NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

I understand, but that is why he kept Bob Lutz around as a "senior advisor" and surrounded himself with people who know what is going on. That is why Nick R. is over GM Europe and other people like Mark R. are now president of GM North America. The only appointment that scares me is Susan D. So far the board has made good decisions since they changed the board. We almost lost Opel if Fritz had his way. He was not moving fast enough to make any change.

Yes, but you had years of legacy GM people running things for decades. Go back to Roger Smith. An outsider came in and wiped them out one by one. They either resigned or retired. We all want to see GM succeed. We have been rooting for GM when we saw the obvious. GM needed this, and Ford already got it. No excuses and do something. Many knew for years what was wrong. Pontiac and Oldsmobile should still be here. All the other baggage should have never happened. It was sad many of the people and the damage they did. It took its toll. I like the new management team lineup and the big changes. Lets see what they can do. What I hope is the change how management is treated from everyone else. This is a new day.

In total agreement with you. I do like the changes he made today. If you noticed he used people in their area of expertise. He also is an outsider, and there is accountability too.

Whitacre is getting ready to run GM. No one even saw how obvious it was. This was coming. How to you turn around a company? 1. Drop the dead weight and poor management.( Wagoner and Henderson and many of the old GM guard one by one "resigned" or "retired")( translation: they were fired!) 2. Make an example out of someone to make a point about change( Wagoner and Henderson) 3. Bring in a change man and bulldog( Whitacre) 4. Use the people who know the company to build the new company and shore you up where you are deficient. Use people who know the product( Bob Lutz) 5. Show the public you are rebuilding your empire( Keep Opel and Vauxhall) I have no problem with Whitacre did. He put people where they they have strength and know their areas. Think about it. He has Bob Lutz as vice chair and senior adviser and keeping him over product and design. He put Reilly in Europe because he understands the European culture and he has experience with Opel and Vauxhall. I like what he did with Reuss. Having come off that stint at Holden and he recent said quality must change, he is using his assets to make a change. I am sure PCS has no issues with these changes. The right people are where they need to be to do the "Holden thing". My dear friends as Suze Orman would say Ed Whitacre is your new GM CEO.

I thought that was interesting too when I saw the Escalade. I saw a Buick Enclave on television in his driveway. When they said this happened, I thought he was in a Buick. He was still promoting GM in an Escalade. I then thought he promoted those Buicks and he really did not believe in the product, and he drives an Escalade. Now we find out GM owns the car. He would have done better promoting Cadillac.. OOPS!He just did. Not in a good way either.

I hope he has a better time. I think he removed the obstacles of opposition. This hopefully is the beginning of better change. I believe Whitacre was putting everyone on notice by making an example of of Fritz Henderson. Things have to change.

GM board ousts CEO Henderson; Whitacre is interim replacement JAMIE LAREAU AUTOMOTIVE NEWS DECEMBER 1, 2009 - 4:50 PM ET UPDATED: 12/1/09 6:20 P.M. DETROIT -- General Motors Co.'s board of directors ousted CEO Fritz Henderson after eight months, saying it wanted to chart a new course as the biggest U.S. automaker pushes ahead with its restructuring. Chairman Ed Whitacre, 68, will succeed Henderson on an interim basis while a search for a new president and CEO starts immediately, Whitacre said at a press conference today. Henderson, 51, guided GM through the automaker's 39-day bankruptcy in June and July after replacing the fired Rick Wagoner in late March. The company, which hasn't posted an annual profit since 2004, is desperately trying to rebound from 2009's sales collapse. “Fritz has done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change,” Whitacre said. “While momentum has been building over the past several months, all involved agree that changes needed to be made.” The decision was made today at GM's monthly board meeting. At the same meeting, the board decided to evaluate potential bids for Saab through Dec. 31 after a deal to sell the brand collapsed last week. GM Spokesman Chris Preuss said Whitacre, who was appointed chairman in June, does not have long-term intentions to remain CEO. “These things usually take months, not weeks, to find CEOs and execute this change,” he said. Whitacre read from a written statement and declined to answer reporters' questions. Preuss did answer some questions and said Henderson's resignation was a mutually agreed upon decision by the board and Henderson. “After a discussion with the board and given where the company currently is, it was a decision by Fritz and the board that it's best for him to resign,” he said. “It was best to initiate a change in direction and that was the board's decision.” Whitacre has an office at GM's world headquarters in Detroit and he will be there on a daily basis running the company. Meanwhile, GM's vice chairman and marketing chief, Bob Lutz, will step in for Henderson at a speech Henderson was due to give Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show. GM's CFO Ray Young remains despite persistent rumors that GM is searching for his replacement. GM's largest shareholder is the U.S. government. Preuss said GM informed U.S. officials of the decision to replace Henderson this afternoon. “There were no questions,” Preuss said. “This was a board-led decision -- which is how we've been running all along.” Preuss declined to specify what criteria GM will use in the search for a new CEO or if the company will seek one outside the industry. White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said in an e-mailed statement: “This decision was made by the board of directors alone. The administration was not involved in the decision.” With the appointment of Whitacre, all three U.S. automakers are now headed by outsiders to Detroit. Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulallly left Boeing Co in 2006. Chrysler, also rescued this year by the U.S. government, is now headed by Fiat S.p.A. CEO Sergio Marchionne. Reuters, Neil Roland and Charles Child contributed to this report. PRESS RELEASE: GM Statement Attributed to To Chairman Ed Whitacre At its monthly meeting in Detroit today, the General Motors Board of Directors accepted the resignation of Fritz Henderson as Director, President and CEO of the company. Fritz has done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change. While momentum has been building over the past several months, all involved agree that changes needed to be made. To this end, I have taken over the role of Chairman and CEO while an international search for a new president and CEO begins immediately. With these new duties, I will begin working in the Renaissance Center headquarters on a daily basis. The leadership team – many who are with me today – are united and committed to the task at hand. I want to assure all of our employees, dealers, suppliers, union partners and most of all, our customers, that GM's daily business operations will continue as normal. I remain more convinced than ever that our company is on the right path and that we will continue to be a leader in offering the worldwide buying public the highest quality, highest value cars and trucks. We now need to accelerate our progress toward that goal, which will also mean a return to profitability and repaying the American and Canadian tax payers as soon as possible. In closing, I want to once again thank Fritz Henderson for his years of leadership and service to General Motors; we're grateful for his many contributions. I look forward to working with the entire GM team as we now begin the next chapter of this great company.

GM board, CEO Henderson split over pace of change By TOM KRISHER and KEN THOMAS (AP) – 7 minutes ago DETROIT — GM's board and CEO Fritz Henderson parted ways Tuesday, the board upset that the automaker was changing too slowly and Henderson frustrated with second-guessing, two people close to Henderson said. Board Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr., former head of AT&T Inc., will take over as CEO while a global search is conducted. It was unclear whether Henderson or the board moved first in the surprise resignation, which came just hours before Henderson was to be the high-profile keynote speaker at the Los Angeles Auto Show. At a hastily called news conference at General Motors Co.'s downtown Detroit headquarters, Whitacre would not answer questions, but said the board and Henderson agreed that he should step down. Whitacre thanked Henderson, 51, a lifelong GM employee, for his leadership and said the company is on the right path toward offering high-quality cars and trucks worldwide. "We now need to accelerate our progress toward that goal," the 68-year-old Whitacre said in a brief appearance on a stage. Both men were chosen for their jobs by the U.S. government, which owns more than 60 percent of the Detroit automaker in exchange for giving it billions in loans. But Henderson is a GM insider, while Whitacre is an outsider to the whole industry. Still, Whitacre and the board have become increasingly active in the company's decisions, at times challenging some of Henderson's moves. In November, the board voted to abandon plans to sell GM's European Opel unit, reversing an earlier option favored by Henderson to sell it to a group led by Canadian auto parts supplier Magna International Inc. Henderson, who rose through GM's ranks over a 25-year career, was chosen by the Obama administration to run GM in March after it forced out former CEO Rick Wagoner. His brief tenure was marked by GM's record-fast departure from bankruptcy court but also some failed deals and weak sales. The people close to Henderson, who asked not to be identified because Henderson has not spoken, said he was frustrated from the beginning by the board and government push for faster change and other questions about his decisions. Henderson, one of the people said, was confident that the company was making progress and thought he deserved more autonomy. In the past few months GM has stabilized its U.S. market share at around 20 percent and has shown some monthly sales increases in the U.S. and Asia. But on Tuesday, GM released November sales figures that were 2 percent below the same month last year, when sales hit a 26-year low. The decline came after Whitacre began pushing for increased sales and market share. Henderson, the other person close to him said, had expressed concern that his tenure was doomed from the start. "I don't think this has much to do with Fritz Henderson's performance, I think it's just the wrong time to be a GM lifer," said Logan Robinson, a former Chrysler attorney and professor of corporate governance at University of Detroit Mercy. Henderson was the government's choice to run the beleaguered company after Wagoner left. Whitacre, picked by the government in June to be chairman of the new GM, ran AT&T for 17 years. GM could face difficulty in recruiting Henderson's replacement. Like other struggling companies that have received federal bailout money, any compensation package would have to be approved by federal pay czar Kenneth Feinberg. Henderson replaced Wagoner a few months before GM entered bankruptcy protection. He led the company through a painful government-led and court-supervised reorganization. "I think there was a perception he was too much of an insider," said Ken Elias, partner with Maryann Keller and Associates, an auto industry consulting firm. "The bankruptcy was not something that occurred because of the recession last August, it was coming for decades. The reality is GM truly needs an outsider as a leader that has no attachment." With the government's help, the company emerged from court protection in just 40 days cleansed of massive debt and burdensome contracts that would have sunk it without roughly $52 billion in federal loans. An Obama administration official said Tuesday in a statement that "this decision was made by the Board of Directors alone. The Administration was not involved in the decision." Henderson continued to downsize the automaker after its emergence from bankruptcy. He sought to scale down GM to just four core brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. While he has largely succeeded in that goal, attempts to sell the company's other brands have hit obstacles. Swedish luxury sports car maker Koenigsegg Group AB backed out of a deal to buy GM's Saab brand. GM said Tuesday it has some interested bidders but will wind down Saab if nothing materializes by the end of the year. Henderson's bid to sell Saturn to race car mogul Roger Penske fell through and the brand is now liquidating. But GM was successful in winning a tentative sale of Hummer to a Chinese construction machinery maker. In an agreement reached in October with pay czar Feinberg, Henderson's pay was cut 25 percent to $950,000, about half of what he made in 2008. In addition, Henderson received shares worth $4.2 million, to be exercised when GM became a public company again, perhaps late next year.

Man.... what do you say? I know Bill Porter worked for Pontiac back then and went on to work for Buick. I know that the 1969 Grand Prix and early 70's Grand Prix's were inspired by Stutz Bearcats. Grand Prix was a personal luxury car too. I think Delorean had something to do with that, but that car is not attractive. You can clear;y see it was a Riviera. It makes a point about how GM used to badge engineer its cars. The second one... no comment.

I am sorry for your loss. it hurts when it is someone you know, but this helped you see what you are thankful for in life.

That looks like a 1980's Bonneville model G in the front. It looks like a 1980's Pontiac that is a E-Body. You too have the right idea sir. A little history on Pontiac Grande Parisienne: For most of its life, the Parisienne was the Canadian nameplate for the top of the line model sold in GM of Canada's Pontiac showrooms. Parisiennes were distinct from other Canadian Pontiac models by their standard features: the luxiousness of upholstery fabrics; standard equipment such as courtesy interior and trunk lights; bright trim mouldings in the interior; distinct exterior accent chrome pieces; and availability of 2 and 4-door hardtops and convertibles. Finally, starting in 1966 Pontiac offered the "Grande Parisienne", a 2-door and 4-door hardtop models parallel to Chevrolet's luxurious "Caprice" In a marketing twist, for 1982 the US Bonneville was downsized to the mid-size G-body platform. In Canada, however, the full-size Parisienne continued for 1982, although its distinct Pontiac front- and rear-end treatments and interiors were largely replaced with Chevrolet components (described in detail below). Needing a full-size rear wheel drive car to replace the lost U.S. market share and gain back Pontiac customers who longed for a large rear wheel drive car, the Parisienne was imported from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and sold in the United States beginning in the 1983 model year. Externally, it was a rebadged Chevrolet Impala (1983-84 models (and 1982 in Canada) had the Impala rear taillight panel fitted with Pontiac-spec taillight lenses, whereas the nose was borrowed from the Chevrolet Caprice fitted with a Pontiac grille). The 1985 and 1986 models resumed use of the rear-end styling from the 1980 to 1981 Bonneville. Two Parisienne ranges were sold - a base model (similar to the former Catalina and the then-current Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale) in four-door sedan and Safari station wagon form, and a more-luxurious Brougham four-door sedan (with velour upholstery that featured loose-pillow fitted seats). No two-door models were offered for the United States market, although a coupe version was available in Canada through 1983. Right-hand drive Pontiac Parisiennes and Laurentians were manufactured in Canada for export to some countries such as Australia, U.K. etc., until 1969. They used the 1965 Impala dash panel until 1969. Pontiac right hand drive "kit cars" crated at GM's Oshawa, Ontario manufacturing plant were shipped to Australia and assembled at GM's Holden plant using some domestic parts such as seats, opposing windscreen wipers and 2 speed ventilation systems. Pontiac "kit cars" were also assembled at an auto plant in South Africa. YES.... They do this now with Holdens. The ship them from Australia to South Korea and China and The Middle East. It would be that easy to bring Holdens to the United States.

You have the right idea too. The front end is very Pontiac. It reminds me of the 1976-1977 Grand Prix.

You have the right idea. Grand Ville was top of the line at Pontiac until 1976 when Bonneville Brougham took that title. Grand Ville was a C-Body with Olds 98, Cadillac Deville, Fleetwood and Buick Electra. Quote: The Pontiac Grand Ville was the top-line luxury car in the division's full-sized line from 1971 to 1975. It displaced the Pontiac Bonneville which had served as Pontiac's flagship since 1957. The Bonneville itself was never discontinued during this period, but was demoted to an ambiguous mid-line status between the luxurious Grand Ville and lower priced Pontiac Catalina. Nevertheless, the Grand Ville and Bonneville always shared more trim and design elements than either did with the Catalina, and were in fact hard to tell apart. It seems unlikely that most buyers ever fully grasped the difference. In addition to more luxurious interior trimmings, the Grand Ville used the squared-off roofline of the Oldsmobile 98, Buick Electra and Cadillac DeVille, the premium models of those divisions. There was usually some distinctive chrome up front and taillight trim at rear to set it apart. For 1974 only, the Grand Ville had its own parking lights, which wrapped around the corner of the front fender. The car was usually seen with more deluxe appearance options, such as sport wheels and vinyl tops, than the other full-size Pontiacs. Rear fender skirts were featured on the 1973 to 1975 models.

I am totally confused now. What is GM doing? What is indeed going on?

One of several things will happen now: 1. They already closed most of the SAAB dealerships or plan to terminate them. The dealer count is reduced. 2. Integrate SAAB into GM Europe(Opel/Vauxhall) totally as a part of the GM Europe restructuring. 3. Kill SAAB as they did Pontiac and Saturn. The issue is SAAB is known outside the US unlike Saturn and Pontiac. 4. The Chinese partner of GM SAIC steps up to the plate. I told you GM was not through shocking people. It makes you wonder if they had really planned to sell of its assets...

Koenigsegg drops plans to buy GM's Saab CHRISSIE THOMPSON AUTOMOTIVE NEWS NOVEMBER 24, 2009 - 11:09 AM ET UPDATED: 11/24/09 11:29 A.M. Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg Group AB has terminated its agreement to buy the Saab brand from General Motors Co. "We're obviously very disappointed with the decision to pull out of the Saab purchase," GM CEO Fritz Henderson said today in a statement announcing Koenigsegg's decision. "Given the sudden change in direction, we will take the next several days to assess the situation and will advise on the next steps next week." The Saab deal is the second of GM's planned U.S. brand sales to fall apart this year. GM also had an agreement to sell Saturn to Penske Automotive Group Inc. On Sept. 30, Penske pulled out of the deal because its proposed automaker partner, Renault SA, had decided it couldn't make enough money supplying Saturn with vehicles. GM still has plans to sell Hummer and is winding down Pontiac. That will leave it with four U.S. brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. GM also had planned to sell a majority stake in its European Opel brand to a consortium led by Canadian supplier Magna International Inc., but the automaker decided earlier this month to keep Opel. GM went through a 39-day bankruptcy earlier this year in which it eliminated debt in exchange for majority ownership by the U.S. government. The company has been eliminating brands as part of its efforts to right-size to achieve profitability amid a global slump in auto sales.

So PCS comments are coming to pass it seems. I am watching. If they brought Statesman/Caprice here they would change the front end and the interior. They did it for China. Why not? If they could get Statesman/Caprice, the UTE, the wagon here and Commodore, you are set. A Whole line up of Holdens at your local Buick GMC dealer.

Cadillac narrows list of ad agency contenders to three BBH, Publicis and Martin Agency move to next round; pitches due in January JEAN HALLIDAY ADVERTISING AGE NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 12:18 AM ET UPDATED: 11/19/09 11:17 A.M. ET DETROIT -- General Motors Co.'s Cadillac has cut the list of semi-finalists vying for the brand's national creative account in half. The agencies moving to the next round are two Publicis Groupe shops in New York -- Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Publicis -- along with Interpublic Group of Cos.' Martin Agency in Richmond, Va. Eliminated are Omnicom Group's DDB of Chicago; Interpublic's Gotham and independent McKinney, of Durham, N.C. Cadillac confirmed that list. The holidays will be a frenetic time for the finalists to put together their presentations, as the marketer has said it will hear pitches in January. A decision is expected soon afterward. Cadillac's U.S. sales plunged 39 percent during the first 10 months -- compared with a fall of 34 percent for all of GM and 25 percent for the industry as a whole. But in October, Cadillac enjoyed a 22 percent gain from October 2008, paced by strong sales of the DTS, the Escalade and the SRX. The three ad agency finalists have experience dealing with car brands. Bartle Bogle was a finalist in Audi of America's review in 2006. The agency's London office handles Audi in the U.K., which created a spot for the Q5 early this year. In the Audi of America review, the agency pitched against incumbent McKinney, which had held the account from 1993 to 2006. The account is now with Venables, Bell & Partners. Publicis had handled one of BMW's four regional dealer ad accounts, but lost it last year after a consolidation pitch won by Grey West of San Francisco. Publicis had also created BMW's first national, certified-used car blitz in newspapers in 1999. (Publicis' Starcom MediaVest Group handles GM's U.S. media planning and buying account for all brands, but the automaker is not reviewing its media business.) Martin has solid auto experience, having handled GM's Saab account from 1997 to 2001 and before that Mercedes-Benz dealer groups. The shop was a finalist in Subaru of America's pitch five years ago and also held Maserati's account from 1987 to 1989. The dark horses Industry experts had ranked Gotham and DDB as the dark horses in Cadillac's review. Gotham, a 160-person agency founded in 1994, has never had a car account. But in January the shop hired Marty Orzio as chief creative officer, from Energy BBDO Chicago, where he held the same post. Earlier in his career, Orzio was a member of a three-man creative team that developed some of the most awarded car work for Mercedes-Benz, first at Lowe & Partners, New York, and then at the shop known as Merkley Newman Harty, where he followed the account. DDB's Chicago office has auto-related accounts including Cars.com and State Farm. The incumbent, independent Modernista, Boston, opted not to defend the business, which it won without a review in 2006. Ark Advisors of New York is managing the pitch, but did not return calls or e-mails for comment. Cadillac spent $269 million in U.S. measured media last year, 20 percent more than the prior year, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Well.. I am glad you have friends here to help you. That was kind of Derek. That was a good decision you made, but as I told you privately, I did the same thing when I got my cars. You will save money and you will enjoy your cars more and learn to do things on them. look at what you spent as a few car payments. You would have spent that anyway. You will find fulfillment with your car. Enjoy your car. I am glad these people here helped you. You are on the road once again.

I am sorry Cory. I really am. Things are bad all over the country. I do not want you to get discouraged. You know this has happen, prepare yourself for the next thing which is the new thing and know this is only a season. This too like the seasons change shall pass. I am again sorry.

This is getting interesting ....PCS words are slowing coming to pass.

If you are posting this article, there is something you want to say PCS. I thought the SAAB deal was almost finalized, and not only that, they just killed a bunch of SAAB dealers.

Still impressive to see and read and watch. I like the Holden aspect myself. I still wonder what an Americanized Caprice and Statesman will look like.

The new Regal shares its Epsilon II platform with the recently redesigned LaCrosse, but the wheelbase is four inches shorter than and 6.7 inches shorter overall. The new Regal is the same size as this Regal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHmzaqOeDI

I looked at the videos and studied the car. I saw it had digital gauges too. The wheels look like American Buick. GM us learning to play the global game and making better use of its resources...