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Junkyard Gem: 1997 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSS Supercharged

Oldsmobile got terminated by The General in 2005, in part because the marketing suits decided that the first three letters of the marque's name made the cars undesirable to the under-75 set (never mind that 21st-century rappers continue to venerate Oldsmobiles). Not long before the demise of Olds, though, you could buy an Eighty-Eight with the supercharged L67 V6, known as the Luxury Sports Sedan or LSS. These cars are very rare today, but I spotted this '97 in a Denver self-service wrecking yard. These Eaton blowers are now so easy to find in wrecking yards that most of them go unpicked by customers. The going rate for this supercharger is about 50 bucks, because everyone who wants one already has a big hoard of the things. If you have ever wanted to drop a supercharger onto your crapcan race car's engine, now is the time. Performance was respectable for the era, with output of 240 hp and 280 lb-ft. The 3800 was the descendant of the ancient Buick V6, which debuted way back in 1962, so GM had had many decades in which to make it a dependable (though not very smooth-running) powerplant. Yes, you could still buy big ol' sedans with rear drums at the dawn of the 21st century. Did the LSS steal any sales from potential BMW or Mercedes-Benz buyers? Probably not many, though its $27,695 price tag must have looked pretty tempting when compared to that of the much slower $32,960 Lexus ES 300 in 1997. Right now is the best time to make a resolution you'll enjoy sticking with. The reviewers at Popular Mechanics were unable to break the first-year LSS. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1997 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSS View 12 Photos Auto News Buick Economy Cars Classics Sedan supercharger

GM raises 2023 guidance on strong sales, higher profits

General Motors beat first-quarter profit estimates and raised its full-year earnings and cash-flow guidance after vehicle demand at the start of the year surpassed expectations. Its shares rose in premarket trading. GM made $2.21 a share in adjusted profit in the first quarter, compared to a consensus forecast of $1.72 a share. Revenue rose 11% to $39.99 billion, it said Tuesday, which was more than the $39.24 billion analysts expected. The stronger results stem from rising sales in the US, even in the face of higher interest rates and inflation. GM executives said demand was strong enough to revise 2023 guidance upward, boosting profit estimates for the year by $500 million to between $11 billion and $13 billion. “We did it with strong production and inventory discipline and consistent pricing,” GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said on a call with journalists. “All in all, weÂ’re feeling confident about 2023.” The Detroit automaker raised per-share full-year guidance to between $6.35 and $7.35, up from $6 to $7 a share, and said free cash flow would also increase by $500 million to a range of $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion.  GMÂ’s shares pared a gain of as much as 4.4% before the start of regular trading Tuesday, rising 3.5% to $35.50 as of 6:55 a.m. in New York. The stock was up 1.9% for the year as of the close on Monday.  North American Strength The automakerÂ’s sales were particularly strong in North America, where first-quarter earnings rose before interest and taxes rose to $3.6 billion. Vehicle sales rose 18% to 707,000 in the region. Jacobson said the company originally expected to sell 15 million vehicles in the US this year, slightly less than the 15.5 million annualized rate automakers foresaw in the first quarter. North American demand was enough to offset a weak performance in China, GMÂ’s second-largest market. The automaker continues to struggle in the country, where its vehicle sales fell 25% to 462,000 vehicles in the quarter. Profits from its joint ventures in the market slumped 65% to $83 million.  The market has struggled overall in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions and foreign automakers have had to overcome a growing preference for Chinese brands by competing on price, squeezing profit margins. The situation in China probably wonÂ’t significantly improve until the second half of the year, according to Jacobson. GM remains on target to sell 150,000 electric vehicles this year, the CFO said.

Buick could import Envision crossover from China

Reports about the Buick Envision's likely arrival in the US go back even before the midsize crossover's debut in China last year, but the brand still doesn't have a official decision about whether to bring it here. According to The Detroit News, the company is somewhat concerned about a poor consumer reaction to launching a Chinese-made model in this country. Even if Buick officials are slightly apprehensive about the public perception, the concerns might not hold back the Envision in US. An anonymous source also tells The Detroit News that the brand intends to launch the CUV early next year and wants to sell around 40,000 of them annually. However, the UAW is reportedly not happy about the possibility of a Chinese-produced model coming here. The Envision launched at the Chengdu Motor Show as a step between the compact Encore and three-row Enclave. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with stop/start and 256 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Buick offers the CUV with a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The interior features active noise cancellation and an eight-inch infotainment system. The Envision also seems like a natural fit for Buick in the US due to the obvious hole in its CUV lineup, and the abundant rumors suggest that the brand sees the possibilities for it. The company now needs to decide whether to take a chance here and offer a vehicle from China.