Northstar

Isn't that what the 9-3 is for? I'm not sure if Buick needs one especially if GM does Cadiilac/Buick/Saab dealerships?

A pretty good-looking interior. Should be close to the top of the class, if it gets here in time.

Congrats!

Wow, you have got to be kidding me! The next Malibu is going to have a Pontiac sibling with a kidney grill insert? Damnit GM! You really think the Malibu is going to be taken seriously when it has a Pontiac that looks exactly the same? Ugh... way to blow the momentum gained with the current 'bu.

What? So now the G6 is back on? And by rebadge, I really hope you mean a rebadge in the same way the current Malibu and G6 are "rebadges." Maybe this is why the Aura on EPII is no longer a go at the moment.

Perhaps, but I think the SWB model makes more sense, because that's what the Aura was going to be on... I guess a Delta II model would be small enough compared to the SWB model, but I think it's best to just let Saturn go after premium small car buyers.

Where did you hear this information? I think it seems like a better idea to give Buick a smaller EPII sedan to take on the TSX while the Invicta/LaCrosse takes on the TL. Pontiac can then get an Alpha as a cheap 3er type of car. I just don't see a Buick Alpha doing very well, doesn't seem to fit their image. Plus, it would be priced similarly to the Cadillac Alpha.

No, they just call their hamburgers "steakburgers," hence Steak and Shake. The original Steak and Shake is about 5 minutes from my house, give or take, so that's probably one reason why they're popular around here. We have Arby's all over around here, too. I go there about once a week, usually get regular roast beef and curly fries.

For burgers, Steak and Shake, but it's kinda expensive, IMO. Arby's is good also.

The G6 will be terribly outdated by 2010, I feel. It's not going to be able to compete with the other vehicles by then, anyways. I don't think the $31k Buick will have to cut back on much... the CTS is $34k and Sigma is a much more expensive platform than EPII. As for overlapping with Lucerne, the Lucerne is going to be rather old and it appeals to a different group of buyers, anyways. The "classic" Buick buyers buy Lucernes, the LaCrosse needs to attract import buyers. As for a $24-33k Aura, you may be right, it may not sell. Perhaps this is why it is on hold, because GM realizes this and is trying to decide what to do about it. Perhaps Saturn will go back to selling just small cars and have a lineup something like this: Sky, Astra, Corsa, Vue, MPV.

According to some, the wagon and coupe will be accompanied with an MCE of the sedan. I think not debuting the wagon and coupe at the same time as the sedan would have been a bigger deal if the old CTS had wagon and coupe variants as well. The coupe and wagon obviously didn't get approved for production at the same time as the sedan, so they didn't make it to production at the same time, either, as a result.

Ok, first of all Saturn no longer has dent resistant door panels. 2nd the Buick Epsilon should compete with the ES, that is not Saturn's territory. The current 9-3 starts at close to $30k, again not Saturn's territory except for the upper end, plus Saab is a niche brand and the 9-3 is going to be the size of a Cruze, and the 9-5 starts at $38k. No Saturn sedan should cost that much, ever. If the Insignia/Aura is priced at Passat levels ($24k to $33k or so, forget the VR6), it should not overlap too much with the Buick Epsilon, which should start at $31k if comparably equipped to a base ES ($34k). Aura and Malibu should have different enough styling that they attract different customers. Malibu should also be priced as low as $21k for a base model. Even if they attract some of the same customers, the midsize car market is so big, does it really matter? It will likely get even bigger as people move away from SUVs and large sedans but don't want to move all the way down to a compact vehicle. There is no Pontiac Epsilon AFAIK. I was thinking about this, and there's no evidence that the vehicle is getting dumbed down. That may be the case in the end, but I am actually wondering if it's just going to be an MCE of the Insignia, or something of the effect, especially on the interior. Insignia will be dated by the time the NG Aura arrives, anyways.

Good to hear you are ok!

The G8 GXP seems rather tame in comparison...

I thought a moonroof is glass and a sunroof is metal, but the terms go back and forth and no one really seems to know exactly what they're talking about. Anyways, I highly doubt the sun/moonroof will only pop up, when was the last time GM offered that? I hope they can integrate it into the roof rather than having it slide above the roof (looks dumb like that).

Saturn-Pontiac-GMC?

Yeah, the 9-3 is already a small vehicle. I guess Saab's biggest vehicle (9-5) will probably be just slightly bigger than the current 9-3.

Well, the auto has better drive ratios than the manual on the V8, but the manual does have more power. I would expect the manual to be faster once you get over 60 or so, though. As for the V6... the DI RWD CTS weighs about 100lbs more and has posted sub-6 second 0-60 runs. I'd expect the Camaro to do the same. The Camaro's coefficient of drag is .35 though, not very good. Perhaps that slows it down somewhat? The GTO auto is also faster to 60 than the manual and many times the auto will win in a the 1/4 mile, just at a lower speed. The Nurburgring time is better than a Boxster S or last-gen M3, pretty impressive.

He's talking about the CTS-V, which was/is heavier than the GTO.

I see your point now, and yes I agree that they should outperform the Mustang, with it's somewhat "old" technology platform.

I would still expect them to make some changes to go along with any new crash regs that have come along, and they'll probably add some content as well. I guess I didn't realize it was just a new body/interior though... so that means no IRS or other upgrades to the suspension?

The GTO is not the same platform as the Camaro though. Zeta is superior to LX in the sedans (G8, Charger), I see no reason that would change for the Camaro vs. Challenger. GTO was a 10+ year old platform in that comparo. You are correct that LX is a quite good platform, however.

So if the Mustang has 340hp and weighs 3400lbs, and the Camaro w/auto has 400hp and 4000lbs, that's the same power to weight ratio. I'd still bet on the Camaro winning, plus I don't see the Mustang being that light if it has turbos and IRS. Regardless of 0-60, quarter mile, and whatnot, the Camaro's suspension is far superior to the Mustang's and thus should have no problem handling better.

Please explain what this Phoenix V6 is?

What happened with the new one? 6 years of new safety regs, tons of airbags, IRS, stiffer structure. 400lbs is not that much of an increase. The 04 Mustang weighed about 200lbs less than the 05. If the 2010 weighs about 200lbs more, it will be a 3500lb V6, add IRS and it is right there with the Camaro.