HarleyEarl

Autoweek drives one: http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103213

I believe it's about the pickups....the dash has to do double-duty...with consol and without.

Exactly right....it's all relative. Even if gas went higher, you could still rationalize it. Still cheaper than a car payment plus gas costs.

Sorry about that bud....I kind of found these by accident, a nice surprise..definitely going to check these out at the dealership. The website has their merchandise section a bit hidden. I really like that diescast!....and always have a weakness for metal signs. I really like the Hydra Matic GMC metal sign too.

I had almost forgotten about that Calais Interantional Series....I really like that!...thanks for the photos...

http://www.gmc.com/canyon/index.jsp Click on 'Shopping Tools' then 'GMC Merchandise'. Diecast Canyon: GMC Sign:

It's too bad...hate to see Isuzu leave the North American light truck market. It's nice to have the variety. Maybe they will concentrate on commercial trucks for this market.

More Isuzu news: http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...INESS/509180328 Isuzu selling down inventory Through dissolution of a 15-year partnership, Isuzu Motors America Inc. halted production of vehicles at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. plant in July of last year. Isuzu dealers have a dwindling number of SIA-built models to sell. The company sold 722 vehicles last month -- a 69 percent decline from the 2,325 units sold in the same month last year. Among vehicles produced at SIA, Isuzu sold 39 Rodeos, compared to 1,350 in August of last year, and 43 Axiom sport-utility vehicles, compared to 188 in the same month of 2004. Sales of the Ascender five- and seven-passenger SUVs, which are built in Ohio, totaled 582 last month, a decline from the 782 sold a year ago. The company also sold 58 of its new model pickup trucks, which are built in Louisiana and hit dealer's showrooms in August. Through the first eight months of this year, Isuzu sales totaled 9,166 units, a 53 percent decline from January to August of last year.

I didn't realize that Isuzu has such a long history....they have some success in specific types of trucks. http://www.isuzucv.com/news/

..meaning this but with just the chrome bar and mesh insert?.......if so, I agree.....would look way cool.

I really like the Chevy Colorado, not so sure about these accessories that are available at Chevrolet dealerships: Standard, good looking: Chrome replacement grill, maybe: Brush guard, maybe not:

Guiltless Gas Sippers: 10 Cars That Deliver the Most Fun Per Gallon Related ArticlesHybrids? Diesels? Our Pick of the Unlikely Sleepers First Drive: 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 First Drive: 2006 Honda Civic Si More InfoMore Features More General Features ToolsE-mail This Page To a Friend By: Greg N. Brown Date Posted 09-15-2005 Even with gas north of three bucks a gallon, you don't have to give up driving fun for the sake of miles per gallon (mpg). There are cars out there that offer both driving pleasure and guilt-defying fuel economy from every gallon. These 10 are our favorite fun-to-drive gas sippers, the cars that offer the enthusiast driver rewards far beyond fewer stops at the pump. But remember that "actual mileage will vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits and vehicle's conditions." In other words, EPA gas mileage figures are mere approximations of real-world fuel economy, and your results will undoubtedly differ. Should EPA estimates then be discounted as meaningless? Well, as a certain bushy-haired physicist once proclaimed, "It's all relative," and that's how we judged the cars on our list. Every one boasts a very favorable economy index relative to the fun we've had testing and driving them. They're the fossil-fuel-friendly cars we want to drive, and we've listed them in alphabetical order. 2006 Acura RSX Type-S: 23 city/31 highway OK, this successor to the Integra is getting long in the tooth, but until its replacement is here for 2007, it'll do very nicely as a resourceful runner. The 201-horsepower 2.0-liter is capable of 15-second quarter-mile bursts and 0-to-60-mph times well under 7 seconds, but the car's strength is in its blend of performance handling, upscale ride quality and optimal use of a gallon of gas. Fuel: Premium 2006 Audi TT 3.2: 22 city/27 highway The revolutionary little coupe/convertible has been around long enough to be considered an icon of modern automotive styling, but it's staying young with a great DSG gearbox and a 3.2-liter V6. Futurists figured we'd be driving zippy little spaceships by now. That hasn't happened, but a TT with 250 hp and paddle-shifted six-speed transmission comes close, and you don't have to come down to earth very often to gas up. Fuel: Premium 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: 16 city/24 highway Wait…hear us out. This best ever 505-hp V8 Vette can do it all. It's bloody fast, lapping the infamous Nürburging faster than any production car except Porsche's Carrera GT, but it's also exempt from the federal gas-guzzler tax (although we doubt racecar driver Jan Magnussen got close to 16 mpg on his flying lap of the Nordschleife). No other supercar comes close to the Z06's combination of performance and economy. Fuel: Premium 2006 Honda Civic Si: 22 city/31 highway Once the darling of furiously fast youth, the Si has matured over the years to become a paragon of smooth, effortless performance. Now a proper sport coupe instead of milquetoast hatchback, the all-new Si drives younger than ever, but it's also a wiser machine. Power is way up to 197 hp from the new 2.0-liter, but highway fuel economy remains unchanged. Fuel: Premium 2006 Mazda MX-5: 24 city/30 highway The little roadster has been dear to our driving hearts since it rebirthed the two-seater market in America, and the all-new Miata makes those hearts beat even faster. Longer and wider, it's still a nimble playmate that earns the claim of most fun for the buck. For under $25 grand, you get a more powerful 170-hp, 2.0-liter engine that also delivers improved fuel mileage. A perfect example of bigger can be better. Fuel: Premium 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible: 27 city/35 highway The Mini's styling first caught our attention, not the modest 1.6-liter engine specs. Then we drove the Mini, and the visual attraction was matched by our love of its dynamic personality. Easy on the eyes, and just as easy to drive quickly, it's had a lot to do with the masses understanding the concept of "handling." And as a convertible, it couldn't be cuter. Fuel: Premium 2006 Porsche Boxster: 20 city/28 highway Probably the world's best all-around two-seater, the littlest Porsche delivers big payoffs with its superior balance and practicality: two trunks, long range and free climate at the drop of the top. "Settle" for the 240-hp, 2.7-liter base engine and avoid the options list, and the Boxster's a huge bargain compared to older brother 911, yet it delivers pureblood Porsche pleasure. Fuel: Premium 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX : 20 city/27 highway One of our own just drove the newest WRX, with larger 2.5-liter turbo and revised face, and there's nothing going to wipe the grin off his face. The 230 hp is backed up by a rich stash of torque that finds its way through all four 17-inch wheels and low-profile performance tires for superior grip. Upgraded brakes and a quicker steering ratio also provide the driver with a more intimate feel for the road. Fuel: Premium 2006 Toyota Corolla XRS: 26 city/34 highway It's not the most exciting car on the list, but for less than $18,000 there's a lot of reliable performance to be enjoyed behind the XRS badge. The sophisticated 1.8-liter engine puts out 170 hp through a close-ratio six-speed manual, the 16-inch alloys are wrapped by summer performance tires, and bespoilered bodywork adds a sporty profile to the enhanced performance. Want a quick, grippy econocar that starts every morning? It's hard to do better. Fuel: Premium 2006 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: 25 city/32 highway Turbos are now so efficient, it's a wonder every car doesn't have a blower under the hood. VW's new 200-hp, 2.0-liter turbo in the new GLI shows how modest displacement can provide bravura performance. Order the fabulous dual-clutch DSG automanual transmission and get F1-type shifting, torque, revs and good mpg in a sporty package. Ausgezowie!…or something like that. Fuel: Premium (InsideLine)

Interesting information and background on Southern Califoria Fisker Coachbuild. So good to see coachbuilding alive and well and American. http://automotive.mytelus.com/automotive/a...rtid=48802&pg=1

Isuzu pulls out of 2006 North American Auto Show. http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000273060268/

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Here's what really matters:

Let's take another look at the Buick Wildcat:

Knightfan...it will happen. Just be patient. I was thinking that one of those '50s cars with tissue dispensers would be good for sex. 'Honey, we made messy on the seats!....no problem dear, (out flips the chrome tissue holder)...here's some Kleenex....I love youuuu!'

I've seen the Chevy HHR in dealer lots. Today I saw a copper colored one on the street. It was in a sea of bland, boring econoboxes. I now see the point of this vehicle...it has style in spades. Makes all other cars in this class just look washed out and faded. Way more presence than a PT Cruiser...and well, doesn't look like a mini-hearse.

I so agree regarding that photo of Lutz in the new Tahoe. That interior looks fantastic from that angle...very luxurious looking...much more so than the initial intro photos. It highlights a beef I have had with GM and it's media photos, website photos and marketing in general. They never seem to be the right photo angles, car colors etc that really show the particular GM models at their best. GM has good cars....they don't market them effectively...drives me crazy.

Bluuuu and Sixty8.....too funny. Watersports anyone? I saw a show spotlighting a loft style home, all urban cool....they installed a urinal...the best idea ever!...the next house I build or redo, it is getting a urinal...makes so much sense for guys..(and now girls lol).

Yes, those wide-set headlights have become almost iconic design language for Olds. I always equate that look with Oldsmobile.

The P-Mate enables women to urinate upright September 19, 2005 The P-Mate is disposable paper device which enables women to urinate easily while standing up. It is in common usage in Europe since launching four years ago and is marketed as a convenient, hygienic, portable, leak proof, discreet, no-brain solution to the bad sanitary and problematic circumstances which continually confront women, particularly at mass gatherings. The P-Mate has become an entrepreneurial success story in Holland where Moon Zijp conceived the P-Mate while traveling in Indonesia, designed it at the Academy of Arts in Amsterdam and commercialised it to national and global acclaim as a clever solution to the long queues and dirty toilet seats with which women are so often confronted with in daily life. That’s Moon at right demonstrating her invention on Dutch National television, one of many performances which caused a lot of gaiety and attention during the P-Mate’s launch period. The European culture has embraced the P-Mate – after all, it has mature outlook to basic bodily function, based on centuries of experience learning to adopt practical technologies to facilitate large numbers of people in small spaces. In the five years since it began, P-Mate has expanded its horizons and now markets a range of urination solutions based on the global need upon which the original premise was based. One of these is an ingenious mobile urinal designed to eliminate queuing at public events. The plastic semi permanent urinal is very efficient in enabling large numbers of people to urinate and is hence a common fixture at public events, parties, festivals, fairs, and entertainment centres. By offering a combination of its two products, the idea was to eliminate queuing and the results in Europe are very encouraging. In some jurisdictions, the provision of these high-throughput toilets has become mandatory in ensuring a festival is efficiently run and hygienically responsible. The Kros unit serves 4 men (or P-Mate users) at a time and holds 450 litres before requiring emptying. Practice in Europe equates this to more than five hours of continuous usage by four people. Emptying takes only a few minutes using a standard tank truck or it can be connected to the sewerage system for a permanent solution. It’s also extremely mobile as it weighs only 85 kg empty, and can easily be hoisted from or onto a truck with the help of the steel eye connected to the top. The Kros sells for US$1500 for a four bay urinal. SmallWorld is also offering branded P-Mates for distribution at festivals and concerts, “where they can be given away with a sponsors name printed on them.” The free, sponsored P-Mate has been very successful in Europe for marketers, and given that you don’t buy beer, you only rent it, there’s got to be an opening there for one of the big beer brands! The official P-Mate site can be found here, and P-Mate is distributed in a number of countries outside mainland Europe, including the UK, Canada and Australia.

Nissan Chief: Hybrid Cars a "Terrible" Business Prospect Date Posted 09-23-2005 PARIS, France — Not all automakers are rushing headlong to embrace hybrids as a solution to fuel economy woes. Carlos Ghosn, joint CEO of Nissan and Renault, described gasoline-electric hybrid cars as a "terrible business proposition," despite moves by many rivals to expand production of the vehicles. "Hybrid sales account for less than 1 percent of global sales," Ghosn said. "It is a niche technology. The question is how much the consumer is willing to pay for them, and if they are unsure at $70 a barrel [for oil] then I would be very worried. For now it is a terrible business prospect," he said. Toyota and Honda, Nissan's Japanese rivals, have both reported strong sales of hybrids in the U.S. in the past two years, while BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen have all announced plans to boost hybrid production. However, GM and Ford have both admitted the technology is not likely to be profitable for years, while Toyota and Honda say hybrids have narrower margins than gasoline cars. Ghosn described demand for hybrids as "anecdotal" and added he remained unconvinced that consumers wanted petrol-electric vehicles rather than fuel-efficient diesel cars, cars that use "flex-fuel" — which has a higher alcohol content — or fuel-cell vehicles. "We have seen no significant shift in the market," he said. "We have to be careful that we don't try to impose a technology on the market." Nissan has a hybrid Altima sedan on their future slate. Prototypes are currently in circulation of this vehicle, which is slated to appear in the fall of 2006 as a 2007 model. Rather than developing its own hybrid engine, Nissan has instead licensed the system used on the Prius by Toyota. What this means to you: People love hybrids, but there are other options out there that might make more sense. (Inside Line)

(from Auto123) For whatever reasons, the best-selling models across Canada for the first eight month of the year (according to DesRosiers' calculations) are as follows (with 2004's results in brackets): 1) Ford F-Series 49,113 (49,045, 0.1 percent) 2) Honda Civic Sedan/Coupe 46,131 (43,710, 5.5 percent) 2 Dodge Caravan 46,100 (47,280, -2.5 percent) 4) Mazda3 38,322 (32,426, 18.2 percent) 5) Toyota Corolla 32,188 (31,773, 1.3 percent) 6) GMC Sierra 27,212 (26,485, 2.7 percent) 7) Chevrolet Silverado 26,002 (25,033, 3.9 percent) 8) Dodge Ram Pickup 25,477 (28,135 -9.4 percent) 9) Toyota Echo 22,754 (21,559, 5.5 percent) 10) Ford Focus 19,647 (20,919, -6.1 percent) 11) Honda Accord 16,730 (17,911, -6.6 percent) 12) Pontiac Sunfire 16,204 (22,969 -29.5 percent) 13) Toyota Matrix 15,981 13,485 18.5 percent) 14) Ford Escape/Hybrid 15,271 (14,165, 7.8 percent) 15) Chevrolet Uplander 15,214 (n.a.) 16) Chevrolet Cobalt 14,744 (n.a.) 17) Pontiac Montana SV6 13,945 (n.a.) 18) Ford Freestar 11,727 (15,294, -23.3 percent) 19) Toyota Camry 13,309 (13,471, -1.2 percent) 20) Honda CR-V 10,807 (10,176, 6.2 percent)