CARBIZ

I agree that the Malibu interior is lacking in the general over all look; however, in this market the Honda is $6,000 more for the 4 cylinder - even the 6 cylinder Malibu is cheaper than the 4 cylinder Accord. Not that that excuses the cheapness of the materials, it only explains it. I don't have a problem with that, though. I think the Malibu should go after the Japanese on price. Don't forget, according to JD Powers, the Malibu has beaten both the Camry and Accord for quite a few years running so it would appear the quality is there. Anyone who remembers the Malibu from 20 years ago will recall that their interiors were hardly trend setting. However, the Impala should go after the Accord on the general look and appearance of quality. Frankly, some people don't care about the look of the plastics - I, for one, have always found Japanese interiors (especially their radios) too, well, Japanese. If a family is on a budget, then over all price and features are more important - no amount of plastic is going to persuade them to spend an extra $6,000.

In certain markets, the Suzuki/GM affiliation is not helping. When you can buy 3 versions of the Aveo with only a different emblem on the grille, that is just sad. In an area with a lot of recent Asian immigrants, many people would rather drive a Suzuki Swift + over an Aveo. GM-DAT is an investment in the future. If GM cannot build sub-$13k cars in North America and make a profit, then they need to move those products off shore. It may be the only way to beat Toyota at their own game. I agree with the North American-centric attitudes of GM. Those attitudes are fine at $2 a gallon, but at $4 a gallon they will be suicide. I've never seen the benefits of owning a piece of Suzuki, but more should be made of GM's other global affiliations and ownerships! Many Vauxhalls/Opels would do well, at least in Canada.

I wanted to see Brokeback win last night, but I'm not sure it deserved it. Emotionally, it will hit anyone who is gay very hard; those who are not, less so. The Oscars tend to be very political, which is why so many thought Brokeback would win, but I think at the end of it all last night was more of a popularity contest. I like Reese, but there is no way she did a better job than Felicity. And the point about Crash's ensemble cast is well taken, too. Credit should be given for Reese learning to sing (and sing well!), which is probably why she did win. There have been many worse choices in the past (Marlee Matlin winning for Children of a Lesser God comes to mind - I mean, how hard is it for a deaf/dumb actress to play a deaf/dumb character?) or Cher losing in Mask than winning in Moonstruck. Ah, well.

Modern interpretations of Detroit's glory days makes a lot of sense because it is the one area that Japan cannot copy; it is the one area that Japan cannot go! Not only could this produce the cool, "gotta have" vehicles that the North American public will actually want to buy, it may also introduce a whole generation of buyers to the undeniable fact that the Big Three have been the backbone of the industrial heartland of this continent for 100 years, not the Johnnie-come-latelies that is Japan Inc., showing up to the party late and doing just enough to get around the Auto Pact and Free Trade. Just don't water down the concept vehicles or cheapen the interiors! Keep the bean counters away!

Very interesting read. GM dropped quite a bit in Canada so far this year, too. Looks like GM is headed for 26% market share in Canada. The HHR is doing well with interest rates up around 5% here. We are being told orders in Canada may be cut short because demand is so high in the States. Looks like Lutz was right and Wagoner wasn't.....

Why doesn't SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE do a definitive study. Take 100 new Camry owners, 100 new Malibu owners, 100 new Altima owners, 100 new Taurus owners, 100 new Accord owners, and so on and follow them from purchase to, say, 5 years. A longer study would be warranted but the American auto industry will be dead by then at this rate. I would love to see this full, factual study done. It would have to be randomly selected from around North America so that we could get a broad cross section of driving locations, weather, etc. Because what we never see in print or ADMITTED to is the TRUE COST OF OWNERSHIP. I am talking about the wonderful $139 trip to the Toyota dealer. I am talking about the $600 timing belt change on a Honda engine. I am talking about premium gas in mid-size family vehicles. (customers are told this by Honda dealers even in cars that don't require it!) I am talking about higher insurance premiums. If an Avalon is $6,000 more than a loaded Impala - WELL THE F##KING THING HAD BETTER BE BETTER THAN AN IMPALA, DAMMIT! Frankly, this CR debate makes me puke. We own two Toyota stores and I can tell you...TOYOTA HAS JUST AS MANY BODIES IN THE BACK YARD, THEY ARE JUST BURIED A LITTLE DEEPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! General Motors needs to get off their ass and take the media to court, if necessary to get this bias off the pages. Bob Lutz challenged Jim Kenzie of that liberal rag The Toronto Star to a duel a couple years back when they trashed the Grand Prix. We need to see more of that ballsy stuff before the entire American auto industry is gone.

As a percentage, though. Doesn't GM sell, like a quarter million Impalas? Certainly a lot more than the Sonata! So what percentage of Sonatas end up on fleet lots?

Up here in the Hinterland, neither the original Civic or Corollas survived the winter salt. Mechanically, they may have been simpler and, therefore, easier to maintain than the then current Citations and Cavaliers, but since none of them survived more than 10 years due to body rot, we will never know up here. There is absolutely no denying that a short drive of a early '80s Cavalier versus Civic, for example, would prove that the Civic was fun to drive and thriftier on gas, but the Japanese automatics of the '70s and '80s were AWFUL and with them the cars were anemic. Since most Americans wanted (and still do) automatics, the Japanese cars of the time simply didn't stack up. EXCEPT TO HIPPIES AND UNIVERSITY WEENIES. I remember renting a 1981 Datsun 210 with an automatic and I was being PASSED by dump trucks on long hills in norther Ontario! Recalling that GM ruled the market in the '80s and the Japanese were just getting a foothold, it is easy to see why so many people today still blame GM for crap they built 25 years ago. If GM was selling a million 4 cylinder underpowered, rattly small cars a year back then, and if half of them were garbage, then that is a lot of potentially pissed off customers who would have traded in the piece of junk and bought a '91 Civic or Corolla which obviously would have been a helluva lot better than the old Cavalier or Skyhawk! Thence the Japanese Myth began.

CR should tread carefully. What will they print once they've run GM and Ford out of business? Do they think Honda and Toyota will keep paying for as much advertising once the Big Three are gone? Seriously, I don't get it with Americans and their constant bashing of their own industries! Japan Inc. has gone down this road before, yet Washington does nothing. I think it is time for Ford and GM to join forces and conduct their own studies to hit this one head to head. It is interesting to note that when PROFESSIONAL outside sources, with no axe to grind, investigate the car industry, GM turns out to have integrity; whereas, Toyota loses out. An example of that is the recent SAE horsepower ratings where most of GM's vehicles went UP in horsepower and most of Toyota's went DOWN. What other areas is Toyota "fudging." Ford and GM have enormous resources. I think they should start pooling and them.

Alien 1 & 2 Torch Song Trilogy Body Heat - amazing Monty Python Meaning of LIfe - I love the grim reaper! Ground Hog Day Man Facing Southeast - amazing Argentinan movie Clerks - must see for anyone in retail

I don't think the absence of a V-6 hurts the Colorado as much as its boring appearance. Look objectively at the Dakota - it is a much better looking truck. The Colorado is a step up from the S-10, but it should have been a leap! This is GM's problem across the board. THe Tahoe is a leap ahead of the competition. The Solstice certainly has character and feels bigger than the MX-5. The HHR is different enough from the PT is you really look at it and drive it. The Impala tells an incredible value story. The Malibu and Cobalt are going to get left behind. The Civic is a very nice car. It is what the Cobalt (or at least the Pursuit!) should have been. I don't blame GM for focusing on trucks - it is where the money is and their strengths are. Lutz has done a decent job upgrading the cars in general, but I hope the renewed profits from the trucks this year will be plowed back into the next generation of new cars - not into buying off the UAW and Delphi!!!

It is interesting that the article drags the Japanese electronics industry into this. Very appropriate, I think. The dumping of televisions on the North American market in the '60s and '70s is well documented. Hitachi, Toshiba, etc. were given sugar and beet import quotas to offset their losses in North America while they ran the American manufacturers into the ground or bought them out. I can guess at part of the reason that CR's ratings are so out of whack, but like it or not, GM and Ford need to tackle this head on. A lot of this bias can be traced back to the university weenies who bought VW and Honda 25 years ago because they were cheap and decent on gas. Honestly, these guys are in charge of these magazines and think tanks now. Even I will admit that if you compared a '81 Civic to a '81 J2000, you would probably have admitted the Civic was a better car, but it is unfair to base your entire judgement of the American industry by a comparison between your mother's '78 Fairmont and your '81 Civic that your drove in university!!!!!! We see the typical CR reader in our show rooms. I call them the clipboard customer - you know, the teacher, the architect, the accountant. They have nothing else to do at work but respond to those silly surveys. The workaday guys and gals that buy Dodge's and Chevys are too busy WORKING to bother responding to the silly surveys, nor do they have time to ponder the biases of CR's magazine.

My first car was a '67 Dodge Polara. 3 spd automatic with after market a/c. I think it was Sears a/c, actually. The car was 12 years old when I got it. It had a little bit of rust (amazing for this neck of the woods) and the a/c still worked. It had 97,000 miles on it. I bought it for $50 and gave my buddy a set of speakers. My next two vehicles were both Dodge's and were 4 cylinders with manugal transmissions (it was the anemic '80s after all). Manual trannies were fun until I moved to the city. Nothing fun about shifting on the freeway in stop and go traffic. Give me a smooth shifting automatic GM tranny any day.

I think another major problem both GM and Ford are having is the aging of the dealer's themselves. Many of the dealers were built up in the '50s and '60s and now are facing a turn over of ownership - or the spawn of the original owners are taking over and treating the place like their own petty fiefdoms. Some dealer principle' and/or general managers treat their sales staff like hired slaves. Don't forget: they don't actually pay a salary, so they can call as many meetings, send sales staff off to as many training/seminars as they want because they don't actually pay them to do it. When I was in management in my previous life I had to pay each of my employees a minimum of 3 hours (as per Canadian law) just to show up and that came out of my hours budget - so you can be assured that I made those meetings count. They were structured and had real content. Most people I talk to tell me what a waste of time sales meetings are and how the managers huff, puff and slam their fists down. You folks out there have no idea how some dealers are pressure cookers. Sales staff can even be fired for not talking to the sales manager before a customer leaves. Something to think about for all you tire kickers out there that just want to grab a brochure and go.

The GM show was embarassingly lame this year. I talked to a couple of the people there and they said that they've had problems with ACTRA and with models not signing off on photo rights. Like, whose brainiac idea was that? They had some goof jump off a platform high up on the ceiling and swing down on a cable, but the woman feigning suprise at the bottom was awful! I just couldn't watch it. Driving the new cars out on stage was neat, though.

I remember driving a '74 Lincoln MkIV with the long hood and prominent hood ornament on the end - amazing! Quite the rush. You really felt like you were driving in a luxury car. I remember when the Chrysler Imperial bragged about having real crystal pentastars on the hood - everybody was stealing them. So, yeah, they can be a target.

Any mind altering drugs need to be approached with great care. Never done alone. Always done in company that one trusts. Some people just can't handle them. However, having said that - each generation has its chemicals (LSD in the '60's, Xtacy in the '80's, Crystal more recently) but they are definitely not for everyone.

Yeah, I don't get the Solara. ONe of the guys at the dealer here bought his wife a Solara convertible a couple years back. It is just plain and boring. I think the back end looks wierd. The G6, although similar from the back end, looks far more balanced and striking. IMO

Just drive them both and you'll settle on the Maxx pretty quickly. Not even in the same league, really.

Oh, I wanted to add that I spent a lot of time in the Tundra, too. Another big YAWN. And what is with that big smooth, shiny chunk of plastic on the main part of the dash? Really cheesy! People rag about the hard plastic on the Impala and Cobalt? Really, for $48,000 I was shocked. Only Toyota fans will buy the Tundra.

Part of the problem around here is that ALL brands are imported. So-called "domestic" brands are really foreign as well - even if we do consider Americans close cousins! NOw that both Toyota and Honda assemble some of their vehicles here in Ontario, many people who don't know much about the culture and history of autos in North America don't know/don't care that the Big Three have a history and tradition in Canada - hence, "domestic", whereas, the Asians are recent interlopers. Anyway, that would help to explain why GM only has 16% market share in the GTA. And, yes, I agree that the Japanese are probably succumbing to the same type of snobbery.

Look, in our area the GM website leaves out all kinds of things. The website talks about $179 lease on a Cobalt with $1750 down or something like that, but the "due on delivery" is something like $3,400 with the freight, fees, etc. The website is a great tool, but often if we are the first dealer they've been to, they keep going because the don't (or don't want to) believe the messenger. Sounds like this guy was green over all. I"ve seen newbies run around here like chickens with their heads cut off. Management usually wants to keep a tight leash on them for the first few months. Keep in mind that if the new guy screws up, it is management that can be on the hook for his promises/screw ups - and there is a lot that can go wrong with the confusing myriad of delivery credits, rates and residuals that often change WEEKLY from GM and GMAC. Seasoned veterans realize that they often have to work management more than the customer.

I am hardly pro-union, but what choice does the union have? It is political suicide to go to the membership, offering pay cuts of 30% or more. As with closing dealers, nobody wants to volunteer to be the first - yet all can see that it clearly is necessary. The unthinkable is happening. Not too long ago, sub-30% market share seemed unthinkable; now, 20% is looming. At those numbers, GM has to get lean and mean - or die. Dealers will have to go. Plants shuttered. Employees will have to give up lucrative pay that was won in a time when GM seemed unstoppable. Maybe even a car brand or two. All of it will be painful. 2006 is going to be very, very interesting.

I spent the entire day at the Auto Show today. The GM show is really, really lame this year. Where did they get this act from? Out takes from the Gong Show? I was embarassed, truly. It was kinda neat having Saturn and Cadillac buttressed against Toyota and Lexus - good placement, I think. Luck or design? I made the rounds. I was a good boy: I didn't razz any of the Toyota or Ford guys. I behaved. Some impressions though - Honda Element even uglier than I remembered. The Ridgeline I still don't get. Both interiors are way too fussy. The Civic is gorgeous and really worries me. The Cobalt had better have a big refresh coming. Is it me, or are all Fords becoming trucks? I was astonished at how big the 500 is inside, but it felt like a truck. The trunk wasn't as big as I'd expected. I had just sat in an Acura TL and then saw the price on the 500 - and yeah, I know they aren't in the same market but the prices are! I liked the Freestyle - why does everybody have 3 rows of seats except GM? The Navigator is just ugly. Cadillac doesn't have to worry. The Zephyr, or whaterver they're going to call it is nice. I really liked the Fusion. As much as I like the Malibu - and I am driving one now, I would lease a Fusion in a flash. Well priced and looks nice. I hope it is true that the Aura is the new Malibu -we're going to need it! I was shocked at the price of the Avalon - $43,000 Canadian. The SS Impala is six grand less! I don't get Toyota. The Corolla looks tired. I don't like Japanese radios - they are all the same and look from the '90s. The Rav4 is nice, but are they kidding with the 3rd row? I overheard a woman complaining to her husband that there is no way they could shoe-horn the kids in there. A for effort, though. Why is everybody leaving the true small sport ute market behind? Again, the Rav4 is nearly $40 grand. Ouch. The poor Rolls Royce was buried in the back - all lonely. I walked past Hyundai a few times. Too depressed to dare to take a good look. VW is irrelevant. Really, with the Asians building better cars and the Americans building cheaper ones, who would buy a VW these days? BMW is, well, BMW. $100 grand for a wagon? Ouch. I found the wagon way too techno looking inside - almost stark. Nice seats. Definitely top notch touch and feel. Never made it to Skydome or the damned Rogers Center or whatever the hell they call it these days since the government sold it for a song. Too bad, because I guess Chrysler and Nissan were sequestered back there. Worst building to be in, IMO. I was too tired from standing all day.

I think the West has much to be concerned about the rise of the emerging markets: China, India, Brazil, etc. because of the future competition over dwindling resourses (Canada will become everybody's new best friend, methinks!), but there is a certain inertia involved with the absolute mass of the populations of India and China. They simply cannot possibly feed, clothe and furnish their populations to the level of the West - the planet would implode. There are still hundreds of millions of peasants in both of those countries, and thanks to the internet many of those peasants are starting to resent the glamour and progress of the major cities. There is potential for serious civil unrest in those countries as they try and elevate the general population. I believe there is a very real danger that they could collapse under their own weight - literally!