pensive

the old GM couldn't turn on a dime. and often wasn't certain what to do with them when they found them. it seems to me that the current BOD are struggling to get sales oriented changes deeper into the organization. i think making these in the USA is a grea idea and God knows Michigan sure needs manufacturing jobs. the rest of us who actually make things are pulling for this to be a great success. another note... the most vocal posts on the entire car and manufacturing and energy front have focused on CO2 emissions. if GM has a few spare engineers, they might work on a carbon capture device to grab emissions at the tailpipe exit. that would negate about 99% of the static on the subject of cars. use the captured carbon for manufacturing things and let the O2 go. the idea has merit and the technology has a ton of other sales potentials in the rest of the world. how about it Ed? (Mr Ed Whitaker Jr.)

my wife rolls with a G6 GTP and loves that car. the interior room won her over even before she hit the throttle. it's a nice ride. i think she wants the GXP. we are going to be in the market in around 12 months when our lease is up. IF GM asked me, (this to GM) i would say that a market exists for a Mazda Speed 6 competitor with AWD in my snow belt area of the USA. put a commensurate number of horses in optional engines with a turbo motor as an option, do the AWD as an option, and away you go. someone asked if the rear wing might make vision a chore. it might but from the looks of the show car, it seems the wing is in line with the upper shelf level along the trunk hood behind the rear passengers. i don't think that much will be obscured. i WOULD like Pontiac to offer an option for larger mirrors all around as i routinely park with my left and right mirror controller. and GM ... how about a locking gas cap? IF GM asked, my wife and every other female customer you can count, want a spot for their pocketbooks in the front. GM cars and even trucks have precious little storage room from what i have seen.

i guess i am one of those buyers who isn't shrinking as fast as the vehicles GM is going to be marketing. neither my stuff nor my passengers fit into a smaller cube. my family likes the Trailblazer form factor and if GM doesn't sell one, i will buy another mfg who does. high fuel ... why not (this to GM) lighten the trucks you design? or offer a hybrid option on them and allow the market to decide if the buyer wants to pay for both space size and mileage benefits.

the local chevy dealerships sell a LOT of Trailblazers in this region. (Western PA USA) a lot. since we get snow and ice and have things called 'hills' to deal with each winter, i am not going to buy a RWD car anytime before the polar caps melt, and i have always owned a truck of some form or other. my present truck is a GMC Envoy XL. i would buy another but GM has dropped the XL and Chevy (which is a less expensive brand) brought out the Trailblazer SS. the local chevy dealerships have sold a LOT of the SS models. i have seen 4 just in the 10 mile area near my place. 3 on the road or in local parking lots. 1 in an auto repair shop getting it's snarfed front end fixed. despite the low mileage the SS gets, i still like the overall usefulness of a SUV, the room it has, and with the SS model, the performance factor. it really looks like a much smaller truck, without the roof rack and being lowered. my wife even commented on that and suggested it would be easier for her to get into and exit. i agreed with her quickly. another issue... IF GM had asked me, i would have suggested bringing the base SS out with a turbocharged 6 ...much like the Toyota Supra. the below turbo boost range would give better mileage in regular traffic driving and i suspect that over the boost range would get better mileage. some of the tuned Supras running here get close to 700 hp in fighting form so it's certainly do-able. the SS has vastly improved brakes, which has been one of my gripes with the regular truck either Envoy or Trailblazer. again, we have hills to contend with, so maybe that isn't a big issue with guys from OK or KN, but here, it is. and a last point. i am pretty certain that the SS has the fullsize spare INSIDE the trucks rear hatch, not stuck up under the rear frame. call me difficult to please, but i am no fan of an exposed tire with the difficult access in and out and the extra corrosion problems which i have seen.