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Even before GM killed Pontiac it was focusing the brand more tightly on performance cars like the Solstice and G8. So the Pontiac Torrent was replaced by the GMC Terrain and the Vibe was rumored to be in its final generation.

With Pontiac winding down, the Vibe is now definitely in its final model year. But while the Terrain fits the GMC (Truck) brand better than the Torrent ever fit in with Pontiac, can a compact crossover possibly make sense as a GMC–which is supposed to be about “professional grade” trucks?

At the 2010 NAIAS GMC provided an answer, or at least the beginning of one, with the introduction of the Granite concept. This concept, based on the Delta II compact car platform like the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze sedan and Orlando crossover, seems fairly certain for production, given the need to replace the Vibe.

Of course, GM could have opted to create a Buick for this segment. But they’ve apparently glanced about and noted the popularity of compact boxes like the Scion xB, Nissan cube, and Kia Soul. Buicks are curvy. A box is clearly a better fit with GMC.

The Granite is an attractive box as boxes go. There’s some similarity to the Jeep Compass and Patriot. If anything, Granite is more car-like and style-driven than either. The Patriot has only been accepted as a Jeep by some of the brand’s fans, and the Compass by hardly anyone. Will car buyers be any more open to a GMC that’s much more car than truck?

In this case, it might help that GMC lacks Jeep’s fanatical base. People think less about what a GMC is, and so might be more open to something that stretches the brand’s identity.

Back in the early 2000s Cadillac excited driving enthusiasts by pledging to become a world-class luxury car manufacturer by spending billions to develop all-new rear wheel-drive cars that shared little with other General Motors product. Problem was, aside from the CTS these new models sold poorly, and GM ran out of money.

So, for at least the next five years, and probably longer, Cadillac will be redirecting its focus to the more traditional luxury car buyers that have historically purchased its cars. Though a rear-wheel-drive “Alpha” platform compact sedan is reportedly still on the way, other Cadillacs will be based on front-wheel-drive platforms. The 2010 SRX was the first of these products. The 2012 XTS, introduced in concept form at the 2010 NAIAS, will be the next.

For the past few years Cadillac has wavered among a number of different ways to replace the slow-selling STS rear-wheel-drive sedan and outmoded DTS front-wheel-drive sedan. When the money ran out, a rear-drive replacement was shelved, and the XTS received the green light.

Early word was that the XTS would be based, like most other recent GM mid-size and up sedans, on the Epsilon platform. In some iterations this platform doesn’t translate to a roomy interior, but GM pledged that the Cadillac variant would be larger.

How much larger? Well, while the XTS shares its 101.7-inch wheelbase with the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, the largest Epsilon-based sedan offered to date, it’s over half a foot longer (203.5 inches) and nearly two inches wider (74.8 inches). And to the eye the difference between the two cars appears even larger, courtesy of the Cadillac’s squarer lines. Compared to the DTS, the XTS is four inches shorter in both wheelbase and length but just as wide. Add in more upright side windows and an interior designed to maximize perceived room, and the XTS should feel roomy inside.

I wanted to check this out at the show, but when I asked if I could sit in it the Cadillac designer said, “We’d prefer not.” This was a one-off prototype, and potentially fragile.

Clearly, the XTS is much more a direct replacement for the DTS than for the STS. Cadillac clearly intends it as a luxury sedan, and not a sport sedan. Aside from the platform, the styling is much more conservative than the CTS and STS. The most radical element: headlights that extend nearly halfway to the A-pillar.

In fact, my first thought upon seeing the XTS was “Cadillac Avalon.” Like the XTS, Toyota’s Avalon is based on a modest midsize family car platform that has been expanded as much as possible and given more upscale, more conservative styling. Both cars are aimed at traditional luxury buyers, though the Avalon isn’t nearly as fancy inside–or as pricey. Perhaps because the targets are similar, and both seek to maximize interior room, the car’s basic shapes are similar.

In a departure from both the STS and the DTS, no V8 will be offered in the XTS. The concept car had a 3.6-liter hybrid powertrain, and a non-hybrid 3.6 as used in the CTS and LaCrosse is virtually a given. Perhaps there will be a turbo V6 to go up against Lincoln’s MKS EcoBoost. But, as with the Lincoln, handling won’t be much of a priority.

The 2012 Cadillac XTS will probably strongly appeal to traditional luxury sedan buyers–reaction was positive at the show–so in this sense it will probably be a success. It’s just not nearly as dramatic as the hardcore “art and science” Cadillacs, and as a driving enthusiast I’m saddened by Cadillac’s current direction.

At NAIAS this year, General Motors introduced a redesigned Chevrolet Aveo. With the even smaller Spark on the way, the Aveo is growing a bit. The car was introduced in concept RS form, with large brakes, even larger wheels, upholstered instrument panel, and centrally-mounted dual exhaust tips. The concept is powered by a 138-horsepower turbocharged four. This engine seems much more likely for production than the brakes.

We’ve seen the overall shape before in the Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda3, and so forth. But the proportions and detailing of this exterior are very nicely done–and better than in the cars just listed. That said, will anyone notice? Inside, even though the upholstered IP is unlikely to make it to production, the new Aveo is clearly much more stylish than the current one.

Continuing with the Aveo name could be risky, as Aveos to date have been relentlessly panned by the automotive press. Chevrolet has, after all,, decided to create a new name, Cruze, for the Cobalt’s replacement. And “Cobalt” was itself a replacement for “Cavalier.” Well, I never liked the idea of junking a model name and starting over. At some point you’ve got to stop pretending you can just ball up the old one and start fresh, and instead dig in your heels and fight. Perhaps Chevrolet is finally doing this.

Will the new Aveo be good enough that we’ll forget the current one? That they’re even bothering to display a sport version is a good sign. I’ll gladly reserve judgment until I can drive one. The production version should arrive at dealers this summer.

Continuing my brand by brand coverage of NAIAS…

BMW introduced the ActiveE, an all-electric 1-Series coupe. It looks much like a 1-Series coupe with bizarre graphics. BMW claims 0-60 will be under 9 seconds and range will be 100 miles. I’ll be more excited when one’s available for purchase and I can drive one. Which won’t be this car, but some future production vehicle based on insight gained from this concept.

Buick introduced a likely high-performance GS variant of the upcoming new Regal. The GS was rumored to share a 335-horsepower turbo V6 with the top Opel Insignia. Though allegedly this engine was in the car shown, we’ll instead get a 255-horsepower version of GM’s 2.0-liter turbo four. More impressive: 295 foot-pounds of torque and, to handle it, all-wheel-drive. The 220-horsepower version of this engine already slated for the Regal is paired with front-wheel-drive. In either case a manual transmission will be offered in addition to the automatic dealers will actually stock.

I’ve seen the Regal before in Chinese trim. In U.S. spec it’s at least as attractive, both inside and out, with a flavor that’s more German than American. The key question in my mind: will the manual shift and steering have the direct feel I like in a performance car? I also hope the gearing is better than on the related Saab 9-3 Turbo X I had for a week last year.

The front seats in the regular Regal, the one we could sit in, don’t have much in the way of lateral support. The back seat barely fits an average-sized adult. For more room you’ll want the LaCrosse. As in the LaCrosse, the trunk is very narrow.

I found one nit to pick with this car: cheap-looking plastic caps over the lug nuts. I mentioned this to a GM engineer. His response: exposed chrome lug nuts like those on the LaCrosse tend to rust, and become difficult to remove. But is there no more attractive solution?