red

Creed's designs (during his DCX peak) were well executed & inventive, but always a little too quirky. Plus, the final products kept the quirkiness but did away with the execution...his cars had some of the worst execution I'd seen since the Aztek & ION. Hopefully Gilles can resurrect Chrysler designs - he has a very limited budget. He also is on the J Mays side of conservatism - his designs are well executed and proportioned but are often a little plain (I fail to give him full credit for the 300 as Tom Gale set the stage for that one). Future is not too bright for Chrysler, or any other American manufacturer at this point...

Oooh, that's not good... Clunky, heavy, and somewhat cheap looking. And they're going to charge 40k?!? Good luck.

Looking nice, not entirely dull either. Does look a little chunky, the side profile shot reminds me of an Avenger, and the side mirrors are hopefully only for the movie. For this car to be successful, it not only has to look good & function well, it has to be priced affordably and uphold excellent reliability. Remember what happened when Iacocca rushed the Pinto into production...

I don't see any side mirrors on this vehicle...oh wait, there they are!

Having seen this and the other new products around the bend, it appears that GM is sliding back into old habits, design-wise. The fun's over, I guess...

Nice proportions. Looks to have improved surface proportions and a good ol' prominent Chevy grill. We'll all agree on the plastic c-pillar doodad...I just hate these, they really cheapen the design. In some cases, it's really needed, but in the car, I still think the greenhouse would have the "flow" designer wanted without the plastic add-on. The headlights are kind of thoughtless, though, kinda like..."we're out of ideas, let's see if this fits, it's different...right?" The taillights are different and creative. The overall design itself, though, while well-proportioned, is rather derivative. It's not really exciting or forward-thinking. I'm liking the creativity that Honda put into its Civic line - the fast windshields, horizontal headlights were against the norm and it works. I'm not saying Chevy or GM should do the same, but now that they've got the execution-part down, they should try and stretch their designs out for a little more groundbreaking creativity.

God, I hope they don't call it the Beat. That name has waaay too many negative associations...especially with its likely target audience.

Interesting. I'll reserve judgement until I see more pics. Ah, but what the hell: - Interesting arrow-shaped headlights. I don't know if I'm sold on these yet - also found on the Maxima - these headlights are kinda like a designer said "we've run out ideas - how can we make this look different" and came up with this design...read: half-baked. - It appears that they took some of the "weight" out of the design, which was one of my biggest criticisms of the current generation. - The dip in the greenhouse has good intentions, but comes off as either a forced retro-tribute or attempt to mimic French quirkiness. read: not authentic. - The flat creases surrounding the wheel wells are too thick and clash with the overall design. Kind of like ricer ground effects on a sultry Jaguar. ...other than that, not bad!

Cadillacfan, my sentiments exactly. I haven't seen anything for Saturn...and I've been watching a lot more TV lately. When I do see Saturn ads, they're really not effective, either. Not bad, but not memorable either. It's been said before, Saturn's ad budget needs more $$$ to up the frequency/quality. Side note: I remember seeing beautiful Opel Astra 3-doors while in Europe - this is still a beautiful design. I can't believe I haven't seen a SINGLE ad for this car: print/online/billboard...nothing. And unlike most people, I keep my eyes out for industry-related ads. If that isn't a sign that Saturn needs more ad dollars, I don't know what is. Again, the product is there - finally - but no buyer has a frickin' clue that these cars exist!

Very nice design...I haven't liked a whole lot of the Ferrari designs over the last few years, but this looks nice. Perfect for a Ferris Bueller remake, no? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MxPoxxt7n0 :AH-HA_wink:

It's marketing likely needs an overhaul...but the biggest problem right now is its reach. With a limited ad budget, you're not going to see Saturn TV spots in high frequency on most channels. Same goes for print, radio, outdoor signage et al. Saturn needs a larger budget to enhance its media placement in order to effectively get its message out to consumers that - "hey, are cars are pretty damn good now, believe it or not!"

Whoops, thanks for the correction guys. A friend of mine convinced me that I had it, and I could have cared less...either way, shifts really well for an automatic! Now I won't sound like an idiot at the repair shop...

Can't agree more that Saturn's lack of marketing has a direct impact on the brand's sales. This is where guys like DeLorenzo (AutoExtremist.com) have it right...GM has too many brands, too many models and not enough advertising dollars to go around. And it's been clear that Saturn has been the one to suffer. On the flipside, I think it was a good move to give cars like the CTS and Malibu a larger portion of the marketing budget. Otherwise, all cars and divisions would have had a miniscule budget - and in today's competitive environment, it takes a lot fo dough for your voice to be heard. But going back to Saturn, it is good to hear that the quality of their purchases has improved. It can be hoped that "word of mouth" will compensate for a lack of ad dollars until GM commits more funds to increasing Saturn's showroom traffic. After all, they've finally got good products...

Nice affirmation that my gamble paid off...I own a Rabbit with 25k. Shopping around, I could not find a better value. Relative to is class the Rabbit has great interior quality (for those of you who know I'm quite a critic), fantastic handling, good acceleration off the line and in traffic, and more interior space than you'd think. And I'll tell you, this is one fun car to drive...the DSG (dual-clutch 6-spd manumatic) is worth the extra dough. Gas mileage does suck, however. Keep in mind, it's a 5-cylinder and it's a German...meaning it's overweight with redundant engineering and sound deadening materials. I also tend to floor it every now and then, which can't help. As for reliability, problems have been minimal: iPod adapter and a rattle in the interior air diffuser (which went away a few months after ownership). I will say that the rear brakes are pesky, as both myself and most owners will likely have to get new rear pads at about 25-30k miles. Luckily, I know a guy, but can't say the same for my peers. It's been a great purchase and I love driving it - I hope it holds up!

Wish you the best of luck in reaching your goals. A few pointers that I've found successful: -Eat small portions about every two hours. This is great for your metabolism. -When snacking, replace chips or sweets with healthy items. I usually go for low-salt almonds, fruit, or beef jerky when I need a fix. -Don't go carb-free, go carb-smart. Look at what you're eating and ask yourself: do I need all this energy? If you're having pasta for dinner, ixnay the garlic bread, for example. If you're making sandwiches, focus on ingesting useful carbs provided by a 9- or 12- grain wheat bread...much less likely to convert to fat ala plain white or plain wheat. Lastly, change the quality of carbs you eat in the morning - try switching from Froot Loops to Grape-Nuts with berries. The key here is to up the quality of carbs you're ingesting...without sacrificing much of the full-stomach goodness they provide. Like a few of said, exercise is key. Best way to lose body fat is either jogging at about 4.5 speed on the treadmill at a high incline for 30-45 mins, or doing sets of intervals. Simply running only burns calories, but will keep you healthy and from gaining weight. Keep in mind, when you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle, so be sure pound the iron a bit to keep your form intact. Hope any of these suggestions can help!