the 2007 auto show season is almost upon us

I just recently got my media passes for the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. I am really looking forward to this show. So far the only introduction that I am aware of is the Saturn Astra (the Opel’s cousin). After the introduction, this means Saturn will have one of the youngest lineups (if not the youngest) in the industry. The Sky, Aura, Outlook, Vue and Astra leave Saturn poised to do very well over the next few years.

As usual, Detroit is scheduled to have most of the good launches. GM has some great things coming! The next Cadillac CTS shots that have been released look amazing. The Chevrolet Malibu looks to be a significant improvement over the last generation and I would bet that impala sales are going to suffer due to that fact. We are rumored to see a Camaro convertible and a G8 (Grand Prix) concept that leverages much of the work that Holden has done for the GM rear wheel drive car platform. The Commodore looks very impressive indeed.

Chevy has had some major work done to their product line in the last few years. GMC has updated their whole line as well and has added Acadia for 2007. Cadillac released the new Escalade last year and the CTS in Detroit. Hummer and Saab continue to be niche brands with a slim but effective product line-up. That leaves me wondering what the plans are for Pontiac.

If the G8 concept will be on display then maybe they are next? The Solstice is a nice car with decent capability. The G6 was a great replacement to the Grand Am, but is now lagging behind a bit in consumer’s eyes I bet. (Have you seen the next generation of the Altima?!) The G5 is a blatant rebadge and doesn’t even have the availability of the power that the Cobalt does. Now that the Camaro is on the way, what about Pontiac? Will it be a GTO (likely) or maybe a Firebird (less likely)?

I am looking forward to this year’s round of shows. 2007 should be a lot of fun. If you are going too… see you there!