balthazar

I am apparently on the U.S. Route 1 power grid. In the 16 years I've lived here, the very infrequent power outages last right around 2 minutes. I think once it was out for maybe 2 hours. Not even a hiccup during yesterday's storm.

Nees some real rubber on it (looks like 205s) , otherwise- purty!

>>"I can't wait for Nov. to see how it all turns out. "<< Preview: BO wins : kills the Bush tax break & individuals pay $2300 more in federal income tax. If BO gets even 60% of his new spending proposals passed (60 % = $300B in the first year alone)- individuals will pay another $5300 more on FIT. Already you're looking at $7600 more in taxes right off the bat next year. Feel the wind of change... blowing thru your empty wallet??? He's for doubling the capital gains tax, raising the SS tax... he has proposed well over $1.5 TRILLION in new spending over the next 5 years. He has said no to exploration, drilling & refineries, no to more coal, no to wind farms, no to nuclear. He DID say gas might hit $12/gal- apparently he's doing everything he can to make that come true. Between tax increases and energy increases, we are slated to see the worst inflation in modern times, and at a time the country is already crawling on it's belly.

Hey von- putting my GMC/ 'yota bash ad to good use- excellent!!

The ethnicity of a particular designer has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the designs he/she produces. So much so, I see no point whatsoever in the race-centric angle of the above, tho no doubt it plays well with koreans who value such generalities.

>>"Maybe Chevy got concerned that the Insignia looked too good relative the Malibu and told Saturn to tone it down."<< I thought there was no 'Chevy', just marketing names from 1 corporation.

Again- info missing, great quantities. Where are the friggin' dates?? >>Hyatt Roller Bearing Headed by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., Hyatt quickly became a key supplier to the booming auto industry in the early 1900s. Sloan sold his company to United Motors in 1916 and was immediately hired as that company’s president. Two years later, it was acquired by GM and Sloan was made a GM vice president. Hyatt ended up reporting to various units with GM over the following years and Sloan was elected president of GM in 1923.<< When & where was it founded? When was it disbanded, absorbed, and by whom/what? Make anything other than...um... roller bearings?

>>"light writeup of the automatic transmission..."<< The other half of that story is over in the better Cadillac books. Some of the things I have never seen adequately explained: The operational relationships between the assembly plants and the Fisher Body plants (<info here is seemingly guarded like Hanger 18 keys), the typical operations at Milford Proving Grounds, the simple difference between an XP car and a SO car, the accounting of & between divisions (sounds weird: in earlier years divisions sold materials to other divisions), a comprehensive listing of stylists and their contributions... why can't I learn all this stuff ??

smk- So in other words; you think GM should have kept Olds merely because it's volume was high(er). Interesting.

The way the tailgate misses the bed rails by an inch on each side, heightwise, is amazingly annoying. Why not a tight S-curve to meet the bodyline there, instead of intentionally misaligning them? Cheaper?

>>"how is Pontiac the "performance" division when you have a Camaro, Impala SS, Colbalt SS, et al?"<< How the hell did Pontiac sell Firebirds, GTOs and 2+2s, et al, when Chevy had Camaros, Chevelle SSs and Impy SSs? 'birds & Goats were on very similar or same chassis's, same rears, same trannys. Different bodies & interiors. "Same cars"... or... maybe...... not so much. Different products for different tastes. Why does mercedes slap 200 lbs of fluted rockers and bumper extensions on an AMG- doesn't make it go any faster. Doesn't disguise what the original car is. What the F is the purpose ??? Ahhh: different products for different tastes. >>"How is Buick any sort of "luxury" division when your own platform mate, DTS, clearly outscores it in interior appointments and amenities?"<< How is the s-class any sort of "luxury" model when your own platform mate, maybach, clearly outscores it in interior appointments and amenities? Cadillac has always offered more than Buick- you know this. These are 2 completely different bodys with different interiors & equipment. There are dozens of 'luxury' cars in the segment; why, because Cadillac has one, Buick cannot? Ohh- same parent corporation = no 2 products that can be linked thru platform specs. >>"Or when your LaCrosse doesn't really offer any sort of driving appeal or truly luxurious differences to set it apart from a loaded Impala LTZ? Where does the Yukon Denali fit (as a "premium" entry) when you already have the Escalade going after "premium" full-size SUV buyers?"<< Even note the sheer volume of style commentary in all walks of media? A strongly divisive element; can you deny that? What was the point of the altima & the (last) maxima- same platform, same engine, same amenities, different body & interior. Hm-mm... why does that sound familiar? Nissan is shoving the same hoary V-6 and the same (sometimes minorly altered) platform under loads of vehicles- it's the K-car brand of the '00s. How often is shared componentry used in the industry, but why is it the be-all,-end-all guillotine for GM sibling pairs and never so for others? OC's GM: 10 models, 2 brands, complete happiness.

People- sales numbers are not everything or mostly everything anymore. ROI should... must rank far higher.

Never heard of an all-encompassing book like you describe. I happen to have a pic-by-pic of the '63 GP assembly-line process.... and that's the only good step-by-step of just that portion of 'making a car' I've ever seen. Some things I've specifically searched for for years and still have not uncovered the hard facts. I've read and read all sorts of books, magazines, etc on car for years and years.... and at this point, it strikes me that it's still only the 'iceberg tip' of everything involved. Amazing involved & complex process.

With the economic present, & likely near future, I'll bet dollar to donuts it's a lot more than you think. Or did you think suc... people are buying kias for their unique amenities? The great majority of features on most modern cars just add: cost (purchase), cost (repair), annoyance (in cases of refused repair), weight & complexity. And laziness. Look at the numbers buying priuses on gut reaction.... economics is the directive here (that, and a vain desire to be viewed as 'green').

Political talk : I think we can handle it.

>>"Opel builds a good car. No need to hide behind a facade (read: Saturn, Vauxhall)."<< I see your point, but unfortunately, Opel products have failed or failed to excell repeatedly in this market. The name is NOT an unrealized marketing advantage.

>>"...if they do what Lutz says about 1/3 of their cars would have to go away."<< Depends on one's definition of 'niche'. I wouldn't call 40K (Enclave) 'niche' even in the arena of 1960s GM volume.

>>"I don't know how you can pass such firm judgment without seeing it in person or driving it. "<< Why in the world would you have to drive it to formulate an opinion on the front-end design? You can't even see the grille from the driver's seat.... or can you ?

That grille has GOT to be a joke! That's insane- it's monsterous! Looks like it rear-ended a chrome tanker.

>>"Not plowing my ex-girlfriend before she got deported. Oh well, I have a new girlfriend of about 4 months now, and that's going well. I'm posting my personal life less on here lately because I've been too busy."<< Too.... busy...... .... .. . ..... ..... plowing ?

>>"This is being challenged... Which is good. My 18 year old daughter just graduated home-school high school."<< It's great it's being challenged, it sucks (and is much more foreboding) that it was passed to begin with. Congrats to your daughter.

>>"It is too hard to differentiate these brands that are using cars on the same platform in the same price segment. Buick, Chevy, Pontiac, Saturn all sell midsize sedans in the $20-30k range. Saturn or Pontiac could go away, the G8 is the only Pontiac that isn't a rebadge of a car already sold in the US. "<< Is it also too hard for nissan/infinity, toyota/lexus, vw/audi/porsche, etc? Buick & Pontiac share no "rebadges"- discontinuing Pontiac from Buick-GMC does not remove any sales-channel overlap. Since their cars in the same price range are different vehicles, comparing a Pontiac to a Buick should be no different than comparing a Pontiac to any other sedan in the same segment/price bracket.... ideally. >>"Pontiac/Buick/GMC should be considered one 'brand'. Give Buick three or four good Lexus-lite models, Pontiac three or four good BMW-lite models, and GMC three or four good upscale Trucks/crossovers, and you've got yourself one well-rounded showroom that differentiates itself well from Chevy, Saturn, or Cadillac dealers."<< I can see Buick & Pontiac with just 3 each. But I do agree with this.

>>"What in 1984, made in the USA by ANY manufacturer had even close to the presence, durability & sex factor that this MB does?"<< Why must we stick with 1984, here in 2008? Are you somehow restricted to buying only MY84s? >>"this is IMHO one of the most elegant German made cars of all time."<< Bah; there's no flow, no fluidity, no grace. IMO. There's no sheetmetal in the quarters below the top of the rim- all plastic & rubber. Cheap. Front is no better. Rims are supremely cheap-looking. And.... it has GASP!!! cladding !!!!!! OMG-NO!! Why it's lousy with cladding !!!!! Who's going to take any car seriously with.... pantpant.... CLADDING ?!?! (Ribbed for your pleasure). Gonna strip it off?? >>"the ribbed tail lights on Benz... self cleaning...."<< Horse-puckey. Why are there almost zero (or is it actually zero) ribbing today? Is the atmosphere that much cleaner today? Ahh- just ribbin' you. Hopefully it won't be a money-sucking vortex for you and the lil miss enjoys it.

But that indeed could be the future of some of the divisions: 2 or 3 models only. No one believes or is advocating full lineups for all divisions anymore, obviously there's not enough money for that. But there should be enough for a few models for each. Pontiac will only 'starve' with 2-3 models if they are product-starved (ie: G5). Given solid, performance models of considerable uniqueness, I believe they would provide a ROI. Maserati is part of a 7 brand conglomerate, only has 2 bodystyles of 1 car, with a ferrari-derived engine, only sold 2540 cars in 2007 and only turned a profit that year for the 1st time in 17 years. Yet no one is talking about shutting down the brand there, even tho the same dire sorts of circumstances are at play there. Pontiac could move into the same sort of product slot- higher caliber coupe/sedan, plus the Solstice- far less investment than ALSO including a Vibe/ Torrent/ G5/ G6/ Aztek. I would hope there was enough money to do that (plus advertise).

The Corvette -more than any other model in GM history- has had some agonizingly long product cycles. '68 to 82, anyone? That's almost half the time BMW has been reshuffling the same nose on it's cars. Everyone here sems to be leaning toward bi-annual model re-do's. But I know what you're angling at, HE - steady refinement, class leading, all that the Corvette has always... ususally always displayed.