Marty Padgett's Inside Scoop on Auto News and TrailBlazer

2010 Buick Enclave And 2010 GMC Acadia: Envoys For The New GM

By Bengt HalvorsonBengt Halvorson, August 14th, 2009

This year, even if you ignore the demise of Pontiac and the uncertain future of Saturn, and Hummer, there's already going to be a very noticeable difference at Chevrolet and GMC dealerships: the 2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer and 2009 GMC Envoy are gone, and they're not coming back for 2010.

That's right; those once top-selling mid-size SUVs have seen a big decline in interest along with a slow and quiet death over the past couple of years. GM discontinued the three-row Trailblazer EXT and Envoy XL models after 2006 and all but confirmed the demise of their shorter counterparts models around that time—though they soldiered on for nearly three...

This year, even if you ignore the demise of Pontiac and the uncertain future of Saturn, and Hummer, there's already going to be a very noticeable difference at Chevrolet and GMC dealerships: the 2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer and 2009 GMC Envoy are gone, and they're not coming back for 2010. That's right; those once top-selling mid-size SUVs have seen a big decline in interest along with a slow and quiet death over the past couple of years. GM discontinued the three-row Trailblazer EXT and Envoy XL models after 2006 and all but confirmed the demise of their shorter counterparts models around that time—though they soldiered on for nearly three... Read More

Posted in: 2010, Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, Enclave, Acadia, TrailBlazer, Envoy, Traverse

SEMA 2008: HUMMER's Still Here

By Marty PadgettMarty Padgett, November 5th, 2008

Despite being up on the auction block, HUMMER still beats with a GM heart, at least as of SEMA '08. The purveyor of over-the-top SUVs says that its H3T Weekend Warrior concept "demonstrates the added extreme capability and functionality that can be accomplished with the H3T and a few weekends in the garage." The H3T's 5.3-liter Chevy smallblock V-8 gets nearly 70 additional horsepower via upgrades available to the consumer through GM Performance Parts. LS2 cylinder heads, a higher-lift camshaft, and additional engine components are responsible for the horsepower boost, as is a custom 3.5-inch exhaust system. A beefy race-proven suspension... Despite being up on the auction block, HUMMER still beats with a GM heart, at least as of SEMA '08. The purveyor of over-the-top SUVs says that its H3T Weekend Warrior concept "demonstrates the added extreme capability and functionality that can be accomplished with the H3T and a few weekends in the garage." The H3T's 5.3-liter Chevy smallblock V-8 gets nearly 70 additional horsepower via upgrades available to the consumer through GM Performance Parts. LS2 cylinder heads, a higher-lift camshaft, and additional engine components are responsible for the horsepower boost, as is a custom 3.5-inch exhaust system. A beefy race-proven suspension... Read More

Tags: Pickups, SEMA, Styling, General Motors

Posted in: 2008, 2009, Chevrolet, HUMMER, TrailBlazer

TrailBlazer, Envoy Latest Casualties of War

By Marty PadgettMarty Padgett, October 14th, 2008

GM has confirmed that the Moraine, Ohio, plant that builds GMT360 SUVs (Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7x) will be shuttered just in time for Christmas. That's the lump of coal that 1,100 Moraine workers will be getting in their stockings this December 23. Originally, the plant was supposed to go offline in 2010, but recently the closing date was moved up to early '09. Wall Street woes and stock price freefalls surely forced GM's hand. SUV sales are not going to stop altogether, as there will always be a need for vehicles that excel at towing, toting, hauling, and conquering the wilds. But the popularity of the SUV is definitely in... GM has confirmed that the Moraine, Ohio, plant that builds GMT360 SUVs (Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7x) will be shuttered just in time for Christmas. That's the lump of coal that 1,100 Moraine workers will be getting in their stockings this December 23. Originally, the plant was supposed to go offline in 2010, but recently the closing date was moved up to early '09. Wall Street woes and stock price freefalls surely forced GM's hand. SUV sales are not going to stop altogether, as there will always be a need for vehicles that excel at towing, toting, hauling, and conquering the wilds. But the popularity of the SUV is definitely in... Read More

Tags: Industry, General Motors

Posted in: 2008, 2009, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu, Saab, Sports Cars, TrailBlazer