Comments on: GM Has Awesome (pictures of) New Cars!

By: limmin

limmin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:21:17 +0000

If that sharp-looking Cruze turbo 1.4L meets its fuel economy claim of 45mpg, Honda and Toyota better get ready for some heavy discounting of its economy cars.

45mpg is Prius territory, without the Prius drawbacks.

Will the Cruze hit 45mpg? With a really high top gear, on level grade, going 55mph, under absolutely ideal atmospheric conditions……no, it won’t.

Turbo engines guzzle fuel, and usually premium fuel at that. Turbos are like exotic dancers—you can cosset them and treat them gently and respectfully, but they’ll still sock you for another $250 bottle of champagne.

So I’ve HEARD, about exotic dancers. Ahem.

By: dean

dean — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:17:22 +0000

That CTS wagon looks good to me. Which means they won’t make it, and if they do it will be hit with an ugly stick first.

By: davey49

davey49 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:35:47 +0000

The Cruze is definitely Daewoo. I’m guessing that it really is the replacement for the Chevrolet Lacetti/Optra/Suzuki Forenza/Holden Viva/Buick Excelle. I wonder if the Forenza will disappear altogether or will Suzuki get a rebadge Cruze.
Invicta will likely be built in Kansas City next to the Malibu and Aura.
Torsion bar suspension = larger trunk

By: golden2husky

golden2husky — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:32:17 +0000

Buick actually makes a good car, in fact they would be some of the General’s best offerings. Too bad nobody even thinks to look. I am willing to bet that if you hid the Buick identity and wrapped it in ES 350 or Avalon wrappings, the vast majority of present ES/Avalon buyers would be just as satisfied. Sorry but there is some truth to the “perception is reality” line of thinking. Of course one can’t help but comment about what made that perception to begin with…but lets be real. You don’t have to go too far back in time to recall “Bring Me a Wrecker” or “Breakdown Motor Works” for BMW. Nobody brings up the Munich carmaker’s past because they have done a stellar job of managing the present. Yet you still hear about X/J car disasters. This is something the General should ponder.

By: jurisb

jurisb — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:26:24 +0000

Ok, now the reality check. Cruze is going to be built and engineered in korea by daewoo.( or will it be a Vectra spun off?) And rebadged as Chevy for NA. Invicta probably will be built and engineered in China. SRx and Saab Suv will be siblings sharing door frames , pillars and windshields.

By: jaje

jaje — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:09:44 +0000

As for non matching sedans to vehicles…anyone look at the last generation Saturn Relay’s rear window. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the car but I bet GM got a great deal on extra windows for their SUVs so that slapped that one on the back b/c it did fit yet doesn’t match.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Saturn_Relay_%2705-%2707.JPG/800px-Saturn_Relay_%2705-%2707.JPG

By: Rix

Rix — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37:39 +0000

That Buick Invicta is a dead ringer for a Lexus GS. At least they’re learning to steal..er ..borrow…from the right places.

By: Robert Farago

Robert Farago — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:44:36 +0000

rtz:

Next gen? Hardly! Those just look like product refreshes. Nothing new. That ain’t going to save the company. Abandon ship!

ENOUGH NEW CARS! Improve the ones you got. For Christ’s sake, how long does it take these people to get it?

By: rtz

rtz — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:39:23 +0000

Next gen? Hardly! Those just look like product refreshes. Nothing new. That ain’t going to save the company. Abandon ship!

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:31:19 +0000

agree the “vette is a terrific car.

But the Cruze? That styling (expletive beginning with “s” deleted).

By: John Horner

John Horner — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:52 +0000

“Caddy CTS sportwagon”

It looks like once again the cheap way out has been taken and a wagon which shares the rear doors with it’s sedan is being made. But, this is the first time I’ve seen one where it looks like the rear window is shared as well. Hideous and counter-productive.

By: windswords

windswords — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:14:02 +0000

jaje:

“- Dakota (as much as people dislike this truck…it is one what I consider of very few 1/2 trucks around and still has a v6).”

The first gen Dakota was very attractive. The cur4rent one – too “cubist” for me. It is a decent performing truck, but it got too big, so there is little to differentiate it from a full size. If there is a next gen hopefully they will rightsize it.

By: NN

NN — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:47:48 +0000

The Saab is DOA…no one will care. No matter what GM says, Saab should never make SUV’s. What an amazing time to be the owners of a 4-cylinder luxury car brand…and wow, they have pissed away an amazing opportunity.

The Cadillac will be sorry because it’s going to be a rebadged Equinox. For some reason, that wasn’t so bad with the Escalade…but there’s a big difference between a Tahoe and an Equinox.

I think the CTS wagon looks awesome, and I’m excited about that. They probably have modest goals for it, and it will probably hit them.

The Buick isn’t so exciting…I agree with a previous poster that the Enclave comes across as more elegant.

The Cruze looks good, too…but when the new Mazda 3 comes out (probably before the Cruze), it will immediately look old. And if Daewoo has anything to do with the engineering and platform, then it will be old. It is a Delta II, so there’s hope that it was Opel, not Daewoo, doing the dirty work.

By: jaje

jaje — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:42:26 +0000

There are some domestics that are good cars…but very few and far between:
- Vette (the Corvette teams lives insulated from GM’s terrible mismanagement)
- Dakota (as much as people dislike this truck…it is one what I consider of very few 1/2 trucks around and still has a v6).
- F150/Silverado/Ram (they are trucks as to what trucks are…I think most of the gripes are against the buyers who use them as commuter cars and have that “tough look”)
- Wrangler (still stays true to its roots but with 4 doors it’s slowly losing its unique traits)

Most D2.8 concept cars promise too much and deliver too little – just like the mouths of their Executives. We are supposed to listen and take it in stride.

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:40:08 +0000

this is really exciting stuff…

I want that cruze thingy.

Seriously, if they brought back the 2nd gen Corvair, gave it a today’s drivetrain and made it a bit more aerodynamic, that would be vastly superior to all this blandness. Is it the General, or do today’s stylists stink?

By: Dinu Uscatu

Dinu Uscatu — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:39:30 +0000

The Cruze looks good right now. But by the time it gets here? The new MZ3 will be on sale and its looks should improve too (not that it’s a bad looking car mind you – I actually think it looks quite good, along with the Golf (Rabbit)).

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:19:18 +0000

The Cruze is the first small car design I’ve seen that doesn’t look cheap. It’ll sell in droves.

But the big question is will the Cruze look like the PR photos when it’s on sale in however many years and how far ahead will the competition have gotten in that time.

I don’t complain about things when they are done right, quit trying to blame us because they can’t build cars customers really want or that can live up to the hype they create 4 years in advance.

By: Alexdi

Alexdi — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:46:18 +0000

Is there anything from an American manufacturer that TTAC won’t complain about? The Cruze is the first small car design I’ve seen that doesn’t look cheap. It’ll sell in droves.

By: JoeEgo

JoeEgo — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:20:15 +0000

I’ll just keep hoping the Pontiac news is quiet because the Sportwagon is only just recently on sale down under and GM marketing is entirely incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.

Rumors indicate the Buick to be Epsilon I or II and the photo bears resemblance to the roofline of the Malibu. There’d better be something special to that package to make it stand out from the Chevy.

The only good thing about the Equinox is it is smaller than the Traverse.

Finally, I’ll say it one more time: Sportwagon!

By: oboylepr

oboylepr — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:09:51 +0000

Where’s all the design sparkle of the Enclave?

Huh?

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:03:29 +0000

That Cruze illustration look like a new Accord Coupe in the front with that forced Chevy 2 bar thing. Not bad looking except for the Chevy part in the middle. It look slike a midsize from the drawing, not a lot of practical usefullness in the packaging if it ends up being the size of the current Cobalt. It would be damn sharp looking as a Saturn wagon WITHOUT a choptop.

By: Richard Chen

Richard Chen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:59:03 +0000

The Cruze reportedly will have a torsion bar rear suspension for co$t reasons. The Volt and Cruze share a platform (I think) – is that why the Volt’s fuel tank shrunk?

By: nathaniel

nathaniel — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:50:05 +0000

Same old story…

US automaker releases pics of upcoming cars that would have actually been competitive 5 years ago, and are still several years from production.

By: TriShield

TriShield — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:47:35 +0000

The Invicta was a horribly bland concept and it looks like the production LaCrosse will be the same way. Where’s all the design sparkle of the Enclave? I guess it’s just staying with the Enclave.

By: dastanley

dastanley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:33:03 +0000

You damn customers! It’s that perception gap again! You all have it in for us at GM. I’ve worked hard for my 14+ million every year leading GM in our turnaround and you’d better get with it and buy our crap, er, I mean our products, or I’ll sick Lutz on you.

Rick Wagoner
GM CEO