My 2007 HHR LS analog temperature gauge has never shown any appreciable movement once the needle indicator gets to the place on the dial where it customarily sits once the engine has fully warmed up. It is quite possible that GM engineered the gauge to be less sensitive to movement at higher temperatures since the normal operating range of the Ecotec engine is fairly wide. I also drive with the DIC displaying the coolant temperature - mainly to verify that the analog gauge is functioning.

One of my sons bought a brand new Subaru Legacy in 2012. It had no indicator of engine operating temperature at all - no analog gauge and no digital readout in degrees. I guess Subaru engineers figured that the Boxer engine cannot overheat unless there is insufficient coolant in the system. The engine simply shuts down if the temperature reaches a certain point or if the temperature sensor is not working properly.

 

The only time my analog gauge went over the halfway hash was when it was way too late, the "limp home" had expired and gone into "save me" mode. (Over 250 F).