carman21

I've been busy with college and life. I hope everyone is well. I'm hoping to become a more active C & G member now that the New GM is developing.

Encore ok, that's fine. Buick SUV names have no history behind them so Buick can be creative.

As for the car names,

The Compact should be called Skylark.

The Midsize should be called Regal.

The Large sedan should be called LeSabre.

Buick has good historic names, use them. Even if some were tainted over time, a new competitive, stylish, and high quality Buick with a familiar name will do very good. Despite an outdated, negative reputation.

Look at the Malibu and Impala. Sometimes heritage works.

Anybody who gives a damn about cars, knows that a Skylark, a Regal, or a LeSabre is a BUICK.

LaCrosse, Lucerne, etc. are unknowns that only Buick/GM loyalists would be aware of.

What does GM think that the public would be fooled into buying a LaCrosse because, an uninformed buyer thought it was a Lexus or an Acura?

If you want to build a brand that actually has the asset of a long and storied heritage then utilize that asset.

The taxpayer is not paying for this, its the person whom uses Federal Reserve Notes(US $) for currency whom pays for it.

What could Buick do to fill Pontiac's shoes? It's not even a legit question at this point. GM is staring down the bankruptcy barrel. As Chrysler is about to demonstrate this is a time to reset the company and do everything right as if you were starting a brand new company. Chevrolet handles what Pontiac did just fine. GM doesn't have unlimited resources for chasing down BMW and Mercedes with Cadillac. Select Cadillac vehicles (new SRX, Converj and maybe a less expensive GMT900 Escalade) should be moved over to Buick. Cadillac should be cancelled. It's either Cadillac or Buick, and I think Buick can pull off sharing parts and platforms with Chevy better than Cadillac. Plus, the automotive center of the universe is moving to China. Buick can build on that.

GMC. What do you think the future is for trucks in a more stringent CAFE world? Phase out GMC Chevy clones, move all medium-duty trucks to GMC and spin off the medium trucks to someone else. Retrench with Chevy Trucks to beat Ford, Dodge and Toyota.

Bottomline 2 channels: Chevy and Buick.

Brain Dead...

I wonder how many AIG bonuses it would take to make a fueling station.

If we took back the whole AIG bailout we could pay cash to build a national Hydrogen refueling network.

>>"If we impose high tariffs on their imported products, they will just build them in America and still destroy American companies. "<<

That's a tax loophole.

Close it.

Gub'mint adds new taxes as a whim with no opposition. Add a 'business license' fee to all foreign corporations selling product here. Whether assembled here or there should not make a difference- they need the U.S..

Great Idea, or we could eliminate the corporate tax on domestic companies and raise it for foreigners. 60% would be fair enough, heck 90%.

I'm not arguing the merits/demerits of any of those policies. I'm just pointing out that we'd need to do all of my list in order for things to be equal in terms of global trade. All of those things are what the asians do.

Oh they were great suggestions, I really wish our leaders actually would touch the topic.

It would not surprise me if GM was reduced to three brands period.

Chevrolet

Buick

Cadillac

Just to let you know, I support free trade as long as it is fair and equitable for all parties. Nations that refuse to play by the rules should be cut out of global trade and be left to whither and die.

Eh, I think competition is good for business, and such aggressive protection of the home industry would likely promote laziness on the part of the domestic automakers. What I DO support is a fair trade policy. Apply the same trade tariffs to cars coming to our country as are applied to our vehicles going to theirs. This would nail the Japanese pretty good, as they make it pretty non-viable to sell American cars in Japan. It gets a bit sticky when you consider the foreign-owned domestic factories, though.

Yes, competition is a good thing, if the Detroit three fail to succeed in a domestic monopoly then some other U.S. automaker will take their roles. Anti-trust laws will ensure a domestic free market. Tariffs in manufacturing matter little to Toyota or Sony. If we impose high tariffs on their imported products, they will just build them in America and still destroy American companies. Only barring companies from nations that are hostile to foreign companies will help faciltate truely free markets both there and here. Japan, Korea, Chjina, and their ilk are highly protectionist of their domestic industries and hostile towards foreign industries. The Asians have occupied the West for decades, I think its time to Liberate the West.

This plan only works if you want to start a trade war... the way to make American Automakers successful is to make them competitive not killing the competition.

We already are in a trade war that we are losing. Japan, Korea, China, and their ilk are highly protectionist of their domestic industries and hostile towards foreign industries. The Asians have occupied the West for decades, I think its time to Liberate the West. Again competition should be stiff in the domestic market with limited incursions by European companies.

To make American companies competative with the Asian's we'd have to:

1. Provide national healthcare.

2. Provide extremely low interest loans to the Big Three.

3. Provide massive grants to new technologies.

4. Instill a sense of national pride towards American designed/manufactured products.

5. Instill a WWII like loathing of all things imported.

6. Set tariffs equal to those imposed on our car makers.

7. Heavily tax all income headed towards the mother country.

8. Set up a testing/approval/licensing procedure for importing products such as it would make the I.R.S. look like a young, flexible, efficient start up company.

9. Require that a certain (high) percentage of products intended of U.S. consumption be produced in the U.S.

Unions stand to make a killing both in membership and in power if they stop supporting government help for the workers against their employers and provide their members with health benefits, retirement, disability, etc.

Health care and other benefits should not be provided by employers or the government.

Loaning money and giving out grants never work to fix long term problems or create real progress.

Instilling a renewed sense of Patriotism is fine as long as it works. It takes a while for people to regain their faith when its lost.

Being distracted by foreign companies imports 0nly secures their position when they decide to make them here. It still send money outside the US and anchors the enemy in our homeland.

If we really want to save the US auto industry then we got to do something bold.

1) Detroit has no independent market share above 1% in any East Asian market and as such we should kick out the Japanese and Koreans from the US and keep the Chinese and Malaysians out of our market.

2) Restrict all Foreign automakers to a 20% combined cap in market share.

3) Restrict all Foreign automobiles to be sold under $30,000 and above $150,000.

4) Restrict all sales of Foreign automobiles to those built in the US.

5) Work to force out the Asians throughout the Americas and all of Europe.

What will result from this radical departure in US policy?

-US Automakers are given at least an 80% share of their home market.

-US Automakers secure their 20% market share abroad in the EU, Russia, and India.

-US luxury brands regain 100% of their home market.

-Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Maserati will cease operation in the US.

-Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce will be the only remaining European coachmakers in the US.

-Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche will remain in the US.

-In addition to VW, we will get more EU auto brands like Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Seat, Skoda, and Renault.

-Cadillac pulls out of Britain, Germany, and Italy

-China ends its parasitic relationship with foreign automakers leading the the demise and isolation of the Chinese auto industry.

-Japan and Korea become regional players as US and EU automakers reassert their dominance in the global auto industry.

Alas, this is only a pipe dream and will never happen. Although its interesting to think about the possibilities.

Too bad the free market has been perverted so far that it merely means the constant erosion of US companies and industries until they are all gone.

I can see the headlines now,

Death Watch Toyota

This is great news. I just hope its a sign of better days ahead and not just a fluke.

I knew GM was in dire straights but I knew that the restructuring combined with new world-class product would lead GM to a turnaround. Now let's see some profits so GM can get out from under the Federal government's thumb.

Jay Leno is a Great American!

Union gets deal they want.

GM goes bankrupt.

Union dead.

GM lives on.

The Regal/Insignia will be coming, just there is no official word on it as far as I know.

Here you go. I put the cues from the Chrysler 200C concept on it :

Me likes...

This is what happens when the economy flies off a cliff when you are paying off debts and spending big on a product renaissance.

GM will survive and will be in its best global and domestic position since the 1930s.

I expect that GM will regain and secure the top spot globally by 2020.

Has anyone noticed that the 200C has styling that looks like a Fiat?

Hmm....

Could this be so other Fiat products can be integrated into the Chrysler line-up?

One can only hope that GM is spending most of this on great new products.

Three years of losses are more likely the results of pay down obligations and a massive investment in product development. In the last three years, GM has come out with more great cars and other vehicles than GM has produced in over 30 years if not 60 years. By 2012, if GM is able to survive, it will with TARP access, GM will have the best products out there.

Puegeot and Citroen have some interesting products, but I'm not sure about their quality/reliability standings. I would come closer to buying a product from one of these 2 brands than some cheap and horrid Chinese/Indian deathtraps. This might be an interesting alternative for SDC, although highly unlikely.

Another longshot would be for SDC to approach Renault/Nissan about utilizing Saturn's dealership base as a way for relaunching Renault (which also has some cool products) in the U.S. The products would have to be assembled somewhere other than Europe to avoid the unfavorable exchange rate issues that plagued the pricing of the Saturn Astra. I doubt anything like this would happen since Renault/Nissan has announced that it is losing money and are planning to downsize their operations.

Heck, I wouldn't even mind seeing SDC cut a deal with Volkswagen to set the dealership base up as a bargain outlet for Seat/Skoda products. Before the economic meltdown hit, Volkswagen was claiming that they wanted to pass Toyota in global sales. This would give them the opportunity to do just that. Since Saturn started their existence as an affordable car make, this could be an interesting hookup for SDC (although it will probably never happen).

Basically, I wholeheartedly agree with your commment. I would much rather see SDC linked to a distribution deal with an European brand that wishes to launch/relaunch in North America than to see it hookup with a Chinese or Indian brand.

Ha I was thinking the same thing, Saturn could be for PSA in North America, what Opel is for GM in Europe.

I hate to hijack this thread, but there is another comment that I think is a bit political as well that you conveniently left out about the car being given to a "Kenyan". If you are going to object to political comments, object to all of them.

Very true I didn't see that one, now that the election is over we need to get back to talking about cars.

Thanks for Posting this, I really like this Version so much better than what Bush rolled around in. Hopefully Obama will get the next one to in 4 years.

Gotta love american built Auto!.

If the GOP had their way, they would have killed this company and then probably gone to Mercedes and asked for a armored limo. Just what we need, our President being driven around in a foreign made auto.

Awesome Job GM, Keep it up.

Keep your ignorant political comments to yourself, this is a automotive blog not a political blog. Besides the Democrats are just as guilty as Republicans in this cabal against or domestic industries and companies.

Please consider blogging at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ if you must have a political rant.

That being said, I don't like the new front grille, I wish it had the old grille or the CTS' grille.

It looks like this Camry kissed a last gen Accord and the Accord's chrome lipstick smudged on the Camry.

It really does look like a jacked up Corolla

Honda called and wants its grill back.

Looks like a shrunken Ford grill.