http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant
heres a few small quotes, its a HUGE article
the Enclave just looks AMAZING, and the camaro interior is insanely hot.
heres a few small quotes, its a HUGE article
Best Reason to Skip a Display Altogether. The VW exhibit was so dull and uninspiring that it's no wonder they didn't schedule a press conference during the media days. The only thing they had to talk about was the new VW Passat Wagon (OMG!), and we understand Wolfgang Bernhard vetoed the idea of wasting everybody's time by scheduling a press conference. Smart move. VW's real problem these days is that their newest vehicle, the late-arriving Golf GTi, has been displayed in magazines for two years now, so there is absolutely no news there. The bottom line is that there's nothing worth talking about at VW, "Moonraker" Project, or no. What a dismal showing for a brand. Honorable Mentions? Acura - a new RDX 4-cylinder crossover? Halle-frickin'-luja! Subaru - the B5-TPH Concept? Take two of these and don't call us in the morning. Mitsubishi? Whatever.
We're not only going to tell you what play we're going to run, we're going to ram the ball down your throats knowing that there's not a damn thing you can do to stop us. What can you say about Toyota other than that they continue in their relentless pursuit of world domination, and there appears to be no one capable of standing in their way? The Toyota FJ is funky, authentic, oozing with personality, and it's just about perfect. Unlike its domestic competition, Toyota is smart enough to let the buyers find the FJ - and they will in droves. Toyota doesn't care about volume; they just care that the people who do find the FJ believe in it and are satisfied with its authenticity. And with that attitude, Toyota will field yet another hit in the market. And their new entry-level car, the Yaris, which was much more attractive in two-door form, adds one more market opportunity to the Toyota repertoire. They just don't put a wheel wrong it seems.
It was a good run, but Chrysler's role as industry design leader officially comes to an end in Detroit.It seems like we have been talking about Chrysler design excellence for a long time now - and we have. From the glory days of the product renaissance led by Bob Lutz and Tom Gale to as recently as two years ago, Chrysler could always be counted on to deliver great stuff for the major auto shows - no matter how mediocre and uninspiring their street vehicles were. But as in all great runs, nothing lasts forever - and the wheels came off Chrysler's golden design era with a thud at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show.
First of all, the Challenger, though obviously calculated to be an improvement on the original in every respect, was far too literal in the flesh. Yes, it was cool and everything, but Chip Foose could have easily created something just like it in his shop. And the fact that Chrysler designers went around "fixing" all of the things that were wrong on the original and stopped there, left them no room to take the car further or "reach" with it in the future. The Challenger garnered lots of attention for Chrysler in the weeks leading up to the show, but by the time the actual media days arrived, it came off as a one-off custom hot rod designed to add a little eye candy to the Dodge display - and nothing more.
But without question, the concept that set Chrysler Design back at least 25 years (and sent the design community as a whole into shock) was the relentlessly hideous Imperial Concept. Imagine if Wal*Mart decided to get in the car business overnight and the market they were absolutely convinced they could succeed in was the $300,000+ Rolls-Royce Phantom/Mercedes-Benz Maybach niche. Being Wal*Mart, of course, they would locate a junior college with a burgeoning wannabe automotive design program (a friend of a friend of a guy over in marketing who's their resident "car guy" said these guys were "good") and commence initial design work. After a month or so and a couple of reviews, they call it "perfect" and then contract an unknown, unnamed manufacturer in China to build the car, so that they can bring it in to the U.S. market for $49,995. And here it is...
No, it won't save the company, but it sure is cool. The introduction of the new Camaro Concept at the GM stand on Monday afternoon was a true automotive happening befitting one of the industry's legendary nameplates. GM operatives configured a "street" right down the length of its entire display - and people were packed 30-deep around the entire perimeter as long as two hours before the press conference. GM went so far as to invite 250 members of various Camaro clubs to be their guests at the unveiling. They even constructed a "flag stand" up near the video wall so Jack Arute, the ABC/ESPN race commentator, could "call" the proceedings. The percussion section from Saginaw High School opened the festivities, which was a stirring touch, and then two famous Camaro race cars made their way between the sea of people with open pipes snarling. First up was the famous Gold and Black No. 13 '68 Camaro built by legendary race car builder Smokey Yunick. In typical Smokey fashion, it was one of the fastest Camaro race cars ever built, bearing only a passing resemblance to an actual street Camaro. Next came the famed '69 No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Camaro Z/28 driven by Mark Donohue to six wins during that Trans-Am season. And Roger Penske himself appeared for a live interview by Arute. Then came four ultra-rare street Camaros including a production "ZL-1" 427, interspersed with interviews of famous people who played a part in the success of the Camaro legend, including much-loved ex-Chevrolet General manager Jim Perkins (one of the four Camaro street cars was his). And finally, the new Camaro concept appeared with "Maximum Bob" Lutz at the wheel, gleaming in a hot Silver color that was straight out of GM Styling's color palette in the '60s.
It may just save the division, it's that good. The new Buick Enclave crossover was a regular stop for designers on "tour" at the show's media days, for some obvious reasons. Its proportions are right, while injecting some actual life into the now de rigueur crossover shape - and the detailing throughout is superb, with probably the best interior GM has done to date. With the new Lucerne, which has already made huge strides in getting the division back on track and the upcoming Enclave, Buick's raison d'etre in the GM solar system is looking much better. The only drawback? The Enclave won't be in showrooms until one year from now.
the Enclave just looks AMAZING, and the camaro interior is insanely hot.
