Northstar

This article has some interesting info on fleet sales: http://www.nyse.com/interface/jsp/NHDetail...isdowjones=true There is a lot in the article, but I found this rather interesting:

Sounds like they're impressed so far. They really need to get the 6-speed in everything, and I want to know if the cloth interiors are as good all-around as the leather ones.

Good catch, I hadn't noticed that, and it looks pretty good. I still think the front end could use some work, but maybe it's better in person.

By Jamie LaReau Automotive News / October 10, 2005 DETROIT -- General Motors, like the rest of the industry, has seen SUV sales crash. But Hummer has managed to hit its launch targets for the mid-sized H3. Hummer sold 4,054 H3s in September and 18,290 since launching it in late May. Last year Susan Docherty, Hummer's general manager, projected about 25,000 H3 sales this year. The H3 has Hummer's in-your-face styling, but with a smaller size, decent fuel efficiency and a lower price, Docherty says. "Anything that was our Achilles heel in this brand has been addressed in the H3," Docherty told Automotive News. For example, the H3 gets 20 mpg on the highway, compared with its larger sibling, the H2, which gets about 16 mpg, Docherty says. The H3 has a 37-foot turning radius, beating the H2's 43.5-foot turning radius. Also, it fits into most garages -- a complaint about the H1 and H2, she adds. And 42 percent of H3 buyers are women compared with 26.3 percent with the H2, Docherty says. Rob Huth, sales manager of Hummer of Orlando, Fla., sells 80 to 90 H3s a month. He says its popularity comes down to price. "It's a less expensive vehicle yet shares the same parameters of the other two vehicles," Huth says. The H3 starts at $29,500, including shipping. The H2 starts at $53,855, including shipping. More: http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=54836

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiast...S178.A9430.html Looks like the interior has NAV to me...

I saw a bunch of stuff today, I probably forgot a bunch of them too, but here goes... Sweet 06 blue SSR at the dealer, killer color and some 06 DTSs at the dealer, also a Cobalt SS (non SC) at the dealer. Not at the dealer, I saw a Mitsu Raider, new Eclipse, RL, H3 with some nice mods, 06 Impala, Accord Hybrid, and some stuff I don't remember.

I didn't know that there was a Kappa Buick. I suppose 021 could be the Nomad, but I have no idea on a Buick.

Sounds sweet! I want some pics pronto!

Cobalt SS/SC, Solstice, Sky, used GTO.

The PT is outselling it because it has big rebates and also there is a much bigger supply of PTs. At the beginning of Sept, there were only 8k HHRs on the lots, so they sold the same amount that they had on the lots, which is obviously very good. The PT on the other hand had 27k vehicles on the lot, and they only sold 11k of them. I don't see why everyone thinks it will sell too much and then go to the pits... 120k is 10k/month, and last month the old PT (which people say went to the pits) sold 11k.

HHR is hot, so GM raises target again Automaker looks at boosting production to 120,000 annually By Jamie LaReau Automotive News / October 10, 2005 DETROIT -- General Motors believes it has a hit with the new Chevrolet HHR wagon but must figure out how to build more of them. "What we're trying to do is ramp up the capacity of the components and the plant so that we can build without having to go build another plant for it," says Lori Queen, GM's vehicle line executive for small cars. Robert Lutz, GM's vice chairman for product development, says GM plans to produce 120,000 HHRs annually. Production will "probably go up from there," Lutz adds. Initially, Chevrolet expected to sell 80,000 to 100,000 units annually. In June, GM revised that goal to about 60,000 a year, said Jim Campbell, director of Chevrolet car marketing. Last month, Queen insisted the plan always was to build 100,000 HHRs annually. Queen says GM is running maximum overtime to build the vehicles at its Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, plant. She shies away from Lutz's 120,000 annual production target. "I'm hoping we can, but I don't know," Queen says. "I'm trying to understand if I can get to that level." Queen says she must determine whether components and plant capacity are available. Last month, Chevrolet sold 8,602 HHRs. Sales of the wagon outpaced those of the Scion xB (4,459) and Honda Element (4,988). Chrysler sold 11,742 PT Cruisers last month. The HHR starts at $15,990, including shipping. According to the J.D. Power Information Network, the largest bloc of buyers -- 42.7 percent -- were Chevrolet owners. But Lutz says nearly half of the HHR sales comes from owners of competitors' vehicles. "Any time we get that, we know a vehicle is working for us," Lutz says. "The top markets for it are Southern California, Houston and Dallas, which are areas where it's always hard to achieve breakthrough with a domestic passenger vehicle." -- It's very positive that it's doing well in import-controlled cities. If GM can do well there with new products, they'll definetly have some life.

Good catch. I was so tired I forgot to change the date from the last one, lol.

On a GMTV thing they said the Escalade would debut "at various locations across the country in early Nov." Denali pics came out first because they just wanted to do it with the Yukon, which is before the Escalade.

Sorry I have these up so late. Anyways, here are the results: In first place, with 31 points, was BuddyP: In second place (tie), with 18 points, was mygraphix: Also in second place (tie), with 18 points, was -Camaro- : Congrats to all that entered and especially the winners!

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I'd be surprised if it won the 5-best trucks again. The competition has caught up in terms of handling and powertrain, and the SRX was never on top in interior quality.

Doesn't a stock CTS-V run like 12.7s in the 1/4 mile? I would sort of expect his to be in the 11s, or at least very low 12s, especially with the NOS.

The $7 billion is the disadvantage GM is against vs. it's competitors. If you multiply the number of vehicles GM sold last year by $1500 (the cost disadvantage GM has on every vehicle) then it ends up being $7 billion. Therefore, if you got rid of that (which is what GM is trying to do) then GM'd be making probably $7 billion this year. Also, keep in mind that GM's profit over the last 2-3 years would have been probably $6-7 billion more if it didn't have it's cost disadvantage.

I know we just had the Tahoe, but I think the Yukon could use a little help. Anyways... Welcome to Choppin' Competition 8! Your task is to chop the photo provided below in any way you want. Change the wheels, background, etc. Please resize your chop to 768 pixles wide. Contestants that do so will recieve a bonus point as it takes me a long time to resize all of the entries that are not the specified size for the voting thread. The deadline for entries is Saturday, October 15th, at 11:59 PM EST. Here is the pic to chop (click thumbnail for larger image):

Yes, it was the right size. I'm so freaking tired from this week... I'm just going to close the comp then start a new one and go to bed. I'll start voting sometime tomorrow.

How about the countless billions lost on healthcare? How about $6,983,188,500 lost due to the cost disadvantage GM suffers vs. Toyota and Honda, etc, last year ALONE? Yes, alomst 7 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE YEAR.

Baby Roller Revival: Rolls-Royce wants a piece of former partner Bentley's action http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103308 (Image at link) GREG KABLE Posted Date: 10/4/05 Rolls-Royce will go back to its roots with a range of smaller and—gasp!—less-expensive models as the luxury carmaker seeks to lay the financial foundations for a prosperous future. Described as possessing all the traditional Rolls-Royce hallmarks of engineering prestige and upper-crust luxury, the new cars are intended to rejuvenate the BMW-owned British carmaker with entries in the growing $150,000-to-$200,000 segment of the market. “I believe Rolls-Royce has an opportunity to move into another price point,” says new Rolls-Royce boss Ian Robertson, who previously headed BMW in South Africa. “Our family of cars will grow to include more attainable models. Over the past 100 years we have made so many different types of cars, so there is a lot of scope for us to move forward,” Robertson told AutoWeek. The first of Rolls-Royce’s new models, a sedan, won’t appear before 2009, though Robertson is said to have already gained the backing of BMW chairman Helmut Panke. A number of styling proposals have been created, with final decisions on the product mix coming within the next year, Robertson says. Spurring the move to extend the Rolls-Royce line below the hugely expensive Phantom is the success of the Bentley Continental GT. Bentley built some 5000 of the $171,000 Continental GTs in 2004—six times the number of Phantoms produced at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood factory in the same year. Robertson says the segment for cars priced upward of $150,000 has grown from 8000 worldwide sales in the late-1990s to 20,000 cars today—and all signs indicate that trend will continue. Robertson won’t confirm body styles for the baby Rollers, but said the company’s earlier models—such as the 20hp produced during the 1920s—hint at both sedan and coupe initially and possibly even a wagon and convertible later on. They would all be position­ed well beneath the super-luxurious $332,000 Phantom, at a price that would likely see them compete directly against the Bentley Continental and Flying Spur. The starting price would be about $180,000 in the United States. The smaller Rollers will be “authentic to the brand” Robertson says, with traditional Rolls-Royce attributes like a prominent chrome grille and long sweeping hood. He also says the cars will be “less formal.” He denied suggestions the next-generation BMW 7 Series, due in 2009, would serve as the basis for the baby Roller. But when it comes to powertrains, Rolls will surely dip into the BMW parts bin, as it did for the Phantom’s 6.7-liter 460-hp V12. One possibility is a reworked version of the German carmaker’s new 4.8-liter V8.

UAW's future: Givebacks or else Delphi starts clock ticking on rich wage, benefit packages across U.S. auto industry. By Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News After decades of hard-fought victories at the bargaining table, the United Auto Workers union faces the prospect of unprecedented wage and benefit concessions at one of its largest employers. In addition to Delphi Corp., the clock may be ticking against workers' rich package of wages and benefits at other Detroit automakers , analysts say. Compensation packages are worth more than $130,000 a year. That may put a smile on workers' faces, but the labor costs also give American automakers a $1,500-per-car disadvantage over their Japanese rivals. "Everyone feels betrayed and stabbed in the back," said Bryan Stoner, 48, an electrician at a Delphi plant in Kokomo, Ind. The UAW faces a difficult choice: accept the painful concessions or take its chances with a bankruptcy. "What (Delphi's Chairman) Steve Miller has essentially asked to do is shred 40 years of gains and renege on the promises the company made to its workers," said Harley Shaiken, professor of labor relations at the University of California-Berkeley. "They may go for even more Draconian measures before a bankruptcy judge." The filing marks the beginning of "Sherman's march across wages and benefits" throughout the automotive industry, Shaiken said. "If the airline industry is any indication, we'll see it far sooner rather than later," he said Saturday. "This is a pivotal moment and could be a watershed for manufacturing (as a whole)." UAW President Ron Gettelfinger vowed Saturday to protect the interest of workers and retirees. The UAW hasn't faced such a crisis since the recession of 1980-81, when Detroit automakers slashed thousands of jobs and Chrysler skirted bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the union's membership continues to drop. "It really puts a tremendous amount of pressure on UAW management," said Joe Phillippi of AutoTrends Consulting Inc. in New Jersey. Without significant concessions from the union, Delphi said Saturday it is prepared to sell, consolidate or discontinue a substantial chunk of its U.S. manufacturing operations. "If they acquiesce to the demands of Delphi, clearly that sends a signal to the rest of the unionized suppliers," Phillippi said. "They're going to want to get the same deal." Daniel Mitchell, a labor expert at the University of California in Los Angeles, said any concessions the union gives to Delphi will likely become the outline for future bargaining sessions between the automakers and the UAW. Continue reading: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0.../A08-341864.htm

The Forty-Nine is definetly the best of the 3, but none of them really do much for me.

I'm guessing if the STS had the ZF steering gear it would have beaten the E-Class. However, I think a lot of this comparo was based on driving dynamics, and the 545i and M45 are definetly tuned to be sportier than the STS, which is probably why they beat it.