GM is getting into gear!

Ok, so it is no secret that I genuinely like General Motors. Even if I wasn't currently employed by a subsidiary of the company, I would be rooting for them. I like cheering for the underdog, and right now, GM's a bit of an underdog.

Granted, I will be the first person to say they did it to themselves - absolutely they did. But now they have bridges to mend and work to do. And what do you know - they're actually doing it! In the past year and a half, America has seen more improvement from GM than they had a decade before that, and there's only more great things on the horizon. Here's some taste of what's happened and what's to come:

-First, since ditching the Cobalt and re-doing the Malibu, Chevrolet is saying goodbye to the last of their blander vehicles, the Aveo. The Korean-made Aveo seemed to have been rushed onto the American market in the mid-00's to compete with the small city cars that had become popular during the beginning of the gas crisis. Basically, it seemed to be there just to give Chevy a car that was tiny and fuel efficient. It was a good little car at times, but it was a supremely boring one. Now, they are replacing it with the well-conceived, American-made Chevrolet Sonic. This car is meant to be for the Aveo what the Cruze was to the Cobalt last year - a completely revitalized entry into its segment, instead of a mere nameplate change. Like the Aveo, the Sonic will have a hatchback and sedan edition, and like the Cruze, the inside will be completely overhauled to include a state-of-the-art console in every vehicle. You can see a photo of the Sonic at the top of this post.

-Second, they have redesigned the Malibu for 2013. Besides the fact that it looks great, there are two other positive things worth mentioning: GM is trying to create a lot of hype for this release, and they did it without changing the name. Okay, I am going to be honest - and let me stress that this is just my opinion, not that of any one else or the dealership - I did not care for the Chevy Malibu from 97-07. I thought it was lackluster at best. Then the 08 came around. It completely change my mind, and I think it did the same for a lot of people. The advantage of keeping the Malibu name is that it is an established product - good or bad, people know the name. I think that 9 times out of 10 people will choose an established name product over something they've never heard of, because at least the establish product has been tested and there are other buyers out there, for better or for worse. Once Chevy has got the Sonic and Cruze well established, I'm hoping that they don't go anywhere near those names for many years to come.

-Thirdly, GM seems to be hitting their stride with their other brands. Cadillac, Buick, and GMC are all running smoothly. Cadillac is veering towards more performance cars, while Buick is taking up the Caddy's previous market of comfortable luxury boat-cars. (I happen to drive one of those older Cadillac boats, and I must say I am glad GM has kept this style going with Buick; I'd be sad to see it go.)

And finally, if I may, a personal wish list: please redesign the Impala as a urban-themed city sedan, like Ford's Taurus. Impala is begging for a makeover, and I think the ticket to increasing sales is capturing young urban professionals. Right now it's sized as a family vehicle, and Chevy has two of those already in the sedan category, in addition to their extensive line of family CUVs and SUVs.

I'll probably have another post on the Impala issue sometime soon, but I'm signing off for today!

New Decade, New Lineup: Times Are Indeed Changing

Many things are changing in the automotive industry. Every year, it becomes a more globally-oriented endeavour. GM has tried to acknowledge and take advantage of that fact as much as possible - for example, do you know the companies Holden and Daewoo? They are GM-related automakers in Australia and South Korea, respectively. Their ideas are often combined with the ideas of engineers in America and Europe to create the vehicles you find sold under the Chevy, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC brand names. Additionally, GM has entered China, and is now the top-selling foreign automaker there. Believe it or not, did you know the Chinese are crazy about Buicks? Who'da thunk, right?

Chevrolet has a lot of awesome stuff coming down the pipeline: the Orlando, the Spark, and, of course, the Volt (more on that for another day). The first item that we will be getting in at Payne Chevrolet, though, is the Chevrolet CRUZE.

The Cruze comes at a very important time for Chevrolet - the small car has never been a forte for American car companies, long eclipsed by Asian and European automakers in this area. The Cruze is described by Chevy's PR people as "a global car refined for America," and to be honest, it's hard to disagree with them - they did a really great job. The Cruze, as the successor to the Cobalt, will be a nice looking piece of work. The interior looks like one of a sports car, and the outside looks very modern. The mpg is expected to be around 40 miles per gallon. The car is both an improvement on the Cobalt and a new vehicle all its own.

However on that note, here is my candid, uncensored hope for the future of Cruze - that this nameplate will stick. I think that the Cavalier and Cobalt were both great vehicles, so why a name change? I'd like GM to pick a name for this car and stay with it, through redesigns and good sales and bad, because it builds a brand loyalty. People LOVE Camaro, through thick and thin, and it's partially because Chevy made a great car and stuck with it. Any car historian will tell you that not every single Camaro in history was a great as the current model (Camaro Iron Duke?). And yet, the Camaro is still one of the most beloved cars in history, and better than ever.

Also, look at the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla - both are horrible names for cars, in my opinion, but yet they are some of the longest-running nameplates and best selling vehicles in the business. The name doesn't matter as much as the brand created around it. The Cruze has the ability to be the best car in its class, and I think Chevy should believe in the nameplate enough to keep it for many, many years to come.

Here's to you, Chevy Cruze!! Can't wait for you to get here.