turbo200

I have actually started to see a lot more S-class' recently. The car is stunning in person, to me. It is detailed, athletic, elegant, and stylized. I'd call it and the M-class two of the most stylish new products on the road, and the CLS, A8, and S the most stylish sedans on the road. The new front end in person isn't a dramatic departure, but the improvements are profound and rachet up the grace and flow of the lines. The wierd thing about this picture of the new CL and the new S is how much inspiration is taken from BMW. The S has a blatant Bangle butt, only well done and graceful, like the refreshed 7 has become. The CL's sides and lower bodywork scream 3-series and Z4. As is these are computer enhanced shots, the side is awful, though the rear I could see liking. The front is clearly not representative of a new MB.

this is great news for pontiac and G6. Price price price, value value value and looks looks looks should all be of great importance with the release of the GXP. In accordance, GT should go away. Base model should get GT wheels and 2.4 engine with stick. All models should get improved handling packages. GTP engine, wheels, and handling improvements should move to GT designation. Improved/updated looks a la Sema G6 and pricing lowered all around would mean huge uptick in this car's competitive factor.

this guy has no clue what he's talking about. you should stop trying for the millionth time to get this website on your bandwagon, it didn't happen before and it won't happen ever. just thinking of your sales practices makes me shudder, literally shudder. your prod prod prod until they buy it sales practice is unbelievable and appalling, really. Your passion and fervency is strong, but pay attention and address the real issues. DEALER magazine you have to be kidding.

I have read the Plan and it does not address the core issues of what faces GM. Buickman uses empty phrases like "improved sales" and "number one salesman". Buickman sells Buicks in Flint. I never see Buicks in Los Angeles. Never. I see about 40 BMW 3-series' every time I drive within a 4 mile radius. Address this problem and you save GM. I don't see anywhere in the Plan where Buickman addresses sales in the coasts, where GM's share is piddling and really reflective of the public's opinion. I don't see anywhere in the Plan where Buickman addresses out of date product, overcapacity issues, incredible medical and overhead costs, union dealings, quality quality quality, investment, or even his forte, sales environments, of which GM still lags behind the competition [ever been in a Cadillac showroom and then an MB or Lexus showroom, ya world of difference].

This is hopefully the most generalized, blanketed statement i may ever make, dealer salesmen are idiots. Just plain idiots. Not only do they have a complete lack of product knowledge [everyone i've encountered which is certainly not every salesmen out there], they are so schooled in some backwards sales practice world they cannot escape the snake-like demeanor. I can only imagine what Dollinger is like. it literally makes me want to shudder thinking about dealing with him. I want someone who gives no nonsense, and you know I have met some like that, the only ones I've ever met like that are not at GM dealerships, except maybe Saab. Okay, so it's hit or miss, but GM dealers really hire men with old-school think. Perhaps it's the years of faltering sales and bottom lines that leads them to hire people who zone in and attack no matter what. People want someone friendly, who is knowledgeable, seems trustworthy, is available but not pushy, and definitely not just trying to get to the bottom line questions. Salesmen waste thier time with me when they are just asking me "how much money you've got to spend". It's not about that asswipe, it's about what car I want. End rant. Car dealerships have thier place in the world of GM. I would like it if Dollinger spent his time and efforts on improving the sales experience nationwide instead of fielding useless rhetoric here.

hmmm...but is it good looking? better than the Tundra?

if this is accurate, hopefully the details are all wrong. the front end looks to fit in with the Torana and what we've seen from Holden, BUT this rendition is hopelessly bland. the generic roofline is all 500 all last gen A6. The rear is generic too. If it came here as is, it would go nowhere. I am not passing judgement on what the Statesman will look like, since this is only a drawing, i am passing judgement on this poor drawing.

very interesting. i thought a strike would be neatly avoidable, now it appears inevitable. there are certainly dark times ahead.

don't drink any diet anything. drink water and natural juice! and cool thread

i guess this is really decision time then? strike will happen by this friday if nothing changes?

you're probably right on the Acadia. A sign of the fundamental changes at GM is how it has completely eschewed old practices of showing sketches, prototypes, production vehicles way too early. Getting the hopes of the public and then underdelivering. The way to do it is underpromise and overdeliver.

to the initiator of this thread, thanks! to all the comments afterwards, I agreed with them in some way or another. to the person who posted the colored in pictures, now that is dope! that's a bit more telling and shows something more to grab onto than the initial sketches did.

funny avatar. Your thoughts on the styling of GM trucks seems right on. They have always been conservative but tough. There is an element of elegance in the simplicty of the lines, that carried through to the Suburban and Tahoe and certainly helped sales. They are not only unoffensive but actually handsome, and since they are trucks and not GM cars they are not hindered by old platforms or old corporate think resulting in ridiculous proportioning.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 12 ish 2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Chapelle's Block Party 3. What is your favorite TV show? right now?, Free Ride, american idol 4. What did you have for breakfast? grilled chicken tenderloins, more like lunch 5. What is your middle name? not going to divulge 6. What is your favorite cuisine? pizza, sushi, chinese, american, mexican, love food 7. Your favorite Potato chip? ruffles or pringles original 8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? not enough $ to buy cds, but james blunt sounds good 9. What kind of car do you drive? 97 nissan 10. Favorite sandwich? cheeseburger 11. What characteristics do you despise? envy, deceit, irresponsibility, lack of integrity, arrogance, ego 12. Favorite item of clothing?comfy t shirt or jeans 13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? ah, everywhere, but choose one it'd be italy or a beautiful beach somewhere warm 14. What color is your bathroom? I don't care 15. What is your favorite brand of clothing? abercrombie 16. Where would you want to retire? tough question, CA sounds nice, australia sounds good, france sounds good, italy sounds good, mexico sounds good, we'll see 17. Where were you born? Indiana 18. Favorite sport to watch? baseball, basketball 19. Who do you least expect to send this back? Nobody 20. Person you expect to send it back first? Nobody 21. What laundry detergent do you use? don't care 22. Coke or Pepsi? water or juice 23. Are you a morning person or night owl? lately night, but i love morning time 24. Do you have any pets? yes 25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? thinking... 26. What did you want to be when you were little? lawyer, speaker, entertainer 27. Favorite candy bar? snickers twix 28. What is your best childhood memory? too many to list, but I'm pretty fond of every moment then 29. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? not interesting...waitor, sales, still waiting to become a "real" actor 30. What color underwear are you wearing? goin commando 31. Nicknames? 33. Eye color? brown 34. Ever been to Africa? No 35. Ever been toilet papering? i think so... 36. Love someone so much it made you cry? erm,...no i'm a man i don't cry....yes 37. Been in a car accident? too many, one could have split me in half 38. Croutons or bacon bits? crutons 39. Favorite day of the week? sunday, 40. Favorite restaurant? too many good ones, there's one in LA called The Rack. great place. oh and Big Wangs, ya that's a cool place 42. Favorite ice cream? peanut butter 44. Favorite fast food restaurant? In and Out 45. What color is your bedroom carpet? Gray 46. How many times did you fail your driver's test? always passed 47. Besides this one, from whom did you get your last email? friend 48. What store would you choose to max out your credit card? ummm.....i'm not very techie, but I sure could use a shopping spree at best buy. abercrombie would be cool too, food store 49. What do you do most often when you are bored? guitar, read, drive, surf net, go to ocean 50. Bedtime? 12, 1 , 2 51. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? hehe 52. What are you listening to right now? silence and typing at the library 53. What is your favorite color? blue black 54. Lake, Ocean or river? Ocean 56. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Chicken 57. How many people are you sending this email to? 58. Time finished? huh?

I won't give you this point, it nearly doesn't ever occur in recent articles, and if it does it's just a general reference, like this American car is finally well done. but I will concede to tripping over the reference in this article. Otherwise, this is an excellent review. They rave over the experience. I don't get what people here are talking about. The way I see it, the people doing the nagging are the ones in this thread. I read the review, it was concise, listed detailed improvements, noted subtle improvements [placement of dash, overall driving experience]. I don't get it, what do you guys want? For them to scream buy this truck! I agree the first paragraph is a bit of overdone style. But it's their backstory, sometimes they feel they have to do it to introduce thier tone and break up the rest of the story. Also, like I noted, I cringed when I read the domestic line. However, the review is glowing, terrific. Northie posted a review that he says is 100% positive. Why is everyone here getting riled on some [possibly/probably] objective, small complaints? I didn't go through all the complaints, nor do I care but third row space and flexibiltiy and the complaint about the black center plastic are fair. That center stack is one of my least favorite pieces of the STS, it's the same here.

agreed, the Rover is a style leader in the SUV world, both the RR Sport and the original. Inside and out they are some of the best looking SUVs, and have caught on with the congnosceti of LA. they're damn cool looking and have caught up, at least in LA, with the Escalade in the full size luxury class [though the Rover overall is smaller in interior space---the lines are somewhat blurred in this price class]. They, and the Hummer, are the real competitors to the luxury SUV crown, Navi to a lesser extent than the top 3. In the other league, M-class, X5, RX are extremely popular, while the SRX is close behind. the second point you made is troubling for me. DI won't be available in the 3.6 for NG CTS at launch...it could probably take two years for the DI engine pushing over 300 hp to arrive. Again a case of GM delaying the good technology that needs to be at rollout to ensure the most noise. I don't think it will have an incredible effect on sales, but it's another card that could have been played, and it is important in that class, with the IS, G35, 3-series moving to high performance engines. Like you said, shooting at a moving target, you need to not only match them but outpace them. This is something GM has not consistently shown us it is willing to do. There has always been some sort of compromise with them. Hopefully, especially given all our ranting and raving over the years on this exact topic, this kind of thing just won't be happening in the future.

so which CTS is it again, since we're all in consensus. I have one thing to point out--from the pictures, which are sweet, the wheels really aren't that wide. They don't appear to me to be wider [significantly at least] than the current V-series. I could be wrong though. Anyways, does anybody have the real real info, there's only 2 or 3 guys here that seem to have it

it's all right, but like ours nothing special. I really can't wait until I see the first one on the road and get convinced that it's a blight to our roads....it took me all of not long at all to do that with the old one.

G6 needs macho styling. Grand Am was effiminate, but in a burly tough, and sometimes really sporty looking way. The GTP captures the spirit well with its big haunces and wheels and sporty decor, but is priced out of the market of the old GA GT. The new G6 GT is just too fem. The base wheels with no spokes at all, just a big fat cover of a wheel is heinous. The spokes like Ciprian has in his sig are good for the base car. Still it needs more flair in the exterior. It can look like an Accord, a better looking Accord, with more style, but not more panache. The coupe needs a more dynamic interior to justify the price hike, and is again very feminine. The old coupe was fem, but again in a heavy, ponderous kind of way [not talking about the drive]. The concept looks manlier, something in the curves of the production version is off. The interior is not befitting of its class in either version. Make these fixes and I predict the sales would start taking off in the direction of the old GA. Base G6 coupe needs to exist with like a 17.5k price line. That's one I saw being snapped up a lot in the old days. I don't know that the packaging is a real problem....it seems to be in line with competition and is roomier than predecessor, but it needs to be cause the GA was small inside. Wider G6 would help things.

yep! when ahha was on, he said the two would share cues, and the yukon would end up getting updated in a couple of years to match the look better. The Yukon looks good already, but I would have no problem with it getting a slightly macho-er look, it would complement the Denali version well.

will the wheelbase and length of the next CTS increase? will the track of the standard CTS also increase?

which will make the market that much broader and competitive. Hopefully, the aura has what it takes to keep up.

except the GXP heralds from an era where big car dimmensions with small car space was okay. also, heralds from an era where big black flat pieces of plastic was okay. also, uncomfortable seating, gee golly plastics, overwrought design. also, has *too* much character for some, and not the right character for others. also, GXP is fun to drive, has a V8, and is a compelling sporty car, but these cars just don't compete for the same buyer. the camry offers performance, class, quality, reliability, in a sedate package for the average, discerning quality-conscious buyers---a recipe for success some would say

i would at least take the sportcombi out for a drive. it's a much much more beautiful car than the Malibu, and it *looks* more fun than the maxx, and certainly drives better. the engine feel, well that's the part where the test drive comes in. For my money, the saab feels better put together thanks to real high quality not apparent in other GM brands, and it is so consistent in its quality and design. but between the maxx and HHR, I'd go maxx.