Robert Hall

Yes, the Sierra has some cosmetic differences from the Silverado. Nothing substantial--still the same dirty bits, same cab, same interiors (the Denali trim adds more bling, but Chevy will have an equivalent model in time). The Savana and Canyon are merely badge and grille differences. The Yukon is a Tahoe/Suburban w/ an ugly nose. The CUV fluff are platform-shared w/ distinct designs, but still are redundant. Face it, however successful GMC is, today it is just a marketing effort to give Buick/Cadillac dealers something to compete w/ Chevy dealers..that's all. It will be interesting to see what GM does with it going forward..

Completely trivial..no substantive differences

Lego cars! Interesting idea... I wonder how they accomplish this with unibody construction..usually there are some fixed hard points that are hard to deviate from..

I would think making a model competitive w/ the 3-series, etc would be the main focus..anything else is secondary. Cadillac absolutely has to have a hit in this niche. It will be interesting to see if they can scale it up to midsize to accomodate 4000lb CTSes and Camaros. It would have to be able to scale in width, length, track, etc. An ambitious goal.

Balance I would think would be an issue.... Certainly BMW and M-B have figured it out w/ their compact cars..after all, the 3 series is available w/ 4s, straight 6s, and V8s...and the Merc C-class is available w/ 4s, V6s, and V8s...and both are widely regarded as the best in the business for compact luxury/sports sedans/coupes. I know GM has no history of building such cars, but Alpha is their opportuntity to prove they can build big league-competitive compact luxury sports sedans and coupes..I hope they can pull it off..

Don't think I've seen one..but IIRC it was a 2011 addition..

Hopefully the little turd boy will be charged and get some jail time.

I've seen an reddish-orange '70 Cougar XR-7 convertible in good shape two mornings in a row..

Ok....sounds like Alpha will really be more of a hefty Zeta and Sigma replacement instead of a light compact car platform. Of course, anything under 4500lbs is 'light' for GM, who is used to building 5000-6000lb trucks and SUVs. Worst case scenario, the bean counters will axe the program and the Caddy ATS will be a Delta FWD generic.

Interesting...there was also an electric Ranger from that time frame, there is a white one in Scottsdale I've seen a few times...saw it this morning in traffic..very quiet. Electric Ranger

It's all through effective, clever marketing..it's amazing how trivial cosmetic differences like grille and badging (and fender creases in the current generation) can sway a buyer one way or another..

You said they were the same thing; the fix for your issue here- allow the dealers to glue on whichever badge the buyer prefer. snik snik done. LoL...of course, the GMC one used to be called a Suburban also. Anyway, I can't see eliminating the Chevy trucks and SUVs. GMC is redundant.

I couldn't remember the name either...googled and turned up the 'Shelby GR-1'. GR-1

I think that was the Shelby concept thingy..kind of looked like a modern interpretation of the '60s Shelby Daytona coupe race car..

SAAB is like a cat...they have used at 4 of their 9 lives in the last year or so...

They most definitely didn't. That was a typo from shuffling some text around. You didn't catch my funnier typo where I didn't know which FWD A-bodies had rear brakes. :-P I saw that one...thought maybe you were thinking of the mythical '82 Celebrity Scooter which was the stripped down model w/ vinyl seats, 3spd column shift manual, and no rear brakes.. Anyhoo, all joking aside, I can't recall the last time I saw a Celebrity wagon on the road..pretty scarce.

Why couldn't you take a rental car to Canada? Legal reasons like insurance, etc. I've noticed on rental agreements before clauses about not taking out of the country. I haven't noticed in reviews/comparison tests, but I assume the Jetta is dimensionally bigger inside (rear leg room, etc) than other compacts like the Cruze and Focus, or at least it *looks* bigger on the outside..surprising they are still using the 2.5, guess it's a cost issue in trying to keep the prices down.

I don't think the GMC brand should go away. I think the Chevy Truck and SUV operations should wind down and go away. Chevrolet should simply concentrate on Coupes, Sedans, Convertibles and passenger crossovers like the Traverse. No trucks, no body on frame SUVs for Chevy. Not even a baby SUV like the Equinox for Chevy, that's the GMC Acadia period. All GM trucks should be GMCs -- work trucks are GMCs, spiced up articles get the Denali post-fix. All Chevy Dealerships will be given the option to carry the GMC brand to make up for the loss of Chevrolet's truck and SUV lineup. I don't think that's the answer either...Chevy has a much stronger brand in trucks than GMC. And a Yukon but no Suburban? Wrong. GMC for now exists only to give Buick/Cadillac dealers relatively high volume truck sales.

Start w/ a Chevy Traverse...it would be a Lambda..the Traverse makes more sense as a starting point than the Acacia or Enclave because it's slab sided styling would work well w/ crisp Caddy ends and details, I think..

Too much drama. GM needs to either commit and make an announcement w/ timeline, or STFU and go back to making FWD generics.

Slick..would make a nice Buick.

Wierd they can't find parts...would think a brake shop (local or a chain like Brakes Plus) would be able to find them...would think it would be the same parts as used on the Ciera which ran through '96 (same platform)> The dealer probably just doesn't want to put any time and effort on something so old.

Interesting..didn't realize you could take a rental car to Canada. Seems like a long distance to drive on a work trip (I've always flown on business trips). Anyway, how are the cupholders? NVH? Outward visibility?

Syclone and Typhoon were short-lived niche models....but for most models for most of the last 40+ years, GMCs were just Chevy rebadges...the V6s were so long ago that very few people remember or care. Anyway, it's a moot point..they inexplicably still sell well and are profitable.

How about badge a G3 as a Daewoo Kalos? That would rock. But seriously, I'd rebadge a GTO as a Holden Monaro or a G8 as a Holden Commodore SS, and try and get the Holden fascias and some HSV goodies...or to really confuse the squares, badge it as a Vauxhall or Chevy Lumina SS....