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Filed under: SUVs , Crossovers/CUVs , Cadillac , GM , Rumormill MotorTrend reports that GM insiders are saying that the next-generation Cadillac Escalade will jump from its current GMT900 truck platform to the Lambda crossover architecture that underpins the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave, and Chevy Traverse. MT points to the not-gonna-happen-but-it-almost-did Buick Enclave Super as evidence that an Escalambda would be able to handle an eight-cylinder engine, which would be a step up from the rest of El Generalissimo's increasingly-crowded crossover lineup. Edgier, CTS-like styling would likely be a given, too. Frankly, this is a good idea. The packaging afforded by the Lambda platform is vastly superior to what the GMT900 trucks offer. Remember that in the latter, the 3rd row is bolted to the cargo floor, it doesn't fold flat, and it's generally uncomfortable. The Lambda solves that instantly, and is better suited for what's positioned as a luxury vehicle anyway...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Plants/Manufacturing , Chevrolet , GM , UAW/Unions , Rumormill It has been rumored for the last few months that Chevrolet would be soldiering on with a front-wheel-drive Impala for at least the next few years. The recent contract agreement between the Canadian Auto Workers union and General Motors appears to cement this rumor as fact. According to the signed pact, GM promised to keep the Oshawa Assembly plant, where the current-generation Impala is made, open until 2012 -- two years longer than first planned. The Impala is a pretty good seller for the General, so we're not too surprised that upper-level management would want to leave it alone, but that doesn't stop us from wanting to see Chevy's bread-and-butter full-size sedan return to its roots by going rear-wheel-drive. One thing is for certain: by the year 2012, the W-Body platform of the current Impala will be absolutely ancient. On the other hand, we've had nothing but good things to...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sedans/Saloons , GM Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT After our sampling of General Motors' rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform in the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT , we must admit that we're smitten with the platform. Its future in GM's North America car lineup, however, remains in question thanks to stricter CAFE standards that start going into effect by 2011. While the G8, G8 Sport Truck (actual name still pending) and Camaro are all guaranteed a spot on the Zeta platform, other vehicles like large RWD sedans for Chevy and Buick are likely dead in the water, according to Motor Trend . Hopes for a RWD Impala are all but gone thanks to strong sales of the current front-wheel-drive model, which continue despite the success of the now similarly sized Malibu. Motor Trend also notes that GM plans to merge its current Sigma RWD platform with the Zeta around 2011. At that time, the Zeta/Sigma platform will be built in three sizes - coupe, midsize with...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Spy Photos , Coupes , GM , Pontiac , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden Spot any similarities? Holden surprised and delighted when it rolled out the Coupe 60 at the Melbourne Auto Show this past week. Motor Trend put two and two together and dug up some three-year-old photos that show off essentially the same car wearing a Pontiac suit, instead. The nose on the original concept shows what GM was planning for the next-gen GTO at the time. We're glad the prototype styling was deemed too expensive for production; the world wasn't ready for a modern interpretation of the 1982 J2000 . The Coupe 60 started life as Pontiac's replacement for the sales-proof GTO, but Motor Trend reports that development stopped when GM went full bore at getting its next-gen full-size GMT900 trucks to market early. The reappropriation of this past work to create the stunning new Holden show car could signal a return of the Monaro, which could trickle down to North America as another...
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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Concept Cars , Podcasts , Hybrids/Alternative , Minivans/MPVs , Trucks/Pickups , Crossovers/CUVs , Acura , Chevrolet , Dodge , Ford , GM , Suzuki , Volkswagen , India The Chicago Auto Show wasn't that eventful, but that's what we lead off Autoblog Podcast episode #87 with. The Challenger was the biggest deal, followed by the Denali XT , and then a bunch of inconsequential things. We did find ourselves talking about the Suzuki Equator and the Ford Transit Connect , too. We give you our first up close and personal impressions of the Challenger SRT-8 in this podcast. We also saw the VW Routan , which certainly doesn't conjure warm, fuzzy memories of Type IIs gone by. Chevy's Traverse calls into question the usefulness of Saturn's Outlook in the product lineup. Speaking of GM badge-engineering, we got word this week that Pontiac will not be getting a Trans Am companion to the Camaro, dang. Another disappointment is the rumor that Cerberus...
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Filed under: Recalls/TSBs , Safety , GM , Holden GM's Australian subsidiary Holden has recalled 86,000 rear-wheel-drive Zeta cars with the V6 engine to correct a potential fuel leak that could lead to fires. The CNN Money article says that the recall doesn't impact the Pontiac G8, GM's North American Zeta variant, because that car's underhood layout is different. We should also mention that the G8 is not even on sale yet, so there are none in customer hands to recall. VE and WM Commodores in Australia and New Zealand, Chevrolet Lumina and Caprice models in the Middle East, as well as the Chevrolet Omega in Brazil are all affected. When a clip chafes on the fuel line, it can apparently cause a leak with nasty results if the gasoline ignites. The risk is low, says GM's John Lindsay, but they're calling the cars back, nearly all of the Zetas with V6 engines sold since the car's redesign, and fixing them free of charge just to be on the safe side. [Source: CNN] Read...
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