Drew Dowdell

But you're not going to be able to do that kind of setup again on a Jetta anymore either.

you have the service manual?

You and I aren't Molly McMansion

Not especially. Look at the best selling SUVs and CUVs (the only way you get to 50% is by including CUVs) CR-V, RAV4, Equinox, Escape, Forester, and things like the HHR and PT Cruiser are technically included in the CUV count. The 4-cylinders are at better than a 75% take rate on models that have a V6 available. What American's really want are tall AWD station wagons..... they just don't want to call them that.

When you get a chance, you should add it to the C&G Garage!

The Mini is awful with noise, ride comfort, and ergonomics! Even even gets lame fuel economy for how small it is. If someone made a previous generation 3-series with more of an eye on fuel economy, that is what I would use as a model for "small, but premium and efficient"

3-series.

Do you simply ignore everything I say? I just said that people drive SUVs because small cars don't currently offer the amenities people want in a vehicle. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why people who can afford it buy an Escalade or DTS or STS over a Cobalt. It's because there isn't a Cobalt sized vehicle that offers the comfort and amenities that the big vehicles have.

My only issue with this is the flawed premise that econoboxes and big SUVS are equals in terms of amenities and quality. People don't want econoboxes because 95% of them are penalty boxes. Even the nicer econoboxes are nothing like the luxury available in the big SUVS. My humble opinion is, until you can get lux comfort in a smaller package, people will continue to buy SUVS. One of those luxuries is QUIET. My biggest complaint when I ride in any of the small cars, Civic, Impreza, 3, is the amount of wind and tire noise is so bad as to turn me off to the whole idea of owning something that size. So, until smaller cars offer the amenities, ride, comfort, and quiet that the big SUVS can...this trend will continue.

Well the XTS is definitely still on. I just got an out of office reply from someone @GM.Com referring me to another engineer "for any XTS issues". The Out Of Office reply was set on 9/28

Rebuilding the battle wagon

It won't be as big a collectible as the Roadmaster, but the Custom Cruiser will hold it's own among B-body enthusiasts

So kinda like Mother Teresa.... does good things, but you wouldn't want to look at her every day.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA SETS SEPTEMBER SALES RECORD WITH 48 PERCENT INCREASE • Sonata up 161 percent over 2009 • Genesis sets an all-time sales record of 3,230 FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 10/01/2010 Hyundai Motor America today announced all-time record September sales of 46,556, up 48 percent versus 2009. Retail sales were up 73 percent. For the year, Hyundai has reported total cumulative sales of 410,047, up 20 percent versus the same period in 2009, with retail sales up 26 percent. Fleet mix for the month was 14 percent. “We are enthused to be actually building momentum as we exit the traditionally strong third quarter selling season and enter the fourth quarter under a full head of steam,” said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales, Hyundai Motor America. “September’s growth was led by a 161 percent sales increase by our game-changing 2011 Sonata and an all-time volume record for Genesis. In the fourth quarter, we expect continued growth as our 2011 Georgia-built Santa Fe reaches dealerships along with our all-new Alabama-built Sonata turbo producing 274 horsepower (more power than any V6 in the segment), while retaining 4-cylinder fuel-economy of 33 miles per gallon.” Comparing calendar year-to-date results for 2010 with 2009, Elantra, Sonata, Tucson and Genesis sales increased 22 percent, 59 percent, 131 percent, and 34 percent, respectively. Genesis sales of 3,230 represent an all-time sales record, and mark the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases.

AMERICAN SUZUKI SEPTEMBER 2010 SALES 2010 Suzuki Auto Product Line Suzuki Auto's versatile line of vehicles includes the spirited four-door SX4 Sport, all-wheel-drive five-door SX4 Crossover, SX4 SportBack hot-hatch, refined Grand Vitara compact SUV, award-winning Equator pickup truck and performance-oriented Kizashi. Every vehicle in the line provides Suzuki's standout virtues of durability, leading-edge style and high-end features at very competitive prices. All 2010 Suzuki automobiles are backed by America's #1 Warranty: a 100,000-mile/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.

KIA MOTORS AMERICA ANNOUNCES ALL-TIME QUARTERLY SALES RECORD 2011 Sorento Eclipses 10,000 Unit Mark for First Time; Year-To-Date Sales Up 12.3 Percent IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 1, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced sales of 30,071 vehicles in September, a 39-percent increase over the same period last year and an all-time sales record for the month of September. Kia's sales were led for the ninth consecutive month by the 2011 Sorento CUV, which posted sales of more than 10,000 units for the first time since its debut. The monthly sales record is Kia's second in the past three months – and sixth overall in 2010 – and helped the brand achieve its best quarterly sales total in company history at 97,955 units. KMA's year-to-date sales of 268,024 units are up 12.3-percent over 2009 and the company is on pace to achieve its 16th consecutive year of market share growth. Kia's growing stable of new vehicles resulting from the brand's design-led transformation – the 2010 Soul, Forte and Forte Koup; and the 2011 Sorento and the all-new 2011 Sportage – accounted for 76.7-percent of sales in September. "Our record sales, including Sorento's best performance ever with more than 10,000 units sold, are a result of the brand's complete design and product transformation that continues to drive more style-conscious consumers to Kia retail showrooms," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). "The most aggressive new vehicle launch cycle in the auto industry will continue with the arrivals of the functional Forte 5-door later this month and the highly anticipated all-new 2011 Optima midsize sedan in November." About Kia Motors America Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 700 dealers throughout the United States. For 2009, KMA recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline "The Power to Surprise."

Porsche Reports September Sales in U.S. Up 25 Percent ATLANTA, October 1, 2010—Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), importer and distributor of Porsche sports cars, Cayenne SUVs and the Panamera Gran Turismo line-up in the United States, today announced September sales in the U.S. of 1,971 units compared to the same period last year when it sold 1,581, up 25 percent. Again leading the way were the results for the new-generation 2011 Cayenne. In September, Porsche sold 808 Cayennes compared to last year when sales were 535, an increase of 51 percent. This was the second-best month so far in 2010 for Porsche’s SUV, and comes on the heels of the V6-powered Cayenne being added to the lineup. Next month, Porsche will introduce the highly-anticipated 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid. Also noteworthy for September was the continuing strong performance of Porsche’s four-door Panamera Gran Turismo with sales of 624 for the month. So far in 2010, Porsche has sold 5,565 Panameras in the U.S. Overall, year-to-date, Porsche’s sales in 2010 are 17,690, versus the same period last year when they were 14,310, representing an increase of 24 percent. For the month, Porsche’s Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales were up significantly for the month at 620, compared to 519 in 2009.