Yesterday GM showed us a sneak preview of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse - which is said to be basically the Invicta Concept that we saw at Auto Show China 2008. The car will be built on GM’s new global mid-sized front-wheel-drive architecture.

As for the Lucerne, a redesigned 2011 rear-wheel-drive model was recently cancelled due to serious fuel-economy issues. According to a GM insider, the Lucerne will continue with minor upgrades. The car currently sells in China under the Park Avenue badge and is built on a rear-wheel-drive platform.

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GM has released a teaser image for the 2010 Buick LaCrosse that will make its official debut at the 2008 LA Auto Show this November. According to GM’s Bob Lutz, the 2010 LaCrosse will take major design cues from the Buick Invicta concept that was shown at Auto China 2008.

The Buick Invicta Concept is powered by a direct-injection 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 250-hp and 220 lb-ft of torque.

Buick Invicta:

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GM is planning to offer some big cash incentives for its GMC pickups and SUVs and Pontiac models. In a memo to its dealers earlier today, GM said it plans to offer incentives on most of its new crossovers and cars starting tomorrow (August 1st, 2008) through August 19th.

The Pontiac G8 sedan will see a $1,000 bonus while the GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Yukon Hybrid will get $4,000 cash bonuses. The Yukon Hybrid will also see a $2,000 customer cash for a a maximum $6,000 discount.

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No wonder GM’s national dealer council is investing $1 million in GM, the automaker has an interesting vehicle onslaught on the horizon (okay maybe we’re giving the General too much credit). The guys at AutoObserver have posted these pics of the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze, CTS Wagon, the Buick sedan based on the Invicta, Saab 9-4X and Cadillac SRX.

As we learned earlier the global Chevrolet Cruze will replace the Cobalt in 2010. We like what we see and we also like what hear as vice chairman Bob Lutz earlier confirmed the Cruze will average a fuel-economy of more than 40mpg . Could there be a hybrid version in works? Only time will tell.

Click through for more info and pictures .

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Okay so while most of you are probably shaking your head at GM after CEO Rick Wagoner’s cost-cutting plans that were revealed earlier this morning, vice chairman Bob Lutz had a special bloggers-only conference call in which he revealed some future product details.

First and foremost, doing the FoMoCo thing , GM will align its U.S. product portfolio to resemble its European and Asian - with more fuel-efficient vehicles. Moving on, let’s go down the list of the things that Lutz discussed.

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We hope you enjoying July 4th with your friends and family and wish you all a very happy Independence Day. We’ll be coming in from time to time to bring you some updates, but for now enjoy this list of Top 10 Most Patriotic Vehicles. Maybe it’ll just convince to you to buy American for your next car.

American automakers are struggling. Sales of consumer-oriented cars and trucks at General Motors slid 15.9 January through May compared to the same period last year. Ford and Chrysler are seeing similar troubles with declines during the first five months of 11.2 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively.

Car buyers interested in giving the domestic automakers and by extension, the American economy, a lift can do so with their next vehicle purchase. The challenge is that neither the government nor auto manufacturers make it easy to figure out which vehicles have the greatest impact on the American economy.

Here’s the bottom line: The best way to boost the economy with your next new-car purchase is to buy a domestic-branded model manufactured in North America with the highest percentage of American-made parts.

Click through for the list of Top 10 Most Patriotic Vehicles of 2008.

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It’s too early to say whether or not GMC, a brand based on SUVs and trucks, will soon see future like HUMMER, but according to the insiders of GM news, GM is cutting two product programs. On the list is an upgrade to the GMC Acadia and a GMC Lambda SUT program based on the GMC Denali XT Hybrid Concept.

Along with another Lambda based crossover, the Saturn Outlook, GM will no longer upgrade the GMC Acadia. That means you’ll be left with the new Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave. Not so bad considering those two are the best looking Lambda crossovers anyway.

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J.D. Power and Associates today revealed their 2008 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study today. The study measures owner satisfaction with the design, content, layout and performance of a new vehicle within the first 90 days. The average overall APEAL score fell by 2 points this year to 770. J.D. Power and Associates says that one-half of the overall decline is due to a huge drop in consumer satisfaction in terms of a car’s fuel-economy.

“Even though more consumers are now achieving the gas mileage they expect compared with previous years, the increased cost of filling their vehicles still leads to a greater level of dissatisfaction with fuel economy than in the past,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates.

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It was reported last week that GM has killed plans to produce a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Impala and a Buick based on the large Zeta platform - not so quick. According to Motor Trend, the Impala will definitely stay front-wheel-drive, but a rear-wheel-drive Buick Lucerne may still be safe.

For some background history on the large rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform; the 2011 Buick Lucerne, along with the next-generation Impala and the replacement for the Cadillac STS/DTS were all going to get rear-wheel-drive. However with the new fuel-economy standards set by the Bush administration, the platform just didn’t seem fuel-efficient and green enough for GM.

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Edmunds.com has announced the winners of its first ever Consumers’ Top Rated Vehicle Awards. Consumers are given the control by rating the vehicles in eight different categories including performance, comfort, fuel-economy, fun to drive, interior and exterior design, quality and reliability.

Audi led the list with four awards while Toyota, Lexus and Chevrolet tied for second place with two awards each.

Click through for the full list.

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Due to fuel-economy issues GM has killed plans to produce a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Impala and a Buick based on its Zeta platform. Both cars were expected to make their debut around 2011. You can blame the Bush administration and the new federal fuel-economy rules for this one.

The rear-wheel-drive Impala was expected to be 3 inches longer than the current Impala style with a long nose. The high-performing Impala SS version was expected to carry a V8 producing 350+ horsepower and would have gone head-to-head with Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger.

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Unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show last month, the Buick Invicta, according to Bob Lutz, gives us a strong hint at what the next-generation Buck LaCrosse will look like. Writing at GM’s FastLane Blog, Lutz said that the Invicta symbolizes the progress GM’s Global Product Development in making and rolling out new global architecture programs.

While the next-generation LaCrosse will share platforms with other midsize sedans from Chevrolet and Saab, Lutz says don’t think of it as re-badging models for GM brands.

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Buick has revived the Invicta badge, a name it hasn’t used since 1959, for its latest concept that it showed at Auto China 2008. Buick describes the Invicta Concept as a ‘four-door midsize sedan with a coupe-like roofline’ that hints at the direction for a new vehicle for U.S. and China.

The Buick Invicta takes major inspiration from the 2004 Velite convertible and 2007 Riviera coupe concept. Taking hints from the Velite, designers added the vertical waterfall grille to the front fascia of the Invicta concept. Like the Riviera, the Invicta features short overhangs with wheels pushed out to the corners.

Power for the Invicta comes from Buick’s first direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that produces 250-hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Click through for more images and the press release.

Buick Invicta:

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