COMPARISON TEST Sustainable Sports Sedans: They blur fence posts—not the numbers on the gas pump.

ROAD TEST Longer, wider, smoother, stronger, and a whole bunch of other -ers.

SHORT TAKE ROAD TESTS How a step up in class can also be a step out.

The dissidents at Saturn build one for us.

You could also call it the Evolution VIII.V.

FIRST DRIVE REVIEWS An exclusive first look at Dodge’s hot revival. We are not making this up. Mostly.

The virtues of a sports car and wagon in a hatchback.

Honda’s slick minivan gets a gas-saving trick, a nicer ride, more flexible seats.

If you liked A Clockwork Orange, you’re gonna love this.

Land Rover gives birth to its first offspring conceived since the Ford wedding—and gee, it’s already a rugged grownup.

Ford backstrokes into a new segment already swimming with sharks.

Ford’s attempt to fill some very large shoes.

No, actually, it doesn’t have a Hemi.

A very trick drive system puts a middle roller among the high rollers.

LONG-TERM ROAD TEST A stylish retro car runs hot and cold.

CAR NEWS A mid-engined two-seater from South Korea.

China takes to the road.

New Handling GTC option gives the 575M upgraded brakes and suspension.

Just remember—they laughed when the martini was invented, too.

FEATURES Meet the 64 new kids on the automotive block.

Shock and awe – an $850,000 motor coach you can fish from. (Mirrors on the bedroom ceiling are extra.)

SPORT Are NASCAR Nextel Cup race cars as crude as taxicabs? We find out.

COLUMNS A Surprising New Active Suspension.

Notes from the Back of a Speeding Ticket.

Can it be True? As Safety Improves, More Road Deaths?

Might the Future Hold Driverless Race Cars?

UPFRONT The dirt road.

The dirt road.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/information/october_2004-table_of_contents

Japanese Media Not Relaying Information To The People!

When the becomes GM’s fourth full-size crossover from its Lambda platform, it will slot below the Saturn Outlook and take on the mantle of volume vehicle, says Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice-president of North American sales and marketing.

In fact, LaNeve tells us he sees the Traverse family vehicle as having the potential to sell as many as the Outlook, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave combined, which amounts to about 150,000 units per year.

“We think the Traverse has a chance, over time, to do about that many,” LaNeve says, given its entry into a big and growing segment, Chevy’s strong dealer body, and the aggressive advertising campaign planned for the crossover, which will begin production this fall.

Its positioning should not step on Saturn’s toes because “Saturn needs to be premium over Chevy,” the marketing chief says, especially as Saturn is now twinned with Opel, GM’s German brand. Opels are designed in Europe to compete with Volkswagen. “Over time, we want Saturn to be a dead-on competitor for Volkswagen [in the U.S.],” LaNeve says.

Traverse the Affordable Chevrolet must be the volume value brand, which means the Traverse must be the most affordable, with the least amount of standard equipment, whereas the SUVs from Buick, Saturn, and GMC must be positioned as higher end and incremental. Although there is no Pontiac-badged Lambda product, the Pontiac brand as a whole can encompass lower- and higher-end value vehicles as long as they can be described as offering performance.

The Lambda family essentially replaces traditional minivans in the GM portfolio. And as the automaker explores alternatives, it is also looking at whether there is an appetite for the mini-minivans known as monocabs that transport families in Europe, such as the Opel Zafira and Opel Meriva.

Everyone has these high-roof, multipurpose vehicles in Europe, but the segment is sparsely populated in the U.S., with only the Mazda 5 and Kia Rondo. LaNeve says one reason few automakers have offered them in the U.S. is because a conventional minivan can be sold here for about $5000 less than a smaller Meriva, for example, making it a tough sell unless the smaller vehicle gets dramatically better fuel economy.

Mazda Begs to Differ LaNeve’s thoughts differ greatly from those of Mazda North American Operations president and CEO Jim O’Sullivan, who expects more competition in the “space wagon” segment in North America in the next few years.

Meanwhile, LaNeve promises more mid-size crossovers from GM to slot between today’s Saturn Vue/Chevy and the larger Lambdas but says they will be conventional five-plus-two SUVs rather than a more European execution.

Either way, LaNeve says GM is pleased with its decision to pull out of the traditional minivan market.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/08q1/2009_chevrolet_traverse_to_be_volume_vehicle-auto_shows