More News On That New Chevy & Bryan Nesbitt

[PT Frank]

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030807/autos_gm_1.html

[WillCG]

Seems that Brian N. has been consumed by retro designs, both at Chrysler and GM. What I'd like to see is his talents at designing a modern vehicle (or contributing to a design) that contains passion and character in its looks, and not some of the lame a$$ stuff coming out of GM lately...and not something that's a rehash of a past design. Maybe in a few years when we start seeing designs with the Lutz stamp of approval...

Seems like it wouldn't take much talent to design a car by borrowing from stuff that's already been done.

You know, if the PTC had been a flop, we'd all be saying "Brian who???"

-C

[patpur]

Agree WillCG, I think sooner or later the "retro" craze will wear thin with people. The beauty of the PT was its price, value and quality and of course the look.. The T-Bird had quality and looks but it was overpriced for most of us. It's being put back in mothballs. I think the SSR as cool as it looks will meet the same fate.
As for this new design, Its a Suburban...there are tons of them. If its just a re tool of that body style then ok, it'll continue to sell . GM needs to concern itself with the gas mileage those SUV's don't get, that would be my concern.
Pat

[cokebear1]

So much for my hopes of it being built at CAMI. They plan to build it in Mexico.

[Frank]

This is a 1949 Chevy Suburban

[FlowRW]

I don't think it's a Suburban sized vehicle. One article I read on it says it will have a 4 cylinder engine. My guess it will be a little bigger than say the Pontiac Vibe but no larger than a Honda Element. Toyota is coming out with a whole line of new cars and van like vehicles called Scion and geared for the "new" generation (what ever the hell they mean by that) and this may very well be set up to compete with that line of cars. Either way, if it's going to have a 4 cylinder, it's not too terrible large.

[WillCG]

Originally posted by FlowRW
I don't think it's a Suburban sized vehicle. One article I read on it says it will have a 4 cylinder engine. My guess it will be a little bigger than say the Pontiac Vibe but no larger than a Honda Element. Toyota is coming out with a whole line of new cars and van like vehicles called Scion and geared for the "new" generation (what ever the hell they mean by that) and this may very well be set up to compete with that line of cars. Either way, if it's going to have a 4 cylinder, it's not too terrible large.

Re: 4-cylinder...that's what I read, too. They said the HP figures would range between 140 and 200. 140! Are they kidding? In a vehicle larger (and no doubt heavier) than a PT Cruiser, which with 150 base HP was deemed by most people to be not enough?

I figure a vehicle that size, even though "small," needs a minimum of 170. Maybe a hybrid powertrain with 140 base HP and 30 HP from an electric motor. I read somewhere that one of the car companies is designing a hybrid-powered car that has a gas engine driving the front wheels, and electric motors driving the rear wheels as needed. That's what this new HHR needs. Something other than a cool retro design to make it different!

GM needs to start being innovative, not only with design, but with technology as well. Honda and Toyota have hybrid cars; Ford is introducing a Hybrid Escape this fall. Where's GM?

In developing Saturn, GM had the opportunity to become an innovation leader because of its clean sheet design, but up until this year they ignored it like an outcast family member.

The mid-gate in the Avalanche and the new rear sliding roof panel in the GMC Envoy is not what I consider innovation that improves the ownership and enjoyment of a car. With the Envoy, they boast that you can easily haul tall items in the back. Unless you own a moving or delivery company, how often are you gonna do that? And can't you just see the average owner of a $52,000 Escalade EXT dropping the mid-gate and loading a couple of dirt bikes in the bed? Uh-huh.

As for the new Scion, I am afraid it will meet the same fate as the Honda Element in that Honda has missed the target market. Folks in their 40's and 50's are the main buyers, not the 20-something group. Seeing as how the older crowd grew up with square-bodied Caprices and Crown Victorias in the 1970's and early 80's, maybe the new square designs are a natural draw. They are wanting to recapture their youth!

-C

[WillCG]

Originally posted by Frank's PT
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030807/autos_gm_1.html

Here's another photo of the HHR I found on GMInsidenews.com.

The photo caption reads:

GM North American President Gary Cowger shows the Chevrolet HHR at the Management Briefing Seminars on Thursday. PHOTO: JOE WILSSENS

[Big Jon]

Looks too sanitized & bland to me. I used to be a Chevy guy but I'm hard presed to find any GM vehicle I'd like to own now. OK a Corvette would be fun but I'd probobley need help to get out of it.

[PT "Guru"]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - General Motors Corp., looking to boost Chevrolet's U.S. sales, turned to the designer who sketched Chrysler's popular PT Cruiser to help fashion a wagon that recalls the design of the 1949 Chevy Suburban.