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I have loved Corvettes since I was about six years old.
I still love them. I'm starting to approach the age and financial means where I might be able to make my dream a reality. Through all the ups and downs of the U.S. auto industry, the Vette has been the one of the few bright spots that has offered hope for enthusiasts. Granted, it too had its dark days in the late '70s and early '80s when it was choked by the new-fangled emissions regulations, and Detroit had not yet figured out how to make cars both powerful and clean. But through it all, the Corvette has emerged as the standard-bearer for American performance, style, and engineering. The current C6 is a uniquely American blend of cutting-edge technology and engineering, and traditional, big-bore, V-8 muscle.
I mean, who couldn't be impressed by a car that produces more than 400 horsepower, yet approaches 30 miles per gallon on the freeway? some of its higher-priced foreign competitors struggle to achieve half that figure. Myself and other enthusiasts have long said that if GM and other American car companies put half of the ingenuity and engineering into their other cars as GM does into the Corvette, Toyota wouldn't be the 800-pound gorilla of the market it is today. Yet aside from Cadillac, the Corvette, and its full-sized trucks, it seems GM is content with "good enough" or "almost as good as" with a lot of its models.
Thankfully, it seems the trend is changing. The Aussie-engineered-and-built Pontiac G8 looks like it will be a solid winner from a dynamics standpoint. The new CTS has received rave reviews, and finally has the styling and attention to detail inside and out, that the Cadillac name deserves.
Yet many other models are oh-so-close, yet not quite there when stacked up to the competition. GM's bull-headed insistence on giving everyone Onstar when what they really want is Bluetooth and in-dash Nav, is one of the many small but significant details that's driving people away. If it's a $2,000 option, could the company really "lose money" on it if it was simply offered as an option that people are happy to pay extra for?
Why not leap-frog the competition by creating an "Onstar Plus" system where the benefits of are integrated into an in-dash system, to offer the flexibility and benefits of both systems? Why must it be an either-or scenario?
 I would love to consider the Saturn Astra or Chevy HHR SS as my next vehicle, but both come short of offering the level of equipment of competitors such as the Civic and Mazda3. Both the Mazda and Honda offer 5-speed automatic transmissions as an option. For now, the Saturn's stuck with a four-speed. Though it seems GM is rapidly ramping up the production and availability of six-speed autos. Both offer optional in-dash sat nav. Hello, Detroit? These aren't just luxury car options anymore.
Ironically, I believe GM and the rest of the domestic's "big picture" success hinges on their sweating the details. Okay, so you've proven you can match or beat the competition's gear count, horsepower per liter, and miles per gallon. Now it's time to step up and compete on the "want to have" level, not just the "must have" level.
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