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For Friday, January 29, 2010
Should GM build the GMC Granite?
Alex argues yes – but only as a Chevy, while Manoli says nay through and through.
Which side do you choose? Listen to the show and then vote right after the break!
Click the image to watch the video
We’ve dug up yet another video, this time of the 2010 Chevy Equinox and Mike Rizzo, engineer for ABS, traction, and electronic stability control systems. In the video, Mike explains what each of these features does and applies them to real-world situations. He then proceeds to do things in the Equinox that warrant a “Professional driver. Closed course.” warning. All three of these ride control technologies are standard equipment on the Equinox, making it “a favorite in the mid-crossover segment.”
And just in case you’re wondering, yes, that’s Chevrolet’s own description of the Equinox’s classification in the “mid-crossover segment,” lending credence to this humble blogger’s opinion that the Theta-based CUV does not actually compete with compact CUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. But I digress.
Click past the break for the video.
Yes, it’s now officially okay to snicker and make chicken noises towards your F-series-owning neighbor, as Ford wussed out and officially turned down GM’s ultimatum offer of an esteemed (*cough*) truck pull between The General’s upcoming Heavy Duties and Ford’s new Super Duty models. This all started some odd days ago when GM’s Tom Stephens, vice chairman of global product operations, boasted the soon-to-be HD trucks by saying the following:
You know what I want to do to prove it? I want to take our truck and Ford’s [new Super Duty] and chain them together back-to-back. Then I want to have them pull against each other. I know our truck will beat theirs.
Now those are fighting words. However, Ford had the following rebuttal:
We typically don’t respond to challenges. We let the vehicles speak for themselves.
As in, “Hey GM, we have held the number one spot in truck sales for how many years now?” While that may burn some folks, it still doesn’t change the fact that Ford feels it’s above one of the purest forms of truck competition. Maybe Ram would be interested in playing…
While not much has currently been leaked about the next-gen Heavy Duty, they are expected to debut at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show next month and the rumored budget has been an estimated $1 billion. With a budget that size, it’s gotta be good.
While a truck pull may not feel like much to some and “immature” to others – we’d recommend lightening up for the sake of some fun. Ford just can’t handle the powaah. And to stick it to them, GM should winch up a Ford Super Duty (allegedly against its will) to the impending Chevy/GMC Heavy Duty for a future ad and show the world what’s up. May the best truck win.
While this may not be as sexy a topic as a Zeta-based four-door sedan for the U.S., the North American market is heating up for non-pick-up work vehicles. Ford is leading the charge with its Transit Connect commercial van, having sold just over 8,000 units since bringing the compact vehicle Stateside in mid 2009. While GM has its Chevy Express/GMC Savanna full-size vans (that may soon be replaced) to go against Ford’s Econoline, The General has nothing to offer the compact utility van buyer.
But General Motors can become a serious competitor in this market very quickly and with minor investment by bringing its Opel Combo utility van to the US. While the Combo may need some (much-needed) styling updates inside and out since its 2001 debut, the Gamma-based white van is the perfect utility vehicle for those looking for an alternative to a small truck, with sliding doors and highly configurable storage capacity.
Click the image to watch the video ad!
We present to you Chevy’s latest ad, this time featuring the Chevrolet Traverse. The focal point of the ad are two small children – a boy and a girl – with the boy blowing a bubble of gum noticeably larger than the girl’s, representing the fact that the Traverse has 30% more cargo room than the Honda Pilot.
Click past the jump for the ad!
We recently let you know about Holden’s plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Commodore by 2013 (at the earliest). Hybrid technology is not the end-all-be-all of fuel efficiency, as Toyota’s marketing department would have you believe. As such, we applaud Holden’s caution in jumping on the hybrid bandwagon and believe the other side of the hybrid coin has not received sufficient attention. Let’s explore this other side.
European plumbers, carpenters and electricians will be delighted to read this: GM’s European units Opel and Vauxhall – in collaboration with Renault – have developed an all-new four-wheeled tool. The Vauxhall Movano is Europe’s latest full-size van built from the inside-out with function in mind.
According to the presser, the all-new Movano is set to offer a choice of 29 different body variations (count ‘em!), a total payload of up to 2.5 tons, class-leading cargo space, and even be available in either front or rear wheel drive depending on payload category, with the rear-wheel drive models having the option to be ordered with duallies on the rear axle. Additionally, the flexible 2.3L four-cylinder fuel-sipping common-rail diesel engine will deliver 100 hp/210 ft.-lbs., 125hp/228 ft.-lbs. or 150 hp/258 ft.-lb. options. The price? The moving utility starts at £21,660 ($35,184) – not bad considering its main competitor, the Mercedes/Freightliner/Dodge Sprinter, comes in just over that price point.
The Movano is set to go on sale in the UK in May, with the Opel variant coming later in the year to other European markets.
Considering that the Sprinter is already available Stateside and that not every every blue-collar worker (or fleet) can fit his/her equipment in a Ford Transit Connect – a Chevy or GMC variation can’t come fast (or soon) enough to replace GM’s aging Express and Savanna models.
The Savanna and Express aren’t even in the same league as more evolved vans such as the Mercedes Sprinter (the Dodge version has ceased production) or even the Movano. Simply put, GM vans (in North America) don’t offer nearly as much versatility or options as the more utilitarian Sprinter. Therefore, GM needs a deeper line-up if it’s interested in remaining a serious contender in the commercial van space, and the Movano would be the perfect comeback vehicle. That said, if the Movano is brought to the U.S., we recommend GM make it a GMC exclusive.
If GMC were The General’s only brand selling commercial vans, it would lend more credence to the Professional Grade image. The Movano would – in essence – be the flagship GMC van, slotting in above the Savanna or replacing it altogether. Furthermore, If GM wishes to take on the Ford TransitConnect in the low-end market, the Vauxhall Combo should be considered for North America pronto!
In case you were wondering: Renault’s version of the Movano is called the Renault Master.
We have Vauxhall’s full presser after the break as well as this official brochure in PDF format.
Update: just got our hands on images of the Opel version.
Click the image to watch the video
Here’s an ad for all of the GM advertising/marketing fans out there (us included). This advert emphasizes the fact that the Malibu gets an EPA estimated 33 MPG on the highway and gets OnStar with turn-by-turn navigation free for one year. This humble writer is of the opinion that the ad would have been more effective if it were accompanied by some music/sound and voice-over (perhaps that’s the case on TV).
To top it all off (and add some hidden trivia), the car that’s circling the roundabout is a fifth-generation Toyota Camry. Sneky Chevy, very sneaky!
Click past the break to watch the ad in all its glory!
Click the image to watch video
We’ve uncovered another video for your viewing pleasure, this time of the Chevy Volt undergoing a simulation of real-world durability testing. Given time and weather constraints faced by GM, the team puts the Volt through a virtual 100,000 miles of driving on GM’s Milford Michigan Proving Grounds. This is a version of an accelerated durability test, such as the solar heat test we brought you earlier. See what we mean for yourself by clicking past the jump!
As the fallout from the Toyota recall proliferates, The General has avoided most of the shrapnel. It has, however, had to halt the sale of the remaining models of the Pontiac Vibe – which was a full-on rebadge of the Toyota Matrix. The Vibe is part of Toyota’s recall to fix an accelerator pedal design flaw that results in unintended acceleration. The impact on The General is minimal, as it has nearly completed the phase-out of the Pontiac brand while Toyota has agreed to handle the recall.
Indeed, the move is the most recent event in a collaboration story that began in 1984. As a joint manufacturing effort, in 1984 Toyota and General Motors rechristened GM’s former Fremont, California manufacturing plant as “NUMMI,” New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. GM wanted to learn about then revolutionary Japanese manufacturing processes, including “kaizen” or “continual improvement.” Toyota wanted to test whether its processes were compatible with the North American workforce. GM withdrew from the effort last year, while Toyota plans to withdraw by the end of the first quarter of this year. In its 25 year history, the plant was responsible for producing Toyota’s compact pickup (the Tacoma) and several clone pairs: the 1985-88 Chevrolet Nova was a rebadged Toyota Corolla, as was the Geo-turned-Chevrolet Prism. The plant produced the Corolla throughout its history. Built on the Corolla platform, the Toyota Matrix and identical Pontiac Vibe are among the last vehicles to be produced at NUMMI. Recent incarnations of both models are subject to the current Toyota recall.
In addition to manufacturing, Toyota and GM have collaborated on alternative fuel technologies. In 1999, the pair teamed up on electric vehicle development, including battery and charging technology. Initially, there Toyota was seriously considering allowing Chevrolet to market a re-badged Prius. Collaboration also produced progress in the nascent stages of fuel cell research, although cooperation ceased when the research moved from the initial exploration to the proprietary development stage.
Toyota and General Motors compete in virtually every automotive segment. But during Toyota’s recent recall due to unintended acceleration, the media, this site included, have portrayed both players as cut-throat zero-sum competitors. Failure to contextualize those remarks obfuscates the nuances in a symbiotic relationship that proved mutually beneficial for nearly a quarter of a century.
[Sources: CNN, Reuters, WSJ, Popular Mechanics, MSNBC]
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