What GM's Strike Means to Car Shoppers

At 11 this morning, the United Auto Workers union went on strike at American GM plants. This basically shuts down production of many new GM cars, trucks and SUVs for the foreseeable future. But does that mean you won’t be able to find that new GM car, truck or SUV when you go car shopping in the immediate future?

According to the latest inventory numbers, GM on average has enough vehicles for 67 days at the current rate of sales. Some hot vehicles like the Buick Enclave — built in Lansing, Mich. — only had a 26-day supply, which is roughly 3,600 vehicles, as of Sept. 1. Trucks and SUVs like the Chevy Silverado (90 days) and GMC Yukon (139 days) won’t be hard to come by, however.

Another big issue is how new cars built at striking plants will suffer. Those new cars include the 2008 Cadillac CTS, on which GM has already spent millions of dollars in advertising and marketing. If the strike drags on, the CTS could be hard to find, especially because it has received so much positive buzz. GM is also heavily betting on the all-new Chevy Malibu, which was set to begin production next month. We’d guess the strike will be resolved by that time, however.

UAW Strikes GM (The Detroit News)

First Look: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

The next big global auto show will take place in Japan, and one of the biggest introductions there will be the next Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, known as the Evo. The last-generation Evo was made famous in video games and movies like “The Fast and the Furious,” but for those who drove it, the race-ready speed and handling — and a roughly $30,000 price tag, like that of the Subaru WRX STi — was hard to put down. Now Mitsubishi is showing off the next generation: the Lancer Evolution X based on the all-new Lancer platform that debuted last year.

Mitsubishi has released images of the Japanese market’s GSR and one shot of the interior of the U.S.-bound Lancer MR. Unfortunately, Mitsubishi hasn’t released any information officially. Luckily, Car and Driver’s November issue has hit some newsstands with a complete test drive, which of course has been scanned and distributed all over the internet.

The article states that both the Japanese base-level GSR and upper-level MR are rated at 295 hp with 300 pounds-feet of torque. More interesting to us is an all-new dual-clutch sequential gearbox for the MR. That’ll cost a bit more than the five-speed manual in the GSR, which should have a starting price around $30,000. There will be a new all-wheel-drive system with a perfect power split of 50/50 to the front and rear wheels, but up to 80% can be sent to either the front or rear wheels, which is impressive. The new Evolution was a tick slower to 60 mph — it makes it in 5.0 seconds — than the last generation, but the new car should have better grip and handling. We’ll keep an eye out for more information on the U.S.-bound model as we approach the auto show season. For now, check out the few more images we have below.

Related
First Look: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X (KickingTires)
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Expert Review (Cars.com)

Making Noise? The Future of Hybrids

Motorists want their hybrid electric vehicle to not only look different than other cars on the road, they want it to act differently as well, insists Dave Lyon, GM's executive director of interior design for North America.

"Simply putting a 'hybrid' badge on a car doesn't have much impact on other consumers," Lyon says, and when paying a premium to conserve fuel, most consumers want those around them to know they're conserving energy.

In addition to unique and novel styling on its upcoming electrics, like the proposed Chevy Volt plug-in, Lyon said GM is considering a few special features to make folks sit up and take notice.

"One thing we're debating now is whether an electric should make noise," he said.

This Week in Ask.cars.com

One of the most frequent questions we get asked outside the Cars.com offices is "Which car is the most reliable," or "How dependable is this car?" This week at Ask.cars.com we provided an answer for that question and included links to J.D. Power and Associates dependability studies, which we list in the Cars.com Advice section. We also walked away surprised at one of the models ranked best in its class.

• What model of car has the highest reliability ratings?
• If you drive a car through a big puddle of water can it ruin your engine?
• What are the most and least expensive cars?
• When is the new Camaro scheduled to be released for sale?
• Will the new Saturn Aura four-cylinder come with a six-speed automatic?
• What eight-passenger vehicle gets good mileage?

The Week in Mother Proof

Crossovers are all the rage lately, and the obliging moms over at Mother Proof are here to guide you in your shopping decision. They took on two big ones this week — the Mazda CX-9 and the Subaru Tribeca — and offer their thoughts over at motherproof.com.

The moms also had some fun this week, speculating about anti-motion-sickness sedans and the lack of women in NASCAR, then scoping out some giant, motorized high heels. You’ll just have to see for yourself:

• Flashy Red Heels Go Mobile
• Engineering an Answer to Motion Sickness?
• Why So Many Men, NASCAR?
• 2008 Mazda CX-9 Preview
• 2008 Subaru Tribeca

Cars.com Reviews the 2007 Chevy Silverado 2500HD

Mike Hanley delivers his review of Chevrolet's latest heavy-duty truck. The Silverado 2500HD can help those out there with a boat, horse trailer, RV or whatever else weighs 13,000 pounds. Towing is probably the most common reason for buying a heavy-duty truck like this, but Mike also takes the 2500HD on as a daily driver. How is it piloting a 20-foot-long truck? Check out the review to find out.

2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Expert Review (Cars.com)

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.21.07

Not too much to report today. We have a lot of new cars in the fleet, but we’re feverishly working on getting the full reviews done before the rest of the staff gets to weigh in on them. Until then, we get another take on the new Hummer H3 Alpha and some good real-life use of the Toyota Highlander’s nav system.

Hummer H3 Alpha

Even though the H3 is the smallest member of the Hummer family (it’s approximately the same length and width as a Jeep Grand Cherokee) it still feels big. Really big. Due to the H3’s height and the short windows, small cars behind me and along the passenger side would essentially disappear. In a 90-minute drive, there were three separate times I thought “Whoa! Where’d that car come from?!” as some compact seemed to zoom ahead out of nowhere.

Jeep Recalls SUVs Due to Faulty Brakes

Jeep is recalling 28,755 Commanders and Grand Cherokees from the 2007 and 2008 model years to replace front-brake parts that can fail. Both SUVs could have brakes made of the wrong type of metal, which can fracture, making the time it takes to stop increase to an unsafe rate. No accidents or injuries have been reported.

The Jeeps included in the recall were made between May 17 and July 13 of this year. Brakes will be replaced at no cost, and concerned owners can call 800-853-1403 for more information.

This follows on the heels of last week’s recall of more than 156,000 Grand Cherokees and Commanders for other brake issues.

Chrysler Recalls Jeep SUVs to Replace Brake Parts (Bloomberg)

Women Like Suzukis, Volvos

According to J.D. Power’s most recent study, it seems women prefer Volvos to any other luxury brand, while men still go for sports cars. The highest female ownership of any luxury model for 2007 through the month of August was the Volvo S40 sedan. For men? The uber-fast Audi RS4. On the non-luxury side, the most popular model for women was the Volkswagen New Beetle, with 58.3% of its buyers being women. The top non-luxury brand for women buyers was Suzuki.

BusinessWeek tries to explore the “whys” of the numbers, but anytime you do that you’re looking for trouble. Meaning: We’re not going there. Keep reading for the top 10 luxury cars bought by women.

The Luxury Cars Women Want (BusinessWeek)

Ch-Ch-Changes: 2008 Honda Odyssey

When we saw the news about the 2008 Honda Odyssey — last year’s reigning Family Car of the Year — we were a bit surprised. We had expected the Odyssey to enter the new model year just as it left the last one. Instead, Honda is offering a new look with a slightly redesigned front and rear end. They’re not radically different, mind you, just enough to make the 2008 stand out a bit more, especially with its new-fangled grille. The interior receives minor upgrades, with new colors and new fabric seating surfaces.

Bluetooth is now available as an option, and a power passenger seat is standard in EX-L and Touring trims, while a rearview camera is available for all versions of the Odyssey and standard on the EX-L.

A revised V-6 engine is again offered in two different versions. Using new EPA testing standards, the V-6 in the LX and EX trim levels is rated at 244 hp and gets 16/23 mpg (city/highway), while the more efficient 241-hp engine in the Touring and EX-L trim levels gets 17/25 mpg.

Update: The 2008 Odyssey will go on sale in mid-October with pricing to be announced later. We only have two more images of the 2008 Odyssey at this time, which can be found below.