This "rant" may be a bit wordy but I've got to vent my disappointment with GM. I thought that Bob Lutz would awake the sleeping giant when he came over to GM a couple yrs. back. Thusfar, it's all eye candy and no real meat. The 2004 Pontiac GTO was supposed to sell 15,000 units and as of June 1 the total sales were 2,451, according to Crain's Automotive News. As an owner of a 1967 GTO I can see why buyers weren't happy with the bland appearance of the NEW GTO. SSR sales are, as we know, about half of expectations. Dealer price gouging on the SSR, for the first 6 months or so, were ridiculous. For those of us who did buy a SSR at window or above prices GM is deaf to our pleas for help with problems such as the flimsy hood prop rod. Chrysler on the other hand is hitting home runs with the Hemi trucks, the Chrysler 300C, the Dodge Magnum wagon, the Viper, and the SRT-10 truck. For the first 6 months of 2003 Chrysler lost $904 million dollars. For the first 6 months of 2004 they made $899 million dollars. People are paying sticker and above for the 300C, the Magnum, and the SRT-10. Chevrolet came out with the Silverado SS truck that looked good but had no guts. The Ford Lightning and Hemi trucks blow it away. The new retro look Ford Mustang should be a real winner based on early road tests and reviews. GM's idea for performance is a few stickers & decals, painted calipers, and a hot ad. The competition is kicking GM's butt, especially so in the performance area. Bottom line is---------horsepower sells and GM builds an Aztec and puts a 300 hp in a 4,760 lb. 2003 & 2004 SSR. I know that the 2005 SSR will have a bigger engine but that engine should have been in those already produced! I'm a GM fan and have the Chevy bowtie in my blood but I can't just sit back and watch the other car companies run circles around GM. GM has big block motors in their inventory so why don't they get competitive and put them in their trucks? GM could drop a 502 cu. in. motor in a half ton truck, price them in the $20,000 to $25,000 range and sell a ton of them. Keep them cheap, not all loaded up with leather and fancy expensive options, like the old Plymouth Roadrunners were. I'm tired of hearing Hemi this and Hemi that! GM has rebates in my area right now that are $8,000 off on Trailblazers, $9,000 off on Silverado's, $3,500 off on SSR's, and $10,000 off on a white 2004 white Corvette convertible. Rebates like this occur only when vehicles aren't selling and manafacturers have to offer incentives. If GM would build the cars and trucks that people really wanted they wouldn't have to offer rebates. Or when they do build a vehicle that's "hot" the dealers act like they are a Ferrari or a Maserati and price them at 10 to 20 thousand dollars over window, the way some Chevy dealers did with the early SSR's. What car, or truck, does Chevrolet offer right now(exluding the SSR and the Vette) that you would really want to buy? Wake up GM, get your head out of the sand and offer some affordable performance cars and trucks that we gear-heads really WANT to buy! Your competition is doing exactly this and being quite successful in their endeavors. Course, this is just my opinion and I could be wrong.