Variance

Nah, the Mazda5 is this thing: I wouldn't be suprised to see Mazda bring a subcompact over. They're the "in" thing now.

OMG, how did this thread go on this long with no one suggesting the Wagon Queen Family Truckster? You all should be ashamed.

The stars and stripes on the plane =

I heart shoveling snow. (Waits for Fly to come and lord the gorgeous Florida weather over the New Englanders.)

Edmunds: 2007 GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado Spy Shots --- These are some big motherf***in' trucks. Feb 24 2006 UPDATE: New photo on page 2 and/or post #38.

Edmunds: 2008 Buick Enclave Spy Shots --- Ooh boy, it looks to have retained the concept's looks. I hope it still has most of the concept interior.

This is true but then...sales are still on the rise. Incentives may play a part in that but incenvites alone don't sell a product most of the time. Nissan must've figured: Why fix what (apparently) isn't broke? Save the heavy, cash-intensive renovations for the new vehicles and the products that are struggling.

Nissan is a very resilient company, though. If a product doesn't perform to their expectations, they take it back to the drawing boards and work out what's wrong. Case in point: The Altima and Quest interiors. Nissan took a lot of flak for them (especially the Quest's) so when the time came for a refresh, they gave the interiors a complete overhaul. In the Altima's case, it must've helped loads since it's currently one of the top 10 selling cars in North America. I'm not so sure they can't work the same magic with the Titan.

Crossover Dreams: Kia's Multi-S Hints at Future Date posted: 02-10-2006 CHICAGO — Kia Motors America rolled out its second intriguing concept of the year, following up the Detroit debut of the Soul with the introduction here of the Multi-S. Kia says the Multi-S is aimed at "individuals seeking a car with character and young families with active children." Judging from the comments of executives at the concept's unveiling here, a production version seems likely in the not-too-distant future. At the press conference, Len Hunt, Kia's executive vice president and chief operating officer, observed, "Multi-S has near production technological features and fit-and-finish refinement that will move Kia further up the brand ladder." That sounds like a broad hint to us. The Multi-S seems like a slightly more sedate and functional companion to the Sportage, the company's SUV-like crossover. The Multi-S is powered by a DOHC 2.4-liter four-cylinder that is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability. The concept rides on 19-inch wheels and tires. Inside, the vehicle features leather-suede seating for seven, dual full-length glass moonroofs, and an overhead console. Safety equipment includes electronic stability control, full-length side curtain airbags, active front-seat head restraints, adaptive headlamps, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. The Multi-S also boasts the latest in multisystem-interface technology for iPods, MP3s, PDAs, cell phones, and laptop computers, plus a rear entertainment system and premium surround-sound audio system. What this means to you: Are you reading this from your condo or first house? And is your first child on the way? If so, ask yourself one more question: "Am I ready to crossover?" Source: Edmunds

China becomes net vehicle exporter Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:41 PM GMT By Fang Yan SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China became a net vehicle exporter for the first time last year, an official industry association said on Friday, helped by the sale of cheap models mostly to developing markets. The country exported 172,800 units in 2005, up 120 percent from a year earlier, with imports up a much smaller 8 percent at 161,900 units, a senior executive with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers told Reuters. "Most of the exports are for lower-end models, popular in developing markets," the official said. These models tend to be made by smaller Chinese car makers, such as Chery Automobile, Geely Automobile and Great Wall Automobile, which are forced to look overseas on rising domestic competition. Great Wall is aiming to ship 30,000 to 40,000 units overseas this year after exporting 18,526 vehicles in 2005, mostly to the Middle East, Africa and Asia, a company official said on Friday. And it plans to increase that target to 100,000 units by 2008 as it eyes a plan to build a $100 million (57 million pound) assembly plant in Russia with annual capacity of 50,000 units, he said, joining regional rival Ssangyong Motors in producing sport utility vehicles there. Chery, which already exports 10 percent of its cars, said this week it had been talking with Avtotor, a Kaliningrad plant that currently assembles vehicles for BMW, GM and Kia Motors, about the production of 15,000 to 20,000 Chery cars a year. Geely has set its long-term sights on developed markets in the United States and Europe. Its exports jumped over 60 percent to 7,000 units in 2005, mostly to developing markets, it said on its Web site (www.geely.com). Shipments overseas are expected to hit 1.33 million by 2015, accounting for two-thirds of total sales, it said. China, once an easy profit centre providing global carmakers with double-digit margins, has become one of the industry's most intense battlegrounds. Foreign auto makers such as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen are investing $15 billion to triple capacity to over 7 million cars by 2008 -- sparking fears of an impending glut. Link: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticl...INA-EXPORTS.xml

Lotus unveils new Exige 'S' Posted Feb 10th 2006 4:00PM by Stuart Waterman Filed under: Sports/GTs Lotus has managed to give the bantamweight Exige more power without increasing weight, and as you might expect the result is even more fun from the British giant-killer. Sparked by its entry into the FIA's new GT3 sportscar championship, which equalizes competition by balancing the power to weight ratio of different cars, Lotus revamped Toyota's 1.8-liter VVTL-i engine with an upgrade to the supercharger/intercooler package from the Exige 240R, resulting in 218 hp at 7800 rpm and 159 lb-ft of torque at 5500 rpm. (The same engine in the base Exige is rated at 189 hp.) Redlined at 8500 rpm, the new engine package makes the Exige S the quickest-ever Lotus production car, with a 0-60 mph time of only 4.1 seconds, and 100 mph reached in less than 10 seconds. The Exige S will be the base production car for the full-race Lotus Sport Exige GT3. Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars says, "The Exige S represents the ultimate "extreme" production Lotus, with performance that trumps other supercars costing twice or even three times as much." Unfortunately, all this fun won't be exported to North America, but our readers in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region can enjoy this lightweight flyer for about $53,000, starting in late spring 2006. Link: http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/10/lotus-u...ls-new-exige-s/ Adobe Acrobat (.PDF reader) is required to view these links: Lotus Cars Exige S Press Release Lotus Exige S Specifications and Options

More GM trademarks: "H3T": A H3 with an open bed in the vein of the H2 SUT, most likely. "H4": An even smaller Hummer? (Prays it's not a soft-roader.) "HX": Could be for HUMMER but...what could it be?

I think these threads should be incorporated somehow: http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...?showtopic=5819

I don't think so. If they were hybrids, they'd have "h" after them. On that note though, there will be a "LS600hL" (long-wheelbase hybrid LS).

On the DCX front: -As of last summer, Mercedes planned on another vehicle for us, the "GLK-Class". -In January, "CLS63" (AMG) and "CLS65" (V12 cruiser) became a reality as did...wait for it... an "SLK65" (registered last December)?! WTF? -Way back in 2004, Chrysler lid claim on "300 Black Tie Edition".

-The Lincoln MKMadness is just getting started, it looks like. Back in fall of 2005 Ford registered for Lincoln (in addition to what we already know) "MKC", "MKN" and "MKT". So if they ever do make another Continental, it won't be a "Continental". It'll probably be a "MKC". And the presence of the "MKT" moniker doesn't spell good things for the future of the "Town Car" nameplate.

Credit first must be given to ToniCipriani for his thread on a "Saturn Astra" trademark that GM has recently registered: http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...view=getnewpost I decided to do some snooping on the site he cited and this is what I found so far: -Nissan Motors has recently registered the names "G37", "FX37", and "M37" for its Infiniti brand. This pretty much is a confirmation of the rumor of the size of Nissan's new VQ (or VQ-derived) V6 engine. Now we just have to see if the 330hp claims are also true. -Toyota Motors last summer reigstered "LX520", "LX550", "LX570" and "LX600". Obviously, they're not going to use all of these but based on the new Tundra possessing a 5.7L V8, I'm pretty certain an LX570 is headed our way. I'll post more stuff as I find it. Update starting @ post #100.

Nice find. They registered it a month ago. Looks like a good sign for the Astra being the ION replacement.

NYPD Adds 'General Lee' Muscle Car Descendent, 2006 Dodge Charger, to Its Fleet By TOM HAYS Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Police Department is adding some muscle to its car fleet: the 2006 Dodge Charger, whose 1969 model is best remembered for outrunning a hapless sheriff in "The Dukes of Hazzard." The department plans to buy 15 police versions of the car for a pilot program that will begin this summer, officials said Thursday. With so many flashy foreign cars on the road, speed matters, said Leonard Lesko, the NYPD's director of fleet services. "The car that does 110 mph doesn't do it anymore," Lesko said. In a recent analysis by Michigan State Police, Chargers equipped with a V-8 engine had the quickest acceleration (6.52 seconds to 60 mph) and fastest lap time (150 mph) of any police vehicle tested. The police highway unit will test drive 10 Chargers featuring V-8 engines, officials said. The rest will have V-6s and hit city streets in the five boroughs. If they pass inspection, they could replace hundreds of squad cars in the NYPD's 3,000-vehicle patrol fleet, now dominated by Ford Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Impalas. The Charger appeared in 1966. Over the next several years, it made an impact on the stock car circuit and on television, starring as the General Lee, an orange 1969 model, in "The Dukes of Hazzard." The price was being negotiated. A company Web site lists the civilian model's starting price at $22,995. Modified police models typically are sold to law enforcers at a discount. Link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NYP...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

CHICAGO SHOW: Kia mulls North American assembly 10 Feb 2006 Source: just-auto.com editorial team Kia is hoping to sell more than 300,000 light vehicles in the US in 2006, up from 275,000 in 2005, and at that level Kia executives believe local assembly would be necessary, according to Reuters. Quoting Kia Motors America chief operating office Len Hunt, the news agency said the automaker could be forced to make a decision about a site for its first North American plant soon, if it reaches its 2006 target. Kia reportedly has not yet narrowed down its choice to a specific country within North America. Parent company Hyundai opened its first North American plant in Alabama last year. The second model to be built at the plant (after the Sonata sedan), the Hyundai Entourage minivan, went into production in January and was launched at the Chicago motor show this week Link: http://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=50848

Well at any rate, you guys can look forward to seeing this "concept" on the roads soon: Edmunds: Sources: Nissan Titan Onyx Will Be Produced

The Daily Auto Insider Friday, February 10, 2006 February 2006 DaimlerChrysler is "scanning the globe" for a joint-venture partner to develop and build a subcompact car for its Chrysler unit to sell in North America, The Associated Press reported, citing company spokesman Jason Vines. The company is in talks with several automakers because it cannot profitably build a subcompact, or B-segment car, without another automaker as a partner, Vines said. "We're hoping to get a B-car someday, but we will not build it on our own," Vines said. Vines confirmed a report saying Chrysler has been in talks with Hyundai and Volkswagen about a subcompact car joint development project. Chrysler currently is co-developing a minivan with Volkswagen. He refuted reports that Chrysler has a plan to build a small car with a Chinese partner in China and export the vehicle. Chrysler vice president Joe Eberhardt said Wednesday the automaker is looking to possibly tap into the strong Canadian and Mexican small-car field with a B-segment offering. Most of the top car companies participating in the U.S. market, including General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Co., sell B cars in the U.S. They tend to develop the small vehicles for other markets where such cars are in higher demand and offer profitable returns, and then adapt them to be sold in the U.S. The segment has grown in recent years, and GM expects subcompact vehicle sales to increase by 5 percent to 10 percent this year. However, Eberhardt said the automaker doesn't see a reason to specifically develop a subcompact for the U.S. Link: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...rticle_id=10656

I'm thinking G35...

And the Excursion looked like a bus. So it must have been really ponderous to drive.