Like subsidiary Cadillac, we know we have a schizophrenic opinion of GM. Why? It all comes down to products. We don't care who is running the place and we can easily overlook the price. But the if the product is a cat turd...
Take for example, the Cadillac CTS. First one? Weak! Now? Friggin' awesome! Go, GM! Oh, look, a Chevy (retch) Monte Carlo. What a piece of shite! At least GM smartened up enough to kill that car.
Anyway, as we walked around the NY Auto Show, we noticed that GM was finally getting its act together -- in most divisions (Pontiac is still weak and Buick is just slightly better): Saturn, Chevy, Cadillac. What products specifically are we happy about?
Cadillac
CTSGM has paid close, close attention to rivals and, to its credit, has learned something. Cadillac took a weak product and turned it into something that we nearly ready to recommend and, get this (sad or not), it isn't even out yet.
With beautiful styling, available all-wheel drive and plenty of power, the CTS is making this sentence seem like a friggin' ad for Cadillac! While prices haven't been announced yet, we're pretty sure the CTS will be competitive with Lexus. Now how to change the public's perception?
For the record, there are few interior styling cues we'd like to see changed: the instrument cluster is sorta plain... whoa! That's it? Nice work, Cadillac.
CTS! CTS! CTS! A Car Redesigned. Only Betterer: 2008 Cadillac CTS
Chevy
MalibuRight, we know! The friggin' Malisnooze? Look, not everyone is made of money. Or comes from money. Or has so much money that they can sell money. So, affordable cars are a very important segment to many, many people. Enter the Malibu.
It looks to be like the Saturn Aura, but less fancy and more affordable. This car is very important to GM because it has the chance to win back the hearts of the folks it totally, totally screwed for the last 20 years. We'll admit to being a bit naive thinking GM has totally turned it around but when the design is worth looking at, the prices are fair and the warranty is longer, well, we're ready to give them a fair glance rather than be totally dismissive.
Check it out and let us know what you think: 2008 Chevy Malibu
Saturn
AuraSpecifically we're talking about the Green Line. Yeah, yeah, it's not a "real" hybrid. But it's a good-looking car and it's priced right. It's priced to the point where maybe folks who would never, ever consider a hybrid will do so now. We're already pretty pro-Aura (the center mounted passenger airbag warning light needs to be moved... AND FAST!), but the Green Line is the potential icing on the Alison.
And if Saturn sells enough of these, it will spur GM to take more notice and invest even more money into hybrids and that is good down the road. Our challenge to Saturn: make the 2009 Saturn Aura Green Line get 40 mpg on highway. The non-hybrid Civic can do so now.
Any thoughts on GM? They turning it around?
Make sure to check out all our NY Auto Show coverage.
By the way, nice works on these sites, GM. The sites are simple and show off the product. Try to go to see the Volvo C30 (which we friggin' love) and get all vomity at the site. What a POS site. Let us see the fucking car! Sorry for the weak-ass snaps... GM is still working on getting really good snaps for us hacks.
I'd like to like the Malibu, really. But, in the photos on that link it says in tiny, tiny print "Preproduction model. Final production may vary." WTF does that mean? The interior won't be quite as nice?
The e-mail signup thingie doesn't work...
My dad was a Chevy man to the core and I want to support you, but you're not making it easy. (Especially after my Cavalier leaked water into the trunk and rear seat area from day one and you could never figure out how or why.) What are the specs on the engines? Price? What exactly does the limited powertrain warranty cover?
If you can't or won't post that info now, why should I put you on my short list to replace my current car?
Posted by: Jeff | Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 08:07 PM
It's a really slow turn at GM, but it's going in the right direction too bad most people aren't noticing since they have their heads so far up the imports tailpipes. Like lemmings they are, the public is. Just say Toyota and they sigh, all content to send their money overseas for a inferior product thinking if it's made in America, then its all right.
Suprised to hear and read that so many consumers still think of GM as producing gas hogs, what an out of date bias perception there is. Any of you nitwits ever check the epa on a CRV or Rav4 or Tundra? the GM counterpart beats them every time hands down. Us Americans like bigger more powerful cars and trucks to handle the vast Interstate system we're so lucky to have. I think it's amazing that GM can build a great vehicle like the Suburban that can carry 9, tow big stuff, haul supplies and still get 21mpg on the highway. Or the Corvette that has a fantastic 400 hp engine and yet can still get 27mpg on the highway.
Posted by: tommyO | Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 07:31 PM
Too bad that I actually like GM as a company -- much as I loathe their gas-guzzling fixation. My '91 Park Ave was well-built and delivered 300,000 miles averaging 31-32MPG on the road. I liked it so well I got a '96 Park. That one has a PLASTIC intake manifold - probably designed to fail, and save them $0.75 each, since it died at 140,000 miles, cost me $1,600. Even more disgusting is that the mileage does not break 30 MPG - even though it beats the toy-auto Camry in every department as well as MPG.
A '98 Park Ave we got later has already had the designed-in PLASTIC (CHEAP)manifold failure at only 67,000 miles. THIS IS PROGRESS for a $38,000 car ????
At least our '98 Saturn gets 35-38MPG, and I already know not to get a new one, since the new Saturn can claim only 35MPG at the very best! ! !
Posted by: Navajo | Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 05:27 PM
GM has to have a death wish -- they MUST have slimy oil shieks on the board, sinking the company to hurt the US economy. GM has in its UK Vauxhall subsidiary a 64MPG DIESEL in a Great-Looking, decent car similar in size etc to an asian Camry. Who needs their asian hybrid crap with that already available -- if only the Kill-GM crowd would let them/us import it.
If that isn't enough insult to the American car buyers, then try this one on for size. The GM German subsidiary has developed an Opel Astra diesel hybrid producing over 70MPG in a sexy looking coupe which I'd take over an asian rice-burner any day.
WHY WON'T THE GM WONKS LET THEIR GREAT EURO VEHICLES SINK THOSE ASIAN "HYBRIDS" WHICH CAN'T TOUCH THEIR FUEL ECONOMY A.N.D. THEIR MUCH LOWER ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION OUTPUT????
I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in the secret doings at some mosque in Detroit.
Posted by: Navajo | Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 05:15 PM