Drew Dowdell

Thank you for the write up and welcome back!

The watch has been ordered and is on it's way to my house.

Dude....get an iPod.

I'm thinking that one isn't gonna go over well. A Tracker maybe, a Blazer, no dice. I already have an idea for contest after this one also.

Not even Lacrosse?

Yes. There were very few concepts from anyone. Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes (if you can call an electric SLR a concept), Ford, GMC, and a Volvo with "Electric" decals slapped on the hood of a C30. I think that was it with concepts.

Buick What we've learned January 13th, 2011 Drew Dowdell - Chief Editor - CheersandGears.com There were very few (any?) surprises at the North American Auto Show in Detroit this year, however not all was lost. GM included me in a series of group interviews with various executives, engineers, and product planners throughout the first day of the show. This write up will focus on two of those discussions. The first of these 2 groups was with Ed Welburn - Vice President of General Motors Design and the second group was with Jim Federico - Executive Director - Global Vehicle Line. I will jump around between these two discussions because we covered a lot of similar subjects. On the 2012 Buick Verano: When the 2.0T version of the car is released later this year, it will receive an improved turbo configuration that will offer better performance and improved fuel economy over the existing 2.0T used in the Regal. These changes will trickle up to the Regal turbo as well. Over the weekend, GM CEO Dan Akerson hinted that the Verano may come with Buick's new e-Assist package due to be the base engine on the Lacrosse for 2012. This was basically confirmed by both Jim and Ed. Our group was asked by one of the executives what we thought about the possibility of a Verano GS. I replied that I though such a car would need all wheel drive to be taken seriously. And that was shot down fairly quickly as not a viable option for the car. One executive thinks that the possibility of multiple body styles is unlikely for the Verano, the other takes a "wait and see" attitude pointing to the need for Verano's success as a sedan before any additional bodies are offered and suggests, while looking towards the Regal, that other models are ripe for additional body styles first. With regards for the Verano's fuel economy and performance. When questioned about the 31mpg preliminary EPA rating on Verano, Jim was said that he could have gotten a few more miles per gallon out of the car, but it would be at the expense of around town performance. Still, a 2011 Buick Lacrosse with the same 4-cylinder and 6-speed automatic is rated at just 1 mpg less on the highway yet is 500 to 600 pounds heavier. When questioned about the vehicle's name, and why Skyhawk and Skylark weren't used, we were told that both of those names had very negative connotations associated with them. Buick would be interested in any name that had a positive response. The Verano will be built at GM's Orion plant next to the coming Chevrolet Sonic. Pricing is expected to be below $23,900 for a base model and we were told it will not crest $30,000 for a loaded one. The target market for the Verano is customers who used to buy a loaded Jetta or Civic and like that size of car, but want something a bit more upscale without spending a lot more money. The 2012 Buick Verano is due on lots no later than Q4 2011. On the Regal: As mentioned above, improvements are coming for the turbo model and Regal is the most likely candidate to get body styles other than a sedan. So far, Buick is very happy with Regal sales. On the Buick lineup: For the next few years after the Lucerne dies, there are no plans in the works for a vehicle above the Lacrosse in the Buick lineup. If you're looking for a Buick flagship, it's already there in the Enclave. This could change in the future, but for now, Buick is filling out the rest of the lineup. There is definitely a "baby Enclave" coming. Expect it to be between the Nissan Rogue and the Honda CR-V in size. No word on which platform it would use. eAssist could become a Buick wide option and a key feature in upcoming models. It would likely be used as a way to push "Green Luxury" with a minimal price increase. One thing that was strongly hinted at was Riviera. We asked the question directly, but the executives ducked the question. The most direct answer we could get was this: "Well let me put it this way, in product clinics, the name Riviera is stronger than any other name Buick has." When we asked about the drive train such a car would have, they turned it back to us and asked what we thought; We were asked if we thought the Riviera should be front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. Being the e-body lover I am, I said front wheel drive simply because that's what most of the people who know Riviera would expect. One of the other participants said rear wheel drive. We were asked what where we thought a Buick convertible should sit. I suggested that the Regal was the most likely candidate and the execs nodded in agreement. I also pointed out that in our Concepts that we wish had been built poll, the Buick Velite took 3rd place. Buick clearly has plans to keep their momentum going. In some ways, it's shifting into being a leader instead of a follower with offerings like eAssist and bringing the Verano to a segment of the market that has been left open. If the baby Enclave pans out the way it is hinted, it just may open up another segment in the market currently under served by other brands. The great American road just may yet belong to Buick.

I'm actively trying to get some of the old timers to come back and hang around a bit. We're getting the band back together..

Happy B-day Balthy

added a poll

yeah, I don't hand out money for things I KNOW are going to break even if it has a warranty. Same reason I wouldn't get a low end Hyundai either.

The Cruze performed tremendously better on the way back from Detroit. 34.0 mpg at an average speed of 55mph (according to the DIC) but on the ohio TPK we were usually around 65mph. We were traveling through a fairly strong snow storm. After I dropped Cory off, I had to limp home at between 25mph and 45mph to to completely uncleared roads covered with 3 to 4 inches of snow and varying degrees of white out conditions. The MPG gauge only dropped to 33.1 One of the main differences was that on the trip back, I wasn't using my 90 watt power inverter to charge my laptop.

Brand new car at a brand new plant and built by VW.... not something I'd want to buy in it's first year.

Leg room is fine in the Verano. There are pictures of me sitting in the back of it coming.

We spoke to Jim Federico for some length and he said the reason is performance. There is more to the car's performance than 0-60, it's the throttle tip in and the take off that they were aiming for. The car is supposed to feel spirited even though it's not a racer.