Robert Hall

Quite a few.... look at the UK, for example...considerably smaller market the US, but probably more makes sold there than the US....(Proton, Puegeot, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Skoda, SEAT, TVR, Diahatsu, Ssangyong, to name a few)...

'tiny'??? They look huge...look at all the open space around the tires...

GM needs this in the US..offer it in FWD and AWD versions, aim it at the A4, TL, Maxima, S40... Keep the CTS to compete with the 3-series, C-class, G35 and IS.. Cadillac could then address the FWD, AWD, and RWD compact sport sedan market.

Yeah, the dogleg C-pillar look has caught on in the last few years...I don't know if it is partially automakers trying to emulate the BMW Hoffmeister kink, or simply a practical design trait to make rear seat ingress/egress easier by making the upper opening larger....

Yeah...it's laughable...I'm afraid a lot of people make dumb vehicle choices...who really needs an obese, 5000-6000lb SUV or truck as a daily driver? Very few people do, yet they keep buying them....

The Lucerne would have made a good LeSabre, I think...

I theory, yes...but I suspect a lot of people that lease these obsese beasts really can't afford them.....

The LaCrosse is probably getting a lot of the old-line Buick buyers (i.e. people trading in their Regals, Centurys, LeSabres). Vanilla sells....

R&T is probably my favorite US car mag overall...I've subscribed to it and C&D since 1977 (when I was 7!), Automobile is probably my second favorite, and then C&D... I've never really cared for Motor Trend.. Of the UK mags, my favorite is Car, then Top Gear, then Evo..

I wonder if those #s included fleet sales for each or real sales only..

Gas is $2.89 here today and will probably be at $3 by the weekend (Denver). I expect it will be above $3 and stay there for sometime..

I suspect the Yaris will be in the US as a Scion or the Echo replacement eventually...the old Yaris 3dr was sold in Canada as an Echo...

Pontiac cut the Aztek, Sunfire, Bonneville, and Montana (the old Montana carried over for '05 after the SV6 was added). Buick cut the Century, Park Avenue, and Le Sabre (the Regal was cut for '05). GMC cut the XUV and Safari. I forgot the Torrent and G6 coupe...

The RAV4 greenhouse reminds be of the Tribeca... the Yaris interior is so minimalist to be depressing...

Well, Buick didn't have a RWD V8 model at all for about 7 years... (last Roadmaster was '96). And isn't the Rainer AWD only (or is there a RWD version for the Sun Belt states?) Interesting... Pontiac cut 5 models for '06, Buick 3, and GMC 2... 10 models cut from PBG for '06 and only 2 added....

I got the new Car & Driver and Road & Track in the mail today..both have Solstice test drive articles.....the Solstice is on the cover of R&T and C&D has a Solstice vs. MX-5 article also..

Yeah, I love the driving-across-a-bridge photo...looks great in read (and I usually don't like red)...and the green...wow..

Yes...that is a big dissapointment..one of joys of sports car ownership is the weekend getaway with the GF/SO/wife... my girlfriend & I love taking late spring/summer/fall weekend getaways to the mountains (Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, etc), and usually take my M3 or her 330Ci convertible...lots of fun driving up in the mountains with the top down...3-series have enough trunk space for a couples' soft luggage. If we go up in the mountains to do mountain biking, though, we take my Grand Cherokee or her Wrangler to haul the bikes.... Then again, GM built Corvettes for decades without useful trunk space, so maybe the lack of trunk space won't hurt sales much.. the 5-speed was dissapointing, though (why not a 6-speed manual?)

Agreed...if I lived in one of those markets, I'd have the same type of cars as I have now in Denver--RWD primary and a 4WD SUV to go in the mountains occasionally.... (snow and off-road). Then again, there seem to be a ton of FWD cars in the LA area and SF Bay Area.... obviously, it's not just the FWD aspect that sells so many Hondas and Toyotas..

The Cobalt is fine for what it is...I wouldn't buy one, but it's adequate for a rental car...

It does snow in the mountains in AZ and CA.. :) I know what you mean, though... I live in Colorado and winters are very mild (some snow in the high country, but limited nasty weather here in Denver). The US population growth has been shifting to the South and West for quite a while now. GM is still predominantly playing to the Midwest, IMHO--not where the growth is happening... The big league 'premium' brands all are predominantly RWD (Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, MB, Jaguar), but other than Chrysler's LXes, the old Ford Panther-platform cars, some Cadillacs, the GTO, and the Mustang, the domestics have nothing to choose from in RWD today for less than $40k...unfortunate...

Similar cluster shape, different detail...the Q45 has those neat circular rotary dial phone-style openings on the larger light...

Americans like obesity...that's why GM is spending zillions on new giant GMT-900 SUVs and not on compact SUVs... :)

The Magentis is the next generation Optima, I assume...based on the Sonata... the US version (still called Optima?) will probably be built in Alabama with the Sonata, I suspect...

Hah-hah... M-B is playing to the core Stones demographic--aging baby-boomers. I'm looking forward to seeing the Stones again..saw them in '03 in Vegas..they still rock, iMHO...