Image Gallery: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
The CTS-V coupe will be premiering early this year on the show circuit. The performance/luxury two-door has been spiffed up with a mesh grill, widened race tires, new chrome exhaust, heavy-duty Brembo brakes, and GM’s stabilizing ride control. 556 hp is provided thanks to a supercharged 6.2 L V-8, attached to either a 6-spd. manual or automatic transmission.
“The End of Saab…” by Richard Johnson
If this truly is the end of Saab, maybe it’s just as well Bob Sinclair isn’t around to see it.
Sinclair, who died in May at age 77, made Saab a success in the United States. As head of U.S. operations in the 1980s, he pushed his reluctant Swedish bosses to add content and luxury to their cars.
We forget just how well Saab was doing in this country a couple of decades ago, nearly hitting sales of 50,000 units before the October 1987 stock market crash. Saab was quirky, but also cool.
This Week’s Loser: Saab
GM failed to sell it, and now Saab’s going the way on Saturn and Pontiac.
No matter what diehards say, Saab never stood a chance. It was never a hot brand, its vehicles were overpriced, and its name’s barely recognizable to the masses. Spyker, the small Dutch exotic carmaker, could not reach an accord with GM over a buyout. Saabs make up less than 1% of total GM sales. To make a starker picture–the division sells barely a fraction of what Corvettes pull in each year.
One question still lingers: What will happen to the new 9-5? GM was investing a lot into the midsizer, and word was good on it. GM will be rapidly cutting back on all Saab operations and services, so the 9-5’s premiere is unlikely.
The Ten Best Concepts of the Decade #6: Hummer HX
GM’s always wanted the Hummer to be America’s twenty-first-century Jeep. After all, didn’t the military derivative, the Humvee, replace the old Willys icon? In the midst of an SUV boom in the early 2000s, General Motors finally went all-out. A smaller, more public-friendly “H2″ was launched, alongside an entire Hummer division.
Then it all fizzled. Sky-high gas prices and greenie hatred turned the Hummer into the most divisive American automobile in memory.
Shame the HX should be caught up in that. If ever there was a Hummer capable to really hitting the Jeep, this would’ve been it. The HX concept was released nearly two years ago as a genuine sport-ute. The HX carried a high stance, an open-air cabin, small dimensions, and removable paneling. Under the hood was a flex-fuel 3.6 L V6 delivering up to 304 hp and 273 ft.-lbs. The 3.6 was mated to a 6-spd. “Hydra-matic” auto gearbox, helping to deliver an estimated average of around 25 mpg.
The HX may have a future…somewhat. Hummer’s Chinese owners are continuing with the proposed compact H4 prototype, said to be based off the HX. Given China’s choppy rep, we’ll have to wait and see how the H4 works out. As it stands now: Hummer is a long way from becoming the new-world Jeep.
This Week’s Loser: General Motors
Can’t GM keep an exec? The General has lost how many people in the past three weeks? CEO Fritz Henderson bailed right out of nowhere. Then came word Chevy head Brent Dewar flew the coop. Right after the Dewar break came the shock that the Buick-GMC chief, Michael Richards, jumped ship after nine days on the job.
We contend Buick-GMC is a doomed asset, but Richards’s departure is shocking even for us cynics. GM isn’t finding any love in Europe either, with Swede authorities demanding GM sell off Saab before the new year. German treasury and trade officials–as well as the labor force–are equally hostile to the General maintaining ownership of Opel. No rest at home, no rest abroad.
Shame no one wants to live in Detroit.
GM’s Decapitated Leadership Creates Waves of Unrest
A lot has been happening with the General. The blogosphere went into a hoot over Frederick “Fritz” Henderson’s resignation as CEO,as the move was unexpected even by his colleagues. As Vice-Chair Bob Lutz put it, “None of us had any hint this was coming.” Ed Whitacre, GM’s board chair, will step in temporarily to fill the CEO slot.
Henderson’s departure comes as GM continues to suffer heavy losses, as well as some very public embarrassments. The Opel, Saturn, and Saab deals all fell through, with European trade and treasury officials publicly questioning GM’s competence. Opel’s CFO, Marco Molinari, quit the exhausted German subsidiary just yesterday. (Not an inspiring sign.)
Mike Jackson, head of the largest US auto retailer, was open about his fears in an interview with Automotive News: “I’m concerned because I think Ed [Whitacre] and Fritz made a great team of complementary talents and I think Fritz’s expertise will be missed. And, since everyone agrees the core business of GM was on a very good path, you have to ask the question, why are they doing this?” Read more
GM Takes Another Blow in Earnings; Sales Bonanza to be Announced
General Motors reports it lost approximately $1,500,000,000 in the third fiscal quarter of 2009.
CEO Fritz Henderson remained positive with the announcement, saying “today’s results provide evidence of the solid foundation we’re building for the new GM.” Total revenue was up from the preceding quarter and Henderson also announced the company was ready to begin paying back taxpayer loans.
The dour financial news was met by word GM’s remaining US properties would be having a cross-brand sales event during the week. How shoppers will respond to the bleak forecast remains to be seen.
GM Considering Performance Volt and Converj Hybrids
Buzz has spread on the Web about GM vice-chair Bob Lutz’s statements regarding his company’s two upcoming hybrid-electric vehicles. Lutz has mentioned performance variants of the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac Converj are possible in order to appeal to a wider demographic. Gas-electric cars aren’t noted for their speed, but that is changing with the oncoming of the Honda CR-Z and Fisker Karma.
Our take is that cost-cutting General Motors won’t take the leap unless it gets its fiscal situation in check. CEO and Chairman Fritz Henderson has said GM is performing better than expected, but we have yet to see a competitive compact and sub-compact hit the Chevy division. GM’s made lavish promises before.
We’ll believe it when we see it.
Cadillac’s New CTS Sport Wagon TV Spot
GM has recast actress Kate Walsh for its Cadillac pitch–this time for the CTS sport wagon. The visual theme is identical to the one used in the 2008 sedan. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
2010 LaCrosse: Buick’s Game-Changer?
The 2010 LaCrosse can be seen as the second step in GM’s effort to save the Buick name. The Enclave, the first, was able to impress reviewers with its quality cabin, smooth ride, and conservatively handsome looks. In a way, the General is restoring Buick to its heralded past. The LaCrosse is meant to bring those same qualities into sedan form, and take back territory lost to foreign competitors.
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