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Link While the spy photos made the body look pretty good, these renders make it look more like a warmed over Aveo clinging tightly to its cheap, low-rent looks.

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While the G8's sales numbers won't win any competitions, I would like to see an American brand developed to fill a niche role in the industry. I have been giving this some thought since last fall, and while I certainly haven't tried to crunch any numbers or make a realistic plan, I believe there are sufficient numbers of auto enthusiasts that would get behind a company that offered vehicles geared more toward performance (not just V8s with 400+ hp, but handling, rear-wheel drive, overall chassis dynamics) than the industry offers. Pontiac has often been accused of imitating BMW with the dual kidney grille, especially with the G8. Granted, they aren't in the same league in terms of overall sophistication or interior feature/comfort levels. Regardless, a niche US automaker would, in my estimation, enjoy a reasonable measure of support and could command a premium price for their products, just not a BMW level price. I could see a C-segment and D-segment rear-wheel drive vehicle capable of occupying the upper $20k-$40k range. I've been wondering, how many cars would a brand have to sell in order to be subject to the CAFE requirements? Obviously Panoz and the sports car folks don't have to get 35.5 mpg. Anyway, in order to not to highjack the thread, I think this could be attractive to some folks especially if a deal could be made for the G8 for a while and get the Solstice plant. The brand does have a history of both good and bad. Mr. Penske seems to be shopping around...

From all I've read up to this point, both Dodge and Chevy had already cut back their R&D money for teams quite a bit, but the bankruptcy filings appear to have ended that completely. (Dodge funding for NASCAR teams suspended and Hendrick, France confident in GM). That still leaves the sponsorship of races, vehicles used at the tracks, and advertising dollars that most likely won't be changing.

Link I don't know about you, but considering every taxpayer in the US and Canada are now shareholders thanks to the governments, I believe they should be reporting just as much information as ever. Politicians and the public at least feigned outrage at the lack of oversight of the financial industry bailout, and while I certainly hope the Task Force and Obama don't micromanage this situation, the public should know how the numbers look.

But haven't you heard, this is the New GM. Everything they make is a great product for a strong brand, made by UAW workers in the USofA, cleans the environment instead of polluting, gets class leading fuel economy, has the most power in class, and it comes free with an IOU from the Treasury, and a phone call thanking you for buying from the US Gov't. Well, maybe not quite all of that...

Well, when you build a bad product that doesn't turn your company or brand's fortune around, I guess it makes sense to move on to something new. The Blazer name had some good history associated with it, but for the most part every other model you mentioned was a good example of why GM is bankrupt today--uncompetitive with import brands. I wouldn't call it an Aveo, but the blatant ripoff of another Spanish name to compete head to head with the much-praised Fiesta is over the top. Then again GM thought the rear-engined Corvair could take on the VW Beetle just because they put the engine in the back. Another in a long line of poor business decisions, this time financed not while risking publicly traded stock, but by the taxes we all get to pay. I feel for the dealers trying to sell Chrysler's and GM's, those that will survive, because the American public didn't support the auto bailout in the first place, and I'm sure the attitude will only continue to dwindle as billions more get dumped into this pit. As far as this car goes, the exterior doesn't seem too bad. That instrument panel though, wow it's grotesque. Glad to see GM always has another "import fighter" at the ready.

Link More spy shots of the Fiesta sedan. I think the larger upper grille opening is a good way to go and should improve the looks (plus it looks more like the R2 rally car, here). The rear of the sedan will take some getting used to, but the profile in conjunction with the wheels on this tester looks remarkably similar to the Focus plus a few inches in height. I hope the wheels on this model are being used to help disguise it with Focus looks because I don't find that they do much for the car--make the car look even taller and the wheels even smaller. Curious to me is the dual roof-mounted anntenae, one at the front and one at the rear. It seems Ford has done more of the just over the windshield mounts, but other automakers (such as VW) have made the stinger antenna on the rear edge look nice. The headrests on the rear seats appear to be the same design as the Euro version. It's hard to tell much about the rear bumper/taillights/fascia from the well concealed wrap, so who knows. Oh well, I'll end my analysis.

Link It appears that Obama will act as CEO whenever he sees fit, regardless of statements by CEO-in-title Henderson that they would consider moving to Warren given tax break offers. Moving to Warren may have saved money for GM, yet as many have said, the government has to please constituents and UAW and the like before they worry about running a competitive business. This coupled with the US made B-segment product seem to suggest political appearances may trump any real opportunity for GM to restructure as it needs to do during this bankruptcy to become a profitable, competitive player in the US or anywhere else.

Looks like the additional 450 closures was optimistic, more like double that instead of the "less than half that" GM VP of NA Sales Mark LaNeve is quoted in the autoblog article. Sad day for the industry that once was among the most romantic and passionately supported industries in America. Link

Exactly, given the state of GM and Chrysler and Ford's continuing gain in market share, the fact they intend to continue making gains is not surprising just great news. Hopefully gas will stay below $3/gallon all summer and until the Fiesta and new Focus make it to market so people will continue buying the F-150, Taurus, and Fusion. Now for the next goal of turning cash burn into black ink.

Link Nothing all that surprising here, but production is expected to increase in Q32009 over 2008.

I just read the same news over at autoweek.com and am a little shocked. While it would be great to build more vehicles in the US, this announcements seems much more like a hastily made statement in hopes of gaining support as they head to bankruptcy court. I suspect Obama and the Auto Task Force have something to do with this being made public today. Billions of taxpayer dollars that we were assured would be recovered are now being forgiven in exchange for over 70% ownership in a "new GM." I would love to see the new company suceed and repay the debt and get out of government control, but Autoweek suggests this could even be an additional model along with the Spark. The B-segment may be growing, but not enough to build two models unless one is a B-Max type vehicle that can be sold for a bit more money. If that's the case, maybe there is some way to make money on such a vehicle built in the US, but I will admit I am skeptical of this plan. On the bright side, it cannot be worse than the Aveo, other than the fact every American will have helped subsidize its development and production. I've gotta say, I don't think Monday's bankruptcy will be the last for GM the way this is going.

I've been looking over the features and options on ford.co.uk in an attempt to figure out what is likely for the US version. As far as folding mirrors, there's the City Pack including rear parking sensor and electronically folding mirrors there, so it's at least possible. I can't comment on the Fiestas in Scottsdale, but judging by the UK's website, the models in Cincy (and I'm assuming all that Ford brought to the US for Ride & Drive and the Movement) are pretty high spec (the Brits call it the Titanium model from what I can glean) with the projector beam headlights, chrome grille, folding mirros (seems like they would have shown this off since it's so often found on high end cars), etc. I wonder if the Fiestas sold in the US will have the broad range of features found in the European model and if the features will be grouped together similarly to those in Europe, or if we will see a more limited array of options and features. I definitely want to see the Projector beam headlights and the 7-spoke 16" alloys. With today's exchange rates, the Titanium model starts at over US$21k, which will partially be offset by building in Mex, but will that be enough? The start button doesn't really appeal to me, but I have a feeling that will be on the upper end US models along with the auto climate control and rain sensor. Oh well, it's a year or so until they are released here and probably 2 years before I'll be in the market, but it's fun to configure the ideal car all the same. Just curious, Scott, but was the dark blue Fiesta the same as I saw in Cincy? That color & wheel combo is ideal in my book.

I had the chance to drive the Fiesta in Cincinnati and left a few observations in the Fiesta Forum (here). From the stories I've read in magazines, one of the prime goals of the new Fiesta was to decrease weight yet maintain overall vehicle footprint and improve interior space. That was the reason more complex and heavier features such as a flat folding rear seat were excluded in favor of the simple fold down back rest. I know I never haul anything in my car without a blanket or something under the load, so I think that's a reasonable option for the metal backs of the seat. I do wonder how much the materials will change on the interior. It seems that for a product with small margins, the quality of the materials will not change much from Europe to here especially given that the European market is more accustomed to paying a premium for small cars. My thought is the interior will be almost exactly the same as the European version with a possible exception of the seat fabrics. A center armrest would also be a nice addition and could provide some storage space as well, but it would likely eliminate at least one existing cupholder so who knows if that would happen. Many magazines seem to be sure the engine will be the 1.6L so I wouldn't count on more than 120-hp. I'm not sure how much weight the 1.6L adds to the car, but the 2200 lb. curb weight is probably not off by more than 50 to 100 lbs so that should be sufficient in terms of power. Maybe the small EcoBoost will one day be a performance option ST version or something. Personally, I'd like to see a 6-speed manual instead of the 5-speed just to further improve the highway mileage and allow for closer ratios in the lower 5 gears, but I'm sure that won't be happening either. The electric power-steering is a variable effort that, as the marketing guy said, practically shuts off to give manual steering at highway speeds. He seemed to love the way the steering worked, and given its light weight not a lot of boost would be required anyway.

Just saw this thread and thought I'd chime in with my experience. I was all set to make an 80 mile drive to Cincinnati, OH on 5/21 for the Ride & Drive listed on the website. That morning, after weeks of listing the event, I discovered it was no longer on the website. Fortunately, I follow @FordFiesta on twitter and sent a message to them. By noon, the event was back up on the website, and I was able to find the 3 Fiestas and take a drive. I was going to post a separate post regarding my limited review, but I'll go ahead and do that here. Photos available here. I got there hoping to spend some time just looking over the car, take some photos, and then go for a drive, but the people running the event were eager to get me in the car and driving. Two of the Fiestas were 5-spd manuals, so I took out the nice bright red one wondering where I would get to take the car (an employee rides with everyone). I probably reached a top speed of 30 mph in the downtown environment encompassing less than 2 miles around the city blocks. I test drove a Focus hatchback many years ago, and must say the clutch in the Fiesta gives much more feedback and feel compared to the on or off with nothing in between the Focus had. It seemed to have plenty of power, good shifting, and a solid feel belying it's 2200-lbs. curb weight. Turn signal controls were high quality though I didn't have a chance to try out the radio, climate, or window controls. While the rear window is small the visibility offered through the rear view and side mirrors was sufficient. The side mirror, at least on the passenger side, has the wonderful European concave section to improve blind spot sight. The interior door pull is rather bland, blends into the panel, and doesn't feel overly substantial, but only time will tell how it holds up. It worked, so I'm not going to count that as a negative. The center console area with cupholders and emergency brake aren't anything exciting--functional but not stylish. Again, as a low-priced car these things aren't unconscionable, but they are not as well done as the seats, dashboard, instrument panel, and shifter. I found the driver's seat quite comfortable for my 5'8" small frame. The screen for the radio at the top of the dash takes some getting used to as would the entire radio layout. It's different and makes for a nice look. Plus SYNC with voice activation makes hand controls and ergonomics less important. By the time I thought to look at the rear seat space, I was looking in a car I hadn't driven so I wasn't sure how far back the front seats were. There wasn't much leg/knee room even for me with where the front seats were--I think they must have been pretty far back, but can't be sure. From the outside, it's a well-designed small car. The 7-spoke wheels really complete the look, and as you can see by my comments in the photos, the Ocean Blue is a wonderful color. Bright red looks nice too, but I'm just not a fan of the green color nor the wheels on the green car. Overall, I am now looking forward to the Fiesta even more. Apparently there will not be a sunroof option (per one of the employees) at least at its debut, but I don't think that will be a deal breaker. It would just add extra weight and cut headroom I guess, but I do enjoy the open window/roof feel in summer.

That's more fitting of an automotive company, but I was going for something to indicate the childish whimsy that seems to be the theme of such a serious situation. Next thing you know, they'll lump some of the struggling design houses in Europe into the deal along with Saturn and call it Italo-American Conglomerate for Automotive Ineptitude.

Link or Link As the merry-go-round spins, incompetency seems to bring about a frightening amount of potential alliances that will likely only extend the inevitable trip down Failure Rd. Good grief, they can't make stuff up any better than the crap coming out of GM, Chrysler, US Gov't, and FIAT the past couple of months. I can't imagine how this will help anybody.

It is a shame the spy photos seem to make the sedan look like it's missed out on some of the good looks, even more so when you look back at the 2007 Detroit Verve sedan and how well done that was. As I looked back at those photos, I have started wondering if the US Fiesta will more closely mirror the Verve specifically in the lower front fascia where the fog lights will be. The spy photos I've seen of the US version all seem to have some pretty substantial padding covering the entire area below the headlights, giving me absolutely nothing upon which to base this curiosity other than the top grille's seemingly similar size/layout as the Verve's instead of the European slit. The angular housing of the Verve's LED foglights/vents would be more in line with the Fusion and Taurus, although the LEDs will obviously not make production. The taller angular area may be a better fit than the small round Euro foglights as it reduces visual height and bulk. Since FoMoCo has to redesign the front bumper for crash standards anyway, I'd like to see a more Verve-like appearance for the US model--then we would have a better looking Fiesta than Europe which "always gets the good cars" according to some.

Link Front and rear changes for the sedan. Who knows what sort of changes the rear of the 5-door will have, but I cannot tell much about the rear from those pictures.

I know GMC markets their trucks in a slightly different and sometimes more upscale alternative to your run of the mill Silverado or Tahoe, but it seems to me this is one of the better brands to cut. I've tried to debate the advantages of each brand considering a GM bankruptcy, and this is what I've come up with--which obviously means nothing given my lack of auto industry experience. Saturn, as a consistent loss leader, has to go. Pontiac, sadly, has only the G8 and Solstice worth getting excited about, so fold those into a sub-brand performance line and market them through Chevrolet dealerships. The advantages bankruptcy gives GM from a dealer elimination position, to me, demands that they take full advantage of this, and cast off Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, GMC, and Saab dealers. GM needs Buick beacuse of the strong share of the Chinese market, and it's probably viable to keep Buick in the US as well. Cadillac will remain, and if Hummer continues as a line, market those through the Cadillac stores. The only justification I see for GMC is that GMC + Buick could be a legitimate dealership product, and maybe that would allow for a Mercury-esque combination. Even with that, a GM bankruptcy presents serious problems for the suppliers, and I would love to know how that can be handled effectively. The suppliers and dealers that get cut are my biggest concerns although many autoworkers will be lost during the downsizing as well. Bankruptcy or not, it's not going to be a pretty outcome in the short to mid term, but it's probably the best for the long term. Chrysler--I wish I had ideas of what to do there. The Ram, particularly the Cummins, has a loyal following as do the Jeeps, minivans, and LX models. If it's front-wheel drive, Chrysler doesn't offer a lot of quality at this point. Just some of my thoughts, interested to see others.

I, too, hate that you weren't chosen. It does seem to be very strongly weighted toward the social networking sites with numbers of followers, views, friends, etc. Certainly that is one market that deserves attention given the spike in popularity in such sites, but the car people offer another unique and important segment of the market. I would like to see a map with the agents plotted to figure out which regions were heavily biased either way. I'll keep up with it and hopefully get a chance to see/test drive one at some point though I'd much prefer to have 10 minute conversations with every Tom, Dick, and Harry that asks what I'm driving at the gas pump for six months. That's how it was for my family when we had the first VW New Beetle TDI in town, and an early PT Cruiser. It's just fun to talk to people interested in cars. The Fiesta Movement reminds me a lot of the early New Beetle hype although not as focused on the car. When I was 16, I drove across the country to Roswell, NM for a national New Beetle weekend get together/car show. Not sure the Fiesta will generate that level of enthusiasm, but it's as excited about any new model as I've been since the VW. Hopefully there are some of the blue Fiestas in the mix, I'm really looking forward to the Ocean and Blazer Blues judging by ford.co.uk. It seems all of the photos are the dark red, magenta, or green varieties. As long as it helps Ford get the message out so it's a barnburner to compete with the Fit and such.

How much of the lengthening of final drives and higher gears do you think is a response to the new government mandates and last summer's gas spike? The cheapest mileage increase any manufacturer has at their discretion is ratios and lower rolling resistance tires. The EPAs recently updated mileage procedures seem to give substantial benefit to such policies. I'm a manual fan myself, but it's frustrating that so many people seem to suddenly think manuals are less efficient than automatics. Any conventional auto (with torque converter) will be less efficient than a manual with similar ratios. I'd prefer to give up 1 or 2 window sticker mpgs to have enough power to not have to constantly downshift or force the auto to double down. Oh well, as long as the manual is available when I'm ready to buy. As far as the dual-clutch Powershift type transmissions, they invariably can do as well or better than manuals, but if driven and shifted similarly (with the same ratios) any manual would do just as well. The government and manufacturers love auto transmissions since they can use computer manipulation to keep emissions down and mileage up. Manual drivers are equally competent yet seem to be treated with fear because of variability in driving habits. Also, finally saw my first 2010s outside of an autoshow, both white with the Steel wheels/plastic overlays. The wheels look pretty nice, but close-up it's obvious they're covers as they stick out a decent bit from the tire. Certainly they look better than any other type of wheelcover, but still not quite as nice as the real deal.

I had a first model year 1998 New Beetle TDI that had to have gone into the shop at least a dozen times in the first year or two. It was unbelievable what we went through for almost 9 years. Should have known, the night we took it home its taillight was out. Then there were various recalls, Glow Plug Relay issues, AC condensation draining into the rear footwell instead of onto the ground requiring all new padding and carpeting, an electrical gremlin that required an all new wiring harness to be installed, multiple headlight failures, and who knows what other non-mechanical problems I had. That was one thing, but once the engine started losing power under load, it took on a whole new meaning. Every time it happened I had to get off the road (usually happened when attempting to pass going uphill, so left lane of the interstate at 10 mph over the limit) before being trampled because I would keep losing speed until the road leveled out. Thankfully I had a great Service Manager and Mechanic to work with, but the problem could never be found. A day or two after I picked it up from the shop for the very problem, it threw a valve through the head and my trip came to an abrupt end. Supposedly that was the only instance VW knew about at the time. They rebuilt the engine from block up on their dime, but I kept having power issues. Finally, I found an old Mercedes diesel and got as far away from the VW as possible. And to think, I recently test drove the new TDI as if I would ever put good money into another one. Don't think it will ever happen though. What a nightmare.

After seeing the photos above, I think you've gotta be right. There's no length in front of the A pillar.