Petra

Sucks to your ASMA.

What happened to the Malibu Classic? I thought that was a brilliant idea! Here's my thought: Why not just build a car off the W-Body specifically for the fleets? It wouldn't share a name with any other W-Bodies (it could be called something like the "Fleet Special"), but it could share practically every single part with other W-Bodies or other GM cars (for example, the engine could be the 3.4L. V6 & 5-Speed Auto. combo from the Equinox). It would be extremely cheap to build, would eat up some of the capacity at Oshawa, and it wouldn't affect the resale or anything on other GM models. ...Your thoughts?

I'm not one to beat this dead horse persistantly, but: If GM had put a 3rd row seat in the Equinox, they would've been lambasted about how useless and crappy it is. Yet, I bet this RAV4 will recieve kudos for the "ingenious" inclusion of a 3rd row. Everybody knows that, in a vehicle this size, it'll be pretty much useless unless you have small children (or gulllible friends). What's the point? Bragging rights? And another thing: These "Compact" SUVs are getting waaaaaaaay too big. Just put an Equinox side-by-side with a Tracker... the difference is phenomenal. I think GM should develop a new, true "Cute 'Ute", or, at the very least, a Subaru Outback style raised wagon.

Wow, that's really cool... I don't think I've ever seen one that old before. I've seen the newer ones that were based on the GEO Storm, but not these old ones. I suspect that the salt and snow has probably long since claimed however many of them there were here in Canada. Are there any more pics, because I'd sure like to see more! This also reminds me of the old Subaru XT... Anybody else seen these wacky machines?

Duly noted. How many cars are scheduled to be produced at Woodstock (I'm assuming that figure is from Cambridge)?

Definetely looks like a toned-down Infiniti FX.

Luckily, many of these are high profit models. If GM can get these trucks, SUVs and crossovers off the lots without incentives, it will be something to smile about. ...If they can get them off the lots at all. Something tells me the GMT-900's are not gonna save GM's bacon this time.

A little dissent, now and then, is not a bad thing. Keeps you sharp.

Ditto. Ever stop to think that a plant can be run efficiently with only 900 workers? My question is: Why are there 3,000 other people working there?

Extended-length Theta, eh? Strange... I thought Cadillac was only going to use RWD platforms from now on. For that matter, why not just use the Lambda platform? This Extended Theta thing just seems like unnecessary platform overlap, IMO. If anything, GM should be working on developing a real compact SUV/Wagon.

:hijacked: Seriously, regfootball, this isn't the time or place to discuss your Ford 500. Take it up someplace else.

I dunno... the Civic isn't a bad car at all, it's just that there are better cars in that field. I mean, it beat the 3-Series, the Solstice, the MX-5, the Fusion and the Sonata. Those are some pretty tough, praiseworthy competitors, and I just can't see any justification for choosing the Civic over them. I guess I'll have to read the magazine, when it comes out.

While I'd rather see a more modern interpretation of the Challenger, this retro look will be a hit with the Boomers. Besides, they're the ones who have the money, anyway.

I knew something was fishy when they said Spring Hill and Oshawa were closing. It just didn't add up. Then I figured, maybe it's something like a production hiatus, not a total lockdown and closure of these plants. Thanks for confirming my suspicions, AH-HA... you are truly one of the most valuable members of this forum. I also agree that this sort of thing had to happen sooner or later. In fact, some of these plants should've been closed years ago. They all produce [mostly] unwanted products that glut up GM's inventory and consume GM's ever-diminishing funds. They're like cancer cells. And, to get rid of cancer, you usually have to undergo surgery and months and months of poisonous chemotherapy. The near future will not be kind to GM, but they are (finally) moving in the right direction. In fact, I applaud Wagoner for having the guts to do this. I think that, in the long term, he made the right call.

If any of those cars were actually "stock", not a single one of them would come anywhere close to 200MPH... what is your point? NA$CAR is rediculous.

Watched K-PAX again last night; it was on the Space Channel. Awe-inspiring movie, though it's really long.

I'll probably turn up. Probably... I'm not going to say definetely, yet.

Ditto. They will truly be the gauge of how far Chrylser has come. Will they be content to leave the Cloud cars in their "rental car" funk, or will they invest some serious coin and make them world class? The minivans are also key, but Chrysler has always dominated that segment. The new ones will be class leading, as they pretty much always have been.

NOTICE: I didn't know where else to put this, so I figured I'd post it in here. While I found this quite fascinating, those who are not musically inclined might not be so interested. http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/autoworld.shtml The Corvette Standard 22, on the PRS website: http://www.prsguitars.com/showcase/current/corvette.html

Didn't work

Haven't seen this commerical; however, I've noticed lately that a lot of automakers have now started to market cars as the "Anti-bland", particularily, the most bland, boring, yawn-inducing models they make. That's how frightened they are of being percieved as "boring" by the public. I don't know wether to laugh at their attempts to make themselves cool, or cry with the knowledge that we're in an automotive golden age, and, one day, boring styling will be the least of our worries.

Don't get too cocky, Lutz. Just stay focused. Bragging about what a success the HHR was doesn't look so hot when sales forcasts were cut back by 20 to 40 percent before the vehicle even hit the showroom floor.

That interior has got to be one of the most plastic-fantastik looking places I've seen in a long time. The steering wheel, in particular, looks like it was ripped off of something made by Fischer-Price. Also, the 300C's "luxury" status kinda dimishes when the Caliber has the exact same centre stack. And, lastly, the cloth seats look to be made out of that ghastly webbed crap... you know, the same kind that's inside your swimming trunks? Dodge can keep the Caliber... I'll take an HHR!

I had thought that Toyota's idea of offering a Hybrid in virtually every one of their models by 2010 was a bit far-fetched, but this sentence changes everything:

$25,400 to $31,900 is an affordable price? Granted, the average transaction price of a new car in Canada is around $30,000, but that is hardly "affordable" for a compact car. I could get a well-equipped new Corolla, Mazda3 or Civc for $5,000 to $11,000 less than this Acura, and the Pursuit/Cobalt are even cheaper! In fact, with the money I'd save from buying a Cobalt instead of a CSX, I could probably get another Cobalt! I do see what you mean, though: Acuras are, indeed, affordable, compared to other luxury cars. The TSX, for example, undercuts the CTS and G35 by roughly $5,000-7,000 in Canada, to say nothing of the savings reaped by not buying a 3-Series or A4. Nevertheless, the concept of paying $31,900 (plus taxes) for a compact car is one that boggles my mind. It just ain't right!