Croc

I gotta disagree. The Lucerne is a transition product that consolidated LeSabre and Park Avenue buyers. It also looks sharp and has seen some conquest buyers. I'm not sure what market you think it's going after, but I'd say it's near-lux. It's FWD, yes, but so is my Aurora. The interior may not be exciting, but it is high quality and classy. As a legacy product for the older Buick buyers, it does a great job. Remember the problem with Olds? There was no product for the older target demographic, who left the brand, while the newer target demographic had yet to discover it. Buick isn't making the mistake Olds did. I fully anticipate a RWD flagship soon because I can't think of what else they'd make it on. DTS is going RWD and it's the only other G. Buick will not have the only G. Buick is getting the LaCrosse on Ep-II, so that pretty much rules out that platform. What's the next Lucerne going to be? I find it understated and classy, not bland. It is restrained, but if you want the flashy stuff get the DTS. I agree about the 3800. But the Northstar is still a first-class engine. Again, it's a transition product. And for a FWD car, it handles pretty well in CXS. $38k in that size class? No way. $38k can get you a lot more in a smaller package, but for a full sized loaded sedan it's pretty good. An equivalent DTS costs $10k more. Amen...bring it STAT!

I'm down, but you and OC need to let me know when/where so I can drive on down.

I hear you all on the drugs thing...drugs are bad when people abuse them to fill some kind of void in their life--they use them as an escape from dealing with some root problem in a way that usually adds an addiction on top of the existing problem. It sucks. Recreational use in happy, well-adjusted people tends not to have the negative consequences to the same degree--just gotta be careful of that bad batch that can result in death or worse.

false. G has been reworked and retuned quite a bit. The Lucerne handles much better than the classic Aurora and has much more usable space in it. Oh, so the Northstar in the Lucerne isn't a DOHC V8? Must have missed that one... Really? the center stack is not canted, but the cupholders are definitely better than the 2nd-gen Aurora, and the climate controls/radio setup is a much better placement so you don't have to maneouvre around the shifter to hit the low buttons, the steering wheel buttons are more numerous and practical (you can go to the previous track from the steering wheel instead of the next function only paired with scrolling through radio favorites), the climate controls are much more logically laid-out, there are fewer cutlines in the dash, radio and climate controls are integrated much better, among a few other things patently false. The Lucerne shares its dash with the DTS...the Impala dash is much different and isn't even the same size. again, false. The wood trim is real Burled walnut wood, just like in the Aurora. In fact, the walnut shifter knob can be swapped into an Aurora and the woodgrain matches the Aurora's if you want a woodgrain shifter. The only fake wood is the piece around the instrument cluster, but even that matches the rest of the real stuff. The plastic is actually soft-touch plastic, so it isn't cheap at all. Our own Auroras actually have cheaper plastic inside, particularly the in-dash cubby to the left of the steering wheel, the shiny black plastic radio, the plastic on the glove box switch, the top of the dash and the passenger's side of the canted stack, and the window controls. Also, unlike our Auroras, the plastic is much better color-matched to the surrounding interior materials. I also bet the finish on the radio, climate control, and steering wheel buttons does not chip off like in our Auroras. Bad image or not, GM is still selling them and reaping the high profit margins on each sales transaction. The greenies also bitch about the Suburban, so should GM stop making those? While reviled by the greenies, the HUMMER brand has a positive image in the bling and hip-hop communities, and a large number of them are sold to affluent housewives, a pretty lucrative demographic. Overall sales might be down, but Cadillac is not a volume brand--it is a luxury brand. The real question, and the only one that matters, is what was the profitability of the division? GM has been cutting back on fleet sales, and Cadillac has a large portion of the fleet market. Could that be a factor? With the interior refresh, SRX sales have increased. CTS sales increased with its redesign. The DTS is a stop-gap until its RWD replacement arrives, and even so it has a nice interior (certainly better than the previous iterations'). The Escalade is selling well, and it's a phat profit machine. The XLR is due for an interior refresh (and mild exterior refresh) and should see sales climb with a more premium interior. STS is on its way out as the CTS is more car, more luxury, and nearly as much room for a lot less money. The Theta crossover is also due soon. Again, you're complaining about old models that are due for refreshes and/or replacements within a model year or two.

Lucerne is a good product, and its initial sales were pretty good. I haven't followed it too much since, but I do know it is a good product at a good price. LaCrosse, not so much, but its replacement will be here soon. Pontiac is also functioning pretty well sales-wise, though the product is not up to par IMO. SAAB is doing a pretty good job with the product side of the equation, though GM needs to fund a 9-5 replacement STAT as it is very long in the tooth. SAAB is most hurt by a lack of dealer penetration. Well, when Olds was cancelled the buyers went outside of GM. There's no reason for me to suspect the same would happen here. For whatever the reason, GMC and Chevrolet Trucks do not share the same buyers. The buyers of GMC are attracted to the premium perception, especially with the Denali label, and if GMC were cancelled they would most likely go and look at the "premium" imporrt offerings. This is so uninformed...I'm sorry. HUMMER is a huge cash cow...they are merely derivatives of other platforms, so they help spread the sunk costs of engineering those platforms. HUMMER is still making money of GMT-800 for crying out loud! They also command huge margins. Also, HUMMERs don't get the worst gas mileage--Toyota trucks do. I'm not even a HUMMER fan, but I cannot agree with killing HUMMER for such ridiculously bad reasons. Why does Cadillac need so much more money? Their products and sales have been strong--and the ones that aren't are at the end of their life cycle. Heck, SRX gained quite a bit of sales momentum after the interior refresh. Why does the CTS need a new platform with every redesign? Sigma is still great, and the new CTS has received no criticism regarding its ride and handling characteristics. Don't mess with success, and no need to reinvent the wheel. This is what they're doing. There's no illusion within GM that Buick will hit a million sales with 3 models. B-P-GMC are boutique brands, hence the combining of them under one dealership roof. B-P-GMC, as ONE umbrella division, is a volume brand. Edited to combine 3 successive posts into one.

Here's the thing for me: I really don't see the duplicate models. Even when looking at the Lambdas and Epsilons, none of them are copies of the other. The reason the Malibu is killing the Aura is because the Malibu is the better vehicle. The AURA is supposed to be upmarket of the Malibu in both pricing and marketing, yet the Malibu has the better, more polished interior. The AURA has a lot of cheap bits while the Malibu has relatively few. As for exterior style, I think they both look pretty damn good, but the Aura needs an upgraded interior, stat. GM has also been reluctant in making more premium equipment optional or standard on Aura. If Aura had a better interior and more equipment available on it that the Malibu does not, then I think it would be performing better. THAT SAID, Saturn's much smaller dealership network is costing it sales while Chevrolet dealers are ubiquitous. As for the Lambdas, I see no duplication. The sales numbers also make sense to me as well--I do not care for the OUTLOOK, and it seems the general public does not either. Mechanically, it's the same as the Enclave and Acadia, but those two have the better styling, the better interiors (design for both, and materials for Enclave), and again, Saturn has a lot smaller dealership network. I really fail to see the duplication here as well. What other platforms are duplicated? I just don't get it... You can say what you will about how redundant GMC is, but the facts are the facts: GMC makes a lot of profit for GM and GMC buyers will NOT all just buy the Chevrolet version for historical/perception reasons. GM would lose sales and dollars shuttering GMC. HUMMER? I can say HUMMER would bother me the least if it were shut down, but even it serves a niche in the off-road capable department. SAAB has no overlap as the 9-3 is very distinct from the other Epsilons. The only division that has a case against it is Pontiac, but with the Zeta/Alpha fluctuations, it has no clear direction. The rest of the brands function pretty well in my eyes, and I just don't see where the arguments are coming from.

It will be warmer there around noon. I have no problem driving to Laguna...just not at 6am. I'm around LA too much anyways, and I've really neglected going south to OC. Keep me posted.

But Jimmy was released on probation...he obviously confessed to liking it up the butt.

I mean, I'm in West Adams, and so getting to Irvine @ 6:45-7 means I'm waking up 6-6:15 and immediately driving. It's a Saturday, for Christ's sake...

That early will be problematic for me. Still, my schedule looks clear for this Saturday. A luncheon meet would probably be best for those who don't already live in Irvine.

Okay, so in one of OC's emotional essays he mentioned a SoCal meet-up, and this has been talked about for almost 4 years. Are we gonna do this or WHAT? When? Where (OC mentioned Irvine)? C'mon let's get it done!!

In this case, I think it will be a positive merger. The two companies do not directly compete in any segments, and they have produced successful synergies in the past. Unfortunately, both companies seem to have abysmal reliability with many of their models. Here's hoping a merger/takeover can fix that issue.

Ooooooh sexy! NOS, I bet your chop would make Barbara Walters wet.

J-bods sucked in the end. Glad they're all gone.

OK you've sold me on it. It'll have to be a Saturday, though as the rest of the days of my week are generally packed.

Yup, my bad...it was the Skylark that was the X-body.

The feeling is not mutual. Don't ask me how I know this.

Why don't you go away and find another sand box to urinate in?

In a word, no.

Ummm...your favoritest car ever appears to be an X-body. Is that your final answer?

I'd be down for a SoCal meet up sometime. But Irvine? Let's go someplace with some character or something. One of the beach cities, Santa Monica or even Pasadena.

First off, the thing with the G6 is that the seat moved forward on one side, causing the dummy to miss the airbag and come in contact with the instrument panel. Now think for a second. When you've driving, aren't your hands on the steering wheel? This would not have happened in the real world, but at the same time, GM needs to fix the seats so they do not move in a collision. The Sebring does pretty well, actually. Too bad that's the only real selling point on the car.

Still stalking his myspace??

Accord or Altima.

Agreed with most above. This should be here.