Petra

On the one hand, the UAW's insistence that it is entitled to job security, health care, and above-average wages is infuriating. On the other hand, if GM had said "No" to the UAW's demands 25 years ago, they might not be in this predicament. In the end, I'd say that both are to blame equally. Concession is simply not in the UAW's vocabulary, and anybody who was expecting them to take a hit for the team was only fooling themselves. And GM doesn't have the guts to call the Union's bluff. Nearly 40 years of caving, and you think they're going to change tactics now? In the end, it is all leading to one sad, familiar conclusion. I'd love to see some drastic change as much as the next person, but I just don't think it is realistic.

See that black plastic in the center stack of the Dodge? I'm pretty sure that's the same gross, black plastic that the center stack in my 1996 Grand Caravan is hewn from.

Neat renderings. For some reason, it says "Oldsmobile" to me.

I wonder what the cost premium will be compared with gasoline versions. Consider that this car will get equal mileage to my 1994 VW Jetta Diesel, but will have amenities such as power windows, A/C (ok, my car has A/C, it just doesn't work), not to mention a lot more room, whilst weighing probably about 1,000 pounds more. That's what I call progress!

Looks to have lost little from the so-called concept, which is a good thing. There are a lot of people here who will hate on the Accord for the simple fact that it is a Honda. Too bad. The Accord has always been a great car, and this coming generation will be so much the better. Yeah, the new Malibu is great, too, but I'd say it is still playing catch-up, especially with regards to powertrains and simple driving dynamics.

I voted for the Beat... neat little car, kind of reminds me of the late, great Honda CRX. Stick the Cobalt SS motor in it and watch it go! However, the styling is all Pontiac, IMO. It reminds me of their concepts from the late '90's - early '00's, like the Piranha and the Rageous. The Trax was a close 2nd for me. It presents an interesting take on the "Mini-me SUV" style, but the Beat's styling was more provocative and I didn't really dig the Brown on Copper body mouldings... too many bad memories of the Aztek. The Groove was a distant 3rd. Sorry, but it brings nothing new to the table, and I guarantee that buyers would dismiss it as GM trying to cash in on the xB's success. Also, the front end reminds me of the bland/hideous Chevrolet Uplander, a vehicle which should never be imitated in any way, shape or form.

The fact that Toyota refers to "Blizzard Pearl" (AKA: White) Paint as "stunning" only serves to reinforce their reputation as the king of bland. Yawn...

Have they learned nothing from the Commander? What's that old saying about making the same mistake twice and expecting different results...

I can dig it. As much as some people like to wax nostagic about the Razor, it just simply could not have been produced at an appropriate level of performance with a low enough cost at that time. The more modern Caliber/Compass/Patriot platform of today, along with its more powerful lineup of engines (both naturally aspirated & forced-induction), is about a perfect match for this Demon.

Interesting you should mention that, as I would be rather curious to see what would fill that signifigant sales void... after all, those fleets are not going to stop wanting vehicles all of a sudden. And, furthermore, returning the Impala to RWD would only serve to make it more attractive to fleets, particularily law enforcement. So long as Oshawa is tooled for flexable manufacturing, I would be in favour of simply continuing to produce the current generation Impala for fleet use only well into the next decade. But, as this thread demonstrates, who really knows what GM has up their sleeves?

I've had ING since, uhh... yesterday. So far, so good!

Hard to say... I found it difficult to find a flattering picture of that car.

Not that anybody here cares, but Toyota actually did make a car called the Corona at one time:

Second... Looks like a mid-90's BMW to me. It's a good, sleeper look that I happen to like, and I look forward to seeing many more pics.

The Compass is really not a terribly bad vehicle. It's just a terribly bad vehicle to wear the Jeep badge. The people who wrote those reviews were totally oblivious to the whole, "It's not a real Jeep!" dilemma.

P.S: If anybody can figure out how to get the actual images to post in my previous entry, that would be great. For some reason, I got an error saying that I couldn't use the "" tags. Then, when I tried to edit, I got the good 'ol 500K internal server error.

Here's a bunch of my thoughts on stuff that I liked, and stuff that I didn't: MIA Mention: Jaguar C-XF http://cwimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dl...56&maxw=490 Jaguar doesn't do a concept every year as some automakers do, but, when they do roll one out, it's a stunner. I still remember being wowed by the F-Type Concept at my first NAIAS way back in 2000, and I've never understood why they didn't build it. With that in mind, I was looking forward to seeing the C-XF and snapping a ton of pictures. But one of the major concepts I was looking foward to seeing (not to mention winner of AutoWeek's "Best in Show" award) was nowhere to be found. There was a huge, two-story platform with an enormous video display behind it. But, instead of the C-XF, there were two XK-Rs on display instead. This was a huge letdown for me. So, having said that, there was only one car that could possibly be... Best Concept: Ford Interceptor http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...pg?t=1168994497 I know it's only following where the Chrysler 300 led, and the 427 Concept did the same thing a couple years ago. Still, I couldn't help love this big, honkin', blue brick of a car. If Ford built this thing next year as a replacement for the Crown Victoria, they would sell every single one they make, especially if they keep that monster 5.0L. V8. How many times are Ford and GM going to make a concept like this before they realize that the public would love to buy one? P.S: One thing I did not like about the Interceptor: The "razorblade" grille that Ford seemed to be adopting on all their models was cheap, silver-painted plastic, rather than chrome like on the Fusion. It looks awful. Worst Concept: Mazda Ryuga http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...994964%5burl%5d I was stoked to see the Ryuga, too, especially after its sibling, the Senku, recieved a glorious write-up in Motor Trend. I expected a car with flowing features and lines that danced and rippled in the light. What I saw was a car that looked like a giant, bright-red Potato. With 22-inch wheels. If this is Mazda's new design philosophy, I don't like it. How about a little more actual "flow" and a little less Japanamation? Best Production Car: Cadillac CTS Like%20I%20said%20earlier:%20If%20you've%20written%20off%20GM%20as%20being%20terminally%20ill%20and%20doomed,%20it's%20time%20to%20crawl%20out%20from%20underneath%20your%20rock.%20The%20new%20CTS%20is%20not%20only%20a%20match%20for%20its%20competitors,%20but%20it%20beats%20a%20few%20of%20them%20in%20a%20large%20way.%20To%20start%20off%20with,%20the%20new%20uplevel%20motor%20is%20a%20re-invigorated%20version%20of%20the%203.6L.%20V6,%20now%20featuring%20Direct%20Injection%20and%20VVT,%20pushing%20out%20somewhere%20around%20300%20horsepower...%20right%20up%20there%20with%20the%20335i,%20G35,%20and%20IS350.%20Secondly,%20GM%20spend%20a%20lot%20of%20money%20on%20the%20interior%20of%20this%20car,%20and%20it%20shows.%20It%20is%20no%20longer%20an%20embarassment%20to%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20car,%20and,%20honestly,%20I'd%20take%20it%20over%20the%20teutonic%20blandness%20of%20the%20BMW%20or%20the%20tarted-up%20Camry%20look%20of%20the%20IS.%20Lastly,%20the%20Cadillac%20truly%20has%20a%20style%20all%20its%20own%20with%20Art%20&%20Science.%20When%20I%20first%20saw%20the%20original%20CTS,%20I%20hated%20it.%20However,%20as%20time%20grew%20on,%20I%20grew%20to%20like%20it,%20not%20only%20in%20an%20aesthetic%20sense,%20but%20for%20what%20it%20represented.%20This%20is%20the%20first%20time%20in%20decades%20that%20the%20entire%20Cadillac%20lineup%20has%20had%20a%20unified%20theme%20across%20all%20models...%20and%20that%20can%20only%20be%20a%20good%20thing%20for%20the%20brand.%20 Honourable%20mention%20goes%20to%20the%20new%20Accord.%20Like%20the%20first-gen.%20CTS,%20I%20think%20this%20car%20will%20really%20re-invigorate%20a%20stale%20brand%20(considering%20the%20history%20of%20the%20Accord%20model,%20I%20think%20it's%20fair%20to%20call%20it%20a%20"brand"). Worst%20Production%20Car:%20Dodge%20Avenger %5burl=http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petra_87/NAIAS%202007/ModelDodgeAvenger.jpg?t=1168996458%5dhttp://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...pg?t=1168996458" target="_blank">http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petra_87/NAIAS%202007/CadillacCTS.jpg?t=1168995464://http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y1...pg?t=1168995464</a> Like I said earlier: If you've written off GM as being terminally ill and doomed, it's time to crawl out from underneath your rock. The new CTS is not only a match for its competitors, but it beats a few of them in a large way. To start off with, the new uplevel motor is a re-invigorated version of the 3.6L. V6, now featuring Direct Injection and VVT, pushing out somewhere around 300 horsepower... right up there with the 335i, G35, and IS350. Secondly, GM spend a lot of money on the interior of this car, and it shows. It is no longer an embarassment to the rest of the car, and, honestly, I'd take it over the teutonic blandness of the BMW or the tarted-up Camry look of the IS. Lastly, the Cadillac truly has a style all its own with Art & Science. When I first saw the original CTS, I hated it. However, as time grew on, I grew to like it, not only in an aesthetic sense, but for what it represented. This is the first time in decades that the entire Cadillac lineup has had a unified theme across all models... and that can only be a good thing for the brand. Honourable mention goes to the new Accord. Like the first-gen. CTS, I think this car will really re-invigorate a stale brand (considering the history of the Accord model, I think it's fair to call it a "brand"). Worst Production Car: Dodge Avenger http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...pg?t=1168996458://http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y1...pg?t=1168996458 Well... The Dodge model was hot. And that's about it. Anybody who can't tell that this mini-me, FWD Charger is a raging pile needs an eye exam. It will always be incomprehensible to me how this company can come out with huge home runs like the LX cars and the new Minivans and then turn around and roll out fleetmobiles like this. It's sad. The only redeeming feature of this car is that it will likely be a few grand cheaper than the nearly identical Sebring. If you're gonna drive a pathetic vehicle like this, you might as well save a few bucks. Nice Guys Who Finished Last: Kia Kue & GMs Butterflies http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...pg?t=1168997063://http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y1...pg?t=1168997063 As you can see, the display for the Kia Kue was pretty much totally deserted. It's a pity, because I actually thought it was pretty cool. In the future, I would recommend against putting the Kia display right next to Aston Martin... what a strange juxtaposition, eh? http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petr...pg?t=1168997319 It pained my heart to see so many people walking by this display without so much as looking as it. It's obvious that somebody at GM (maybe the guy behind the curtain?) went to a lot of trouble and care to set up this display. And it was really quite beautiful and somewhat magical in real life. The picture barely does it justice, but it does preserve the memory of the little, quiet things that no one ever knows.

I couldn't find it, either. I was really dissapointed.

All mine are online... 100 images, five full pages: http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Petra_87/NAIAS%202007/

The 402 on the way into Sarnia was horrid on Sunday morning. But, once we got into Sarnia and crossed the border, the snow stopped and it was smooth sailing all the way to Detroit... very bizarre.

I'll be there Sunday. Word up to those going on Saturday: Parking spaces may be at a premium because the Red Wings are playing @ home.

Nice find! It does indeed look a lot "sharper".

Just stretch the current body on top of the Calibers mechanicals. There's no reason to mess around much with the styling, though the interior could use an update.

I've always thought the 350Z looked great in Red. However, the older, deeper red from a couple years ago looked better than this one.

I have yet to see any real-world pictures of this car, so I am looking forward to seeing it in person on Sunday. I think it should look better live... less "melted Tupperware"-looking. I also agree with the earlier sentiments that this car, if it were produced, should have a gasoline engine only. Sadly, the Volta concept and this one are setting a disturbing, Hybrid-powered trend.