turbo200

weak defense. Toyota is doing plenty to invest in America, the reason they have money lining thier pockets is because blue-blooded Americans are lining up to buy thier well-engineered cars.

To me the argument of where either companies is investing is moot....both are investing in America, and around the world. Both are putting more Americans to work each year, while losing a lot as well. I don't get what the big deal is. As for the engines themselves, since this article is talking about engines for cars, yes it is true Toyota will have only one V6 engine for its cars and car-based SUVs. This technique is exactly what was being discussed all through last week by us in the other thread. Economies of scale meets newer, more advanced mfg techniques and badaboom everyone gets great engines in their cars. GM should take note.

wth? where did this press release come from? I don't even want to be bothered reading the rest of it because of the use of the word humiliation sets such a negative tone.

I'd love to take word for word what you say as the truth, but I have to be doubtful of GM, as the true nature of a GM fan goes, but still thank you for the message.

scarlett is a hot number, just the way she is. she's got this incredible body....there is no good weight she should lose. and her acting is spot on...I don't think there is any rason she should change. Rachel McAdams is pretty cute too, her personality and charm are terrific, her eyes turn the camera and movie on.

get over yourself. he's being perfectly subjective.the camry issue is that one piece falls off, and now everyone is going to beat this issue like it's the fall of Toyota's reign. to paraphrase a certain famous somone, "yarite." Big deal, one piece falls off; when there are real quality issues like empowah might have been pointing out, then it's cause for complaint. I've heard millions of stories about GM interiors being ripped apart. no difference here. It didn't completely make a difference to the quality appearance and ambience then [except to the substance of the panels, which is a quality issue], and it doesn't affect the Camry's now. There will still be substance to the Camry's panels; the Rav4 has substantial, high quality materials, though the graining and feel could be just a bit better. This does not refute Toyota's legendary status of "bulletproof". This is an anomoly, and isn't relevant to the quality design and substance of the Camry interior, nor does it hugely reflect on the overall assembly. The issue with the G6 is it's overall unfinished feel. The design feels unfinished, the quality feels a step or two behind, and then there's the powertrain/handling.....though these are subjective, because some could be satisfied with a boulevardier feel. [i feel the powertrain of a Pontiac should always be performance competitive and superior, since it's supposed to be about performance. Not to say the 2.4 shouldn't be offered, but the 3.5 should never have, and ultimately to fill that performance feel one must shoot for the high bar, and Altima has set it really highly. Ultimately, though the performance of G6s engines are satisfactory, if just a little short.] What isn't subjective is the unfinished, unpolished look of the interior. The materials are also a step behind. Finally there are still crucial design issues like the center pod shape, as well as the sparse console, shifter units, and cloth and leather materials. Ultimately their are serious improvements from before in panel feel, leather quality, and appearance, but it still falls short. But. There is a reason people like the G6. Imo, it's among the best designed midsize sedans, and I appreciate the sporty nature of the theme. I think it's better resolved than thje Mazda6 or Nissan Altima, it's primary competition as far as design. For some people, Fusion is cool, for me it's conservative....Aside from design, the G6 is a wholly competent and well engineered car. It's a great value, it's just been greatly overshadowed. Methinks, the best recipe for success are an even more aggressive design, with new, redefined Pontiac design cues along with a superbly designed interior with the quality of future GM interiors, and the 3.9L engine as standard materials above the frugal but still sporty 2.4 [big issue, the current 2.4 appearance wise is decidedly economy; G6s base wheels along with black mirrors and unaggressive front fasica are the culprits].

That's because there simply is no answer until Toyota tests this out. They are taking a risk by introducing something significantly larger and more "macho", and hoping the risk pays dividends in increased share and volume. I think the risk will pay off.

not sure what you mean by total cost of ownership, but Saab does include total maintenence...don't know if that helps any.I agree that the Lucerne sounds a bit overpriced, perhaps the March Madness sale can help that, there's also the Lacrosse, though I personally prefer the Lucerne much more. The thing is, that is a really high rate, I've seen Explorers advertised at 299 for a sweetheart lease deal. Something tells me, there are other factors going into the high price of the Lucerne, some you mentioned above. Good luck and happy hunting... EDIT: CTS, STS, and a whole other crop of luxury cars [Acura TL, TSX, Lincoln LS etc] might be good choices based on high residuals and relative age

Wait until February sales before you give a dim outlook on sales now that reduced prices are in store. I understand that GM has to do incentive programs now and then, and that March Madness is a good opportunity, however, weaning customers off the incentive mindset gets harder and harder everytime you introduce a new program slashing the already low prices. I liked GM's low prices, and the current commercials from Chevy promoting them are terrific. I am even seeing a lot of Lucernes. I am expecting nice sales, meaning flat or slightly up, for the month of February. Needless to say, this is a little disappointing.

These are very impressive stats and what sounds like a great review. The story keeps getting better for the GMT 900s.

ah-ha stated on his site the Ultra V8 has been cancelled in favor of a new Northstar. Probably why they hate releasing information early....

you are missing out. manual's are just fun to drive, exert the most power out of any engine, and you get such control over the car. I don't know that I would be totally satisfied without one.That said, I nominate my first car, the Nissan 240sx hatchback, stickshift LE with leather sport seats. Best handling car I've driven so far, and good little engine with a nice sweet spot.

I think the new design S is horrible.

I agree NS, without knowing what the full content of the car is though. I think Americans would pay around 34k for it, but I want to know what would stop GM from selling it as is around 30-32k, which is the current maximum price of the Lacrosse.

Civic will last forever, outpower a Prius, and is nicer inside as well as roomier while being a smaller package on the outside. Smaller package really does make a big difference, parking and just driving the freeways is much easier here because of it. Civic will do all this for cheaper price than Prius. But the Prius would be up there.

In certain cities, where public transportation is great, this is possible. Not in LA, though, as we've discussed.I say the best city car is probably Civic. It's greatly refined, gas-efficient [which greatly matters in cities with all the stop and go as well as idling in traffic], and incredibly space efficient [you'd be more comfortable in the back seat of a Civic than a G6, MB CLS, STS, CTS, etc]. It's not all that passionate, but as a practical reliable city car, you could not get a better compromise.

interior space, overall bulk and inefficiency using that space [this may not be a big deal to you, but when parking and manueverability matters in a huge overpopulated city, it becomes a higher priority to get the most out of less, that's part of the reason why Honda keeps gaining so many sales here and in other cities], overall driving dynamics are good, but still lagging the class leaders....other than this the only thing that dissuades me has been the execution of the cars, which as we all know isn't just about the platform itself.

hmm....I do want a Buick that deserves to cost more, I guess I'm just missing it with the Chinese Lacrosse. I could understand a couple thousand more than our Lacrosse, but in my mind, being based off the W-body and all I could not picture it being a lot more expensive, especially when what I am looking at is essentially an exterior redesign and an interior refresh...

We complain because the vehicles have never truly been up to par to the competition. G6 gets a price increase, but the interior design/quality still suffers, also uses a vastly lower powered engine compared to competition. Lacrosse gets price increase, same realities here, the car doesn't "feel" like it should cost that much. It's not up to the bar totally set by others, and so it should be priced where it is, under the competition.Aura will be the next American car to show what Americans will pay when provided with an attractive, desirable choice with the right quality and features. Until then, this point is rather moot, since there are cars people are willing to pay for, they're the desirable ones, Tahoe goes for list now, Solstice, Vette, etc, etc. Finally, what is it that would constitute such a gross price increase over our Lacrosse. All I see in that car, besides content I'm not really asking for in a base Lacrosse, are quality materials, that may cost GM an extra $200, and care for detail. W-body basing over 30k, I just could never imagine that. In terms of dynamics, this platform has achieved a lot, but it has well been paid for long ago, and is severly outclassed in certain respects. The exterior is the only other difference, but what does it cost GM to refine thier designs a bit more? Nothing.

it's much more refined than our Lacrosse. The details are right on this one, they just could have gone further with styling.

I never see any GMs, but Ford does thier testing here all the time. My street seems to be a very popular choice for them. I've seen all the new products we were just introduced being tested on different days.

It didn't sell incredible numbers in LA, more like incredible for a Pontiac. I see quite a few GTOs, at least one a week, more than most here could say, and I don't drive that much. It sold for the same reasons it sold elsewhere, it is world-class muscle and power, great quality interior, and stealthy look [which also worked against it]. I have to say I agree with samuel's assessment that the GTO's style killed it. For 32k and for being a Pontiac it needed to be something fresh and groundbreaking, like the Solstice.

that's crazy expensive.

It would be a step forward from the current Lacrosse....but by 2009 timeframe if it were just being released it wouldn't be considered anything special anymore. I consider this car on the level of Aura in terms of design and execution.

Correction, the Chinese Lacrosse would fit in beautifully with the Enclave. The Enclave interior is so wonderful, thanks for the link blackhhr. Though I would want to take the higher end Buick sedans bolder than this, this is a definite step in the right direction for Buick design, Buick really needs this sedan here as the Lacrosse, yesterday. Hopefully the Zeta sedan or whatever is being planned for Buick are not too far off...