Northstar

Looks good!

I don't know how big the college/university is, but I think you should let him live on campus instead and not give him a car. Yes, it saves money to live at home, but he's missing a good experience, and you wouldn't need to buy another car and pay to maintain it. Just MO.

Congrats, looks nice!

The answer to the question no one asked, but I'm guessing people with lots of disposable income will bu them, if for nothing more than being a status symbol.

If Autonews' new future product predictions for GM are any indication, GM is going down the tubes in terms of desirable and unique products. Pontiac's going to sell rebadged Chevys, Saturn is getting products delayed or cut right and left, Cadillac and Buick are never going to turn their images around because they're going to keep old, uncompetitive cars around until they can't pay people to take them, and Chevy gets globalized and attempts to keep afloat by selling cars, not SUVs. Anyways, here is what I would do, knowing that it appears GM doesn't want to cut brands but rather just costs associated with them (see Pontiac being rebadged Chevy's). I'm trying to reduce or totally get rid of overlap in GM's lineup. This lineup is only for the near future, and obviously there is room for expansion at most brands if GM turns things around. Pontiac (cheap BMW): Solstice (coupe, convert): cheap Z4, Miata/S2000 Alpha-based vehicle: (sedan, coupe): cheap 3er Continue to import Commodore from AU with minimal changes Buick: EPII SWB (sedan): TSX/A4/S40 EPII LWB (sedan): TL/S60 NG Enclave (CUV) on TE: RX330, meaning Enclave would need to shrink GMC: Wrangler competitor Sierra Acadia (or Yukon): essentially PBG's 7-pass people mover CUV. A clear step above Traverse. Cadillac: Alpha sedan (sedan, coupe, convert): 3er CTS (sedan, coupe, wagon): 5er BRX on Alpha: X3/MLK/RDX SRX on NG CTS platform: X5/ML Possible XLR, depending on cost (would need to be around $60k) Saab: premium small cars 9-1 on Gamma: sedan, wagon 9-3 on Delta II: sedan, wagon Chevy: Gamma II Beat/Aveo subcompacts: 3-, 4-, 5-door versions (Yaris, Fit) Delta II Cruze: sedan, coupe, wagon (Civic, etc) Gamma crossover Detla II crossover Theta crossover Malibu on EP II Combine Tahoe and Suburban or keep as-is. They are best in segment already and I don't see any reason for other manufacturer's to heavily invest in the segment, so they should sell fine to people who actually need such vehicles. Silverado Colorado Traverse Corvette Camaro I may be missing some vehicles here, but I think we all know Chevy needs a vehicle for everyone, it's late, and I'm tired... Saturn: import small Opels Corsa Astra Zafira Insignia Possibly Sky if it's cheap enough to do Vue Personally, I think this could work to save GM. Aside from Chevy, I don't think any lineup has more than two vehicles that aren't global or rebadged (see Sierra and Silverado).

I'm pretty sure that BMW started in the US with just the 3er and 5er, but I could be wrong. Regardless, Cadillac has yet to prove it can sell anything above $50k other than the Escalade, so it needs to first have the brand image to sell anything it wants for $50k and below before it even thinks about the $80k segment. Look at how the XLR did...

The run by the ACR is quite impressive, but consider it has R-compound tires (closest you can get to being race tires yet still street-legal, they would last about 6000 miles on a normal car, the Viper probably needed new ones after that run) and that huge, ridiculous looking wing, plus the fact that it's not at all daily-driveable, and it's not really that impressive in comparison to the ZR1. Slap a huge wing on the ZR1 (I assume this would help quite a bit) and throw on those same tires, and the ZR1 will most likely beat the ACR. GM could certainly beat that time with the ZR1 given it's C6.R technology and a swap of tires. Regardless, both are awesome cars and it's great that American cars currently own the 'ring!

Well, I'm not so sure GM is really going to kill any brand names, but Pontiac is essentially dead with this lineup, as it is just rebadged Chevys. The name may not die, but anything resembling a unique brand with any appealing products that can't be found as almost identical vehicles at Chevy is dead.

The STS needs more than a revamp to compete with the S-Class class of vehicles. It can't even compete with the 5/E/A6/etc! I don't see what's so wrong with the Escalade being kept as-is. It will sell fine with a few changes ever couple years. I'm not saying GM should poor money into it, but I see no reason to get rid of it; it sells OK and has to make money for GM... I wouldn't mind seeing the Escalade go away eventually, but for the next 5 years I don't see a whole lot of reason to cut it unless sales tank completely. Cadillac needs more than 1 SUV/X-Over, BMW has 2 or 3 if you count the X6, MB a ton, Lexus 3, Acura 2, Infiniti 2 (or 3 if you count QX), Audi is going to have 2, Volvo 2... Cadillac needs something like the X3/RDX and something bigger like the X5, but they don't have the money to do that right now, or at least it doesn't appear that way. Meh, just kill the STS. Aside from the rear seat accommodations, that interior, while nice, is nothing against the S-Class and LS460, etc. Just continue to move the CTS upscale (the Alpha-based sedan needs room, anyways) and make a worthy competitor for the S-Class when there is enough money. Until then, dump the money into the CTS, Alpha sedan, and SRX and let those 3 vehicles establish a good brand identity. That's how BMW did it, from the bottom up.

I don't understand this... how is it so costly to simply rebadge Opels? All of this "we don't have enough money" BS from GM is really getting on my nerves. They don't even have enough money to rebadge cars they're going to make anyways? WTF? Lame excuses and I'm not buying it.

Nice pictures. I agree that Pacific Slate looks very good! Styker Blue is also quite nice from the pics I've seen.

120HP should be enough in most of the cars the 1.4L is going to be in, but 150HP would be nice in some application.

The Lucerne can take care of DTS buyers, I think... no reason to keep the DTS around. Kill the STS as the CTS moves up to 5er range. Lineup of: BLS (sedan, coupe, convert) CTS (sedan, coupe, wagon) SRX Escalade XLR Then Cadillac can work on a 7er competitor and perhaps other vehicles once it establishes itself as a major player in these segments. There's no need to try to appease everyone if all they're going to do is have a couple good products that don't sell as well as they should because the brand's image is hurt by crappy cars (DTS, STS).

This is stupid. If GM can only give Pontiac minimal investment, give them the Solstice and an Alpha-based sedan. Perhaps continue to import the G8 sense it's basically free in terms of R&D anyways. There's no reason the Solstice and a compact sedan can't achieve good MPGs... if the G8 has to die because of MPGs, then so be at, but at least give Pontiac something that's desirable for a different reason than a Chevy FWD generic.

GM has its head up its ass still, it will not survive with plans like these. Neither Buick nor Pontiac really needs a Cruze-based vehicle when there is already going to be the Cruze, Astra, and 9-3, but if one of them must have it, it should go to Buick, only because the Pontiac would essentially be a Cruze and nothing more. On the contrary, Pontiac would benefit much more from an Alpha-based compact than Buick as the Buick would be priced much more closely to the Cadillac Alpha.

Yes, because they'll stick the 640HP LS9 in the CTS-V and call it a day.

GM makes a 6.2L crate engine that makes 515HP N/A. I'm guessing that if GM wanted to, it could make a 5.0L V8 with 500+HP. It would probably cost as much as the V10 in the M5, but they could do it. What would be the point though? ~500HP for ~$75k or 550+HP for $60k, it's not too hard of a decision, IMO.

Is 350HP actually possible out of the 2.8L? That's nearly 200HP/L. I'd do something like this: 2.3L DI I4 220HP. 2.8L turbo DI V6 300HP OR 3.6L DI 300HP (whichever gets better MPG). V8 with 425HP.

Well, not according to this article, which says the following: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/automobi...w/14-cts-v.html

I would bet a lot of money that the GM engine is a lot cheaper than the BMW engine as it stands. If the CTS-V cost $80k like the M5, maybe we'd see some sort of V10 based on the Cien engine.

Welcome back!

So was the Riveria concept the Alpha model? If so, that is a smart move. There is no room for an Alpha Buick if the Cadillac is going to have a 4cyl standard.

I think this thread has gone on long enough... if there are members who want to discuss politics, I'm sure there are some political forums to do so.

I still don't think Buick has the brand image to demand that much money for a compact car, but I could be wrong... A SWB EPII would be bigger and thus would probably be able to command such a price more easily.

I just don't know if Buick should be competing in that price range, however. I feel like the LaCrosse should start around $30k, the TSX is at $29k and the S40 is $24k base. I'm not sure Buick can demand more than about $27k for a fully loaded compact, so probably around $19-20k base... I just don't think they can make a car that is a legitimate competitor to the TSX and S40 for $4+k less.