GM, Ford, and Chrysler Death Watch Thread

Snowrunner · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:11 am

Hogan wrote:

When all else fails, blame the customers! GM couldn't make much profit on smaller cars. Big vehicles were their main money-makers.

He's partially right.

Coming from Germany and having lived in North America for a decade now I can tell you that in both places there is a love for the car.

But it's a bit different. In Germany there is a love for the engineering of the car, that's what's (mostly) appreciated. In North America it was / is all about "raw power". It doesn't matter if the thing rattles, burns oil and wakes up the neighbours two cities over as long as it has a big engine and looks impressive.

But let's be honest here, the car companies also did their best to foster that ideal, instead of concentrating on the positive aspects of small cars and theier technology they fed this North American myth in their advertising.

So, let's call it 50/50.

If GM really wanted to do something though, why not start bringing Astras etc. over from Opel? They would need to get re-batched, but they could at least start selling them in short order and I don't see the demand for individual transportation go away any time soon in North America, the entire country is build around the car.

timmac · **Posted:** Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:38 am

From frankthetank ;

Quote:
ONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Toyota Motor Corp. (TM:
is planning an overhaul of it U.S. operations following weaker sales in June, with the automaker likely to introduce additional production holidays at its Texas truck factory and two other U.S. facilities to trim output, according to a Japanese media report. Toyota is also planning to transfer some employees at its Indiana plant to other facilities and increase production at a facility producing the Camry sedan and other fuel-efficient vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper reported Thursday, without saying where it got the information. Toyota will also cut production at an automotive facility in Japan, which primarily produces vehicles for the U.S. market ,by about 10% this fiscal year, the report said. End of Story

Even the mighty Toyota is cutting output.

My reply about Toyota is the past 2-3 years they have increased the size of all there models,, the tacoma now looks like a fullsize truck the tundra looks like a fullsize on steroilds,, camary looks as if its a fullsize car and they also have much bigger motors and there over all mpg has gone down,, so if there sells are down its there fault,, I just bought a very clean low milage rav4 for my wife its a 2001 with a 2.0L 4cly,, the newer ones are larger with 2.4L,, It looks as if you need to buy better mpg you need to buy older models.....

RacerJace · **Posted:** Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:59 am

Snowrunner wrote:

.....

If GM really wanted to do something though, why not start bringing Astras etc. over from Opel? They would need to get re-batched, but they could at least start selling them in short order and I don't see the demand for individual transportation go away any time soon in North America, the entire country is build around the car.

I'm sure they'd like to but the unions would never allow it. GM Holden was able to export a small number of Monaro rebaged as Pontiac GT Coupe to the USA but the unions squashed it pretty quickly. They also killed the importation of the Commodore Ute before it even got the go ahead. And these were thumping V8 'brute force and ignorance' machines not your 2 litre sippers.

eXpat · **Joined:** Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:00 am **Posts:** 1963

General Motors scrambles to save $15bn as car sales plummet article here

Quote:

The Detroit-based manufacturer today announced that it is reducing its white-collar payroll costs by 20% through a two-year pay freeze and voluntary redundancies.

In a radical move which risks the wrath of unions, GM is scrapping healthcare cover for all its retired workers and for their families from the beginning of next year.

At the top of the company, chief executive Rick Wagoner and his fellow executives will get no bonuses for 2008 and their maximum cash compensation will drop by between 75% and 84%.

Shareholders, who have seen the value of their stock dive by 62% since the beginning of the year, will share in the belt-tightening as GM suspends dividend payments.

The belt-tightening is in response to the rocketing oil price which has deterred Americans from purchasing new vehicles and has particularly hit gas-guzzling trucks and sports utility vehicles which have traditionally been the strength of Detroit-based carmakers.

"We can't sit back and wait for US market conditions to improve," said Wagoner. "We need to continue to be proactive and to take tough actions to ensure our survival and success."

GM's shares, which slipped by 4 cents to $9.34 during early trading in New York, are at their lowest level since the early 1950s. Analysts at Merrill Lynch predicted earlier this month that the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy unless it finds more capital to tide it through a period of heavy losses.

Is time to give GM the last sacraments ...

strider3700 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:08 pm

you want to see a jump in GM's stock? declare that the ev1 molds are being dragged out of whatever factory they are sitting in and that one of the truck factories will be changed over with expected production to begin in 1-2 years. It can and probably would be a flat out lie but it would probably jump the stock a few bucks.

mos6507 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:41 pm

strider3700 wrote:

you want to see a jump in GM's stock? declare that the ev1 molds are being dragged out of whatever factory they are sitting in and that one of the truck factories will be changed over with expected production to begin in 1-2 years. It can and probably would be a flat out lie but it would probably jump the stock a few bucks.

Lutz already shot down that fantasy.

bodigami · **Joined:** Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:00 am **Posts:** 2063

Denny wrote:

There are many GM execs who should be studying yet another Japanese technique right now - hari kari.

it's hara kiri or sepuku.

Mesuge · **Posted:** Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:36 pm

strider3700 wrote:

you want to see a jump in GM's stock? declare that the ev1 molds are being dragged out of whatever factory they are sitting in and that one of the truck factories will be changed over with expected production to begin in 1-2 years. It can and probably would be a flat out lie but it would probably jump the stock a few bucks.

Yes and..

-bring back Alan Cocconi as the technical guru of the program. So, the car gets on-board charger with standard 220V outlet and other efficiency/utility boosting goodies canceled by the GM during development in the early 1990s. Also, institute Prof. Andy Frank as the technical director for plugin 4seat version program..

-bring/contract Lotus on board for resin/rivet bonded alu chassis

-bring back Chelsee Sexton, now as the vice president for communication dealing with the corporate makeover and EV program

-issue immediate stop on the 90% of the SUV/light truck production facilities, retooling for full EV fleet starts now..

-sell overseas GM's operations/brands to fund new U.S. based battery factories, e-drivetrain and all related retooling ASAP even if that means smaller profit.

-be brutaly open with the unions, no deal and you, your kids and families will die poor, homeless, and without a doctor in 10-15yrs!
The last pitch, from now on, noise less and greaseless assembly lines..

=> I gurantee you not a jump but rocket start of their stock!

--
Hah, cool and doable "FDR goes electric" sort of pipedream,
welcome rather to the world without GM giant as we know it!

idiom · **Posted:** Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:16 pm

Chevy is Saved!

Quote:

The Camaro will come in LS, LT and full-on SS specs and be available with 6-speed manual and auto transmissions. Under the bonnet sit fuel-efficient 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 and 416bhp 6.2-litre V8 engines, which can run on fewer cylinders to improve economy.

Quote:

Weight balance is split 52/48 front/rear too, but the Camaro is a porker, weighing in at more than 1,700kgs.

Quote:

The US gets the car in early 2009

Production Camaro Revealed

cube · **Joined:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:00 am **Posts:** 3935

mos6507 wrote:

strider3700 wrote:

you want to see a jump in GM's stock? declare that the ev1 molds are being dragged out of whatever factory they are sitting in and that one of the truck factories will be changed over with expected production to begin in 1-2 years. It can and probably would be a flat out lie but it would probably jump the stock a few bucks.

Lutz already shot down that fantasy.

They tried that already.
It was called the GM Chevy volt.
There was a lot of hype in the beginning but much like a bad porno movie it failed to deliver in the end. :roll:

AlCzervik · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:48 pm

GM, Ford 'On the Verge of Bankruptcy,' Altman Says.

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:55 pm

cube wrote:

mos6507 wrote:

strider3700 wrote:

you want to see a jump in GM's stock? declare that the ev1 molds are being dragged out of whatever factory they are sitting in and that one of the truck factories will be changed over with expected production to begin in 1-2 years. It can and probably would be a flat out lie but it would probably jump the stock a few bucks.

Lutz already shot down that fantasy.

They tried that already.
It was called the GM Chevy volt.
There was a lot of hype in the beginning but much like a bad porno movie it failed to deliver in the end. :roll:

Hey, it will eventually be delivered at [s]$26k[/s] [s]$32k[/s] [s]$48k[/s] $(2x inflation + 50k) a bolt... :lol:

GM, Ford, and Chrysler Death Watch Thread

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