Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
GM couldn't afford to build good cars in the past. Now they can't afford not to as they will have one good shot at this to turn it all around. The next 5 years are going to see a dramatic upswing in people's perceptions of U.S. made goods.
The fly in the ointment is the Koreans and soon the Chinese. Labor costs are way low in those countries.
GM had entered into the credit agreement in June 2007. The automaker had never borrowed under the terms of the deal, which was secured by GM's stake in its former finance arm GMAC.
"After reviewing its liquidity position, GM believes that it has sufficient liquidity and financial flexibility to meet its capital requirements in the first half of 2008 without the credit agreement," the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Attached does not show the chart that was in the paper so I will put the data here.
% drop..............................Market share
+15.6..............crossovers....15.6
+__.4..............small cars.....15
-__3.0.............mid cars........22
-__5.3.............Lux cars.......9
-__5.5.............Pick ups.......17
-__6.2.............SUV's...........14
-__9.3.............Vans.............2
-_11.6.............Large cars.....1
-_19.5.............Minivans........5
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080106/BUSINESS01/801060586/10- 14
Gas prices are becoming a bigger issue in the U.S. auto market, but consumers are not necessarily flocking in droves to tiny, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Through November, the small-car segment, which includes the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Chevy Cobalt, rose just 0.4%, compared with the same period in 2006, according to Autodata Corp.
Daily rental sales were reduced 108,000 vehicles;
GM was at its lowest level of daily rental sales in 9 years (about 596,000 vehicles), while significantly boosting content and resale value.
Commercial/government fleet sales were up about 5,000 vehicles
Anticipated retail share stabilized at about 21 percent
Retail vehicles, as a percentage of total deliveries, increased 1 percentage point to 74 percent
-Rocky
You did see that Buick will have a Riviera concept vehicle at NAIAS???
Well I want to congratulate you on buying the finest CUV on the market today. That's the color I would get as well pal !!! :shades:
You did see that Buick will have a Riviera concept vehicle at NAIAS???
No I didn't see that !!! :surprise: I guess that means my Velite, is as good as dead now ??? :sick: I though their was a glimmer of hope still. :sick:
-Rocky
So GM is planning a V-8 for a Buick and has stopped developing V-8's for Cadillac? Does that even make sense to you? Cadillac has had V8's for the last 100 years. However GM explains this is no excuse. BMW's solution to rising fuel economy is a smaller displacement V-8 with direct injection and a turbocharger producing 400hp. Lexus has a 4.6L and 5.0L attached to an 8-speed. Even Hyundai will sell a V8 luxury car soon. Why doesn't GM just admit that the Northstar replacement under development could not pass the fuel economy/emission tests?
Without a V-8, Cadillac will never be as upscale as Mercedes/Audi/BMW/Lexus. Say goodbye to the Standard of the World. Long Live premium brand Cadillac (a.k.a Acura, Volvo)
It's going to be funny when congress passes a ban on car comapny's who can't meet the new standard. Bye, Bye, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus. May be the fine will be so high nobody will buy them. So perhaps Acura, is doing the right thing !!!
-Rocky
Fuel consumption for Acura RL (3.5) is 16/24 mpg, exactly similar to Lexus LS460 mileage. So how is Acura doing the right thing? :P
#1 From what I read (rumors) it was something that would be available this year so while the Lamdas may get a V8, the Cadillacs will also continue to have a V8 as the Northstar still lives. Perhaps GM is updating the northstar this very minute? I mean all they did was announce that they were killing a new V8 engine that would not have been available for a couple years.
#2 we are talking a large CUV that will be replacing many peoples SUV's. Some of these old SUV buyers will want to continue to pull their boats/snowmoibiles/etc. and will want a more powerful engine. So if the Lamdas get a V8 it will be a continuation of GM's actions to transfer SUV buyers into their CUV Lamdas. Perhaps the towing capacity of the Lamdas would also be increased.
#3 who is sure that the Enclave is gettng a V8? That may also have been cancelled. But actually everyone has a few years before the CAFE starts ramping up and the high price of gas will naturally push folks to higher MPG vehicles (yet to be proved!) so the OEM's who already meet the CAFE will continue to by replacing low MPG vehicles with higher MPG vehicles.
#4 you are talking mid sized car vs. large SUV. I think most consumers are intelligent enough to see that a smaller car, even if it a lux vehicle, would have less need for a larger engine than a work horse truck.
-Rocky
-Rocky
Isn't everyone?
Anyway they will not be able to sell them in California unless they get a deal like Mercedes and only lease them and then sell them outside of CA when they are finished with the lease.
-Rocky
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/10/mercedes-benz-i.html
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is introducing a limited number of its E320 BLUETEC diesel sedans in California. The sedan is now available through a special two-year/24,000-mile lease, and is lease-priced on a par with its gasoline sibling, the E350.
At its initial US introduction, the E320 BLUETEC slightly exceeded the CA LEV II, EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions threshold, and so was not put on sale nationwide. (Earlier post.) To meet the stricter standards of California and the other LEV II states, Mercedes-Benz made some modifications to the aftertreatment system, including changes in the control software. Although the catalyst material used in the NOx catalyst is the same, the unit is slightly different, according to Professor Dr. Herbert Kohler, Vice President, Group Research & Advanced Engineering Vehicle and Powertrain, Mercedes-Benz Cars and Chief Environmental Officer for Daimler AG.
Will the 2.9 TT V6 diesel from Europe, have a problem meeting those emission standards you think ??? :surprise:
Also do you think GM, will manufactor those diesels here in the U.S. ????
No one else can meet the CA emissions yet other than Mercedes.
-Rocky
Why can't GM get over this need to have front end styling that mimmics a snow plow? Then's there's the Buick Enclave..exterior porportions seem all off. When you see one in person, it's as if BMW's Chris Bangle did a redesgin of the Pontiac Aztec. Am I the only one who see's unsold Pontiac Soltices sitting week after month on dealer lots? Bottom line has got to be this: Any GM product is still a great risk. Only the Malibu is getting reviews that say as good as or better than their competitors....and they said the same thing about those X-Bodies of the 1980's.
Don't kid yourself. GM is still no better off than the other domestic makers. Even the current wonder child The Volt is more hype and "PR" than a reality. GM fans: Put those party hats down,,your still a good 10 years premature in any celebration of a comeback.
-Rocky
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/AUTO01/801100320/1148- /AUTO01
-Rocky :shades:
Seems like a nice little car, but a bit quirky with only one cup holder, a clock that displays 24 hour time only seems a bit odd. If the engine is as buzzy as I've been reading about I don't see it winning over the Civic crowd.
I was just at my Saturn dealer over lunch and they haven't gotten any Astras yet.
I hear ya on the complaints with the Astra .. I believe GM did as little as possible to federalize it for the US market and some things that should be taken for granted - multiple cup-holders, XM radio (this is a GM vehicle, after all) and an AUX jack - aren't available.
I've read some decent reviews of it, but time will tell.
I'm looking forward to a 2010 Astra Red Line with the 2.0L turbo engine from the Sky - 260HP!
Yeah, that should be a nice competitor to a Mazdaspeed 3
Geez, that's open-minded. Based on logic like that, no one should have considered a 1956 Ford product based on perceived issues with the first 1928 Model A.
Bill P.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/13/autos/car_of_the_year/index.htm?postversion=2008- 011310
-Rocky
GM announced at the NAIAS that they are partnering to build a plant by the end of this year that can make Cellulosic ethanol at $1/gallon. If they can do this it will change everything. Lets hope it works out!!
-Rocky
David Cole, chairman of the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, praised GM's investment in Warrenville, Ill.-based Coskata Inc. The 35-person firm says it has developed technology that can produce cellulosic ethanol for less than $1 a gallon.
"I think there's a potential for this statement here to be one of the most important of the last 50 years in terms of the auto industry," Cole said. "Just look at the value of displacing, say, a million barrels a day of petroleum with ethanol. I mean, it's huge. It's just huge."
I talked to Dave last night and his Center is really impressed with the changes GM has and is making in the last 3 years, turning into a truly integrated global company.
The Coskata process is considered more efficient because it uses parts of the plant material that normally cannot be converted into ethanol through the sugar fermentation. Potentially, Coskata says, the process can be used to produce ethanol from various feedstocks, even old tires. The company will begin with wood chips as a feedstock.
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/ANA02/808220094/1186-
62' that is pretty darn cool pal !!!!
-Rocky
-Rocky
Major orders from transit agencies in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Minneapolis/St. Paul for up to 1,732 GM-Allison hybrid-powered buses will save an estimated 2.4 million gallons of fuel annually, enough to fill 300 tanker trucks, GM announced today at the Washington Auto Show.
These new deliveries will more than double the current fleet of nearly 1,000 GM-Allison hybrid buses, and potentially include the largest single hybrid bus fleet acquisition in history – an order for 952 by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
In addition, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s order for 480 hybrid buses, as well as Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit’s plan to purchase up to 300 hybrid buses, will bring the number of GM-Allison hybrid buses to more than 2,700 units in 81 cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe
GM Latin America, Africa & Middle East (LAAM) sold a record 1,235,913* million units in 2007
GM LAAM sales volume up 200,600 units, an increase of 19.4%
2007 calendar year market share improves to 17.2%
GM has been the vehicle sales leader in LAAM for 10 consecutive years
First Ever Gas-Friendly GRAMMY Fleet to Transport the Music Industry's Hottest Talent; Chevy Volt Concept Brings
LOS ANGELES – A fleet of gas-friendly vehicles from Chevrolet will bring an eco-friendly presence to the 50th Annual GRAMMY® Awards on Sunday, February 10. As the “official vehicle of the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards,” Chevrolet will provide both Hybrid and FlexFuel E85 ethanol SUVs to transport talent to the Awards telecast and other GRAMMY Week events. In addition, Chevrolet will “electrify” the red carpet with a show-stopping display of the extended-range electric vehicle Chevy Volt Concept car.
This marks the first time a “fuel-friendly” fleet of vehicles this size has been partnered with, and branded for a major awards show. The GRAMMY Fleet of Chevy vehicles will consist of a mix of 100 Tahoe Hybrids and FlexFuel E85 ethanol Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. GRAMMY presenters, performers and VIPs will not only arrive at their destinations in a fuel-efficient way, but also in grand style with each vehicle being customized with exterior GRAMMY badging.
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gm- news/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=2&docid=42700
"General Motors Corp. is no longer the clear leader in global auto sales. It now officially shares a title it held by itself for 76 years with Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp."
9,369,524 vehicles sold for GM - 9.37 million for Toyota (rounded number).
Toyota catches GM in global sales (CNN)
Did you round up just to put Toyota in the lead? :P
Actual Toyota: 9.366
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/ANA02/809764705/-1
No, Toyota says all they ever report is a figure that is 2 numbers past the decimal point.
-Rocky