[patrickem]

I will post a link to the article when I find it. But I read today at work that Saturn has pulled the CVT in the VUE and the other Saturn car it was in. I never knew the VUE had a CVT. The article states that it is being pulled because it was unreliable and had many problems.

 

[EasternPA]

This is actually pretty funny. Check out the article from the Detroit Free Press here that mentions the low orders for GM/Saturn CVTs and then, a few hours away in Fort Wayne, IN they say it was due to problems .

 

[zebelkhan]

And I think Saturn offers CVT only on their 4 cyl model which is so noisy you do not want to mess with...

 

[SugarRushMurano]

Do you all also know that Vue V6 engine is made in china?

Seriously, the quality of that engine is questionable.

-------------
EDITED by SUGARRUSHMURANO:
To forum members:
My apology
The V6 in vue is not from china, it is the equinox's
Vue engine is the one made by Honda.
It's one of those moment where there were too many things going on in the office combined with mid afternoon sleepiness attack
-------------

 

[jaak]

Echos of Japan from the sixties...

I've seen junk from China, and I've seen very high quality from China. China manufactures components for satellites. Satellite component makers get one chance to get it right. Make one bad part and you're out of business, as no one will touch you again, as a vendor.

Now, if you were to ask me about GM, that's another story.... Well maybe not. I"ve seen junk from GM and some nice products as well (as he intentially avoids saying very high quality).

 

[Eric L.]

I thought GM pulled Saturns CVTs many months ago. For a while they actually shut down production of the unit due to "durability" problems, then GM just stopped selling them.

BTW the V6 engine in the VUE is actually made by duh duh duh... HONDA! Its the same 3.5L V6 and 5spd auto found in the Pilot with a few GM modifications.

The old 3.0L V6 was a GM Opel (german) design. I think only the pushrod 3.5L V6 in the Malibu, Equinox, G6, and GM's recycled minivans are made in China. Completely different engine.

 

[zebelkhan]

Do you all also know that Vue V6 engine is made in china? Seriously, the quality of that engine is questionable.

2004 VUE V6 engine is supposed to be Honda. I guess Honda is now using China plants too. :3:

 

[Eric L.]

2004 VUE V6 engine is supposed to be Honda. I guess Honda is now using China plants too. :3:

No the honda engine is not made in China. I think the confusion was the various 3.5L engines offered by GM. Yes there is a China made 3.5L pushrod V6 offered on other GM vehicles, but the VUE gets Honda's SOHC 3.5L V6 which is probably built in the US or Japan.

I would have no issues with the engine being built in China, if that were the case.

 

[zebelkhan]

I would have no issues with the engine being built in China, if that were the case.

I do not really have an issue either as quality of made in china stuff has gone up quite a bit.

 

[SugarRushMurano]

Eric L... you are right...

I was having my mid day sleepiness in the office.... Freudian slip
I mentioned the wrong thing in earlier posts.
My apology to forum members

Vue V6 is by Honda
EQuinox engine is the one from China

Now, I guess i am having bad stereotype of china's engine

 

[jaak]

I suspect a Chinese engine may be a quality improvement for GM.

 

[SIM]

I always considered the big 3 more than very well qualified to build pickup trucks and other huge rear-wheel drive vehicles. Big, sturdy and powerful vehicles.

They never really knew how to build 4-cylinder engines. All their attemps produced big, unefficient, noisy and unreliable powerplants. And their V6 were barely as efficient as the japanese 4 bangers, only they were so heavy that the resulting cars were always unbalanced and bigger in size with less room inside than the competition.

Mergers and associations with the foreign auto industry brought some interesting engineering back home and finally made the final product more appealing and interesting but it is still very Cavalieresque. I was always told that this is the way the Americans liked their cars: more torque than HP, jumpy suspensions, close to no compression on gas release, and bigger ashtrays and cupholders than trunks.

I guess that everything and everyone evolves...

 

[Kris]

I had the pleasure of seeing first "automatic transmission" and "first Buick Century" in GM Shanghai Plant in 1999. All subsystems, i.e. engine, transmission and body were manufactured in China.

just as a curiosity - there were just 2 robots in entire assembly plant (very modern one, only 1 year old that time!) - one for assembling windshield and one for rear window............

Quality - I could not say at that time.................but after seeing many workers and training them (some with PhD!!!) I can only say - world - watrch out for China!!!!

 

[senza]

I'll stick up for GM engines...the 3.8 V6 with super charger is a great motor...gobs of torque...big top end horsepower....runs forever...good mileage.....what about the "small block" Chevy?...

 

[jaak]

Just don't stick up for the junk they put in my Jimmy.

When was the last time you had a GM engine break a crankshaft?

 

[Eric L.]

Minor correction - the Equinox has GM's 3.4L 185hp V6, not the 3.5L 200hp "high value" V6 in other GM models. I think both are built in China though.

 

[Kris]

If I remember correctly the 3.4L 185hp V6 was bult in China in 1999 for Buick Century. It is possible that GM has expanded the Plant in Shanghai (the news I had from 2001 was that the plant was expanded and a small car as well a a mini van added).