2012 Minneapolis Auto Show : General Motors

To be honest, one of the supposed new car giants failed me this year. While the company rolled out an overabundance of new products, 2012 was the second year in a row that I was neither pleased nor puzzled by their offerings. I guess I follow new cars online way too much, because even though I hadn't seen their premieres in person, seeing them in flesh evoked little-to-no surprise reaction from me. In fact, I have to say, overall General Motors let me down, especially since they've really been overhyping their "changes" across their remaining brands. I didn't look at the Regal GS, and I hardly stepped serious foot into any of their displays; I can safely say that this year, I spent more time waiting for people to move so I can get pictures, rather than looking at the cars themselves.




This is the Buick Encore; coupling the Buick badge with a name the brings back (for me) memories of a crappy Renault isn't such a great. Deciding that such a vehicle needs to be priced at about $25,000 isn't really a good idea either. At about the size of a Suzuki SX4, it's not even clear where this thing sits in the Buick lineup. I suppose it's an alternative if someone is looking at a Verano but wants a hatchback-- but why? It's more expensive the Verano, and has less room. I am positive this will be a dud in America-- and everywhere else its sold.


This is the new Regal GS; I grew up with moderately quick, and moderately fast Buick sedans. The second generation Regal GS had a 240 horse supercharged 3.8, name the L67. This one, too, uses forced induction. With 270 horses, it should be fairly quick, right? It is, but to me, it somehow lacks the "character" that I liked about the Regal GS I grew up with. I know this is (probably) a better built car, but I don't quite care for it. $40,000 buys quite a number of choices for driver's cars on the used market. If one wanted to get a Regal GS as a new car.. well, it placed in the very bottom of a recent Motor Trend comparo if that tells you anything. Your money is better spent elsewhere.



With the CTS getting bigger as the years go by, Cadillac needs a new car to do battle with BMW's venerable-- and much loved-- 3 Series. In 2007, with the CTS getting into 5 Series territory, GM set out to work on a new entry-level sedan. Fast forward five years later, and this is the result--and a rather plain one at that. Following strict Cadillac styling, the ATS--unlike the current-gen CTS does not break any new grounds in the stylebook. Instead, Cadillac chose to play it safe, and follow the general formula that's worked well since 2007. I can't say I like it or dislike it; it looks like a generic "Art and Science" Cadillac, so take that as you will.



What this is, is the second new Cadillac. GM has finally dumped the aging (but quite popular) W-Body/GM10 platform, and is focusing on a new way of building their midsize FWD cars. Like the lower-priced Chevrolet Impala, this new XTS is the new "prestige" midsize luxury car. It does battle with the Lincoln MKZ (and maybe MKS), and the Lexus ES300h when it goes on sale this fall. It looks like a promising effort, quality-wise.. but.. the styling leaves quite a bit to be desired. A sedan that resembles a 5-door slantback/hatchback.. Not quite what Cadillac was hoping for, I'm sure.






Now, something good from Cadillac; the CTS-V line. I love these cars. The absurdity of shoving a badass powerplant into a whole lineup of cars is just awesome. Cadillac seriously followed Mercedes' AMG lineup and BMW's European M lineup. But, Cadillac did something its German competitors did not do. They have their whole CTS lineup swathed in badassery. If you don't like a wagon, there's also a coupe and sedan to tickle your fancy. If you can't find love in any of these Vs, I question your level of car enthusiasm.



Quite possibly one of the dumber things I've seen in a long time. I know GM "cares" about fuel efficiency, but.. seriously.. Where does this fit in? It's $85,000, it gets worse gas mileage than the non-hybrid, and it has less cargo room.. and it's $15k more... For that $15K one could buy a Chevy Sonic hatchback and save ever more fuel--and not look like a complete tool.







This.. is the Chevrolet Malibu-- new for 2013 apparently. Because the old car (the 2008-2012) looked remarkably decent for a General Motors car, to me this is a let down-- a major one. At first glance.. I just. well.. I gave it only one glance and it took me a few double takes to realize that this was in fact, a new car. Why is that bad? Well, the 2008 Malibu was one of the first products of the "new GM"; to replace a stunning design with something so bland is almost criminal; its something Honda would do. Not GM. But apparently they have. Moving on now.



What we have here is the new Chevrolet Volt. Launched last summer, but marketed a 2012 model, this is Chevrolet's first mass-market electric car-- that will actually be sold. You see, in 1996, GM did this thing called the EV1, which was a little electric car. Unfortunately, they were all seized and crushed. I initially hoped the same for this, but really, I can't fault it. It feels like a Malibu, inside it has just as much room, and it has a more tech-oriented dash. But at $40,000, and with it acting like a Cruze around the city, I don't see the point. Sure, it's great if you want to make a statement about your frugality.. but that's what a Honda Insight Hybrid is for-- and I mean the old one, not the new Prius-wannabe.


This is the Centennial Corvette; it marks 100 years of GM, and its only available in black. Fortunately, it's available across the entire range of America's sportscar, should a ZR1 or Z06 be too expensive for your budget. I like it, but the C6 is getting old for me. Try something different, or at least, make the next "special edition" more special. Till then, it's simply just a fancy way of saying "my Corvette is murdered out."


And lastly, this is the new Saturn Outlook-- wait. I mean the GMC Acadia. Bonkers, I know, but nothing's been changed. Except for adding defunct GM-brand parts to replace the current GMC part. And this is what they mean by Professional Grade? More like "Second Grade" as far as I'm concerned. A new tailgate and new grille does not a new car make. Try again, Detroit.