Accelerate Mpls

Episode 18 starts by introducing this weeks guest, the one and only  Michelle Naranjo joining us from Miss Motor Mouth.  Michelle kicked us off by telling us a little about herself and how she came to be awesome.  We move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• How Jeff Bridges Voice-overs Imperiled Hyundai’s Oscars Blitz
• Ford number one brand in America

We continued with our new section called tweetmeme.  This week we focused on Bob Lutz’s retirment.  Zeroing in on how people reacted both initially and after the news sank in.

This week we skip the clip of the week segment.

Next came our main topics.  This week the topic revolved around some cars from the Geneva Auto Show.  We discuss the Opel Flextreme GT/E concept, Mitsubishi ASX and 2011 Lexus CT 200h Hybrid.  The last topic is the Cult of Toyota.

Last but certainly not least, we discuss the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls.  The week in review included- Leaked Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram Production Start Dates and my 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo Review, along with Colin’s By the Numbers: February car sales numbers.

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2011 Buick Regal

Last week General Motors announced they would officially be bringing back the Buick Regal.  The car is set to arrive in spring of next year as a 2011 model.  The car will launch with a base 2.4 liter four cylinder that puts out 182 hp while returning 30 mpg on the highway.  Later in the summer, a 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder that puts out 220 hp will launch.  The more powerful engine will still manage 29 mpg on the highway.  The list of specifications reads like a list of what Buick needs to get customers to both show up in the showrooms and buy their cars.  The car may look familiar to some of you, and that is because the car is a rebadged Opel Insignia.  The car that instantly won Car of the Year in Europe and is already selling well as a Buick Regal in China.  The turbo model will come with “Interactive Drive Control System.”  This will have four different driver selectable suspension settings.  GM has not gone into detail about the system yet though it sounds promising.

2011 Buick Regal Interior

The main question is simple, will this car sell?  Buick already has the new LaCrosse and the Enclave, both of which are being viewed as successes so far and selling quite well.  GM knows they need more home runs and more foot traffic in the showroom.  The Regal should bring a lower entry price point into the Buick showrooms.  GM is hoping that, in itself, will lower the age of the customers.  While we do not know pricing yet, we can naturally assume the Regal will be priced both aggressively and will undercut the new LaCrosse somewhat significantly.  I personally think, from the specifications we know so far, this car will definitely help both Buick and General Motors.  My only hope is that the rumors of a GS (GS stands for Grand Sport) model come true.  That would not only be an epic move on GM’s part, but also drive huge foot traffic that might otherwise not come near the Buick showroom.  Bob Lutz actually recently told Car and Driver that they are considering a version for the new Buick Regal to be Regal GS.  It would essentially be a rebadged Insignia OPC.  It would push somewhere along the lines of 335 hp and all wheel drive and possibly have the trick torque vectoring rear end.  Finish all this off with a six speed manual transmission and a reasonable price point that would obviously going to undercut the Germans, and everyone else that would compete, and you have a recipe for huge success.  I truly believe that GM needs a model like the Regal with a GS trim level.  It will show how serious they really are about growing their market share and changing the image of Buick once and for all.  Hey GM, I want a Regal GS, I want it now, and a wagon variant would not hurt.

Note- Hakim Givens created a mock up of what a Regal GS wagon variant might look like.

Concept of what a Regal GS wagon might look like- Image by Hakim Givens

2011 Buick Regal

Opel Insignia OPC

Opel Insignia OPC

This week, episode 3 discusses the week in review on each of our respective blogs.  We discuss the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon I had this past week and the Lexus HS250 hybrid review that posted.  We then discuss announced Buick Regal and new Volvo S60.  We also spend a little time giving a report card on General Motors current financial situation.  We finish by discussing the upcoming Nissan Leaf.

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2010 Buick LaCrosse

Buick has been using the tag line “Take a look at me now” with its advertising and it is not working for them.  They are finally starting to get product that would warrant such a tagline such as the Enclave and now, the new for 2010 LaCrosse.  Seeing as the tagline and advertising is a bit stale General Motors has come up with a new campaign.  The new spot titled “The new class of world class” will start airing soon.

Bob Lutz who has most recently turned his sights on the marketing area of GM is really honing in on Buick’s message.  He was recently quoted by Automotive News as saying the new spots are “aggressive stuff”.  That’s good because Buick needs some aggressive advertising now that it is one of the four core brands left of GM.  I am personally excited to see the new spots and hope they are successful now that Buick finally has some good product both in the showroom and on the way.

2010 Buick LaCrosse Interior

In my lifetime Pontiac has never come out with a car that automotive journalists have compared to a BMW, until now. When the G8 came out, the automotive community instantly starting making comparisons to the BMW 5 series.  In the beginning of 2008 when the G8 started showing up in dealerships enthusiasts knew exactly what it was and bought them quick. Now fast forward to mid 2009 and Pontiac is being killed off as part of GM’s restructuring.  According to GM the G8 is following Pontiac into the grave and the enthusiasts are crying. Now to get to why they are crying.

2009 G8 GT

The G8 is based on the Zeta rear wheel drive platform from Australia.  This is a slightly modified version of the platform the new Camaro rides on.  The G8 has a great stance that looks as if it hugs the ground.  The exterior is instantly recognizable as a Pontiac with the dart in between the grills.  The hood scoops are non functional on the GT. With that said, the scoops work for the look of this car.  The low beam headlights are projectors with tint surrounding the lights.  The overall front end is menacing.  The rear of the G8 GT has different tail lights than the plain jane G8 with a more intricate design.  The GT that I tested had a sport package. This gave the exterior 19 inch machine faced aluminum wheels which looked great.  Also included in the sport package was summer tires, sport steering wheel, and aluminum pedals.

Gauge Cluster G8 GT

The interior of the G8 is good.  The interior is not the best the GM has developed, but it is a not a bad place to spend your time behind the wheel.  This car originally comes from the Australian arm of GM, Holden.  To keep costs down, GM made the car in a way that allowed as little as possible to be changed going from right hand drive to left hand drive for North America.  Keeping that in mind, certain things are not where we would normally expect them in a GM car.

Window Switches/Mirror Controls G8 GT

The window switches and mirror adjustment controls are on the center console by the cup holders.  This made it easy for any country the car would be made for.  The radio is Blaupunkt branded which is not something you see everyday.  The stereo sounds good with decent highs and pounding lows.  The LCD in the center stack is not a touch screen and is used to display radio and climate control settings.  There is no navigation option on this car other than OnStar.  In the late 2009 models bluetooth was an option, though the car is not being built anymore so you would have to make sure to check the build sheet on remaining cars.  The trunk release button is somewhat inconvenient since it is in the glove box.  The G8 I was in had the premium package which gave it a leather steering wheel, leather covered shift knob, and leather seats.  The leather seats are heated for those in the snow belt states.

The interior is not what this car is about and neither is the exterior.  This is a drivers car.  It is not every day that you can take a four door full size sedan and say it handles like a sports car.  This also is significant because it is everyday livable.  This would be a fun and comfortable daily driver while you could go outside the city on the weekend to back country roads and toss the car into a corner all while smiling.  The G8 GT has a 6.0L V8 producing 361 horsepower rocketing the four door full size sedan 0-60 in 5.3 seconds.  These numbers are true sports car territory which is exactly what the G8 GT is.  I was happily surprised with the 6 speed automatic.  I truly thought an automatic would hinder the car.  The transmission has three different modes.  While in drive the transmission will upshift and optimize for best fuel economy.  If you slide the shifter into the manual gate it will put the transmission into sport mode. This optimizes shift points instead of optimizing fuel economy.  The third option is the manual shift gate and push the shifter for manual shifts.  I am satisfied with the shifter in sport mode.  The transmission knew when I was going full out and held right to redline before shifting.

The G8 GT is the right car in the wrong time.  Had this car come out a few years ago before gas prices sky rocketed and the economy came crashing down things could have turned out differently.  Unfortunately that was not the hand we were dealt and thus the G8 GT will fade away after this year.

As I mentioned on Twitter the day I was at The GM product and technology event, I did have a conversation with Bob Lutz about the demise of the G8.  Mr. Lutz informed me about the backlash GM was hearing with the demise of the G8 from enthusiasts and their opinions were not falling on deaf ears.  While nothing is set in stone, he did say the G8 could be a Chevrolet.  The car would be a high end model with big brakes, big motor, a modern four door Corvette.  Though it would not be a Corvette model, it would have the essence of the Corvette in a four door sedan.  Time will tell what comes of that.  Until then, if you are in the market for a four door family sedan that is truly a drivers car, the G8 GT is a true value at a sticker price of $31,755 with a big V8 and stump pulling power.

As posted late last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited by GM to an exciting event. The event started with GM showing some of the products and technologies coming in the near future. Pictures were not allowed in the design center.

2010 GMC Terrain

Front and center in the GMC design studio was a design concept, a Denali trim of the Acadia crossover. It had a body kit and larger chrome wheels with the mandatory chrome grill and wood inside. I can see this trim level coming soon and it was rather good looking. Next up was the 2010 Terrain the GMC version of the new 2010 Chevy Equinox. The exterior of the Terrain is better looking in person than it is in pictures. The interior had soft materials and a clean look. Equipped with the four cylinder, the Terrain will achieve 32 mpg on the highway, quite impressive. The most interesting vehicle was a clay model without a name. It looked reminicent of the Kia Soul. It was boxy and short with little to no overhangs and like no other current GMC. Even though is was not bad looking, I do not see it fitting in with the rest of GMC unless the future products are considerably different than the current lineup, which could happen.

2010 Buick Lacrosse

The center vehicle in the Buick studio was the new 2010 Buick Lacrosse which should be hitting dealerships soon. The new Lacrosse is gorgeous with tight panel gaps and great character lines. It is a car that will be competing with the Lexus ES350, the lines on this Lacrosse are much bolder. The interior has a soft touch dash and has a quality feel. Impressive! I felt the seat tracks looked unfinished. They were completely uncovered and looked as if things could get caught in the tracks. We viewed four other vehicles, two crossovers and two sedans. One of the crossovers was basically a re-badged Saturn Vue which will be launching as a Buick next year, and it will come as the first plug-in hybrid suv in 2011. It was truly unsightly and reminds me of things (re-badging) that was wrong with the “old GM.” The other crossover will launch in 12-16 months as a baby Enclave which itself is a good looking vehicle. The other two vehicles that are coming within the next 10-24 months include a midsize sedan based on the European Opel Insignia. This midsize sedan could very well wear the Regal name. The second vehicle will launch later and will be based on the new the European Opel Astra. They had two interior styling bucks for the two sedans, both of which were as good looking as the new 2010 Lacrosse. Buick seems to have gotten their mojo back in the styling department other then the re-badged Vue.

2010 Chevy Spark

The predictable future vehicles, such as the convertible Camaro coming 2nd quarter of next year and the Chevy Spark small car, was there as well. I was surprised to see a next generation Aveo, which happened to be a hatchback. The rear end was practically the same as the current generation while the front end was much more aggressive. The front end reminded me of the current generation Mitsubishi Lancer. The headlights were good looking but not very aerodynamic. The vehicle that caught me off guard was the next generation Malibu. It is drop dead gorgeous! It has a little BMW in the rear end and the front end is straight European design. The exterior was impressive and the interior had three real interior styling bucks. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe it was a Chevy interior. Keep in mind that these were production designs, not concepts. Arriving in 2011 as a 2012, the next Malibu is going to be a winner.

2009 CTS-V

The Cadillac CTS coupe will arrive next spring. It will be accompanied by a CTS-V coupe which, of course, is exciting for any enthusiast. Next the new 2010 SRX and CTS sportwagon, both of which should be arriving in dealerships now. I personally love wagons. After the presentation, I asked the director of Cadillac about the possibility of a CTS-V sportwagon. During our conversation, he informed me that there was a CTS-V sportwagon on campus and it is a shade of black. He also said that “if” a CTS-V sportwagon was to go into production, he would guess it would be in dealerships next summer. I would not say that is a promise but darn closer than “no we have no plans on making one and have not studied it as a business case.” Here’s hoping for a CTS-V sportwagon.

Three new Cadillacs were revealed to us. The first was the sportwagon. The next was a BMW 3 series fighter dubbed ATS, which will come in both coupe and sedan forms. The car is similar looking to a CTS with a more evolved look. I could see the ATS coming with a turbo and naturally aspirated four cylinder as well as direct injection six cylinder engines. The proper wheels (rear wheels) will be receiving the power and all wheel drive will be a option. The last was a car that will compete with the BMW 7 series, dubbed XTS. It will replace the quickly aging STS/DTS sedans. The styling of the XTS is reminiscent of the Cadillac Sixteen concept from years back but without the long hood. Both cars were good looking and have real potential.

Joel Feder & Bob Lutz

I had a conversation with Bob Lutz and questioned him about the future of the now dead Pontiac G8. He informed me that the response to them killing it has been overwhelming, and they are working hard to figure out how to incorporate it in the Chevy lineup in the future. Mentioning how it will die with Pontiac but could be coming back as a Chevy. He went on to say it would have big brakes, a big V8 and quickly adding, no V6 option. This would be an aggressive sports car without a doubt, the four door of Corvettes (no it will not wear the Corvette name). Though he mentioned it would most likely be expensive and probably a niche product, making only enough for demand. My question is when and how much!? I asked about the Caprice name and styling of the Asian market Caprice and he said it was not aggressive enough and would not happen. This conversation was informal and is in no way a final green light for production.

Lastly the Millford proving grounds. I drove the Camaro SS with the 6 speed. First order of business was to turn off the traction control completely. Dropping the clutch and smokey burn outs are easy to accomplish. The car is definitely heavy but carries its weight well through the slalom. While the brakes definitely got toasty and you could smell the burn, they never gave up or made me nervous of losing effectiveness. Had I been on the track longer it could have been a different story. Next the CTS-V with a automatic. I felt this handicapped the cars potential on the track. On the other hand, the automatic shifts quickly and zips around when driving it in the city on a daily basis.

After this event it is safe to say, I can say I feel GM has a real future and great product in the pipeline. The only true questionable vehicle was the re-badged Vue. Two big take aways here are that the G8 may not be dead after all and the CTS-V sportwagon is more then a possibility! I would say Toyota should be put on notice because the next Malibu and new Equinox are truly world cars.