Autoblog

Looks like GMC has gotten into the bike game. Jeep did pretty well with their mountain bikes. And Ferrari, Porsche, Spyker, Cadillac and BMW have all done the road bike thing as well. Now we find GMC doing...both. Perhaps wanting to emphasize their off-road ruggedness with a smooth on-road ride, the 7 GMC bicycles from Kent (the manufacturer of the Cadillac bikes) cover both mountain and street. Buyers so inclined can choose from the Topkick, Denali, Yukon, Yukon XL and Envoy. Prices range from the $180 everyday Denalis through the $400 Yukon XL race bike. Knowing GMC as a truck-only company, the race bike seems a bit odd, to say the least.

The dual suspension Topkick is what we would consider to be the most GMC-like model. The description says it lives up to the GMC name because it is rugged, good looking, and built for the long haul. There's even a pair of Denali bikes for the tykes priced the same as the adult versions. If any of these sound appealing to you, we have some good news: Amazon has a few of them on sale and is offering free shipping.

[Source: Kent Bicycles via GM Inside News]

With midsize SUV sales down sharply so far this year, many automakers are left wondering what to do with the segment. Largely dominated by body-on-frame 4WD vehicles, the segment has morphed from pint-sized replicas of Blazers and Broncos into vehicles that are often only a few inches smaller and a few pounds lighter than full-sized SUVs. With little or no fuel-economy or price advantage, the buyers that need towing capabilities seem to be taking a step up in the market, while those that are looking mainly for people-hauling abilities are spreading their sales around other vehicles in the showroom, such as minivans, crossovers, and large sedans.

Those automakers that previously relied on strong sales in the segment to boost their bottom line are now faced with a difficult decision - dump billions of dollars into a segment that may be in a persistive vegetative state, or let those products wither on the vine with predictable results. Ford has coined a new term, stating that it won't "Crown Vic the Explorer" and will continue to refresh the former cash cow. The fate of GM's TrailBlazer is unclear, with the automaker dumping the ill-received long-wheelbase version (a truck that was substantially longer than the supposedly-larger Tahoe), trimming production capacity, and postponing or cancelling an upcoming redesign. The perilous financial positions of both companies means that they can ill-afford a mistake. Meanwhile, Chrysler is looking toward diesel power and the promise of improved fuel economy to pump up the sales of its Jeep Grand Cherokee, which are down 26% so far this year.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

 

General Motors seems to be following through with its pledge to slim down and refocus the model lineup at some of its less successful brands, with Friday's spotlight on Buick. Automotive News quotes Buick's marketing director as saying the new Enclave crossover, which debuted at this year's Detroit Auto Show, will replace two existing Buick models, the Rendezvous and the Rainier.

The Enclave will debut next spring as a 2008 model, as the last Rainier and Rendezvous 2007 models are being sold. The Rendezvous will disappear, while the Rainier will carry on in its guise as the GMC Envoy.

[Source: Automotive News]