pow

Exactly. It's not about what you are "allowed" to say. But if you act like a complete douchebag, surely the people you've just annoyed will at least have some sort of response.

It's an XR, which isn't the base model.

I'd still take the F-150. Lowest emissions and safest full-size truck out there.

They haven't completed testing, but nice drifting footage from two of the vehicles... http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009...r-showdown.html The Camaro SS engine sounds wonderful.

Well, MotorAuthority is an American website. Europeans, on the other hand, do consider Ford Europe and Opel European, because they are.

Awesome. Here's a Saturn I would be interested in buying...

US import regulations are just as anal, requiring a whole host of agencies' approval - NHTSA, EPA, etc. It's practically impossible to import a European car into the US, though not the other way around.

It should be interesting to hear what these obstacles are, and if they still exist. Until recently, Ford owned 33.9% of Mazda - which supplied engines, platforms, and engineering to Ford. Renault still owns 44.3% of Nissan - which has a French CEO. Frankly GM never put much effort into Japan. They could have produced a locally-designed and produced car, but with Japan's historically weak economy, tiny car market, and periodic recessions, why bother? China, Eastern Europe, and South America had far more potential customers.

The two-mode hybrid is going to the SRX. Both the SRX are VUE are built in the same plant in Mexico.

BJ's - people are like OMGOMGITSSOGOODYOUGOTTATRYTHEBAZOOKA, and seriously it wasn't good at all. Apart from In-N-Out and Rubios, why do practically all chain restaurants suck?

SAIC is a well-established public company, and they've been doing joint ventures with GM and VW for decades and that hasn't happened. Their own brands - Roewe, MG, and SsangYong - aren't clones of existing vehicles, unlike smaller Chinese manufacturers.

It's unlikely, but I hope it's PSA or maybe even Renault. A Saturn C6 or Megane would be lovely.

That would make this country far less attractive to investment, nobody would want to come to the US, and domestic consumers, or pretty much the entire population, would be screwed over. The Japanese are getting reamed.

That's awesome. The Equinox is actually lighter than the smaller VUE. Good to see they're improving fuel economy.

+1 It would suck to live in Japan with such limited consumer choice and freedom. Their recession has gone on forever; what good is sitting on a pile of cash when you don't use it? The US found that out in the nineteenth century under mercantilism. Also, if the US government were more like Japan's government, GM and Chrysler would have been dead long ago. Success of many Asian industries comes from governments picking winners among domestic players, withdrawing support from those that are revealed failures, so that resources don't get bottled up in unproductive companies. I don't think American business owners, or consumers for that matter, would find that level of interference acceptable.

There's also an all-new, less compromised version coming out in a few months. That one could very well be a legit midsize sedan contender, hybrid or not.

Don't Fiat and GM already share a small car platform? I believe the Corsa and Grande Punto and MiTo are related.

The wealth of other nations will increase relative to ours - they will start having purchasing power closer to ours, etc - but that doesn't mean we're any worse off in wealth.

I'm estimating I won't be buying until 2012 - and by then, hopefully, there will be some nice choices out there - Chrysler Cinquecento SRT-4 (Fiat 500 Abarth), Ford Fiesta, next-gen Focus, Golf VI, Saturn Megane (I'm dreaming). Not sure about GM, unless they dramatically revise their small car strategy. I'm not liking the vibe coming from future Chevy products - Spark, Cruze, Orlando, Equinox.

Our relative wealth drops, but our absolute wealth would continue to grow.

Starting growing food that would otherwise be expensive from stores

LaCrosse is much bigger and heavier than Insignia. I'm not interested in the LaCrosse, or any current Buick, but I would be interested in an Insignia-based Regal.

Yeah, I know. I don't think CSpec did, though - so I replied to him.

They lose money. And who in Europe buys midsize sedans anyway? Fleets.

It probably helps that '09 Fusions had huge incentives to clear the way for the 2010s.