HarleyEarl

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.

This isn't technically a F.S. but fun: I stopped at a gas bar to get a newspaper. I walked up to the counter to pay for it and instead of the cashier saying, is that everything?...she asks: "do you have gas?" I think I did at the time.

I agree, it will sell very well. Why not?..it's a good looking Pontiac.

Here's a site to keep track of celebrities tattoos. I haven't researched if some have it right on their wingwang. http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/celebrity_tattoos_a.htm

Bud, this article has already been posted. See 'GM & Renault - Partnership since 1999'

I'm luvin your Calvin! I like the SS idea too. I tend to like the earlier version. I would also consider the Corvette emblem for myself.

Mr. PantsAreBad, do you recall the name of that artist. His renderings just do something to me. I want to get some books on him. And so true about what has happened to cars and our relationships with them. We have become so 'afraid', so nervous-nelly. It has taken so much of that pure essence out of cars. The time before big bumpers, head rests, air bags and overly tinted windows. I like the airy cockpits of these cars. I often just stare at that black Pontiac....just in awe of it's simple beauty.

Yellow!...that's the tattoo I want!!

uh, homeslice, dats Jermaine and Tito...

Who here, would tattoo their favorite General Motors brand on their bodies? Do some of you already have one? I want to do the Cadillac wreath and crest. You got to love this dedication to Cadillac:

I love artisits renditions of cars, the ones they did for brochures etc. I wish they would do that again. Has such an appeal to me. I can't explain it. Photos are too raw?...too real? I like the ideal in these renderings. '61.

I beg, I plead, someone do a chop of the Movano van with portholes, airbrushing, Cragars and topless Viking chicks.

GM, Renault's mini alliance Automakers weighing global tie-up already produce vans jointly Bill Vlasic and Christine Tierney / The Detroit News General Motors Corp. The Movano, produced by GM and Renault's joint venture in Europe, is sold under GM's Opel brand. The nearly identical Master is sold with a Renault badge. See full image Successful partnership A joint venture between General Motors Corp., Renault SA, and later Nissan Motor Co., has been successful. The venture builds 250,000 vans a year. The companies have sold 1.2 million vans since 1999. GM shares increase for 10th straight day While the business world obsesses over a possible alliance of General Motors Corp. and Renault SA, the two auto giants are quietly launching their latest vehicle developed together in Europe. There was zero fanfare -- and no sign of Rick Wagoner or Carlos Ghosn -- at media events this month for the new Opel Movano and Renault Master, nearly identical mid-sized commercial vans developed together by GM and Renault. The vans are the product of a joint venture between GM and Renault dating back to 1999, when the Detroit automaker and its French counterpart began building light commercial vehicles together for the European market. It's an obscure partnership among many in the global auto industry, but its success could offer a peek into the future of an historic international alliance between GM, Renault and the French carmaker's Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. And since Wagoner, GM's chairman, and Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, opened talks July 14 on a potentially huge deal to link their companies, the lessons learned from a small joint venture could have a big impact. "That's really significant," said David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. "To establish a relationship is one thing, but if you already have an existing relationship, things can go much easier." GM and Renault-Nissan have said little about the agenda for the 90-day alliance talks. But if the commercial van business is any indication, the two sides may be more compatible than outsiders expect. "We have a very professional relationship," said Jamal El-Hout, vice president of planning for GM Europe. "We work through tough issues very well." Together, they produce 250,000 commercial vans a year at a GM plant in England, a Nissan factory in Spain and a Renault plant in France. About two-thirds of the output is mid-sized vans, and the rest is smaller models sold by GM as the Vivaro and by Renault as the Trafic. "This is a cooperation that has been very positive for both partners," said a spokeswoman for Renault. Culture of competition Bland and boxy, the vans are a staple for small businesses across the Continent. About 2 million light commercial vehicles are sold in Europe each year, according to the European carmakers' association ACEA, and it's a brutally competitive market. Partnerships are the norm in the segment. German automakers Volkswagen AG and DaimlerChrysler AG collaborate on commercial vans, as do Fiat SpA of Italy and the French manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen. When GM and Renault began talks in the mid-1990s to produce vans in tandem, the fit seemed right from the start. "One of the things that made it successful was that we needed each other," said Jon Dennis, one of the GM negotiators in the deal. "Everyone else was partnered except us." Dennis, who now works for GM in Australia, said the tone was set at the top by Louis Schweitzer, Renault's then-CEO, and GM Europe's president at the time, Richard Donnelly. "There was a lot of support from the leadership," Dennis said. "Schweitzer and Donnelly were motivated to make this happen." The decision was made to form a 50-50 joint venture, with GM selling vans under its Opel and Vauxhall brands, and Renault marketing its vehicles separately. Renault took the lead on engineering and design, while GM ran the manufacturing process. After Renault and Nissan formed their own corporate-wide alliance in 1999, the agreement was extended to all three companies. Since 1999, the companies have built and sold more than 1.2 million vans -- and made money doing it. "We've been successful with it and I believe it has been successful for the other companies," El-Hout said. "We've grown our commercial vehicle business 125 percent over the last five years." Partnership still unclear El-Hout declined to comment on the prospect for the far larger global alliance currently under discussion by high-level teams at GM, Renault and Nissan. However, his experience in the van venture offers insight into possible areas of cooperation down the road. "This is a productive partnership because it makes sense to get the costs out together and to hook up on the (vehicle) platform," he said. But sharing costs and production on a niche-market van doesn't change the intensely competitive relationship between GM's Opel brand and Renault across Europe. "What we would like the product to be, we do that jointly," El-Hout said. "But we compete vigorously in the marketplace even though we are partners." Speculation has been rife about the prospects of a GM-Renault-Nissan alliance since billionaire GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian first advanced the idea publicly on June 30. The initial meeting between Wagoner and Ghosn two weeks later made headlines worldwide as the industry watched transfixed at a possible marriage of the No. 1 U.S. automaker and Renault-Nissan. By contrast, the press previews for the new Movano van last week were hum-drum. Journalists were shown prototypes in Germany and given a chance to test drive the 2.8-metric-ton van. But as the GM-Renault-Nissan talks heat up in the coming weeks, the trail blazed by the Movano and the Master could be a key indicator of things to come. "We've seen all kinds of alliances -- good and bad -- in the industry," Cole said. "A healthy relationship like this is really the foundation of the successful ones."

Most cars are so good now, that it's almost meaningless to have these comparos. The testers have to resort to nitpicking. The Cadillac XLR-V is a perfectly credible luxury droptop and does not need to apologize for anything. I wonder if the customer looking for this type of car reads up on it first. Are they as consumer driven as someone say, buying an Ion?

So true. The Torrent is a very good looking SUV. The Equinox design seems confusing to the eye. And I'm so surprised about the Ion having this sales strength. While it's not a bad car to drive, it seems so dated and well, not pleasing designwise. I guess congratulations are in order.

I find the Wheels sections very balanced out west. It's the fresh mountain air I think.

I think the new tag-line should be: 'Come to Daddy....' An aside: When I look at the DTS and the Escalade above, the DTS looks so tame in comparison. I hope one day this car will more butch, broad shouldered, more in the vein of the it's big brother. Then more youthful demographics will notice the cars as well...not just the SUVs.

Interesting that Equinox dove 36.6% and Torrent is a big seller.

Some older models are suddenly hot sellers Chevy Impala, Pontiac G6, PT Cruiser, Saturn Ion are mong those seeing big gains An analysis of new car and truck sales at the halfway point in the model year confirms some now long-familiar trends -- but also reveals some surprising developments. The rush to smaller cars -- fueled in part by high gasoline prices -- is not only moving new compacts off the sales floor, but also more familiar cars that have been around a while. The Chrysler PT Cruiser had a 7 percent sales increase during the first six months of 2006 compared with 2005, according to J.D. Powers and Associates sales reports. Sales of the retro-styled car jumped 25 percent in June over the same month last year. At General Motors, Saturn Ion sales jumped 16.5 percent from 10,043 in June 2005 to 11,704 last month. Sales of the Ion were up 3.5 percent for the six-month period when compared with 2005. Ford's Focus also enjoyed a small increase of 1.5 percent for last month over June 2005, but sales for the six-month period were down by 2.2 percent, the J.D. Powers report said. Secondly, most analysts agreed that while June was a generally bad month for domestic automakers, there were some strong-selling models that were overshadowed by the overall sluggish sales. General Motors, for instance, suffered a 26 percent decline last month, in part because June 2005 sales had been increased dramatically by heavy discounting. But some GM models racked up big sales increases. Pontiac's G6 had a 39.9 percent sales increase in the six-month period and for June alone had a 43.8 percent increase. Some of that may be due to the presence of a new coupe and convertible version, but the car itself is gaining "traction" in the marketplace, analysts say. Chevy Impala sales are skyrocketing, too. The make's sales were up 16.9 percent in the six-month period, and for June there was an 85.3 percent sales increase over June 2005. The HHR, Buick Lucerne and Pontiac Torrent, all new for 2006, also are big sellers at GM. Ford Motor Co., which for the last few years has emphasized a comeback of its sedan models, is enjoying success with its critically acclaimed all-new Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr and Mercury Milan, which sold a combined total of 10,149 units last month. Milan in particular helped Mercury to a 2 percent sales increase last month over June 2005. Still, overall sales slipped 6.8 percent at Ford compared to June 2005. Meanwhile, the Chrysler Group of Daimler/Chrysler is selling its hot Dodge Caliber compacts at a brisk pace -- 12,098 units -- helping that car to take a 6 percent share of its market segment. The Charger enjoyed a 123 percent increase in sales last month over June 2005. All of the top selling models are either new this year or were redesigned during the last model year. That would suggest when the remaining older models are phased out, the newer designs may result in much better sales for those three companies. Meanwhile, fuel efficient small cars are still hot in the industry as a whole. The entry-level compact car segment is up 8.5 percent for the first six months of 2006 compared with the same period in 2005. They now account for 25.98 percent of all sales, compared with a 23.37 percent market share a year ago. Hyundai's all-new Accent posted a 43 percent gain over June 2005 sales and there are waiting lists in some parts of the country for both Honda's Fit and its Civic. Civic Hybrid sales alone posted a new record with 2,501 sold last month -- a 40 percent increase over last year. Among other small cars, Kia sold about a third more of its Spectra sedans than it did in June 2005, and Volkswagen's New Beetle, another familiar face on the sales floor, saw its sales jump by about 4 percent during the six month period just ended. On the other hand, the degree to which the sales of some parts of the SUV market have dropped is stunning. Full-size SUVs are down 19.3 percent for the first six months of this year compared with 2005, and mid-size SUVs are down 8.3 percent for the same period. Only entry-level SUV sales and luxury premium SUVs are up in the six-month period -- by 6.1 and 16.7 percent, respectively -- compared with 2005. Even Toyota -- arguably the most successful auto company in the world -- could not escape the plummeting sales prospects for SUVs. Its Land Cruiser sales dropped 35.3 percent for the first six months of the year, while Highlander sales dropped by 12.9 percent for the same period. Toyota Sequoia sales dropped 30.1 percent year to date compared with the same period last year. Acura's MDX is off 17.1 percent for January to June sales, too. Chevy's Equinox dropped 36.6 percent and Jeep Liberty dropped 15.5 percent. Ford Expedition sales dropped 45.8 percent in June compared with June 2005 and are off 33.1 percent for the year-to-date period. (detroitnews)

You got it. The '59 split grille was very warmly recieved by the public. The '60 was already in development, so they left it as is without the split. And then brought it back on the '61. The rest is history. I hope Pontiac returns to the more horizontal split grill instead of the current more BMWesque one. Here is an example of that incredible horizontal split grill on a Pontiac. My favorite year the beautiful, clean and sexy '61. Oh, so Pontiac.

Cadillac used to be part of the American dream...a car that one aspired to. And it can be again. These ads are hinting at that. Cadillac is an American icon. Not just a car, not just a product. It's more than that.

1960 What is not on the '60 that is on the '59 and '61 Pontiacs? Sexy60 custom: I notice Ferrari using this style of tailights lately.

Here's a Pontiac dealership circa 1960.