FUTURE_OF_GM

I think Ford will ultimately be fine, they're just in the lull right now. Might I remind everyone here that not a year ago we were talking up the bankruptcy of GM and the death of 1 or 2 divisions? My only worry is this: Are the sales GM is picking up coming off the back of Ford when they really need to be coming at the expense of the 'asian gods'

True that.... As for the Torana... Well, at least it's sexy in a 2003 kind of way as opposed to the circa 2000 sexiness of the G8. The difference is simple, it's like dating a a playboy playmate (Charger) verses dating a sorority girl (The G8) Sure, they're both attractive enough, but one is in an entirely different (and bad ass) league.

Precisely... On a side note: I really get a kick out of people who say muscle cars are redneck since a well restored muscle car goes for enough money to sell their first born these days. And is especially worth more than their 'premium' yet quickly depreciating import 'performance sedan'.

If it's as sexy as the concept coupe... Consider at least 1 sold!

Exactly!That's why I loved the WS6 Trans Am as well. That's why I like classics such as the B-59s, my '73 Camaro and the '67 GTO... They all have CHARACTER, unlike *most* of todays cars (Especially in the mid size niche where EVERYONE, even Saturn & Opel now, seems to be copying the horrible 2 & 1/2 box 'bob tail' jap design) I want a car that says "I will eat your soul..." in a growling voice as opposed to "Hi there, I want to be a BMW and I'm not ashamed of it... Cheers" of the G8. Earnhardt was not a redneck, he was a very talented and successful business man that did things HIS OWN way and worked hard for everything he had (unlike the spolied brats of today who our culture holds up as icons) I sure wouldn't hesitate to drive my Charger SRT-8 up to a country club. I would buy the car because it is a part of my identity as a no-nonsense, sinister, even a little dark extreme car guy. If the boys at the club don't like that, then f*ck'em anyway. Unlike MOST I don't need to conform into a group of friends to feel like my existence is validated. Just like I don't need to buy a Camry or BMW to make my purchase validated.

Introducing DESPERATE by Toyota. The cologne for products that just can't seem to succeed on their merits. POSSIBLE TAGLINES: (One smiling 20-something friend to another)"Is that Desperate I smell? Someone must've just got a new Tundra!!!!!" -- That cheeky feel like the new Highlander commercials. (hold the profaine squirrel) "Come by now and see our new model: The Toyota Tundra Grade Tundra Double Cab TRD D-Spec." -- To be placed in Toyota Marketing Monthly (known publicly as Consumer Reports) Maybe they could name these models the PreTundra to tie into the PreRunner Tacoma line. It's kinda like precum; you know, not exactly what the customer really wanted and doesn't exactly get the job done... If ya know what I mean. Or better yet, PreTender, since that's pretty much 85-90% of the Tundra buyer pool (When accounting for 7% error of course)

More ammo for the Volt argument... Didn't GM say that they wanted to build around 500,000 Volts eventually? I could see that happening, especially if Wilmington is used as an export site. Not to mention, I'm sure the Volt (which will no doubt be an image car and very 'in demand' piece) could be sold for a large enough premium outside of the US to make GM a profit.

Ford is worrying me, but I still think they're doing better every month from a BUSINESS aspect. Wow! The CTS is really setting the charts on fire! Now if Cadillac only had a showroom full of other equally competent product to round things out. I think the Lambdas and the CTS are proof that americans will still buy domestic if the domestic automakers give them something worth buying (This trend has been around for a few years now: Fusion, Edge, Charger, 300, etc.) Toyota truck sales, down 6%.... Tisk, tisk.... How 'bout that new Turdra?!?!?

We need this in the trucks and EQUALLY IMPORTANT: in the Hummer line up.

I'd say it's pretty damn hard given the current UAW contracts. (Of course, the new deal just inked should help this a lot) The CTS has a bigger profit margin and traditionally, in domestic cars, the cost cutting takes place in the interior. That still seems to be the case (rightfully so IMO) We'll just have to wait and see, but as a rule, quality usually improves from pre production to production. I can't predict the future, but I do know that. Why is that? Because it's heritage inspired and doesn't look like an 80's game console ala the new Honda interiors? All this based on a pre-production model. Sure, they could always do better. What exactly does that have to do with anything? Not really... I'm saying it's fine because I've loved the design since day one (it's heritage inspired and I restore cars... That's a no-brainer) and I, unlike the minority here, think the Aura has nice interior. I would explain that by pointing out your bias toward the Accords interior.

For entertainment, they rock. For political issues, they're more ignorant than my dog Jake and they need to keep their hypocritical mouths shut.

HHR SS..... Meet your father.

I'd still buy an SRT-8 Charger over ANY GM sedan at this point.

Offering the manual on a 'special edition only' is suicide in the world of affordable V8 power IMO. If you're going to market a car to the enthusiast niche (Where Pontiac is going) then price the only version of the car TRUE enthusiasts want out of their price range, then what's the point? Sure, the price is nice, but will people who this car is truly supposed to appeal to opt for it despite the stingy manual habits of GM. I know I wouldn't... It'd be a deal breaker. And BTW, to whomever said that this car is supposed to remind enthusiasts of the last M5... WTF??!?! That right there is indicative of the problems with the car and GM/Pontiac in general. Why try to build a car that's only as good as the last generation of your competitor?

I noticed that, but I wasn't sure if it was talking about actual swimming pools or like a 'pool' of water in a creek (Since all of the other references were to creeks and lakes) I dunno, maybe I was half asleep. :shrugs: Stuff like this scares the hell out of me... It'd be my luck I'd get one of these little assholes and die a horrible, angst filled death.

I'll bite and throw a couple of things out there... 1) Kappa is so small that it isn't even phasing Wilmington capacity-wise. So, the move to put Kappa at Bowling Green is as much a benefit to that facility as it is to the Corvette program. I think GM wants Kappa out of the way in case something BIG catches on and they need to ratchet up production quickly and exponentially. Couple that with ALL of the rumors indicating that the Volt would be built there until the UAW leak and we might have a winner. The Volt will begin 'limited' production at D-Hamtramck and Wilmington will be in limbo based on Volt demand. IF the Volt takes off, Kappa is out the door in a year and Wilmington can tool up for the Volt just like the rumors said. IF the Volt runs out of gas, then Wilmington will not have to be idled and can instead be sent to the crusher. 2) THE WILD CARD... What about the Chevy triplets from New York? They certainly have huge sales potential if gas prices cause them to 'take off' But I don't think this is likely to be the case for a few reasons. 1) I don't ever see these cars selling in HUGE numbers here 2) We were slotted to only receive one of the three IF we even get that 3) I'm pretty sure it would be impossible for GM to profit off of UAW produced micro-cars. It would make much more financial sesne to import them from somewhere like Mexico (Just like the next Cobalt)

I think it looks fine... Other than the hideous color choices... Remember, this is preproduction, so the pieces are probably going to be off a bit.

Glad I wore my boots. 'Cause the $h!s gettin' deep in here... LOL @ all the bitching about Lambda vehicles... Seems that these vehicles are a little too good for comfort when it comes to import fans.

My oil changes vary based on the car.... For the classics ('68, '73 and the ,82) it's about once a year because they usually don't log but 500-1000 miles a year. For the Silverado, I use the engine oil life monitor which seems to be longer than 3,000 miles. But aside from some occasional towing, it isn't roughed up that much. The only exception to the oil life monitor is season changes because I run a thiner viscosity in the winter to help with dry start. The Focus normally gets changed every 3,000 - 4,000 miles (Depending on how broke I am at the time) The Buick will probably see changes every 3,000 - 4,000 miles as well. I'm with Camino on this one, better safe than sorry!

Stealth Blue, from that picture, looks to be a 2 stage paint... Kinda like the old Mystic Teal Metallic offered on the Camaro back in the day.

Stealth Blue, from that picture, looks to be a 2 stage paint... Kinda like the old Mystic Teal Metallic offered on the Camaro back in the day.

www.lameassedarticle.com

Wonder if this applies to pools? I would assume not since they are treated with chemicals...

Meh... It's still kinda lame.. And let's pray to god that they offer better wheels than that. (I know that sounds silly, but on a relatively bland design like this; wheels can make all the difference in the world--- Just note the show car)

I would bet on some sort of blacked out B pillar.