General Motors
First Look: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe
The speculation surrounding the Cadillac CTS Coupe finally comes to an end today. The official images and details of the two-door CTS have been released and the production car will hit showrooms in the spring of 2010. And while the coupe might look a lot like the sedan and wagon variants that we’ve already driven, it’s important to know that only the instrument panel, console, front fenders, grille, and headlamps are shared with the sedan. The coupe rides on the same wheelbase, but is shorter by two inches and rides two inches lower to the ground.
Driven: 2010 Lincoln MKT
One of the most crucial things that American automakers—namely Ford and GM—are currently doing is working on building better individual brand identity within their larger portfolios. In years past, the Lincoln brand suffered by being written off as the grandfather-oriented luxury brand, offering soft vehicles with only a few more luxurious touches than similar products with Ford or Mercury badges. But recently, we’ve seen some really attractive things come from Lincoln, and Ford’s marketing representatives have a clear objective to bring new products to dealer lots that don’t plainly resemble the Ford vehicles that they’re based off of. Sure, you can look at a Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS side by side and see some similarities, but non-automotive media consumers won’t necessarily spot the similarities.
Keepers: GMC Syclone/Typhoon
Nothing seems to polarize motoring enthusiasts more than the concept of a performance truck, and the NextAutos office is no exception. What kind of absurd mentality could ever conceive such an abomination as a utilitarian vehicle that aspires to be something other than utilitarian? After all, you could bolt plywood to a shopping cart, tie it to a boat, and go water skiing carting if you really wanted to, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have a blast jumping the wake or cracking the whip into the beach.
Or does it?
Blog: GM 4.0 – Corvette to the Rescue?
I have noted in my previous blogs on GM 4.0 that GM’s remaining core problem is with branding, now that its’ former biggest problems – unit costs and scale costs – are being dealt with through bankruptcy. By branding, I don’t mean marketing B.S., I mean the entire set of perceptions and beliefs that consumers hold about your company or its divisions. Branding addresses the expectations customers have about things they can’t see on a spec sheet or a test drive. It also covers their understanding about how others will perceive what they drive. That stuff is very important.
Driven: 2010 Buick LaCrosse
On several occasions during this bleak period for General Motors, we’ve pointed out that GM has the engineering talent to go toe-to-toe with other high-volume car manufacturers (we already know they can do trucks). Exhibit A is the Cadillac CTS. Now we have Exhibit B: the Buick LaCrosse.
General Motors 4.0: What is a Buick?
Oddly enough, some of the most perplexing questions I get asked by normal people as editor of an automotive publication involve Buick. Most of them are along the lines of “Why did GM keep Buick?” and “What the heck is a Buick anyway?” Not a great place to be, if you’re GM. GM knows it has an issue here in the U.S. (Buick, remember, is a hot brand in China) and it is attacking the problem. Buick recently announced the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, a car that gives us a chance to think about how GM is and should be thinking of the future of the brand.
Blog: General Motors 4.0 – What is an American Car?
I suggested to Fritz Henderson (GM CEO) in my last missive on GM 4.0 that he buy a bunch of Hyundai Genesis Coupes to inspire his executive team. Toward the end of that piece, I mentioned that GM still very much needs to get a handle on what each of its cars should stand for in the marketplace. The first part of that exercise is coming to a strong understand of what an American car is (Alan Mulally might want to listen in on this conversation, BTW).
Blog: General Motors 4.0 – Pay Attention to the Genesis
By happenstance, we had the Chevrolet Corvette and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe in the office during the same week recently. I found driving these two sports coupes back-to-back a fascinating exercise with implications for GM 4.0 and GM CEO Fritz Henderson. Below is my (imagined) consultative letter to Fritz.
Driven: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
General Motors, among financial turmoil and brand sell-offs, has decided to use its most well known brand to usher in the new generation of GM. The vehicle it chose to do it with, however is a crossover: the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. Why? Because the company is confident that it will sell. The redesigned, reengineered Equinox, in the mind of the company, is the perfect package of comfort, safety, utility, and, most importantly, value.
Blog: Chevrolet Volt—Enthusiast Driver’s Car?
Reading the comments on our Tesla drive, and about the Volt’s roughly $32,500 pricing (after subtracting the $7500 federal incentive), got me to thinking that we may misunderstand the Volt and other battery-powered cars. I haven’t driven the Volt, so only time will tell, but here’s the logic.
Blog: A New Lease on Life for Detroit
The daily headlines have been full of news about the bailout of the U.S. auto industry from its various problems. As interesting as such details are, I’d like to suggest that they aren’t the important part of the story for automotive enthusiasts. In a dramatically changing automobile industry, what we’ve witnessed up ‘til now is more like the preparation for the invasion of Iraq. We’re entering the phase where we actually invade. But the hard parts and the decisive parts start after that. Or, if you prefer a happier analogy, we’ve been witnessing the prep for the wedding. Now we’re about to go in to the wedding ceremony and then off on a honeymoon. After that, the hard work and – we hope – good times begin. Ongoing life isn’t a wedding ceremony or a battle, and we would do well not to confuse the two.
First Look: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
It’s now been thirteen years since we’ve seen a Corvette Grand Sport, but Chevrolet has decided to resurrect this special moniker for the 2010 Corvette. The standard LS3 engine has not been changed, but even so, 430 horsepower (or 436 with the optional exhaust) is nothing to complain about. The Grand Sport replaces the original Z51 performance package, but will offer a host of upgrades which bring the standard ‘Vette close to Z06 performance. Both coupe and convertible variants will be offered, as well as a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
List: New GM/Segway PUMA and other Personal Mobility Vehicles
In the spirit of desperation innovation, General Motors and Segway unveiled their joint personal mobility vehicle project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) prototype in New York. The two-seated vehicle will feature the two-wheel balancing technology of the Segway, as well as connectivity between other PUMAs that will enhance safety and communication while zipping around town.
First Look: 2010 GMC Terrain Shows Its Face
General Motors sure does enjoy badge engineering. We just saw the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox for the first time this past January along with Cadillac’s new SRX, but instead of making a replacement for the outgoing Pontiac Torrent, the General decided to add another vehicle into GMC’s product line — the 2010 Terrain.
Analysis: The Lessons of Rick Wagoner’s Demise
I confess to having mixed emotions about the Obama administration’s move over the weekend to throw Rick Wagoner under the Escalade.
On the one hand, Mr. Wagoner was pretty clearly toast last fall. He had to get the axe, at a minimum for political reasons, but for sound reasons as well.
Driven: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Decisions Decisions…
The obvious comparisons surrounding the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro pit the reconstituted pony car against the Mustang and Challenger. Well duh. We submit, however, that the obvious overlooks something right before your eyes; a Camaro versus Camaro face off.
List: The Legacy of “Maximum” Bob Lutz in Seven Parts
With the recent announcement of Bob Lutz’s impending retirement from General Motors as Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, we thought it would be time to take a look at a few of the things for which Maximum Bob will be remembered.
Driven: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe
When General Motors introduced the first Chevrolet Cobalt SS for 2005, it was praised within the sport compact scene for its supercharged power and relatively cheap price point, though the car didn’t really have the overall refinement to make it something extra special. Thus, Chevy has gone back to the drawing board and come up with something it can really be proud of. This latest addition to the Cobalt lineup was tuned and tested on Germany’s Nürburgring and finally has the power and poise to be taken seriously as a true performance car.
Driven: 2009 Hummer H3
The Hummer H3 is an interesting vehicle to drive in light of our nation’s fuel crisis. Off-road enthusiasts and Hummer loyalists appreciate the H3’s off-road capability and style, but the H3 is becoming tougher and tougher to see to new consumers and the automotive press alike. Our test car’s sticker price is just a notch below the $40,000 mark, and while that might seem like a bargain to some, we’d search elsewhere for our SUV needs.
Driven: the 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5
We were recently invited, along with an immodestly large group of our fellow scribes, to have our way with the whole of the 2009 General Motors lineup at the bustling Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois. And despite the siren song of several Corvette ZR1s wailing from the direction of the north track, we took the afternoon to acquaint ourselves with a vehicle that seems to have an ever increasing importance for GM’s near term future, the 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5.
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