Robert Hall

I'd be surprised to see GM do 3 year cycles, given that their norm is now 4-5 or so..maybe 2-3 years between MCUs, though.

They should call it the Prius Suburbia. Toyota should create a separate brand called Prius for all their hybrids...

Seems a bit early for them to have engineering mules for such NG models--aren't they at least 4-5 years away from production?

Never heard it either..I assume he meant 'upper middle class liberal'. And of course, since it is was a Boston Globe article, he mentioned Saab, since New England has long been a bastion of Saab fandom..

Dick? Rick Waggoner?

Sounds like an interesting book....a while back I bought the book 'Images of the Rust Belt' by James Jefferey Higgins..pretty interesting, with a focus on the Youngstown and Cleveland, Oh area steel industry ruins..

Over the Xmas week vacation, I saw I Am Legend and Charlie Wilson's War...liked both. Plan to go see The Golden Compass this week w/ some friends. Other than that, I've been watching a lot of old French crime movies on DVD lately.

I love those '60s Lincolns... I grew up around the later Continental/Town Car sedans (my dad bought a new one every few years from '77 through '97). I've thought about getting a 2-3 yr old Town Car as a daily driver..they are a used car bargain and would make a nice comfy cruiser..

Maybe the wealthy...average Germans probably drive FWD Golfs, Polos, Vectras, Astras, Corsas, Focuses, Mondeos, etc...the typical European mainstream models.

Madness.

Interesting..what will be interesting is how similar Chevrolet NA will be to Chevrolet Europe in 2014.. (Chevrolet Europe will still be mostly Daewoo FWD as it is now, I presume?)

PCS wants to kill Pontiac, though. But who knows if he has the power to do it or is just delusional.

Time to get rid of the old cars and get something modern and sensible. Camry? RAV-4?

Sounds like a fun project.

Surprised this hasn't been posted here yet...Toyota has a concept for the Detroit Auto Show of a Ridgeline-eque hybrid unibody pickup...the styling reminds me of the Dodge Rampage concept.. Autoweek Article

Since GM hasn't announced anything official yet one way or the other for the Impala, I say wait and see...who knows what they are going to do?

I guess Britney and K-Fed prove that even if poor white trash get rich, they are still trash...

Good point...I could never see buying a Sebring or Avenger over a Malibu or Accord. The FWD family sedan is not a type of car I'd ever see myself buying, though.

True...with the Crown Vic going to fleet only for '08, it's not like there is a huge market demanding cheap RWD full sizers...it's not 1970, after all. Pontiac will have the Charger market covered with the G8... I think GM does need a mainstream luxury sedan to compete with the 300, maybe from Buick? Cadillac has the premium market covered with the CTS/etc..

True...like so many GMs, the Impala is a decent Avis rental, but nothing memorable...

How are you coming up with these 'was' and 'now' figures for out of production cars??? The new EPA mileage estimates only apply to new cars, don't they?

Yeah...Avis won't care how long they keep the W coming..

One positive thing about the midsize Mopar interiors, even though their interiors are ugly w/ cheap gray plastic, at least they offer optional NAV systems..

Subaru has the AWD wagon market covered with the Outback, though.. it looks like the Forester is still just a tall wagon, nothing 'SUV' about it.

I couldn't imagine not having A/C. Or power windows. Or heated seats. Or a 6-disc CD changer. I've gotten used to driving loaded cars and couldn't imagine driving something stripped down.