FUTURE_OF_GM

As I figured, non-GM photography instantly made this car look 10 times better. I love the resemblance to the ETC in the rear and the front also reminds me of past Cadillacs and not really the Sixteen (And that's not necessarily a good thing) I'm just not too sold on the red car, the side looks MELTED DOWN bland which clashes really bad with the very busy nose. And the nose looks a little to heavy and low, kinda squished especially when one views it between the massive round fender forms. It's almost like it has been 'bolted on' to an existing CTS. The silver car looks A LOT better, but it brings up a whole new set of issues with the tumblehome. The back door and rear fender have horrible proportions IMO. I dunno about this one, I know I'm picking it apart probably 1) Because it was hyped so much and 2) Because it doesn't photograph well. (The original CTS didn't photograph well either) I worry that Cadillac has lost it's edge and attitude with the new wave of cars. Then of course, I LOVE aggressive and sometimes even ODD designs that wouldn't sell well to the general public, so maybe it's just me. I'll wait to see more pictures and I'll wait to see one in the flesh before I make a final decision.

WOW, the Edmunds article ALREADY casts a negative shadow over the car..... "Not as good as Acura's SH-AWD".... "Powertrain that is KEEPING UP"... "Lighting ripped off from the A8"... and the downplaying CONTINUES. Looks like the CTS will be getting negative reviews. My impressions: The exterior is very underwhelming. It looks nothing like the car I got a sneak peek at (It's much more dumbed down---Lutz must've walked in to the Cadillac studio.) I don't have issues with the front or back, it's the side that has the same BORING-NESS of the STS and every other car on the road today. Where is the chisled and muscular profile? The wheels look like sh*t (A Cadillac norm now, it seems) At least the interior is nice. But, I'll admit that I *WILL NOT* pass final judgment until I see NON-HORRIBLE Gm photography. I swear, the photogs at the RenCen have went from BAD to WORSE. I didn't think that was possible. The Edmunds article worries me though... Did GM go far enough with this re-design or are they simply being tepid and keeping up? (Like with the STS) Is it attractive enough? Do the new powerplants go far enough? is the AWD good enough? (Get the picture?) The CTS has to be a homerun.

Congrats GM!!!!! Promote the hell out of this!!!!! I'm sensing an overall GM promotion talking about how the company is once again a source of pride or america. Or something along those lines. Oh, and the press is STILL biased One award doesn't make up for their efforts to destroy the company for the last 5 years.

Now this is "Gotta Have It!" Excellent GM!!!! And I'm loving the confidence! EXCELLENT!

I feeling a "mini Camaro" vibe from this thing too. I like it! I think it would sell EXTREMELY well here.

FUTURE_OF_GM positive reaction: I like the front, adds to an already competitive G6 and the new motor is bliss. FUTURE_OF_GM negative reaction: The front is a bit overdone, the rear wing is going to get destroyed by the rags (And rightfully so, it's about the most tacky thing I've seen in a LONG time.) Those certainly aren't GXP specific wheels, and if they are GM should do a better job of differentiating them. Where is the stick?!?!?! Why use hood scoops if they aren't functional? (Especially with a division that is known for Ram Air) Why is the badge tack-i-ly () placed in the center of the door? I can see Pontiac's new found credibility (Solstice, GTO, Other G6 variants) taking a few hits with especially this car and the new Torrent "GXP". Oh well, hopefully the future holds a better Pontiac line up for those of us who truly know what the division is about.

Could be better, could be worse. GM really needs to look into hiring some photographers that AREN'T blind.

What happened to the "Expressive style, as used on the LX cars" part of the new minivans?!?!?! Hell, I think the last RE-FRESH was more exciting than these.

The words "Acura" and "exotic" should never be in the same paragraph, much less the same sentence. I'm sure it'll be a loser, much like the last NSX.

All the yuppies at my university are already talking this thing up like it's the savior for all things american. Oh, and I'm sure the limited cargo room will be PERFECTLY acceptable to the media. They can always say "Well, if you want cargo room you can always buy an SUV" or something stupid and contradictory to that effect. (LOL)

Not entirely... Anyway... HEY! Check it out! Someone glued a Nissan logo onto an old Highlander... Oh, wait, it's the new Nissan Rogue. This thing annoys me ALMOST as much as the actual X-Men character.

Yet another GORGEOUS concept from Ford!!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again; Ford now, is where GM was a year ago... Things are beginning to look up!

Ya know... I'm not sure why the Prius is still bringing such a mark up. Our local dealer, Bryan Easler Toyota (In one of Toyotas biggest markets) ran holiday incentives on their stock of OVER 40 Priuses (Prii, Priusi, whatever...

Looks like a train hopped in bed with a Z-Car and beget a bastardized Celica.

X2 I think this is probably the most beautiful concept since the Cadillac Sixteen and it certainly gives the Sixteen a run for its money. It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Anyone who thinks this wont sell is completely out of touch. My generation will eat it up and it'll go a long way in improving the perception of Lincoln as a retirement home cruiser (In reality, that would be Toyota) I also think it's funny that some of the "insiders" who are supposed to be unbiased are already pulling punches. Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don't. They haven't even seen the car yet and have already written it off because it's an (eeeeew, *gasp*) Lincoln. God forbid we have to step outside of our Acura box. This concept proves that Lincoln is still one of the most stylish divisions out there (Using concepts and the Navigator, MKX & MKZ as a basis) If they were to produce this, I'd buy it over ANY of the new Cadillac, Lexus or MB cars so far. P.S. OF COURSE it's overdone... It's a concept!!! (Just like the UGLY boxes at the Tokyo show)

Toyota is definitely selling more into fleet. The other day I noticed 8 new Toyotas on an Enterprise lot next to my local CompUSA. They hadn't even been rented yet (They were still in a vacant lot adjacent to the office and still had stickers) I'm sure they won't make the same mistake that the domestics did, but I'm sure they'll walk the fine line and fleet as much as they can.

Let me start by saying that I think the car is amazing and I certainly think this is the first SERIOUS shot at gaining big share in this segment GM has had in 10-15 years. The interior is as close to perfection as anything I've seen, lets just hope the materials are decent so we don't have to hear the media bitch (I'm sure they'll find something anyway though) As for the exterior... I think it exudes a very confident 1960s-1970s Chevrolet vibe. It has a lot of retro ques while not being retro at all. But here are a few minor complaints: The nose is a little too busy for me, especially with the driving lights. GM would've been better to just leave the lower grille opening out. The profile is awesome and I especially love the detail in the rear quarters. Now to the back; the tailights would be excellent had the integrated the reverse light better. As it is, they look like an afterthought that has been tacked on to an aggressive and heritage-esque brake light design. The curve of the trunk annoys me, HOWEVER the lower bumper looks sweet and the tag encircled in chrome is an awesome subtle detail! I agree that they should've stuck more with the SS concept rear. One major complaint is the tepid wheel design... A design this bold needs big, bold wheels with thick spoke or multiple thin spokes. These wheels remind me of GMs recent (and bad) attempts on vehicles such as the Trailblazer and base Tahoe... They look a little weak, trucky and cheap. I think GM definitely has a hit on it's hands. Would I buy one? ABSOLUTELY! Would I buy it over the Fusion or Milan? PROBABLY, because of the interior. Would I buy it over an Aura? NOT SO SURE about that one. It sure beats the hell out of the Alima, Accord and Camry. P.S. It's supposed to be attractive, but also MAINSTREAM... And that it is.

I'll leave it at this: Congress traditionally gravitates to the place in which they can get the most financial gain (regardless of affiliation) and we ALL know who has the most money. I wouldn't look for any help for Detroit from Uncle Sam anytime soon. If the last 'go round' is any indication of things to come, then I'd look for a whole lot of nothing.... at all.

Anyone see the new MT?!?!?! The TOTY gets ZERO exposure on the front page (In favor of a warmed over Viper) and is shoved all the way to the back of the magazine and hidden in the ads... Nice to see the Camry (COTY) get an entire issue devoted to it, yet the equally remarkable and MORE important (Launch-wise) Silverado get absolutely NO exposure... Bias is as bias does.... No american fans at MT.

So basically, we're getting a wimpy, scaled back Cadillac.. YAY! :rollseyes: The Escalade is NOT a flagship car because it is so LOATHED by the media and the hippies. The CTS and STS need to be the bulk of the line up, Cadillac ABSOLUTELY needs an S-Class/7 Series competitor to be taken seriously (Not a Maybach competitor... YET) and to can the XLR would be blasphemy, ESPECIALLY if they are trying to promote "RWD performance" What Cadillac needs is a line up that's done right! It doesn't need to be downsized, or tepidized because it's first effort (A damn good one) stumbled just a little bit. It's not going to be an easy journey back to the top after 20 years of doing everything in the world to try and sink to the bottom.

ONE of two things happened... 1) This explains why Toyota pushed their launch back... (Sure, it probably wasn't the primary reason, but it COULD'VE contributed) Afterall, Toyota NEEDS all the kudos they can get in this segment and next year they will be a "NO BRAINER" for MT TOTY. Well, that or they just realized that T900 kicks the Tundras ass in every respect. ----- OR ----- 2) MT was ready to hand the title to the new Tundra and hand to pick the "Runner up" when Japan Inc. delayed it's launch. Or, they promised it to Toyota for next year anyway, since then the Tundra wouldn't have to go up against T900. Oh, and it doesn't say much for the Silverado (intentionally, I'm sure) that all it had to beat was it's platform mates. P.S. Is the Camry really that hot?!?!?! I thought sales were a little timid (At least at first) and I certainly am NOT seeing many of them on roads.

Is this the article that Edmunds was refering to in which "Solstice/Sky" sales are "cooling" ?!?!?!? This sounds good... The cars have glitches, but they'll be forgiven because the cars are such homeruns in other aspects of design. GM just needs to keep steadily improving them.

I like it.... A lot. My gripes are 1) "Sport" is pretty over used and generic (As is "GT" which is what the Torrent will probably be called) But I am glad it isn't called SS. & 2) Is it too little too late? I think it looks great!! The wheels are beautiful! The new bumper (which the base model bumper now resembles) looks good and I'm so glad they went with 2 exhaust outlets instead of one, like on the TB. I hope it performs well and I hope it sells better than the TB SS (Seems like it doesn't sell all that well---but I could be wrong)

COTY will go to the Camry and TOTY will go to the Silverado (What about the T900 SUVS?!?!) Actually, I'd bet an outside chance on the CX-7 getting TOTY. As for the son-of-a-pig Tundra... No worries, it'll win next year! (FOR SURE) as well as MT TOTY and C&D 10 Best.

Now that one looks pretty good.... I think a lot of the new DCX cars have been nice. I mean, I didn't like the refreshed Durango until I saw it in the flesh. I LOVE the Caliber and Nitro. The Compass isn't half bad, the new Wrangler is sweet and I actually like the new Sebring too (But I admit, I did like it better in pictures) As for the concepts... The Chronos was fugly IMO and it was also a Bob Lutz era concept... You can tell as even now at GM his concepts carry the same "weighty-ness" and bulbous curves. The Airflight on the other hand; THAT was a sweet concept! The Hemi convertible and Firepower were also lookers.