sections) DISCLAIMER: I decided to sit down the other day and try to come up with a pretty cohesive plan for the future of GM given the market and their tough financial situation. My plan is probably a little on the heavy side and might need better focus. But keep in mind; although I put A LOT of thought into it, I didn’t directly research anything. So feel free to post whatever you want about the plan; criticisms, acclaims, adjustments, anything. But just remember, I’m an amateur and it’s a work in progress. SECTION 1: COMPANY & DIVISIONAL GOALS AND NOTES. General Motors: Times are tough r…

here is how i would fix GM.. feel free to comment on any of my ideas!! let me first start with Chevrolet.. Chevrolet: Aveo: the 2007 redesign helps alot, but i would add a hot 3 door hatchback, also id add a "RS" model, avalible in the sedan and 3 door it would be powered by the 145 hp 2.2L ecotec.. Cobalt: add a hybrid model, offer a AWD version with a 250hp turbo 4cyl to take on the imports, change the sedans rear tailights to make them round like the coupe.. offer better interior appointments even if you have to raise the price $500.00!! drop the 2.2L ecotec from the coupes and make the 2.4L ecotec standard.. the sedan would still offer the 2.2L Malibu: a…

Lighten Up Guys November 8, 2007 Let’s say you’re an upstart car company. You’ve got all the financial, production and distribution portions of your business taken care of. You decide to make a splash in a market that seems to sell a thousand variations of what is essentially the same product. How do you stand out? You stand for fun. You put on a successful and overwhelming media blitz that says, “Hey, drive our cars, because you’ll enjoy it.” And how do you deliver on the promise of fun? Give your car a three speed automatic transmission, source a Briggs & Stratton for your powerplant, and, citing safety and structural concerns, have your project tip the scal…

Start With Solstice A C&G Staff Commentary | by Louis Buccheri March 1, 2007 A recent trip to my local Pontiac dealer left me with an impression strong enough to inspire this article. The reaction that so struck me as I browsed Premium Pontiac's overcrowded lot? No brand offers a clearer snapshot of where GM has been, and more importantly, where GM is headed. I'd venture to say that the general public currently associates the arrowhead more with Avis than excitement, but before you write this off as yet another piece fixated on poking fun at the brand's recent past, consider the following. Amidst the rows of Vibes, G5s, Torrents and Grand Prixes gathering d…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Manual Trans, Woman versus Men! Are Men becoming soft? Came across this story on Autoblog. After more than 50,000+ leases reviewed at swapalease.com shows that woman more than men enjoy driving a manual trans. Sadly this seems to point to the save the manual campaign as failing as manual auto purchases are a dying breed. According to the data, leases on Manual auto's have dropped by 22%. In 2012 85.4% of Manual Trans leases were by men, 2015 that number had dropped to 81.2%. Woman on the other hand in 2012 was 14.6% of their leases were a manual transmission but in 2015 that number has rose…

Toyota: Moving Forward...Entirely Too Fast -Variance July 18, 2006 As you may have heard today, yet another recall has been issued for Toyota vehicles. Over 400,000 vehicles worldwide were recalled for a faulty part that can cause an engine to cease functioning. 150,000 of the recalled were in overseas (outside of Japan) markets, predominantly in North America. Among the affected are the Corolla, Echo, and Prius. Now normally, I don’t see a big deal in recalls; they happen to the best of companies and no one is immune to them. However, lately it seems Toyota has got recall SARS or botulism or something. Toyota, Dude, What the F*ck Barbeque? The above-mentioned rec…

-Variance February 16, 2007 I don’t know who I’m irritated at more: Advocacy groups that whine about automotive commercials that are meant to be entertaining because it might hurt the feelings of their little constituencies or the automakers that turn to pansies and pull the ads to avoid hurting their feelings. Here’s a message to both sides: Grow a pair. Goodbye Cruel Commercials The recent crybabies have been suicide prevention groups. Just today, Volkswagen announced that they would pull a recent new ad featuring a guy preparing to leap off of a tall building to his demise until he hears the announcement that you can get three VW’s for under $17,000. The group Sui…

Dear GM, It goes without saying that your CTS sedan is one of the most compelling reasons to have faith in what GM and the Cadillac Division can do. Its a car that can run with the best of those Europeans while not remaining distinctly American and distinctly Cadillac. Now, on the cusp of the CTS' second-generation for 2008, we'd like to see one of the best become even better. Here are some suggestions - Telescoping Steering Wheel Not only is this something Cadillac pioneered decades ago, but its becoming a standard feature on more and more cars outside the luxury field. This is also essential in making sure the driver has the most control and comfort in a sport sedan…

This would have been my fourth Detroit Auto Show (or North American International Auto Show as some would like you to call it) for Cheers and Gears. But due to a leg injury sustained a couple of weeks before the show, I was unable to make it. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise as I would miss out on dealing with individuals who break out tape measures and clipboards to note every little detail, along with journalists complaining about why the show isn't held during a warmer month. But it would turn out this year’s show would be a bit disappointing. That isn't to say there were not any breakouts. The new Kia Stinger GT looks very intriguing as the new Lexus LS. I'm…

In 2007 the auto media was projecting that GM might fall from being the worlds largest auto company in production terms. In 2009, the final numbers proved that Toyota Motor Corporation had surpassed GM as the worlds largest auto company by production numbers. Also Toyota was growing in sales of their Hybrid line under the Prius moniker. Fast forward to 2021, battery electric auto's are all the rage by auto companies. Toyota production of auto's in Japan has 50% of them exported to other countries such as the Prius Hybrid and TRD Trucks. The CEO of Toyota has stated that the country is a "export-reliant country" and by shifting Japan as well as other cou…

A Corvair saved my life. You will rarely hear anybody say that, and here is my story. I own a 65 Corvair Monza convertible, and let’s just say it was one step from being a parts car when I bought it. This little red junky car has been an adventure to say the least. After what happen in the fall of 2010, the car will have a home here with me. I had been enjoying the car over the summer with the top down and the wind blowing in my hair. I have replaced most of the mechanical parts on the car, but have not touched the body work. Corvairs are Unibody, and I had a crack in the passenger’s door sill that was showing movement. I thought it was time to replace the floor boards, …