thegriffon

GM's program, Holden's revenue. The iron-block Family II is an endangered species however. Even Holden specifies the newer Family 1 1.8 L from GM Europe for the J200 Viva they import from Daewoo. The 2.4 L truck engine will probably be the last hold-out, and GM do Brasil already builds a DOHC aluminum version.

American consumers are so far unwilling to pay Buick prices for a Buick, which is why the PA died in the first place.

"Parks" engines are the latest GM high-feature V6, and it's a much bigger car than a 300, or an STS. Don't forget that Zeta had to go back to the drawing board to meet GM NA's cost requirements, probably for the very reason you fail to believe. The VE perhaps should be cheaper. It is not. Outside the US the WM doesn't need to be cheaper. A fwd 3.8 L Hyundai Equus starts at $US61,081 in Korea (the 4.5 L V8 is over $US82K), a 3.6 L Ssangyong Chairman 700S $US61,296. Even the 3.2 L Chairman is priced at $US48,670 in Australia. The cheapest rwd car in the US market close to the Park Avenue is the V8 LS460L, at over $US70K.

Autmotive News reports that in fact this did not happen. It was based on a comedy sketch on ABC. Ford's new CEO subsequently told reports, as a joke that he guided Bush's hand in order to stop him plugging it into the wrong socket. As you can see from the photograph, no-one is stopping Bush from plugging it into the wrong socket and there is no other socket nearby. Mullaly has since apologized for giving reporters the wrong idea. Apparently a number of reporters didn't realise that the sketch inspired the anecdote, and not the other way round.

Naturalized American?There is a thinly spread American-car subculture across Europe (someone here even sold their Buick to a Norwegian), but it's not the same as widespread appreciation for modern American vehicles. The standard opinion outside North America, fueled by parochial media who have for the most part never driven anything but Corvettes (which they usually like) is that American cars are crap, something that influences US media as well. What's the formula for Top gear anyway? Presenters with a comic background (Car magazine for years had Ronny Barker and even Rowan Atkinson as reviewers and columnists) and a love of fast cars; a celebrity guest who may or may not be able to drive a cheap POS around a track (how about an Echo?); an exotic car test (more domestic exotics—now that's an oxymoron—such as the Saleen, SSC and Mosler), an experienced race driver to test lap times; a beater challenge for comic relief; a comparison test of performance variants (Caliber v Cobalt v Civic) etc.; or an SUV test (driving an Escalade up Pikes Peak perhaps).

Aside from GM/SAIC's PATAC, most Chinese companies don't have any experienced design staff, and I have heard of any hiring any. All the new models (not rebodied Japanese pickups or subcompacts from the '80s) are designed by European firms such as Pininfarina, Italdesign, IDEA etc. (as were pre-GM Daewoos—PM mistook a Chinese model being tested in North America for a new Magnus/Epica, both probably designed by the same Italian firm).

It's almost exactly the same size as a lwb VW Phaeton, slightly bigger than the Lucerne. The Australian Statesman is almost exactly the same size as the Lucerne but with better interior room in almost every dimension. The Chinese redesign adds just over half an inch to the overall length (all in the nose) but the new interior will probably cut into interior room quite a bit. Trunk size has been reduced quite a bit (505 v 535 L), but that may just be SAE v VDA standards (more VDA boxes than SAE boxes). As you can see from the photos it's meant more as a 4-seater with only occasional use of the center-rear seat (which still gets a lap-sash belt). Many of the photos exaggerate the length—it isn't really that long.

Not a projection reg. That's the price, given by GM China in the release. An Australian-built 3.6 L Statesman without all the extra kit is still $US 48,600 and a Caprice $US 54,370 so all that extra equipment in the PA is quite a bargain (it is quite a bit cheaper than the imported Royaum). With the $A now well over $US 0.80 GM will be struggling to sell the G8 V6 at a profit for under $US33K. Of course they may be able to cut the price of the bigger PA, but if you think it would land in the US for much less then $US45K (given the added expenses of US compliance, Tier 2 bin 5 emissions [the PA is only Euro3], and shipping across the Pacific), you're living in La-La Land. Of course I think GM should be promoting this vehicle in the US just to get people to think Buick="luxurious, expensive". I think they could build a nice V8 version in the US for substantially less than a similarly equipped LS460L, but that costs over $US70K, and you've illustrated that people will not accept a Buick priced at more than half that. If you want $15-20K cut from the price, then I'm sorry, the materials and equipment will suffer. I'd say "buy a Hyundai instead", but a lwb Genesis will apparenty be out of your price-range too.

GM China apologises for the delay, but says they should be on wieck later today. There are at least 42, although not all of them may be posted, and there will, eventually, be wallpapers at buick.com.cn (at the moment just earlier Electras and PAs).

Shanghai GM is quite happy to trace its lineage back to the Electra of the '60s (http://www.buick.com.cn/parkavenue/evolution.aspx), complete with photos at http://www.buick.com.cn/parkavenue/downloads_photos.aspx

They don't want it as well as the Lucerne. I'm sure they'll be quite happy to get the next gen instead.

Why? No-one in China will see an Impala.

GM is seeing sales of the old, old Corolla crush even the Civic and realizing that only brainwashing (or de-programming) will cause people to buy any other small car, no matter how good. Small cars only balance rwd cars if the small cars are made in NA, or the rwd cars are imported, and enough people buy the small cars. GM sold nearly 7,000 Aveos last month (up nearly 50%), but over 28,000 Impalas and over 55,000 Silverados (a down month) and even over 8,000 Suburbans (up nearly 70%). Even with truck CAFE counted seperately, it doesn't nearly balance out.

Not chassis as such, but the basic architecture (floorpan, firewall, front and rear subframes etc.). I doubt you'd see more expressive designs, but it could reduce the cost of developing lower-volume products and various derivativessuch as crossovers, size variations. To some extent GM is enforcing the design principles internally-rather than each region developing their own proprietory programs which only run on their (manufacturing) systems, they must now contribute to a global program everyone (within GM) has access to, capable of running anywere and adaptable to each users needs. Instead of GM NA developing their own unique version of Delta so they can build an awd HHR, they work with GM Europe to ensure that the global architecture can be fitted with an awd system. Then in future Opel can use the same system in Europe to build an awd Astra OPC, and GM Daewoo can use it to build a crossover to match the Qashqai and swb RAV4 sold in Europe (hypothetically).

Follow-up release from Holden (it's already the 11th here): Holden Expands Its Global Role GM Holden today announced plans to export Global V6 engines to China. Two versions of the Global V6 engines will be fitted in the new Buick Park Avenue being built by Shanghai General Motors. The new engine export program is expected to be worth several hundred million dollars to GM Holden over the next few years. The Buick Park Avenue, unveiled to media in Shanghai last night, will utilise both the 3.6 L V6 engine and a unique 2.8 L V6, both being built at the GM Holden's state-of-the-art Engine Operations plant in Victoria. The new Buick — which will be built at Shanghai GM's Jinqiao plant — is the first vehicle to go into production outside Australia utilizing the global rear-wheel drive architecture developed by GM Holden. The vehicle will have an exterior based on the Holden Statesman with the interior completely redesigned by GM China to suit the local market. GM Holden's specialist rear wheel drive engineering expertise has also been called upon to engineer the car to serve as a luxury limousine for rear seat passengers as distinct from the sports luxury, driver-orientated vehicle produced in Australia for domestic and export markets. GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, said, “The Buick Park Avenue is another exciting step in the worldwide adoption of the global rear-wheel drive architecture developed here in Australia and is a valuable export program for GM Holden in the world's fastest growing auto market. “Our engine export program generated over $570 million in revenue in 2006 alone and this will be a further boost to this key area of our business. “With today's announcement of these engine exports to Shanghai GM, our engine production plant in Victoria is supplying customers in markets as diverse as Italy, South Korea, Germany, Thailand, South Africa, Sweden and China. “Australia's role in the forthcoming Chevrolet Camaro for the US market, and now the Buick Park Avenue for China, underlines how Australian design and engineering expertise is playing a lead role in General Motor's worldwide vehicle production.”

The $50K+ price tag on the 3.6 L V6. Seriously. If CAFE doesn't kill it, the same vehicle will replace both this and the Lucerne, but don't expect all these goodies in the US model. It will have to be stripped down just to meet US price expecations. First to go—those massage seats.

$US50,250–$US64,468 price tag for the 3.6 L and all? That price tag buys a lot of the goodies you see here.

Mind you Auto Shanghai doesn't open till the 22nd, so it could be a while.

There is a Buick Riviera concept coming. I still can't find the photos of the PA posted by Flybrian, and no release other than the US release for the PA. :-P

I will say it again, it has to do with the enormous price difference between a US Lucerne and a Chinese Park Avenue. The 3.6 L costs $US50,250 after all.

That could be taken two ways TKR. There is a common perception that the VE is "a great car just because it is not manufactured in North America"; particularly amongst media in Australia and the even America. The second concept, unnamed concept is the Buick Riviera, as revealed b Shanghai GM in their own release two days later (the 4th). Although the PA has been unveiled no more details, or photos of either Buick, have been released. What limited photos of the PA there are from Shanghai GM appear to show a vehicle identical to the Statesman—no changes at all. Larger, clearer photos may show something different.

Yes but then the good senator would have to pay $5 for his gas too.

LOL, I've been thinking about the feasability of an Open Source car design, (or rather an open-source architecture) for some time. It would save time if someone were to contribute an existing architecture to build from, as Nertscape provided the core for Mozilla, and now benefits from the continued development. Any changes made by anyone to the basic structure, suspension, available driveline options etc. would be made freely available. Someone may improve rigidity and NVH, another handling, another may provide an awd design, another an off-road version or increased towing capacity, someone else may develop a light-weight version, a more compact or larger version, all of which would be freely available for any automaker to design a body and interior for and build.

Ah, it's quite possible that only the V6 Genesis will be much under $30,000, and "much" may only be "hundreds of dollars", not thousands. Hyundai Australia isn't interested because it would cost closer to $US50K there and they can't even shift the Azera.

They are, that's why the US and Australia haven't signed the Kyoto protocol—it exempts growong economies such as India and China (which have booming industries and auto fleets, but relatively lax pollution controls). By comparison even fireplaces in the US have relatively tough emission standards.