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. 1959 cadillac for sale

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.

Think how hard it is these days to take a brand upmarket. You have to marvel at Sinclair, who retired in 1991. In fact, Saab may be the last brand to make a successful transition from downmarket to upmarket — here or anywhere.

In December 1989, General Motors was cash-flush and distressed that it had lost out to Ford in bidding for Jaguar. So GM acquired half of Saab. Several years later, it bought the rest.

You can trace the beginning of the end of Saab to the January 1990 press conference in Trollhattan at which GM was introduced as Saab’s 50 percent shareholder. David Herman, an American GM executive installed as CEO, was perplexed when a Swedish journalist asked him what the Saab brand stood for. I remember that the reporters and Saab employees kept remarking about that.

GM kept getting it wrong in Trollhattan. At first, the U.S. company was too hands-off. So what you got were years of indecision. It took almost 15 years for GM to become serious about leveraging its economies of scale to help slow-growing Saab. Early in this decade, Rick Wagoner finally decided that in trying to safeguard Saab’s brand character, GM had been overly deferential.

So six years ago, GM folded Saab’s independent product development and manufacturing operations into Opel’s. But that didn’t work, either. It seemed as if Saab was never more than an afterthought at GM.

I can’t help thinking that an independent Saab, led by independent thinkers like Bob Sinclair, would have done much better these past 20 years.

Column courtesy of Automotive News.

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.

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. hummer h2 for sale

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.

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?”

Others were not so forgiving.  ”Both the plan and the resignation of GM chief Henderson confirm that there is no clear line at GM,” said German economy minister Rainer Bruederle.

David Kiley of Popular Mechanics offered his analysis on why Henderson left: “Henderson did not see eye-to-eye with chairman Ed Whitacre, who was brought in by the White House after Henderson was given the job: Henderson was keen to sell off the company’s Opel division in Europe, a move the board reversed. He led the selection of ‘preferred buyers’ for Saab and Saturn only to have both deals fall apart because the would-be buyers backed out of the deals at the 11th hour. Henderson pushed back on replacing chief financial officer, Ray Young. And Whitacre looked at how much GM had budgeted for marketing, deemed it insufficient to compete against rivals Ford and Toyota, and boosted the funds by some $500 million.”

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.

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.

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?

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.

Just as the Enclave targeted the RX350, the 2010 LaCrosse aims to knock out another Lexus: the ES350.  The comparison is one promoted both from Buick and the press.  When one takes a first glance, the LaCrosse comes off as anything but lavish.  The appearance is muscular, yet the overall profile is linear.  The look isn’t outstanding, but it somehow manages to appear fresh compared to the stale forms we’re used to seeing from Buick.

The LaCrosse is really an evolution of GM’s new-school thinking in sedan design.  Think of the Pontiac G6 as the disappointing start, the Saturn Aura as the flashy improvement, and the Malibu as the restrained and refined product.  The LaCrosse would be intended as the classier sibling, the sophisticate of the bunch.  It’s certainly the largest: the LaCrosse measures at 16 ft. and 5 in. in length, of which 9 ft. 4 in. make up the wheelbase.  The total width is just over six feet.

That priority is really part of the bigger one: driver convenience.  The LaCrosse interior is meant for a higher degree of passenger space and comfort.  The introductory CX trim contains a basic radio/CD player, soft-touch buttons, and cloth seating.  The upscale CXL, however, emphasizes the LaCrosse’s classier state over the modest Malibu.  A nav screen, MP3 outlet, realistic faux-wood accents, and leather seating (with faux-stitching) accompany blue ambient lighting to create a calm atmosphere isolated from the frantic activity outside.  Regardless of trim, the cabin serves as a fortress of solitude where only a thread of outer sound intrudes.

The LaCrosse is met with three trim levels: CX, CXL, and CXS.  The CX and CXL are armed with a 3.0 L 255 hp V-6 engine, while the top-trim CXS has a 3.6 that puts out 280.  All levels are equipped with 6-spd. manumatic transmission.  Both V-6 engines produce adequate power and the 6-spd. A/T shifts quickly and predictably.  CXL buyers can opt for all-wheel-drive, which does add weight and reduce peak power, but compensates with firm traction on the road.

So: is the 2010 LaCrosse a hit?  Depends on who you ask.

The LaCrosse is generally regarded as a step in the right direction by reviewers; the dispute comes from just how far a step the LaCrosse really is.  The interior is nice from a distance, but careful observation finds the fake appointments (stitching), and sporadic cheap spots of hard plastics and rubber as opposed to leather.  The feel of the car is relaxed and the power feels adequate; but the raw speed figures vary wildly, with some testers having as much as a two second gap in sprint times.  An agreed-upon complaint is over weight: the LaCrosse is a big boy with a range from 3,950 lbs. in the CX to 4,200 for the all-wheel-drive CXL.  You can imagine the complaints that’ll surface when the 2.4 L “Ecotec” inline-four comes out, offering a mere 182 hp.

Hearing all that may turn you off to accepting the LaCrosse as a fine sedan.  Let me add that not one review (from anyone of significance) labeled the new Buick as anything less than “fair.”  Jared Gall of Car and Driver seemed taken with the LaCrosse, proclaiming it as the symbol of a Buick renaissance.  “The LaCrosse just may be proof that Buick’s best days are yet to come. A bit derivative on the outside but simply stunning on the inside, this is the first Buick in some time that is gratifying to drive. You might even call it alluring.”

Ben Wojdyla of Jalopnik was less enthusiastic in his assessment: “The most nagging problems with the LaCrosse are the nagging problems with Buick in general. What is the point of the car and the brand? It sits betwixt the working-class, but honest, Chevy product lineup, where the slightly smaller Malibu offers an arguably better value proposition and the upper crust Cadillac brand, which is sportier, more aggressive and filled with slick technology. The Buick feels like the ignored middle grandchild between the two brands. It can’t be too affordable or it’s peeing in Chevy’s pool and it can’t be too luxurious or Caddys become overpriced.”

So there you have it.  The LaCrosse is a better Buick–but that may not be enough to keep this dusty make around much longer.