Northstar

I think if you put the new GMNA radio (found in the HHR, etc) and HVAC controls in the interior pic then you have the new VUE interior.

$69/month for a Cobalt lease?

The Escalade line alone is done about 6k units for the year. I see no reason why the GMT900 Escalade won't return to at least the levels that it sold in 2004. So that's 6k units right there, and I think the STS will make up some more sales because it wasn't at full production for the whole year. I think the DTS could pick up some sales over the Deville as well, so a 10k unit gain is easily doable.

I think the ESV and Escalade are definetly the same headlights. It's hard to tell with the EXT because of the camo, but it's probably got the same headlights too. Then again, the Avalanche is supposed to have a more aggressive front end than the Tahoe, so maybe the EXT's front end is different from the regular Escalade's too, though I doubt it.

That is a good point, as I think GM has sold pretty much the same amount of cars per year for a long time now. I guess the reason that market share is important now is because almost all companies are established and there aren't any newcomers anymore (at least none that are making a splash) and if GM is losing share then that means buyers are going somewhere else.

It's a combination of the two. Some componets are Epsilon and some are Theta. There's still a Theta and Epsilon, GM is just referring to it as TE (Theta-Epsilon) because it's a combination of the two.

I think I'd spend the extra money and get an Avalon or Lucerne if I was in the market for the Azera.

Yuck. I really doubt that's anywhere close.

Interesting analysis, but I think I'd rather drive up in a Mustang or future Camaro than this. That's a reason why not to buy one.

Just because the concept is on Kappa doesn't mean the production version has to be on Kappa. I'm not hinting at anything here (this is not based on any inside info), I'm just pointing out that just because it's on Kappa doesn't mean the production version couldn't be on a different platform. We know it would be rather expensive to strech Kappa to accomodate two rows of seats, and we've seen two rows of seats on Kappa concepts, so it's not as if the Camaro concept being on Kappa means we will see a streched Kappa with two rows. Then again, maybe getting a Camaro Kappa plus some others (Pontiac sedan, Nomad, etc.) would make the investment needed to strech Kappa make business sense.

I'd check it out in person and have a professional who can tell if something was salvaged or not go look at it. It could just be a scam too. Where does the CarFax say it was last serviced? I found a GTO on autotrader probably a month ago for $8k and the guy said it was in Germany but it had been serviced the day before in California.

Late 06 release? Ugh. Why can't GM have it out in roadster buying season? I don't know if it will still have enough sizzle by then to still sell on looks alone when it's winter.

Reminds me somewhat of a Mazda. It looks a bit wagony to me.

Joins the Cobalt at Lordstown? (The new ION, not the current one)

Since the new rating system has to be done with everything connected to the engine that could rob power, I'm guessing that some power is lost because of something that has to do with the convertible top. Just a guess, but that's what I'd venture to say is the reason.

Just a thought, but maybe if the Lambdas take off and they need more production capacity then OK City gets Lambdas? It would make sense because it's scheduled to close at about the same time the Lambdas should be on the market. I was suspicious of Oshawa closing giving its good track record, so I'm happy to see that it's just smoke and mirrors.

Ugh. I'll take a Mustang please. The Camaro won't have to worry about this stealing its show.

Gotta-have factor apparantly makes the Mustang 10 Best. There's no other reason because Gotta-have factor is the only reason the Mustang beat the GTO in a head to head comparison in C&D. Someone needs to point out to them that just because a car is more "gotta-have" doesn't make it the better car. If the GTO is better (which they basically said it was) then it should be on the 10 Best list.

Probably NAIAS 2006 or maybe the LA show. You've got less than two months to wait if that's the case.

media.ford.com has sales figures.

Oh, um, I guess I didn't catch the "challenging" part of it since I didn't know it was the Challenger until after I read Z's. :lol:

I read that earlier (what Z posted) but didn't even think about it when I saw this thread. Good catch Z, it probably is the Challenger.

Hey Chris, want to give us a hint as to what manufacturer this vehicle is from? :P

I think we're going to see a spy shot without much camo on of a vehicle that's supposed to debut at NAIAS or some other show. It's probably not anything we didn't already know about, it's just that we aren't supposed to know what it looks like until it debuts, and if it doesn't have camo on it then we know what it looks like already.

Pontiac still isn't where I'd like it to be in terms of product offerings, but after I took a step back and thought about where they are rather than where I think they should be, I realized they've really come a long ways, even in the last 2-3 years. In MY 2004, Pontiac had the following vehicles: Aztek, Bonneville, GTO, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Montana, Sunfire, and Vibe. Of those models the only ones to offer any sort of performance version were the Bonneville GXP (which was damn near $40k), GTO, and Grand Prix GTP. In addition, the Aztek, Bonneville, Grand Am, Montana, and Sunfire were all out dated and really weren't competitive vehicles. If you look at Pontiac's lineup for MY 2006, they have the following vehicles: G6, Grand Prix, GTO, Montana SV6, Solstice, Torrent, and Vibe. They still have some fat to cut in the SV6 and maybe Torrent, but the lineup is much improved. Here's a look at all the bright spots for '06: G6 GTP coupe/sedan: Even though the G6 GTP isn't at the top of it's class (in terms of performance), it still offers 240HP and a 6-speed manual (on the coupe), along with 18 inch wheels, premium 8-speaker sound system, Stabilitrack, and some other pretty nice standard features for a now Red-Tag-price of $21,760.70. Add leather (which includes heated seats), sunroof, and side impact air bags (three pretty common options, I would think) and you're still under $24k at $23,985.51. That's quite an improvement over the outgoing Grand Am GT with 175hp that would MSRP at over $25k on some occasions. GP GXP: It offers 303HP, 18 inch wheels, HUD, Stabilitrack, and a performance-tuned suspension for $26,239.83 with Red Tag pricing. Add some common options like leather, XM, upgraded radio, and side curtain air bags (sunroof was part of a $3200 package), and you're under $28k at a Red Tag price of $27,815.69. Where else can you get the performance that the GP GXP offers for under $28k and still be able to haul a family around? GM used to want nearly $40k for the Bonneville GXP which offered a lot less performance. GTO and Solstice: I think they speak for themselves. Maybe the GTO could use more aggressive looks, but no one can argue that it's a performance bargain, and maybe the Solstice could use more power, but it's coming next year. The Montana SV6 just needs to go, and the Torrent needs the 3.9L standard to make it acceptable. The Vibe is okay because it sells pretty well. What I would like to see Pontiac do is move the Grand Prix to Sigma Lite, offer a performance version of the Vibe (move it to Delta if you can't make a performance version based on the Toyota platform), restyle the GTO, drop the Montana, and drop the Torrent at the end of its lifecycle. There's still work to be done, but Pontiac has come a long way in just two model years.