Like the millions planning either exotic celebrations or hiding
in fear, Jan. 1, 2000, is more than a new year for General
Motors Corp.  It's a rare opportunity for a fresh beginning - a
time the world's largest automaker is approaching with hopes it
can continue a quick transformation from an inefficient maker of
ho-hum vehicles into a state-of-the-art corporate giant offering
spirited products. It's a metamorphosis GM has tried before over
the last two decades and failed.  But there is a sense this time
that the automaker is sincere, because it is focusing on
fundamentals and in is good financial health, even though it
seems unlikely that GM will regain some, if any, of the market
share it has lost to increasingly strong competition.  It's a
smart move for GM to hinge the early stages of its turnaround on
a deluge of new models, including the Pontiac Bonneville,
Chevrolet Cavalier, Monte Carlo, Impala, Tahoe and Suburban,
Cadillac Deville, Buick LeSabre, the Oldsmobile Aurora, Saturn
LS and GMC Yukon/Yukon