HarleyEarl

Color is a funny thing....or lack of color. I find I'm crazy about white on the top models or upscale cars. On lesser or entry level models it looks too 'appliance'. Yesterday saw a Chrysler 300m with massive wheels and mesh grill.....in pristine white....beautiful hot day.......beyond white hot. And the new Escalades look so good in white:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Gener...icleId=116419#2 Euro shape and Red Line power on tap for 2008 Saturn Vue By Ed Hellwig Email | Blog Date posted: 08-07-2006 In our latest footage from Death Valley, we catch the 2008 Saturn Vue in action as it prepares for its official launch next year. And for the first time, we also get a glimpse of what looks like the high-performance Vue Red Line. Wearing a deep front airdam, projector beam foglights, and larger wheels and tires, the Vue Red Line will be the closest Saturn gets to the aggressive look of the Open Antera GTC concept on which the Vue is based. Unlike the concept, these 2008 Saturn Vue prototypes use a four-door configuration to keep them practical while still incorporating some of the Antera's less dramatic styling cues. The windshields are more upright for better visibility although the shape of the A-pillars is still very similar to the GTC. All the numerous vents and portholes used on the show vehicle are gone, however, so the Saturn version will have more conventional styling up front. Earlier spy photos revealed a grille with at least some of the details shown on the Opel concept. These prototypes are similar with two horizontal slats sitting just below a spot for the emblem in the center. The complex headlight cluster isn't quite as detailed as the LED units on the concept, another predictable cost-cutting move on the way to production. Saturn downsized this generation of the Vue in anticipation of the larger 2007 Saturn Outlook coming this fall. Unlike the current model that straddles the compact and midsize SUV designations, the 2008 Saturn Vue will be planted firmly in the compact category. This means a four-cylinder engine for base models and a larger V6 on the upper trim levels. Current models use a Honda-built 3.5-liter V6 with 250 horsepower, but expect to see a version of GM's 3.6-liter V6 under the hood of these Saturns. That engine delivers a healthy 265 hp in the Outlook, but it may get detuned for use in the standard Vue to keep the models from competing with each other. The earliest you're likely to see the finished version of the 2008 Saturn Vue is in November at the Los Angeles auto show (InsideLine)

Play with color: http://info.detnews.com/2006/carcolors/acadiacolor.htm#

Crazy for color Right hues mean lots of green to GM, carmakers Brett Clanton / The Detroit News Top colors The most popular vehicle paint color choices in North America   Color 2005 2004 Silver 18% 18% White/White pearl 17% 16% Gray 15% 10% Blue 12% 11% Black 11% 11% Red 11% 14% Light brown 9% 11% Green 4% 5% Yellow/gold 2% 2% Others 1% 2% Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News "Blue is going to be the biggest story for '07, '08 and '09," says Christopher Webb, a color designer for GM. A group of GM designers is assigned the task of predicting the trends. The current hot color is silver. See full image Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News Terry Elliott, Christopher Webb and Helen Emsley look over color samples at the GM color lab. The designers work to predict color trends for cars. See full image Have you heard? Blue is making a comeback. Green is so yesterday. And red is moving out of its lowbrow yellowy stage into a richer, blue period. Or so says a highly specialized team of General Motors Corp. designers whose job it is to predict color trends. Drawing from pop culture, economic trends and the buying patterns in other industries, the team spends its days trying to solve such riddles as how to make a better silver or what the "new" black will be. But there's at least one big headline in the color world these days. "Blue is going to be the biggest story for '07, '08 and '09," said Christopher Webb, a color designer who works in an airy studio at GM's Tech Center in Warren that seems light-years away from the factories that build the automaker's cars and trucks. The notion that a group of designers is paid to ponder the future of red and yellow may be vexing to some at a time when the world's No. 1 automaker is bleeding money, shedding thousands of jobs and closing plants just to survive. But the business of forecasting color trends may be more important than ever to GM and other automakers. Research shows that nearly 40 percent of consumers will defect to another brand if they can't find the vehicle color they want -- and GM is not about to miss out on sales simply because it picked the wrong paint color for a new Cadillac or Chevrolet. In a break from the past, however, GM is trying to be more judicious about how it selects colors for the 9 million vehicles it sends out into the world every year. The automaker used to think nothing of spending millions on developing slightly different colors for its individual brands and vehicle lines. Now, GM is paring down its international paint palette to help build stronger brand identities and bring more cost-saving uniformity to manufacturing. At the same time, GM and other automakers are leading the way in developing high-tech finishes that add depth and texture to neutral paint colors, which tend to be the most popular. Slowly but surely The greater attention to color comes at a time when consumers are demanding more style from the everyday products they buy. Sharp color and design have suddenly become selling points for everything from kitchen utensils to washing machines at Sears. But staying current can be tough for automakers, which must lock in vehicle designs and paint color choices about three years before a car or truck hits the market. "People will sometimes treat us like the fashion industry," said David McKinnon, vice president of design at DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, who oversees the Auburn Hills-based automaker's color lab. "Well, fashion can change in three months. We need three or four years. It's not a fast process." At GM's color lab in Warren, the small design team just completed color selections for the 2009 model year and has begun working on 2010. Housed on the second floor of the tech center's design building, the lab is a giant circular room where bulletin boards are covered with magazine clippings. Fashionably dressed workers labor amid a sea of nondescript car models perched on waist-high poles and painted in the dozens of colors GM has at its disposal. "Gunmetal Metallic," "Lunar Quartz," "Antique Bronze" -- the colors go by a host of names that are printed on tiny labels below each model. But this is just the current lineup. Cabinets and storerooms flanking the lab store color swatches that span GM's nearly 100-year history. Livelier hues During a recent visit, the designers were excited about what they see as a "return to color" in vehicle paints and other consumer products such as cell phones and home appliances. But don't expect an explosion of green, yellow and purple cars on the road in coming years. The trend is more about infusing neutral shades with more color so they have a richer, more complex appearance. "Believe me, we want to have more colors," said Helen Emsley, GM's global director of design, color and trim. But at the end of the day, more than 50 percent of consumers still select silver, black, beige or white when they go to buy a vehicle, she said. To liven up those perennial -- some might say boring -- choices, GM is adding microscopic flakes to the paint that seem to change color in the light. One of the first applications is on the new Cadillac DTS sedan, which comes in a hue-shifting "Titanium" gray that can look almost green, or even violet, at times. Despite a $1,000 extra charge for the high-tech coating, Titanium now accounts for 9 percent of DTS sales, compared with 6 percent in a regular gray. But bolder, louder color choices also are gaining strength, particularly as interest grows in vehicle customization. When Japan's Honda Motor Co. launched its boxy Element SUV in 2003, for instance, a rusty orange quickly became the most popular color choice, luring 20 percent of buyers. During the past two years, blue broke into the top five vehicle color choices, and red made gains in 2005. Perception is everything Experts say color shifts go in cycles and could be driven by an improving economic climate or political and social trends. During the 1990s, for example, when the environmental movement rose to prominence, green was the most popular car color choice. In the past six years, silver has dominated -- a possible nod to the increasing role of technology in daily life. "Let's face it, there are only seven colors in the spectrum," said Leatrice Eiseman, author of "The Color Answer Book" and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute in Carlstadt, N.J. "But it's what you do to those colors, the way that people perceive of them, that makes the difference." GM's color designers routinely meet with their counterparts from other industries to ensure they are not blind to trends. Nike, Nokia, Herman Miller -- they've all been to Warren to trade thoughts with the world's largest automaker. But one of the team's biggest missions in recent years has been to cut the waste and streamline its own processes. Emsley said that when she took over the studio a few years ago, she asked her team to find every vehicle paint color GM used in North America, and stick a sample of each on a wall in the lab. The tally: 111 colors. "I remember standing back and looking at this wall and saying, 'What the hell?' " said Emsley, who has since trimmed the number to around 60 colors at a savings of millions per year. Karen Surcina -- color marketing and technology manager for DuPont Automotive Systems in Troy, one of the world's biggest vehicle paint suppliers -- said it can cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" or more to develop a new color. But a growing number of industries are willing to pay handsomely if adding more color means drawing more buyers. In recent years, DuPont has received requests to develop colors for everyone from a golf cart builder to a home window maker. But the oddest inquiry may have come from a casket producer, which hoped to use color to spruce up an otherwise macabre product lineup. While the company is happy for the business, Surcina said working with coffins would not be her first choice. "I'd rather put color on cars."

It seems Chevelle and Le Mans didn't start with lighter bumpers. There was the Laguana with the covered bumper. It's sure hard to find photos of these early A-body cars.

The '73 Torino looks no worse than other cars of the era. They all were forced to slap on those big bumpers. Take a look at the '73 Chevy, no beauty queen.

There is no question, the Sky is a beautiful roadster and fun too. I've driven it. But....it will always have an identity crisis. This is no Saturn. Saturn to me will always have the image of cars for people who don't really like cars. This car should never have been badged a Saturn. It doesn't fit. It deserves better.

There is nothing really wrong with the base HD pickup with all the black on the front. It is for an intended purpose, very basic, rough and tumble workhorse. It's not for posing, just for work. If someone wants to look pretty on the worksite, then order accordingly.

(GM1, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love your Olds 98)

The Ridgeline seems like a pickup car for girls. And heck they need vehicles too, to haul stuff. What do girls haul anyways? I wonder if lesbians are attracted to this vehicle to haul their big dogs?

The side view of the Chevy front bumper is very heavy visually. Otherwise I like these HDs.

Wagoner and the Denali. Man, that view of the Denali is so great. Love that truck!

I've noticed something interesting about the Sky drivers vs the Solstice drivers. The Skys I've seen always driven by someone older(50+). The Solstices driven by younger(20-40ish).

Not even remotely like a Ford. In any way, on any level.

2007 GMC Denali pickup:

It seems strange that the Sky is a rarity in some of your areas. I see them quite often here.

I think there is a stigma with a make being a rental car. In my eyes, it cheapens the brand. When I see one of many, many Buick LaCrosses and Lucernes with rental bumper stickers, I just cringe. That's no way to treat a Buick.

2007 Pontiac G5 GT coupe:

Don't run. It makes sense.

Thanks for those great pics. It's like nirvana. I'd be frozen in awe. Having owned a Corvette, I have to make a pilgrimage once in my lifetime to this sacred site.

I saw another one today, the first time I've seen it in red. A bloody knockout. This is a car to lust for. And it sounds sooo good.

GM’s New Brand Strategy: Chevy Uber Alles By Andrew Dederer July 31st, 2006 1,000 Views When Alfred P. Sloan took the reins at General Motors, he had a clear vision of the company’s future: “a car for every purse and purpose." Sloan’s business model– offer customers a wide range of vehicles across distinct brands and encourage them to move “up” within the portfolio– was wildly successful. GM soon replaced Ford as US market leader, and never looked back. Ninety years later, the same structure is in place, but the car market has changed. And GM’s portfolio is part of the problem, not the solution. While most enthusiasts recognize the philosophy behind Sloan’s GM brand structure, few realize that each company within the GM fold used to have just ONE car in its line-up. Even during the 50’s, in the middle of GM’s “golden years,” each brand had no more than two wheelbases and three body styles. With such a limited number of models within each brand, overlap was minimal. Moving “up-market” was simple enough; you took your old car and your new money to a different dealer. When GM started adding new models, expanding their offerings to cover bases like “compact car,” “utility vehicle” and “minivan,” they altered the dynamics of their business. Despite this horizontal model spread, GM tried to hew to a vertical brand system. Buick and Olds stayed true to their roots, offering two to three big cars (aside from the Cadet experiment). But Chevy and Pontiac became their own worst enemies. Chevy dealers currently sell over a dozen different vehicles over a wide spectrum of price points, from $10k econoboxes to a wide range of pickups to $70k sports cars. At the same time, Pontiac’s place in GM’s firmament has become unclear. The problem isn’t so much the sheer spread of vehicles– most companies’ “main” brands spread as far. The problem is that Chevy is still selling only discount cars, even though it embraces up-market price points. GM’s other divisions also have a discombobulated product mix. Pontiac exists in the gaps above each Chevy price point. Cadillac is still perched at the top of the market, but their line shows little commonality (save a bit of “bling” here and there). Product overlap is endemic for all divisions. Actually, it isn’t so much overlap as “strangulation”. Chevy is trapped under the new trinity of Pontiac/Buick/GMC. For every Chevy, there’s one or more up-market counterparts it dare not exceed. Where once you chose your GM car with your pocketbook, now it’s more a matter of taste. GM’s website illustrates the point perfectly; enter a price range into the “shop by price function” and you get a list of differently-sized models and vehicle types across several brands. If a GM car buyer wants a certain type of vehicle or a vehicle at a given price, they have to shop at least two and quite possibly four GM brands’ dealers to see all their choices. Otherwise, they could end up being steered to an inappropriate vehicle– and we all know what that does to a brand. Acting like it’s still 1955 has left GM with a huge product line that’s full of holes, along with “boutique” brands scattered about like polka dots. This so-called strategy’s lack of focus robs Chevy of the quality it needs to be a reasonable alternative to the price-sensitive end of their “foreign” competition. It restricts Pontiac, GMC and Buick to marketing cars “better than Chevy” (a standard that keeps slipping lower). It detaches Cadillac, Hummer and Saab from the ownership ladder. In fact, GM’s brands don’t just steal sales from each other; they pull each other into a pit of mediocrity. GM’s oversized dealer network makes the problem worse– and solutions problematic. One answer: make some of the marques into models. Instead of trying to keep Buick and Pontiac alive with a tiny line-up and a huge dealer network, GM could fold their products into Chevy’s portfolio. The top trim sedans in the largest two sizes could be called Buicks, while a Pontiac would denote a performance model (the GT’s not the SS’s). GMC could go back to its commercial customers. To make this realignment fly, GM would have to transform all Chevy and all Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealers into Chevy dealers, all selling the same full line. The remaining single-marque dealers would be retired (a more affordable prospect than killing the two networks). Of course, there would be a severe dealer shake-out afterwards; only the strongest Chevy stores would survive. But that’s no bad thing. From a corporate perspective, the biggest loss would be less presidents, a smaller ad budget and a less burdensome bureaucracy (oh darn). This brand consolidation would allow GM to offer a car for every “purpose” and most “purses” under a single roof. Alfred Sloan would spin in the grave at the idea, but it just might work.

I saw one of these today when out for a run....truly a goofy looking vehicle. I never thought these things would make a comeback after all these years.

Silverado LTZ interior: Silverado LT interior: Big-Time Launch GM's upcoming full-size pickups arguably the company's most important new vehicles in years AutoWeek | Published 07/31/06, 5:42 pm et General Motors is introducing its next-generation full size pickup trucks, the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, two trucks that could help lead the General out of its financial doldrums. GM says the trucks have been redesigned from top to bottom: They have new exterior and interior designs, new engines and new chassis. The Silverado and Sierra are offered with three cab styles, three cargo box lengths and several suspensions setups. GM hopes the range gives customers more choice when trying to suit their needs, particularly with the heavy duty models. The Silverado and Sierra light-duty models will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2006. Sierra Denali and Silverado and Sierra heavy duty models will be available in the first quarter of 2007. The heavy duty trucks offer more powerful gas and diesel engines. Silverado LTZ interior The new pickups are sleeker and more aerodynamic, including a 57-degree windshield angle designed to reduce wind noise and improve fuel economy. Tolerances between panels are greatly reduced - including a 50-percent reduction in the space between the cab and cargo box. In addition to the trucks' three cab designs (regular, extended and crew cab), there are three cargo box lengths, including short (5 foot 8 inches), standard (6 foot 6 inches) and long (8 foot). The pickup boxes have been redesigned with enhanced versatility, increased strength and greater capacity. A one-piece wheelhouse and inner box side adds strength and smoother, more integrated appearance. The boxes are 1.18 inches (30 mm) deeper in the front and 1.57 inches (40 mm) deeper at the rear, with stronger inner walls that offer improved performance when fitted with ladder racks, tool boxes and other accessories. New tailgate designs include locks and torque-rod assist for easier operation. A standard end cap on each tailgate features an integrated spoiler lip that enhances aerodynamics. GMC Sierra SLE extended cab A new cargo-management system is also available: Three rails that run the length of the box sides and the forward box wall are secured with high-strength anchors and, unlike competitors' systems, incorporate upper and lower tracks. Four adjustable tie-down brackets are included with each system and can be located anywhere on the tracks, each rated for a load point of 500 pounds. The interiors are designed to be quieter and more spacious and refined. Legroom, headroom and hip room have increased. The recline angle and fore/aft travel of the front seat has been increased and power adjustable pedals are available. Silverado LT interior The fourth generation of the legendary small-block is the power behind GM's all-new full-size trucks. Horsepower is up, torque is up, and the pickups will have Active Fuel Management (AFM) and variable valve timing (VVT). A FlexFuel engine is available. GM says highway fuel economy for models equipped with the 5.3L V8 now are estimated at more than 20 mpg for both 2WD and 4WD models. Engines range in size from the 4.3-liter, 195 hp V6, to the 6.0-liter, 367 hp V8.