The luxury crossover section has been a booming market since 1998 when vehicles like the Lexus RX and Mercedes ML sprang onto the automotive market. Since then, everyone from Europe, Asia and even here in America have been trying to take over the market.

The most notable car-based SUV from the states was the Cadillac SRX. When it debuted in 2004, it had some promise. Niceties such as a rear-wheel-drive chassis, leather interior and a Bose audio system were standard while navigation, all-wheel-drive, a Northstar V8, and a third row seat were options.

The SRX competed well with its competitors, with a good driving poise and room for both luggage and kids. However, it never overtook the perennial king of crossovers, the RX-series, with its squared-off body design and less-than-stellar interior. Cadillac hopes to change that with their new 2010 crossover and give the Lexus something to actually worry about.

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By now, it is common knowledge that the Big Three is now the Big Two. Chrysler, ever the more anemic of the three beasts, has filed for bankruptcy, and only two are left. Ford seems to be doing okay, in fact, they sold more cars in April than Toyota did. So now it’s GM that’s close to hearing that death knell. But fear not, for here is my ten-point plan to pin the medals back on the mighty General.

Mind you, this isn’t a plan designed to save GM from a very likely bankruptcy, as that would take an angel from car heaven to flip a switch in everyone’s head so that they suddenly buy American. Rather, this is a plan designed to fix GM, and to ensure that the General’s current predicament will never happen again after GM bounces back. Also keep in mind that this is a plan only for GM North America (for I propose cutting Buick, which would alarm the reader living in, say, China).

UPDATE: Well, looks like this is strictly a plan to fix GM after recovering, as the (once) powerful General went into bankruptcy today. Strange and scary times we are living in

1) Keep Pontiac

I’m still reeling over GM’s decision to axe Pontiac. Next to Chevrolet, this is the brand that has the highest potential to make money! After all, look at all the effort GM has put into this brand. They’ve spent all that money developing the Solstice GXP Coupe, the Pontiac G8 and variants, and now they are going to just kill the whole thing off? That doesn’t make sense. What’s more, the decision to return to the four “core brands” of GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac does not make sense either. Chevrolet and Cadillac should be kept, of course, but GMC and Buick? Neither are making GM enough money to justify their continued existence, and neither fulfill a market that the other two (Chevy and Cadillac) can’t. Continue Reading…

Caddy has decided to get more into the, er, crossover game by setting two new models loose on the roadways of America this summer. One is the all-new SRX Crossover and the other is a Sport Wagon variant of their CTS small sports sedan.

Essentially, they’re both station wagons, no matter how the PR and marketing flacks try to get you to use the term “Crossover”.

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The continuing soap opera that is GM (if not American car manufacturing in general) continues with more twists and turns than a misshapen corkscrew. In today’s installment, the part of young Doctor Powers, he who would save the youthful and well healed of Grosse Pointe is played by the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. What? You thought that young Doctor Powers/ the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe was dead, killed when the evil “socialist” government overlords wouldn’t give enough of their money to poor, poor GM?

Nope, looks like the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is alive.

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Ever since man began making cars for more than just getting from A to B, two-door coupes have been a sign of automotive enthusiasm and overall sportiness that a four-door sedan simply could not fulfill. A recent wave of sport sedans and four-door coupes have been introduced to the market, but for us sports car enthusiasts, they just aren’t good enough.

For the purposes of this article, we’re referring to a sedan as a car with four doors, and coupe as a car with two doors, even though the technical definition of the two terms are slightly different. Please see Coupe vs Sedan for more information regarding the technical differences.

So which new cars are produced as sedan-only, when they should be offered as coupes? Keep reading… Continue Reading…

The Detroit auto show has come and gone, and has left the automotive industry with a little more to chew over. As a final wrap-up to quite possibly the most important auto show in America, we chose 10 cars that summed up the best of the show. We chose based on significance and looks, which is why you will see Honda’s Insight on the same list as the Fisker Karma. After much deliberating, here are the 10 we think are the best.

10) Volkwagen BlueSport Concept

Starting at the No. 10 spot, the BlueSport made this list because it is an honest effort to make a sporty car by a company whose most engaging vehicle to date is the Golf GT1 (no, the Bugatti Veyron does not count). It’s not the sexiest roadster available, as the Saturn Sky debatably holds that spot (key word: debatably. Check out the comments at the link above, and add your own opinion). While not terribly exciting to the eyes, it does feature that solid, reliable look that has come to define VW’s “German Engineering”. 57 miles to each gallon of diesel just adds to the charm.

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