truth about domestics

Apparently in an interview with Automotive News, John Cafaro, the director of design for Buick and Chevrolet, said that what the brand needs now is more expressive vehicles.  Cafaro thinks that it is his job to really push for a more youthful image for Buick and part of that transformation could involve a new coupe!  For the logistics behind this pipe dream, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Buick)

According to an article in The Detroit News, some Lincoln dealers are a bit upset about how long the Lincoln transformation is taking.  They are also upset about the fact that an MKS costs $10,000 more than its sibling D-car, the Ford Taurus.  Many dealers complain that the cross shopping isn’t happening between Lincoln and Audi/Mercedes/BMW/Lexus, but instead people are cross shopping Lincoln with Ford.  I for one am glad that vehicles like the MKS/Taurus and MKT/Flex have different top hats completely, but I think the other vehicles in Lincoln’s lineup need to follow suit.  The 2011 Ford Edge and MKX didn’t go far enough in my book to separate the two models from each other.  Customers want to feel like they got a car that is more special than a fancy Ford since they paid a good deal more for it.  For the full story, head on over to The Detroit News.

(Image source: Lincoln)

The Chevrolet Volt is probably the most important vehicle any automaker has ever launched.  That being said, it needs to come off without a hitch.  For those of you who don’t know, cars are probably the most regulated and tested products on the entire planet.  Cars have to survive varying levels of abuse for years and years in some of the harshest climates on the planet.  For that reason, engineers often test vehicles in extreme hot and cold conditions.  For the hot, Death Valley is usually the locale chosen, but when it’s cold you seek, most automakers head to frozen northern Canada.  The Volt is currently undergoing testing there in minus 5 Celsius weather.  The interesting thing to see will be how the Volt battery pack holds up in the charge-killing frigid weather.  For more details, head on over to the GM Fast Lane blog.

(Image source: GM Fast Lane blog)

Even though sales of big trucks and SUV’s are down heavily this year, they are starting to show a comeback as people show they still need the capability offered by a large body-on-frame SUV.  General Motors realized this and decided to keep the next generation of the Chervolet Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche, GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade/ESV/EXT on a truck platform.  GM says its customers still needed the towing, hauling and passenger capabilities all found on a large SUV.  In the next two years GM will most likely be working on ways to make their trucks more reliable, more fuel efficient and even more refined than the current GMT900 trucks are.  For more news, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

According to two dealer sources who spoke to Automotive News the new Mercury compact car that is coming to dealers in 2011 will be named Tracer.  That’s right.  Tracer, after the sedans of yesteryear that held the same title.  Oh brother.  Here’s to hoping that Ford marketing really knows what it’s doing with this one.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Compact Sedan Web)

General Motors announced that it has cut $10.7 billion in annual costs, moving the company closer to a planned 2010 profit. The cost savings can be attributed to reduced interest payments from a reduction of debt, reduction of union retiree bills, and a $6.7 billion saving in cutting jobs, closing plants, and shutting down brands.

Meanwhile, the costs savings will be used for vehicle development (good thing!) and marketing. Redesigns of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are expected, and could cost as much as $1 billion.

In addition to 2010 profitability, CEO, Ed Whitacre’s goal is to keep GM’s market share at 20 percent. This will be tough to achieve, but possible as GM improves quality, its product lineup, and changes the overall perception of its customers.

Read the full news story at Bloomberg.

The folks over at Left Lane News have recently had the opportunity to drive a 2010 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum and their reactions were mixed.  Did they like the styling of the premium Platinum trim line?  Very much so.  Did they feel the interior materials were worth a $10,000 price increase over your everyday Escalade ESV?  Not so much.  They also made sure to point out that the 6,000+ pound, 7 passenger Caddy is not a Prius…and that it’s not very green.  GREAT OBSERVATION!  I guess if I want to test drive cars I should start making comments like that.  “This car has 4 wheels and on those 4 wheels are mounted 4 tires…”  For the rest of the article, head on over to leftlanenews.com.

(Image source: Truck Trend)

To no surprise, the snow storms that have been hitting the East Cost have not been helping car sales in February. Combine that with the massive recalls from one specific automaker (ahem, Toyota), vehicle sales have been taking a major hit.

So what does this mean? Well, most likely this means that car buyers will have an excellent opportunity to buy a car at a discount. Plants are still operating and building cars, meaning that stock is increasing. So if you’re in the market for a new car, get out there and buy one! Just make sure it’s a domestic vehicle, or else you’re not welcome to this site!

Just kidding!

Read the full article at USA Today.

General Motors has announced that production of the Camaro convertible and the 2011 Buick Regal will start in the first quarter of 2011.  The Regal goes on sale this summer, with the initial units being shipped in from Germany until production can commence here in North America.  The Camaro convertible joins the hot selling Camaro coupe when it goes on sale early next year.  The addition of these two cars brings about 700 jobs back to the Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant that builds the Camaro now.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

Again, some guys have all the luck.  The folks over at Autoblog were given time in the new Ford Transit Connect Electric and their comments were mostly positive.  The van drives and handles like a traditional gas powered Transit Connect but produces zero emissions.  Ford says they have gotten interest from companies such as the postal service and AT&T for an electric van, hence the concept you see above!  For the rest of their trip, head on over to Autoblog.