Derek77

DETROIT — U.S. automakers posted mixed February sales Wednesday, with Ford Motor Co. (F) hurt by sluggish truck sales, cross-town rival Chrysler posting a second-straight monthly gain, and General Motors posting a 2.5 percent drop in sales. Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales, excluding its import brands, fell 3 percent, while sales for DaimlerChrysler AG's (DCX) Chrysler unit were up 3 percent. Continued at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186496,00.html

New GM Models Post Strong February Sales, Retail Sales Up 1 Percent Overall Sales Decline 2.5 Percent Compared to Year-Ago Level All-New Chevy Tahoe Sales Double From January; HUMMER Hits Sales Record for 10th Month Launch Vehicle Retail Sales Up 32 Percent Over January DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States in February posted a retail sales improvement of 1 percent. Total deliveries were 301,545 new cars and trucks, down 2.5 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Total car sales were down 13 percent, and truck sales were up 5 percent. Calendar year sales are up 1.4 percent. "Consumer response to our new vehicles and segment-leading value resulted in solid sales results in February," said Mark LaNeve, General Motors North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Our retail sales improvement in February was driven by our industry-leading value, not by fleet sales or high incentives. This resulted in better retail sales performance by six of our divisions." Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, HUMMER and Saab all posted retail sales gains compared to year-ago levels. Three divisions achieved overall sales improvements in February. HUMMER was up 202.5 percent, driven by continued strong sales of the H3. Saab total deliveries rose 9.5 percent, and calendar year sales are up 19 percent. Buick's total sales also improved over last year and were up 1.7 percent, bolstered by strong Lucerne sales. Recently introduced vehicles played an important part in GM's February sales results. Total utility deliveries were up 25 percent compared to last year. Sales of the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe (6,391) were double last month's level. Total Tahoe deliveries were up 47 percent compared to last year. The 2007 GMC Yukon posted its first deliveries in February (1,452), as did the new Cadillac Escalade (1,461). "It's still early, but we're exceeding all of the important targets for our new full-size SUVs, particularly the Tahoe, which is the first one to arrive in dealerships," LaNeve said. "The new 2007 GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade are just now arriving in dealerships and are off to a very strong start." LaNeve added that dealers are excited to have the new generation of full-size sport utility vehicles on their sales floor. "Dealers tell us they can't keep them on the lot, with vehicles staying in inventory less than a week on average," he said. Other new utilities that posted strong February results included Torrent, Pontiac's new compact sport utility, which achieved its second best sales to-date with 3,946 deliveries, up 33 percent compared to January. Saturn VUE continued its solid sales streak, with its ninth consecutive month of sales improvements (+43.5 percent compared to year-ago levels). February was another record-setting month for HUMMER. It posted year-over-year record sales for the tenth consecutive month, and its aggregate deliveries since 2002, when it began selling the H2, surpassed 150,000 units. On the car side, a number of new GM vehicles also had solid sales in February. Buick Lucerne deliveries have improved every month since launch, with February sales 20 percent greater than January levels. Lucerne retail deliveries in February were over twice the level of year-ago LeSabre retail sales. Customer demand for the Pontiac Solstice remains very brisk. In February it posted among the highest total turn rates of all vehicles in the industry (39 percent). For the sixth consecutive month, Pontiac G6 sales exceeded year-ago levels both in total and retail deliveries. Total G6 sales in February were up 38 percent. These improvements were achieved prior to the introduction of the new G6 hardtop convertible scheduled to arrive in Pontiac dealerships this spring. Certified Used Vehicles February sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Used Cars from Saturn, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 40,474 units, down 10.6 percent from last February. Total year-to-date certified GM sales are 80,001 units, down 6 percent from the same period last year. GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, posted 35,461 sales, down nearly 9 percent from last February, but up 3 percent from January 2006. Year-to-date sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles are 69,954 units, down 4.5 percent from the same period in 2005. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted 3,097 sales in February, down nearly 2 percent from last year. Used Cars from Saturn sold 1,412 units, down 47 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 504 units, down 2.5 percent. In its second month of operation, HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned sold 36 units. "While February was a challenging month for all certified GM brands, GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling certified brand, increased sales by 3 percent from January and continues to set the pace for all manufacturers in the category," LaNeve said. GM North America Reports February Production; 2006 First-Quarter Production Forecast Remains Unchanged; 2006 Second-Quarter Production Forecast Set at 1.2 Million Vehicles In February, GM North America produced 407,000 vehicles (155,000 cars and 252,000 trucks). This is down 23,000 units, or 5 percent, compared to February 2005, when the region produced 430,000 vehicles (167,000 cars and 263,000 trucks). Production totals include joint venture production of 26,000 vehicles in February 2006 and 23,000 vehicles in February 2005. The region's 2006 first-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.25 million vehicles (505,000 cars and 745,000 trucks). In the first quarter of 2005, the region produced 1.182 million vehicles (470,000 cars and 712,000 trucks). The region's initial 2006 second-quarter production forecast is set at 1.2 million vehicles (445,000 cars and 755,000 trucks), down 3.7 percent from second quarter 2005 actuals. GM also announced 2006 revised first-quarter and initial second-quarter production forecasts for its international regions. GM Europe - GM Europe's 2006 first-quarter production estimate remains unchanged at 497,000 vehicles. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 502,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2006 second-quarter production forecast is set at 490,000 vehicles. In the second quarter of 2005, the region built 501,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific - GM Asia Pacific's revised 2006 first-quarter production estimate is 470,000 vehicles, up 59,000 units from last month's guidance. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 335,000 vehicles. Additionally, the region's initial 2006 second-quarter production forecast is set at 480,000 vehicles. In the second quarter of 2005, the region built 398,000 vehicles. GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region's revised 2006 first-quarter production estimate is 193,000 vehicles, down 8,000 units from last month's guidance. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 185,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2006 second-quarter production forecast is set at 215,000 vehicles. In the second quarter of 2005, the region built 195,000 vehicles.

Good! More 3.5L for the Equinox and Torrent if they get them.

Chevrolet Continues To Offer Top Selling Suvs At Best Prices Suburban Maintains Momentum spurred by Chevy Pricing Strategy CLEVELAND - Chevrolet announced pricing today on its 2007 Suburban, continuing a pricing strategy that helps customers understand the strong value offered by GM's largest division. Chevy's all new 2007 Suburban LS, equipped with a standard 5.3L engine, begins at $36,990; starting price for an LT 5.3L is $37,740; and an LTZ, equipped with 5.3L begins at $45,655. All prices include $875 Destination Freight Charge (DFC) and are 2WD. The LS model is $2,550 less than a comparably equipped 2006 LS. Suburban four-wheel drive models begin at $39,790 for the LS; $40,540 for the LT; and $48,455 for the LTZ. Suburban 3/4 -ton, equipped with 6.0L engine pricing is as follows: 2WD LS begins at $38,165; 2WD LT is $38,915; 4WD LS starts at $40,965 and 4WD LT sells for $41,715. "We continue to offer America 's Number 1 brand as well as America 's Number 1 value," says Chevy General Manager Ed Peper. "We're hearing from customers that they really like our strategy of bringing great vehicles to the market place at great prices." Chevrolet announced its new pricing strategy during the North American International Auto Show in January, showcasing exceptional pricing on the all-new Tahoe -- the first of the new Chevy full-size trucks. "Chevy's goal is to bring expressive design and spirited performance combined with great value to its customers," Peper says. "We know consumers are looking for more features and standard equipment at competitive prices, and that's what we will offer." Currently, the Chevy Suburban has no direct competitors. The vehicle is capable of hauling more passengers and cargo than any other vehicle in the segment - and offers a 360-degree safety system of occupant protection and crash-avoidance technology that demonstrates GM's commitment to providing world-class safety. Led by strong full-size pickup and launch vehicle sales, Chevrolet was the best-selling vehicle brand in the United States in 2005. Chevy led the industry in total sales of sport utilities last year, with combined sales of 239,316 Tahoes and Suburbans. So far this year, Chevy full-size utilities sales are up 36.8 percent over last January and share is up 13.1 points. During January 2006, Tahoe and Suburban had a combined share of 50.7 percent, indicating that one out of every two full-size SUVs sales went to Chevy. "More Americans buy Chevys than any other brand," Peper says, "and we intend to defend our sales position with a continued strong product assault in 2006, led by our new trucks."

Regardless if the pic was not taken from the new Avalanche, it has the same interior as the Tahoe.

You can see the dash in this picture.

This would be a more accurate representation of the Equinox interior for 2006. The other interior of the Equinox is a preproduction picture.

http://www.chevrolet.com/avalanche/2007/index.jsp

I thought that this line was the most interesting: "global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak"

Now this goes against the grain.... ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Russian astronomer has predicted that Earth will experience a "mini Ice Age" in the middle of this century, caused by low solar activity. Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported. Scientist predicts 'mini Ice Age' Those crazy Russians.

The Fair Tax is not ment to be a tax on the high achievers and given to the people making under 35K as a welfare credit. That would be called socialism. The poor come out smelling like a rose under the Fair Tax. They will have more of THEIR MONEY under the plan, so they can decide what they want to do with THEIR MONEY. If they want to invest, they can do it. If they want to buy more crap, they can do it. Their money is theirs.

And they do now? Some one making 30K or less a year is not playing the stock market. Under the Fair Tax the poor might actually be able to save for their future.The Fair Tax is not an added tax. I repeat. The Fair Tax is not an added tax. It replaces the tax on all goods. So prices will stay the same or lower. The poor will get to keep all of there check. 100%. And on top of that they get a prebate check in the mail to cover the taxes on the basic necessities of life up to the poverty level. In the end the person barely making enough to survive will pay nothing!!!! cmattson you'll have to look at the book or look at there sight to look at some of the independent studies on the tax. The soft cover is coming out soon with more and updated info in it. The Fair Tax is not perfect, but it is better than the scam of a tax code we have in place now.

What if Person B spends all their money, then Person B would be paying 23% of their income on taxes. And if Person A did the same thing, he would give 23% of his income to taxes just as Person B. In your hypothetical situation, you forgot to mention that Person A decided to do spend more of their income on things. He didn't have to. The fact is that no class benefits more from the FairTax than the poor, if you were trying to hint that the Fair Tax punishes the poor. The FairTax does not tax any portion of the income that rich people get. It's not an income tax. The FairTax is a consumption tax, it taxes spending. If you assume that rich people spend more than poor and middle class people (not a difficult assumption to make) then you can see that the rich will pay more in consumption taxes than the poor.

Is that a crime? Are you asking that the rich be punished for making more money? Should they have to pay 50% in your mind? Under the Fair Tax, everyone would be taxed the same no matter how you cut it. The more you spend the more you pay.

48. Is the FairTax progressive? Do the rich pay more and the poor pay less as a percentage of their spending?

And there isn't black markets now to avoid paying taxes under our current system? Is there punishment for not paying your taxes now? Will there be punishment for not paying under the fair tax? You bet. Find out more about the Fair Tax before you bash the Fair Tax.

Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about doing taxes? April 15 would be just another day. And we got to keep all of our pay check...... Oh it would be nice. See Below.

Nothing to see yet, but keep your eyes open. South Hall NW View

Don't forget about America's oil shale in the west. That has the potential to supply us for the next 100 years by itself. But getting away from oil is best for all of us.

GM Media Online: GM Arlington SUV Plant To Build Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon Two-Mode Hybrid

2007 Chevy Avalanche LTZ

One thing is, no one wants refineries in there back yard, because of looks, smells, and people think of the time when there were many refinery deaths from fires. The History Channel has a great Modern Marvels episode on Gasoline that explains things in good detail. I came away suprised that a gallon of gas only cost $2.30 nationwide. And again, The oil companies don't set the price of oil, the world market does.

Here is another story on the subject. Maybe this will explain it better. Exxon Clears More Than $100 Million Daily

Boy am I going to get ragged for this. I found a great explanation on this subject and why I am not mad at oil companies for making money. A few other things to point out: -Exxon Mobil doesn't set the price of oil, the world market does. They're just cashing in. That price is determined by supply and demand, and nothing else. Sorry. If you want oil to be cheaper, you have to drill for more of it, bring to market and drive down the price. -The oil companies are doing what they're supposed to. It is the function of a public corporation to make as much money as possible for its shareholders. -If we expect to drill for more oil...and refine more gasoline...where do people think the money to do that will come from? Reinvested oil company profits, that's where. Somebody has to pay for exploration. At the end of the day, it is the environmentalists that are making oil companies rich. The tighter the supply, the bigger their profits.

Okay, let me get this straight. Are you trying to say that Toyota's way is better because it has saved more gas in the last 5 years? I agree with you there. But I think what avant1963 was trying to say is that Toyota hybrids saves (going by there numbers, and just dividing the total gallons saved / total hybrids, and the number of years) 80 gallons a year per vehicle. Where as a bus saves 1500 a year (going by GMs number). Which is better for everyone? I tend to think the buses make everyone happy?