Small Car

The companion brands were a function of a General Motors market expansion effort developed in the late Twenties, and strongly supported by then company president Alfred P. Sloan. The project was official known as the Companion Make Program.

We still replace belts today, but far less frequently than we did old-school belts. If one fails now, it affects everything at once--no charging, no power steering, no air conditioning--so preventive replacement is recommended during routine service.

Paul and Tom are joined by Tim Healey of The Truth About Cars. The guys dare to predict what’s coming for the car industry in 2026, especially for electric cars and Cadillac; they also address vehicle affordability and sales. 

We were impressed enough by the 2026 Kicks that we named it a Consumer Guide Best Buy. And while a nicely equipped Kicks can be had for around $30,000, anyone shopping for something less entry-level will find a fully loaded Kicks SR a fine way to live the luxury life for what amounts to Nova money.

What American Motors lacked in scale and financial depth, it made up for in pluck and creativity. The Kenosha, Wisconsin based carmaker seemed to always be on the brink of crisis, yet somehow managed to keep things interesting in the market place.