In early 2008 Pontiac will start selling the Holden (GM of Australia) Commodore, a large rear-wheel-drive sedan, as the G8. The exterior strongly resembles an enlarged BMW M46 M3. Subjectively, the G8 is about the same size as the current Impala, though a tape measure will find it’s not quite as long. When viewed directly from the side the front overhang is longer than… More →
Day: February 7, 2007
Chicago: 2008 Dodge Dakota
Dodge is revising the Dakota pickup for 2008. Most notable changes are a new front end and a stronger V8. I don’t see why they’d replace the distinctive “big rig” look with the new generic nose. Seems like yet another misstep from the Chrysler Group at DCX. On the other hand, it’s good to see that the 4.7-liter is finally… More →
Chicago: 2008 Saturn Astra
Sat in a couple of Astras at the Chicago show. As an Opel, the Astra has been a very strong seller in Europe. It will soon be offered here as a Saturn. The three-door’s exterior is considerably more distinctive than the five door’s. Is it distinctive enough that people will notice it? Maybe. The interior seems of fairly high quality, about the… More →
Chicago: 2008 Taurus X
I’ve always been a fan of the Freestyle, which will now be called the “Taurus X.” That’s “X” as in crossover, not “X” as in radical leader who was making a clean break from the American part of his heritage. Because the Taurus X is no more radical than the Freestyle was. Aside from that X, I’m having a hard time… More →
Chicago: Ford will offer “more products people want”
I’ve attended two presentations by Ford today. The big news at Ford: they’re going to offer “more products people want.” I must wonder how long it took them to develop this strategy.
If you’re lazy, no one has a car for you
Many of the new vehicle introductions I’ve attended stress that the car is for “people with active lifestyles.” Same thing when I performed my Ph.D. research inside GM. Each product’s marketing team had to craft a “reason for being,” and many of these also mentioned “people with active lifestyles” or something similar. One day I pointed this out to one… More →
Chicago: 2008 Toyota Highlander
Four inches longer and three wider, but still looks compact. I expected much more from the styling. The interior is well finished, with good padding on doors, none of the crazy sci-fi details seen in some other recent Toyotas, and much less cheap plastic than in the 2007 Camry.