Drew Dowdell

+1 Putting in the 2.8 L Duramax would be an awesome engine for the Encore to get. Not a chance. It would be a 1.7 liter not currently sold here, but certainly not over 2.0 liters.

Pretty much. I thought from the start that putting Chevy in the EU was a bad idea because... well.. I've been there and talked to some of them. The Germans don't think much of Opel's old $h!ty cars... and Opel still carries plenty of that baggage... but at least they are German old $h!ty cars. Chevy started out there selling rebadged Daewoo $h!ty cars. So you can take a guess what the Germans think of American branded, Korean built, $h!ty cars.

Chevrolet has sold just 179 copies of their just launched, limited edition SS High Performance Sedan so far, and already the Australian built vehicle is threatened with extinction. ABC News in Australia (no relation to ABC news in the United States) is reporting that Holden is threatening to pull production out of Australia by 2016 if it does not get the government sponsored support package it is angling for. Adding to the pressure is Holden's apparent demand for a Government decision to be made before Christmas. Automobile manufacturing in Australia has been on the decline for years. After reaching a peak of 334k in 2007, production has dropped to 224k as of 2011 with further declines since. Ford Australia has already announced their departure in 2016. If Holden ceases production in Australia, it could cost upwards of 50,000 jobs. Now Holden and the Australian Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane have denied the report and say talks are continuing. "Consultations are continuing in good faith with Australian carmakers, the components industry and workers. The Productivity Commission is continuing its work assessing the Australian automotive industry and will report to the Government. That process is unchanged and will continue," said a spokeswoman for the Industry Minister. Holden is responsible for most of the design and production of the Chevrolet SS and Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle sold in the United States. As a limited edition vehicle selling at base price of $43,475 , Chevy only expects to sell about 3,000 units per year, so expect to pay some additional dealer markup if you are shopping for one of these.... and better head out there soon. What do you think? Will we miss the Chevrolet SS in the U.S. or will it be no great loss? Sound off below! Source: ABC News / TTAC View full article

Europeans are rather particular about the nationality of the brands they buy, though where the vehicle is actually manufactured appears to matter a lot less. Home Country > European Country > Foreign Country American branded cars are not well thought of unless they are the "icons" mentioned in the article... or the Dodge Caravan or Chrysler 300 strangely.

Drew Dowdell Managing Editor - CheersandGears.com General Motors announced today that starting in 2016, Chevrolet will no longer compete as a mainstream brand in Europe, instead focusing only on what GM calls "Iconic vehicles". GM's mainstream role will be carried by the Opel and Vauxhall brands. Most of Chevrolet's mainstream vehicles sold in Europe are produced in South Korea. GM expects Chevrolet to maintain its mainstream position in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The remaining Chevrolet vehicles in Chevy's EU portfolio will be models such as the Corvette and Camaro. Cadillac is continuing its 3 year plan for an expanded presence in Europe. GM expects a number of one-time charges in the $700 million to $1 Billion range for the final quarter of 2013 and first quarter of 2014. What do you think of GM's announcement to pull Chevy out of Europe and concentrate on Opel? Sound off below. Press release on Page 2 For Release: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, 3 a.m. EST GM Strengthens its European Brand Strategy · Opel/Vauxhall to compete as GM’s mainstream brands across Europe · Chevrolet to focus on iconic products in Europe · Cadillac to expand in Europe DETROIT – General Motors today announced plans to accelerate its progress in Europe by bolstering its brands in the mainstream and premium segments. Beginning in 2016, GM will compete in Europe’s volume markets under its respected Opel and Vauxhall brands. The company’s Chevrolet brand will no longer have a mainstream presence in Western and Eastern Europe, largely due to a challenging business model and the difficult economic situation in Europe. Chevrolet, the fourth-largest global automotive brand, will instead tailor its presence to offering select iconic vehicles – such as the Corvette – in Western and Eastern Europe, and will continue to have a broad presence in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This will improve the Opel and Vauxhall brands and reduce the market complexity associated with having Opel and Chevrolet in Western and Eastern Europe. In Russia and the CIS, the brands are clearly defined and distinguished and, as a result, are more competitive within their respective segments. Cadillac, which is finalizing plans for expanding in the European market, will enhance and expand its distribution network over the next three years as it prepares for numerous product introductions. “Europe is a key region for GM that will benefit from a stronger Opel and Vauxhall and further emphasis on Cadillac,” said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “For Chevrolet, it will allow us to focus our investments where the opportunity for growth is greatest.” “This is a win for all four brands. It’s especially positive for car buyers throughout Europe, who will be able to purchase vehicles from well-defined, vibrant GM brands,” Akerson said. Chevrolet will work closely with its dealer network in Western and Eastern Europe to define future steps while ensuring it can honor obligations to existing customers in the coming years. “Our customers can rest assured that we will continue to provide warranty, parts and services for their Chevrolet vehicles, and for vehicles purchased between now and the end of 2015,” said Thomas Sedran, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe. “We want to thank our customers and dealers for their loyalty to the Chevrolet brand here in Europe.” The majority of the Chevrolet portfolio sold in Western and Eastern Europe is produced in South Korea. As a result, GM will increase its focus on driving profitability, managing costs and maximizing sales opportunities in its Korean operations as the company looks for new ways to improve business results in the fast-changing and highly competitive global business environment. “We will continue to become more competitive in Korea,” said GM Korea President and CEO Sergio Rocha. “In doing so, we will position ourselves for long-term competitiveness and sustainability in the best interests of our employees, customers and stakeholders, while remaining a significant contributor to GM’s global business.” With the decision that Chevrolet will no longer have a mainstream presence in Western and Eastern Europe, GM expects to record net special charges of $700 million to $1 billion primarily in the fourth quarter of 2013 and continuing through the first half of 2014. The special charges include asset impairments, dealer restructuring, sales incentives and severance-related costs, and will pave the way for continued improvement in GM’s European operations through the further strengthening of the Opel and Vauxhall brands. Approximately $300 million of the net special charges will be non-cash expenses. In addition, GM expects to incur restructuring costs related to these actions that will not be treated as special charges, but will impact GM International Operations earnings in 2014. View full article

I thought Toyota was going to avoid turbo-charging for now.

The Buick Encore gets some competition.... maybe this is why there are rumors of an Encore Diesel?

The problem I have with this is: Why should a Nissan Sentra (2,832) pay the same tax per mile as a Nissan Armada (5,500)?

Because we haven't raised the gas tax in forever and because electric vehicles (of which I'm sure there are many there) don't pay the usage tax via gas purchases.

Vue -> Sportage or Sorento Outlook -> Probably stayed within GM, probably Traverse or Acadia Torrent -> Terrain G6 -> Optima Aura -> probably Fusion or Mazda 6 Vibe -> Soul... maybe G3 -> Whatever's cheapest this month G5 -> Whatever's cheapest this month Astra -> probably something from VW. Sky/Solstice -> Probably still holding on to it for collector value.

Intrepid?

yeah, I wasn't quoting any incentives or leasing because they can distort the market. I see Equinox LS AWDs here for around $24k because he have 3 extremely aggressive Honda dealers in the area pushing AWD CR-Vs and Pilots as the biggest technological advancement since landing on the moon.

Good Good question, lets look at the others too. Kia Cheapest AWD is the Sportage at $23,500 Hyundai Cheapest AWD is the Tuscan at $23,750 Honda Cheapest AWD is the CR-V LX AWD at $25,025 VW Tiguan S 4Motion at $26,975 Toyota Matrix S AWD $23,225 (requires "upgrade" to 4-speed automatic) Toyota RAV4 AWD $25,560 Nissan Juke AWD $21,500 (but this is a bit niche, no?) Nissan Rogue AWD $24,700 Jeep Patriot Sport 4x4 $19,290\Compass AWD $21,950 Let's not be holding GM to a different standard as the others now...... with the death of Suzuki, Subaru is effectively the only game in town for AWD under the $20k mark.

Your boss is a member of the South Korea news media?!? They're always getting in my shot!

So that's a "yes" to the question posed in PM?

That is mostly for side impact protection... it's less about styling. Soon we'll all just be driving foam coolers around with 360 degree video systems replacing the windows entirely.

Change over for the 3? The 2 fell off a cliff!

Optima starting to show its age, but overall solid.

SUV of the year buys you something.... but the rest of the lineup is down.

The core models (Outlander, Outlander Sport, and Lancer) are selling with good increases. It's not just oxygen, it is firmer footing. If they last long enough to get a half decent mid-size on the market at a reasonable price, they just might make it.

Yes, it shares with the GC. The killing would be because Jeep wants a 3 row and I'm betting the Chrysler/Fiat doesn't see a need for two 3 row SUVs at two different brands. The only way would be for the Jeep 3-row to move quite a bit up market from the Durango.... it could be done.. but it would have to be really premium and sales would likely be low. Edit: Will she be getting a 2014? The upgrades for 2014 are worth holding out for.

I wonder if the Durango is still on the chopping block.... would be a shame to kill it after all the momentum it is gaining now.

death clock set back 2 minutes.