thegriffon

The V8 will be 300 hp, the same as the GMT360s after the 2008 MY revisions.

40 years ago that hole was only a foot deep.

Looks Russian.

You can still buy a GP retail? Most people pay more and get a G6.

They don't, they pay companies such as Porsche, Pininfarina, Ricardo etc. to engineer them, just as Lada did before them. This is what you get when Porsche designs a cheap sedan.

It's the T3000 Astra Classic, not the new A3300, assembled from kits produced in Poland. It provides consumers in lower-income markets an alternative to used cars and less well-developed Russian and Chinese vehicles.

No. Figure on a big four-cylinder instead (perhaps a VM Motori such as the new 2.8 L [177 PS, 460 Nm]). The 2.9 L V6 may be used in crossovers though.

Detroit Diesel hasn't made engines that small for a very long time, and not even the medium trucks use engines in the size class supplied by Detroit Diesel. Unless someone thinks a 10-12 L 150 hp I6 diesel would have made a nice choice for the Sixteen, it's not a great loss as far as diesel engine offerings.

Except that the manual for the DI engine is only available with the summer tire performance package, which is significantly more expensive than the money you get back for the manual.

On the plus side, GM has once again been conservative with power estimates, with certified SAE results showing a modest boost in hp and peak torque at a surprisingly low rpm.

VW hasn't really gone upscale in Europe. Pricing is within the ballpark for the other mainstream brands (Opel, Ford, Peugeot, Citroen etc.), even if the odd variant is a little at the high end, but the same can be said for the other brands as well. Bear in mind that in Germany a 235 PS Hyundai Azera is 39K Euro, a 238 PS Volvo S80 41K Euro, and an 231 PS E 280 just over 42K Euro (now you see why Hyundai calls a sub $US30K Genesis a luxury car). Even a Toyota can be more expensive than a comparable Saab or Alfa Romeo (of course, top end engine in the Toyota v. a lower rung engine in the Saab or Alfa). A Vectra OPC? over 40K Euro, more than a Saab 9-3 Aero or Cadillac BLS.

Why the h— aren't they selling the Fox in NA? The Euro situation is a red herring, since most VW's sold in the US are built in Mexico.

All engines are shared with either the Aura and G6, and have been retuned for the 2008 MY (Classic included), apparently to use less fuel, but with the switch in EPA tests comparisons will be difficult. As a result power is down slightly across the board. Virtually every GM model will be effected, except Cadillac, the Aveo and the pickups and large SUVs/crossovers (which have new engine variants already), and models/engines soon to be axed. Naturally some new engines with previously announced estimated hp get a nice bump after certification.

I haven't checked every truck yet, but for the cars there are significant changes to almost every model not listed in the what's new or deleted sections. GM has retuned most engines, apparently for improved fuel economy under the new 2008 EPA regulations, with slightly less horsepower (usually by limiting rpm), in some instances increasing low-end torque to compensate. Some engines have also quietly been replaced by equivalent FlexFuel versions with a new RPO. Although many engines (such as the GEN IV V8s in the Express/Savana) do not yet have final (or even consistent) hp figures, you can find certified output graphs for quite a few new engines (as per usual with higher than estimated figures) and many of the new, lower-output variants being introduced in the 2008 MY.

There is already more new information than is listed here.

Although many go to fleets (it is one of the few vans available in a cargo version), the Uplander is still one of the best-selling mid-vans available.

Windy is correct—GM is simply gauging the American reaction to vehicles so small. If the response to one or more was positive enough, they may reconsider. Of course, the voting was available to anyone in the world with an internet connection, so the results do not aonly have a bearing on the potential US market, but the existing global market where cars this small are already sold by GM, or will be in the near future (Korea, China, Europe, India, even Japan).

It's actually a 1.25 L 4-cylinder, but if you were noticing they had a potential 1.0 L diesel in one of the minicar concepts, which would be the smallest diesel on offer in a regular automobile (smaller 1- and two-cylinder diesels are built for quadricycles and domestic gen-sets etc.).

Why? Completely different market segments. What is ironic is that GM is already using the VM Motori 2.0 L CTDI engine in Chevrolets, while Chrysler (which then had a 50% interest) decided to use VW's older, less powerful 2.0 L TDI engine (which isn't even common-rail) in the Caliber, Compass and Patriot. Will GM now make use of the excellent 2.8 L I4 truck engine VM is supplying for the new Wrangler rather than the current Isuzu and International 3.0 L diesels?

Bear in mind that in India a motor scooter is considered an automobile.

Why are people surprised? GM had a video of the Volt driving around available when it was unveiled.

It's a good analogy, and a big part of GMs problem, which is why they "encourage" (all they can do) dealer consolidation. You may remember GM has recently declined to give additional franchises to some dealers who didn't want to commit to the needed renovations.

Aerospace is already outsourced as much as it can be, simply because it costs too much for one company to do a major project by itself. Further outsourcing is restricted by security concerns.

Textron (Cessna, Bell, Lycoming), Hawker Beechcraft, BAe, EADS, United Technologies (Sikorsky, Hamilton Standard, Pratt &Whitney), an unlimited number of small experimental builders, General Atomics etc..The SAE is the professional association for both Automotive and Aeronautical engineers in the US, so check out the Aeronautical section of their site. The LA economy also took a hit because it was too expensive to stay based in CA. That and Seattle-based Boeing took over LA-based (McDonnell) Douglas.

Office (Microsoft Back Office/Orifice)