1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE

When the Intrigue was conceived by Oldsmobile, goals established for this new car line were more ambitious than any program in this division's long history: to field a sophisticated sports sedan capable of competing against the best import brands. Now that the reviews are in, the press has spoken. Intrigue earned a warm welcome and hearty praise from the toughest critics on the planet.

Automobile Magazine dubbed Intrigue "a revelation ... rolling proof that GM can build high-quality cars that are a pleasure to drive ... an E-Class Mercedes for $21,500." And in a subsequent feature story anointing Intrigue as one of Automobile's coveted All Stars, that magazine called the new Oldsmobile, "the first mainstream sedan from General Moors that is plainly better than its competition from Japan."

Car and Driver hailed Intrigue as "a pivotal sedan proving GM can build world-class machinery," and rated Intrigue #1 over Camry LE V6 and Taurus LX.

Consumer Reports ranked Intrigue ahead of Nissan Maxima GXE and called Intrigue "a strong new contender."

Consumer Guide confirmed that "Intrigue comes as close as any domestic sedan to equaling the feeling and philosophy of formidable import designs such as the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Camry."

Autoweek praised Intrigue's "solid chassis, well tuned suspension, expressive styling, and pleasant interior."

USA Today called Intrigue "more pleasant to drive than the benchmark Camry, nearly as agile as the sporty Maxima, with the restrained refinement of the Accord ... roughly $1500 cheaper than Japanese rivals."

Now that the word is out that the Intrigue has the moxie to compete in an especially tough segment, import intenders are discovering that this car more than fulfills their requirements for a high-quality, fun-to-drive, mid-size sports sedan. Sales have been growing each month since the start of production and Intrigue topped 9,000 in sales four consecutive months, March through June, selling over 11,000 in May. Intrigue also shows highest import-shopper interaction among GM's upper-midsize 'W' cars. To some, this would seem like a fine time to savor the praise and rest on laurels. However, the Intrigue brand team has other ideas. To further solidify the leading edge of Oldsmobile's Centennial Plan, Intrigue has carried over significant product improvements made during the closing of the'98 model year, raising the bar on expected levels of standard equipment. Also, an all new state-of-the-art 3.5 liter twin cam V6 engine will be standard by the end of the year.