Dorothy Tucker---'05 Pontiac G6 

Brian Kries---'05 GMC Envoy 

JUNE IS A WINNER FOR GM!

By Greg Migliore--Automotive News / June 27, 2005

DETROIT - General Motors, spurred by its program of employee discounts for everyone, is the runaway U.S. sales winner in June, several industry analysts say. Estimates of GM's sales gain for the month range from 26 percent to more than 30 percent over June 2004. GM's gain will be a loss for almost every other automaker.

Industry research firm Edmunds.com predicts GM will sell more than 475,000 vehicles in June. GM's monthly U.S. market share will exceed 30 percent for the first time since September 2004, when it had 31.5 percent, Edmunds estimates. In May, GM held 25.4 percent of the U.S. market. "GM's promotion succeeded not only in generating showroom traffic by creating a sense of urgency for the consumers but also resulted in significant market share gain, which is exactly what GM and its dealers needed after several months of declines," says Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for Edmunds.com.

Late last week, GM marketing chief Mark LaNeve hinted that the sales program could be extended through July because of its success. A decision is expected this week. U.S. vehicle sales will total more than 1.57 million units in June, an increase of 9.4 percent from June 2004, Edmunds.com predicts. With the additional sales day, the adjusted figure is 5.2 percent. The sales surge also will help clear inventories, analyst Casesa says. He forecasts that GM's supply of vehicles will be about 5 percent below average by June 30.

Casesa expects Ford Motor Co. sales to rise about 5 percent in June from a year earlier, helped by the Ford Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle sport wagon. But GM's strength means that Ford likely will give up 1 percentage point of U.S. market share, Casesa says. Chrysler forecast Edmunds.com foresees the Chrysler group selling 211,000 vehicles for the month and nabbing 13.4 percent of the U.S. market -- off from May's 14.3 percent -- despite the release of the much-anticipated Dodge Charger. But Christopher Ceraso of CSFB Research & Analytics expects Chrysler to post a sales gain of 3 to 5 percentage points.

Toyota Motor Corp. also appears to have suffered a U.S. market share hit, falling from 13.5 percent in May to 12.3 percent in June, according to Edmunds.com, which predicts Toyota sales of 193,000 vehicles. David Healy of Burnham Securities still sees a solid monthly performance, forecasting a 15 percent year-over-year sales gain for Toyota. American Honda Motor Co.'s chunk of the U.S. market likely fell to 7.7 percent for June from May's 8.2 percent, Edmunds.com says. Edmunds.com sees one car company -- Nissan North America Inc. -- holding its own for the month. Nissan will maintain a market share of about 6.3 percent and sell more than 99,000 vehicles, Edmunds says.

Jeffrey Saltman--'05 GMC Yukon

Valeria Ferrin---'05 Pontiac Sunfire

GREAT REVIEW OF BUICK TERRAZA

On the front-wheel-drive minivan side, General Motors has four new minivans for 2005. They are essentially rebodied versions of the previous renditions; GM has also added more standard features, created much more attractive interiors, designed a more energetic V-6 engine, and added distinctive if a bit unusual quasi sport utility vechicle exterior styling to separate these offerings from the rest of the pack. Add all-wheel drive and Stabilitrak and the GM vans can carve out a successful niche with the proper marketing.

These new vans are now shared with Chevrolet and Pontiac and for the first time Saturn and Buick. Saturn desperately needed more models to grow sales while the Buick version joins an expanding offering of trucks from this luxury brand. Buick now sells more trucks than cars.
This week’s Terraza is destined to be the most luxurious van and carries the most standard equipment.

If you spend a lot of time traveling for work or with multiple passengers and their cargoes, you probably have a minivan in your garage -- or you should. Minivans offer more passenger space than a car, better visibility for everyone, plus the ability to swallow loads and parcels that a conventional sedan or wagon just can’t handle. Minivans offer a relaxed yet stable ride, they excel at winter driving, and most vans handle as well as many of today’s family cars. The convenience of all of that extra space is a virtue that cannot be denied in a world where everything is closing in on us.

The Buick does all of these things. You have the traditional Buick styling cues and comfort levels in an upscale van that exhibits some of GM’s best work to date in these areas. The Terraza handles and rides like mature Buick drivers appreciate (a little softer than some rivals) but is still composed when necessary. The new 3.5-liter V-6 is a nice surprise, too. It sounds better than the motor it replaces; it is definitely smoother and packs more brawn when under the whip. The peak horsepower rating is up 15 to 200, much lower than the new vans from Toyota and Honda, yet the Buick feels like a strong performer even if its overall acceleration times might be slower. And that’s the point isn’t it?

With full-time all-wheel-drive hardware nestled under the cabin, the Terraza demonstrated terrific foul-weather prowess and returned a consistent 21 mpg during a week of frosty driving (March). My recent Honda Odyssey didn’t return much better fuel economy than that and the Honda didn’t labor with the added weight of the Terraza’s AWD. Plus the Honda had an extra cog in its smooth gearbox.

If you are a minivan fan, you look for all of the nooks, crannies, cubbyholes and storage attributes that your new van can provide. The Buick’s got ’em. There are more beverage slots than passenger seats, folding pockets on the seatbacks like jetliners offer, and clever flip-up center console trays for the second- and first-row bucket seats.

Overhead, Buick has a center rail system that lets you slide or relocate various compartments. The rail also holds the DVD entertainment system, with wireless headphones, as well as some lights and controls. Unfortunately, I repeatedly struck my head on the console while entering. Climbing into the Buick’s driver’s seat was easy, but I’m sure that I differ little from other drivers who hike themselves up in the seat to find the optimum seating position once behind the wheel. Doing so, I frequently hit my head on the edge of the overhead console. It wasn’t a numbing blow, but I felt numb each time for forgetting to cock my head the other way.
Some owners may also find annoyance with the rear seating arrangements. The Buick offers no hide-away compartments; none are hidden in the floor seating -- there are just seats that fold flat for an increased load floor. You can remove the seats for maximum storage, but that seems less convenient with some of the more recent innovations in the segment. It is also awkward entering the third-row seats, requiring that you manipulate the second-row seats forward or wade between the middle-row seats. Some buyers will wish for a pull strap on the back of the third-row seats too, because you must enter the side door to push the seatback upright (two hands too). The Terraza does offer a removable, covered bin system behind the third-row seats, but I would probably use the space without this addition.

Hits and misses contrast each other. The exterior is so different I don’t know what to say while the interior is very attractive. There is nice two-tone leather and real wood trim and the seats are quite comfortable. I like how the windshield wipers have fluid nozzles in the arm instead of on the hood and how they sweep opposite each other clearing all of the front picture window. But the well at the base of the hood houses a lot of snow and ice so the wipers freeze up too easily.

The auto leveling rear suspension keeps the van at the right attitude all the time no matter what the load, yet the soft damping rate allows a little too much rebound action on larger bumps.

In the beginning of our week together, I was underwhelmed by the Buick. But as the miles rolled by, together more than 1,200, the Terraza’s steady performance won me over. The Buick did everything I asked of it and proved to be a comfortable traveling companion. There are things that could be better or different, so the Terraza might not be my first pick for a new minivan. But it certainly is closer to the top than it is to the bottom in this hotly contested class.

PONTIAC SOLSTICE IS A HIT!

June 23, 2005

The Pontiac Solstice, a sleek two-seater coming out this summer from General Motors Corp., has prospective buyers visiting showrooms -- and the car isn't even out yet.

"Every day," said Tony Holyfield, new cars sales manager at Morgan Pontiac in Shreveport, when asked if buyers are seeking the Solstice. "We have presold six and we don't have any cars yet."

The appeal: "the looks, the styling and the price," Holyfield said.

GM's performance brand already has piled up 9,000 orders for the sporty ragtop, about half the number it had planned to build this year. The Solstice is important to GM, which is reeling after a $1.1 billion first-quarter loss and is counting on new models to lift sales.
Holyfield said the new model is important to the Pontiac division as well.

"It's a bright spot for Pontiac," he said. "The division has not had a two-door roadster ... especially for the pricing. The pricing is so low for that type of car."

The base sticker price for the Solstice is $19,995. But Pontiac is addressing complaints that its dealers are asking "well above" the base sticker price, according to a memo sent to Pontiac's 2,700 U.S. dealers and obtained by The Detroit News.

The strong early response to the Solstice has convinced Pontiac officials that a boldly designed vehicle can win back American car buyers who may have opted for Hondas and Toyotas in recent years. It could also help improve the image of the Pontiac brand.

NEW FAMILY OF GM CROSSOVER VEHICLES!

Date Posted 06-23-2005

DETROIT — General Motors' new Lambda architecture will be used for future crossover vehicles as well as a couple of minivans, supplier sources have told Inside Line.

At the moment, successors to the current Chevrolet Uplander and Saturn Relay minivans are the only Lambda-based minivans in the pipeline for 2009. Suppliers say the Pontiac Montana and the Buick Terraza will be phased out of production before the end of the decade.
The new Lambda-based crossovers will be sold by GMC and Saturn, beginning in model-year 2007. A Saab 9-8X should arrive in 2008, along with a Buick patterned after the Centieme concept, which replaces Rendezvous.

The Lambda architecture accommodates both V6 and V8 engines. Lambda-based CUVs will feature hinged rear doors, and the next-generation Uplander gets sliding rear doors.
The midsize Theta platform, which now underpins the Saturn Vue and the Chevrolet Equinox, will be greatly expanded over the next four years with a smaller, lower-priced variant and a premium derivative.

The next Theta-based product is the new 2006 Pontiac Torrent. Replacements for the Vue, the Equinox and the Torrent are coming in 2010.

Chevrolet and Saturn are planning to add smaller, cheaper five-passenger Theta spinoffs in 2008. The compact four-doors would be aimed at new competitors from Chrysler and Ford as well as such recent Asian entries as the Hyundai Tucson.

What this means to you: Traditional minivan buyers will have less to choose from among the GM divisions, but will have a number of options when it comes to small sport-utilities and car-based crossovers.

THE LUCKY WINNER OF THE EL ZOL/AUTOCITY G6!

Dalia Ruiz was the lucky winner of El Zol 95/Autocity of Pinecrest's car giveaway. Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero, from "El Vacilon de la Ma�ana", broadcasted their show live from our showroom on Thursday. then Saturday we drew the lucky winner from hundreds of participants. Dalia will be driving the G6 with our logo on it all over Miami!

AUTOCITY CUSTOMER GALLERY

Honshy Electric Company---2005 GMC Envoy

Lourdes Delgado---2005 GMC Envoy 

Gelsy Noa 

Emanuel Cadenas---2005 Buick Lacrosse 

Theresa Hyppolyte 

Martha Moreno and Benny Solis---2005 GMC Yukon 

GOOD THINGS TO COME FROM GM!

From AUTOEXTREMIST.COM

In the last two weeks, GM has been bringing in journalists and analysts to the GM Design Dome at their Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, for one-on-one sessions to view most of their upcoming products for the next 30 months. Though we can't provide anything more than sketchy details, suffice to say, anyone counting GM out at this point will be surprised, make that shocked, at the array of new cars and trucks they have in the pipeline. Most impressive was the attention paid to the design of their interiors across the board, something that has been long overdue. And the new products are, in most cases, jaw-droppingly beautiful in their execution and details. Cadillac will continue to gain momentum, with a handsome new Escalade and a stunning new CTS that will flat-out reassert GM's design leadership in the industry. It's that good. And new entries for Chevrolet, Saturn and Buick are remarkably on-target and will be ultra competitive. Saturn dealers in particular should be high-fiving in their showrooms. And the new full-size SUVs and trucks are exceptionally detailed and should set new standards for dynamic performance, ride and efficiency in the category. These new vehicles reflect "Maximum Bob's" influence everywhere you look. Those looking for signs that the Lutzian era has waned in this business will be sorely disappointed, because this new stuff bristles with the kind of detailing and design integrity that have marked his best efforts in the past - and then exceeds them. This is the first time that we have seen hard evidence that all of the work behind the scenes at GM has been worth the effort. The talented men and women working in the trenches at GM have finally been turned loose - and the results are truly extraordinary. Is GM out of the woods yet? Not by a long shot, no. But whereas before they were getting lost on the way to the playing field, they're now well and truly engaged in The Game. And it's about time.

GM SHOWROOM TRAFFIC UP 30%!

The General Motors promotion offering employee discounts to all customers has boosted the number of shoppers in showrooms across the country by nearly 30% over May, and increased sales, too, according a report from CNW Marketing Research, Bandon, Oregon. Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, said closing ratios for the first half of June, when the program started, are up about 22% compared to May for GM. Floor traffic was especially strong in some critical markets where GM needs to boost its sales, such as Los Angeles and Miami, said Mr. Spinella, whose company gathers data at 450 dealerships in 27 markets. Many dealers nationwide have reported good or strong results with the program, while others have said it isn't generating as much traffic as they expected.

GM INCREASES MARKET SHARE!

From AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- General Motors' "Employee Discount for Everyone" incentive has pushed its U.S. market share to 30.3 percent through the first 12 days of June, a study by Power Information Network shows.

The study shows GM taking share from the Chrysler group, which has lost more than two points, and Ford Motor Co. and Toyota, which have each lost more than a point. American Honda, Nissan Motor and Hyundai Motors have lost smaller amounts of share, the study shows.

GM's share is up seven points from June 2004, and has not been above 30 percent for a month since September 2004, a PIN release said. GM's market share in May was 25.8 percent.

The employee discount program "is substantially moving the needle for them," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at PIN, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates. The PIN study is based on retail transaction data from more than 6,000 automotive franchises.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TOYOTA!

TRI-COUNTY TIMES ONLINE

There's a Toyota ad running currently that brags about the fact that they have eight manufacturing plants in the U.S. building more than a million vehicles a year. The ad then finishes with some patriotic music and the statement "Toyota - a company that has created over 200,000 U.S. jobs - a company proud to do its small part to add to the landscape of America."Pass the barf bag please.Take just four or five minutes to read this article.

Read some actual facts about the U.S. auto industry, not the spin put out by those wiley Japanese.In terms of quality, of Toyota's eight plants, their best quality ranking is 16th. Of the top 10 plants for quality, GM has eight of the top 10 and four of the top five.And then there's the myth of the happy, teamwork-oriented worker who labors in a unionless paradise surrounded by caring Japanese employers who only have his or her best interest at heart.Fact: Toyota workers work for less money and are five times more likely than a GM worker to sustain an on-the-job injury and 10 times more likely to be injured seriously enough to lose work days.Toyota likes to propagate the myth of their commitment to the environment as evidenced by the standard set by the Prius. What you don't hear about are the scores of Prius owners who are extremely unhappy with the performance and mileage of their Prius. Ads claim 60 mpg - the reality is that many Prius owners get about half that mileage - about 36 mpg. GM has five models that get similar mileage to the Prius and carry no price premium like the Prius - but you never read about that.If GM had a vehicle that advertised 60 mpg but actually delivered 36 mpg, you can bet that it would be front page news, plus a nice segment on 60 Minutes.

But I digress. My point is that there is an incredibly unfair double standard in the media these days. Inexplicably, U.S. bashing has become the fashionable thing to do. There's no better example than the constant warm fuzzy stories churned out regularly about Toyota's legendary teamwork, safety and quality. And yet, the facts simply don't bear this out. The fact is that Toyota gets a free ride from our lazy and complicit media.But it's time to separate fact from fiction. Toyota is, and has been, waging a very successful PR war with way too much assistance from our media. This results in a skewed viewpoint that dramatically affects how buyers perceive a new car purchase.For instance, how many of you know that Chevrolet was the best selling passenger car brand in the U.S. last year? How many of you know that for three years in a row, Cadillac has sold more luxury cars than anyone else - including Lexus and BMW?How many of you are aware that, according to J.D. Power, GM was the number one multi-line manufacturer in Sales Satisfaction last year? Where was Toyota (including Lexus)? Seventh place.GM was ranked second in the critical Customer Service Satisfaction index in multi-line manufacturers last year. Where was Toyota? Fifth place.GM's lowest quality-rated vehicle is the Pontiac Vibe, assembled in California by - you guessed it - Toyota.While Toyota is wrapping itself in the American flag with paid advertisements and help from our incompetent media, GM, Ford and Chrysler manufactured over 75 percent of all vehicles built in the U.S. last year. And their average domestic content is 82 percent. Toyota's is 40 percent (Lexus is 3 percent).Every 100 GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles produced in the U.S. supports the livelihood of 23 full-time workers. Conversely, every point share gained by Toyota represents 18,000 lost American jobs and countless profit dollars that are shipped overseas to Japan.I am not suggesting that GM, Ford or Chrysler needs your charity, but I am suggesting that you should know the facts before you buy.

In the book "Ghost Soldiers," the author recounts the story of the Bataan Death March. When the Americans arrived at their destination with over half of them dead due to unspeakable cruelties from their captors, the camp commander stood on a box and shouted, "You Americans are the enemy, you will always be the enemy, one hundred years from now we will still be enemies."What has changed since then?Think about that the next time you go to buy a Toyota.

GM TO LOWER 2006 PRICES!

By Jamie LaReau and Jason Stein---Automotive News / June 13, 2005


DETROIT -- General Motors, which dropped sticker prices in February on 22 mid-sized SUVs, is about to extend that strategy. GM will cut base sticker prices for some Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn nameplates, say three dealers who have been briefed on the automaker's strategy for 2006 models. The strategy will allow GM to lure shoppers by advertising lower prices on the Internet, say dealers who were briefed last week.

The move also is aimed at trimming costly rebates. Dealer profit margins on some base models will shrink by 1 percentage point, but margins will rise on vehicle accessories. So dealers will make more money on option-laden vehicles, less on stripped-down models. Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, confirmed late Friday, June 10, that GM soon will unveil a new pricing strategy. But he declined to offer specifics.

"We'll be communicating quite a few '06 prices very shortly," he says. "We're going to be making adjustments to get to more compelling price points." GM already has priced the 2006 Pontiac Solstice at $19,995, the Hummer H3 at $29,500 and the Chevrolet HHR at $15,990, including freight. Analysts say those prices should jibe more closely with transaction prices - what buyers actually will pay.

GM multifranchise dealer Gordon Stewart likes the idea. "This pricing could shock the industry, and they probably want to beat every one else to the table," says Stewart, president of Stewart Management Group in Harper Woods, Mich. "It's a major marketing ploy."

NEW PONTIAC G6 GTP!

The Pontiac site has updated G6 information to include the new GTP performance model. Some noteworthy changes are, of course the new 3.9-liter V6 with 240 horsepower and 241 lb-ft of torque mated to a 3.69 axle that will definitely boost the acceleration feel of the G6 (the GT has a 3.29). Also the electronic steering system has been replaced by a hydraulic system. They just can’t seem to get the electronic system to give the rewarding feedback that a performance vehicle needs, so we’re glad they corrected it. And you can get a six-speed manual on a GM sedan. Wonder of wonders! The base price is $25,735 and is pretty loaded. The other thing that Pontiac added with the price is the disclaimer “before incentives” which reminds people, good or bad, that they can get it cheaper. The GTP should be hitting showrooms this summer.

PONTIAC GTO AND GRAND PRIX GXP TAKE ON THE COMPETITION!

PONTIAC TO TEST THEIR RACE-PROVEN V8 POWER . . . Hold onto your remote
and buckle up! The new 400-hp Pontiac GTO and 303-hp Grand Prix GXP will
test their race-proven V8 power against the world's best-known names in
an exclusive Speed Channel Event, conducted by Pro Formance and certified
by the Sports Car Club of America. The results may surprise you as much
as the competition. Tune in Sunday after Watkins Glen!

Check http://www.blogger.com/www.speedtv.com for broadcast times (search for Pontiac).

GM IS COMMITTED TO REAR-WHEEL DRIVE!

By Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman

It’s been great to read all the Solstice comments in response to Lori Queen’s posts. I’ll just say that Lori and I appreciate your patience. You won’t be sorry you waited once you have one. I also noticed that amid the Solstice discussion, that issue of rear-wheel drive arose again, so I’d like to take the opportunity to address that one more time, along with a couple other questions I was asked previously.

About potential GM rear-wheel-drive products: First of all, for those who say GM is overcommitted to front-wheel-drive, I’d say that’s not quite true. We have the small rear-wheel drive architecture that will spawn the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. We have the Cadillac CTS, STS and SRX, three excellent rear-drive vehicles. And of course we have the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR. And the rear-wheel drive 2005 Pontiac GTO is practically sold out, despite initial worries of whether it would ever reach its targeted volume of 18,000 a year. Right now on the West Coast they just don’t have enough of them to go around, because it’s such a great car to drive. So there’s a whole host of rear-wheel-drive cars that we have already.
We’re fully cognizant of the advantages and disadvantages of rear-wheel drive versus front-wheel drive. We know that rear-wheel drive for the enthusiast driver produces a greater and more visceral sense of control. That isn’t to say that you can’t do a great front-wheel-drive car, and we certainly do a lot of those, with great vehicle dynamics.

But there is something very appealing about a rear-wheel-drive car, and it’s not lost on us. We have not at all abandoned our hopes and dreams for rear-wheel-drive passenger cars — we’ve just stopped work on one particular program. Does that mean there won’t be another and a better program to follow that one? No. Has the current trend toward nostalgia vehicles escaped us? No. Are we studying this phenomenon? Yes. That’s all there is to say about it at this time.
Also, someone asked me if I had to buy any car under $30,000, what would it be? I think, and I’m not just being a homer, I would go with the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, which is just south of $30,000, and a terrific vehicle to drive.

Finally, I was also asked what I’m driving currently… Right now I’m driving a test-fleet preproduction Solstice, a Hummer H3 and a preproduction Pontiac G6 coupe with the 3.9-liter V6. I’m sort of rotating through these vehicles, and enjoying myself very much. We get stopped a lot, both with the G6 coupe, and especially with the Solstice. People really like the looks of that G6 coupe — it does stand out.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR BLOG!

GM ANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT FOR EVERYONE!

By K.C. Crain--Automotive News / May 31, 2005

DETROIT -- Now everyone will get the General Motors employee discount - at least for a month. According to dealers, GM will offer every customer the chance to get a vehicle at the employee discount rate, starting Wednesday, June 1.

The deal applies only to 2005 model year vehicles. GM has been pushing a variety of discount programs to its employees and suppliers, and allowing them to extend the discount to a limited number of family and friends. The new program greatly expands the scope of the discount, particularly to areas of the country where GM does not have a large presence.

The incentive means customers will be able to get a vehicle at a predetermined percentage below the dealership invoice price. Some dealers say the discount can amount to 4 percent off the invoice price. The program will cover almost every GM vehicle. The Chevrolet Corvette is excluded. According to GM, the employee discount is not a fixed amount, and the percentage varies per vehicle.