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For those who want to hear info adn see Wagoner talk-speedvision
Sunday, June 11 @ 8:30AM EST
Monday, June 12 @ 7:00AM EST
LIVING WITH $3 A GALLON GASOLINE
Synopsis: John talks with Jim Hall from AutoPacific--an automotive marketing and
research firm--about living with the new standard of $70+ a barrel crude oil.
They discuss the strategies that automakers are employing in both design and
marketing their vehicles and consumer reaction to this new and unavoidable
economic reality.
Autoline Detroit welcomes the American Iron and Steel Institute as a new
underwriter and the "exclusive" sponsor of “Autoline Extra" on our website. We
thank all our dedicated underwriters whose financial support makes Autoline
Detroit possible.
Segment 1: Analyzing the effect rising gas prices has on OEMs marketing and
product planning strategies.
Guests:
Jim Hall, Vice President, AutoPacific
Segment 2: Results from the 2006 Harbour Report
Guests:
Ron Harbour, President, Harbour Consulting
Vehicle Review: 2007 Saturn Sky
Rocky
Rocky
Detroit Public Television
Wednesday, June 07 @ 5:30PM EST
Sunday, June 25 @ 10:30AM EST
You may not be able to see it.
Rocky
Rocky
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/BUSINESS01/606200319/10- 14
A good read !
Rocky
The Energy Department identified solid oxide fuel cell technology as one of the more promising ways to create electrical power. Delphi is working with science and technology firm Battelle on a three-phase, 10-year program that started in 2001 as an environmentally friendly way to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.
Guy Hachey, Delphi's president of powertrain systems, said the company has been testing the fuel cell technology for seven years, and that it is getting closer to making cleaner and more energy-efficient electrical power systems.
The goal is to develop fuel-cell technology for stationary power as well as for vehicles, such as heavy trucks.
There is still a lot to do: The fuel cell costs are down to $770 per kilowatt; the target is $400.
What this means to all of us: Delphi still is # 1 in Technology even as bankruptcy hearing looms....
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/BUSINESS01/606200318/10- - 14
Rocky
If they are suddenly making a profit, I guess the big question is how? With rising interest rates, debt will rise. These guys at the top must be good -- really good, if they can turn something around like magic.
Styling turn-around? Maybe the low volume cars are stylin', but what else? Which models?
-Loren
Impala is doing well, Lucerne is doing well, SUVs are doing great. Lots of profit there.
yes, Wagoner is good.
There's already a Walmart Super less than a mile from the plant. Are they building a new Sam's?
As for the Kettering plant, I believe the Sam's is about 1.5 miles from it and there's a new open mall type shopping center going in already. I think there's a Walmart within 2 miles of it. I don't spend much time on that side of town in that area. Dermatologist has office in that area and I was looking for a coffee one day.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So they must sell alot of new vehicles in Mexico. What they do park it in front of their shack ?
Rocky
Dad and I got into on fathers day arguing over why GM refuses to put simple gadgets like Voice Recognition Navigations, and DVD-Audio Stereo Equipment in most of it's cars on premium trims. I throw it in his face and say well Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus have them. I also told him Infiniti has it on the G35 now and the M series has had it for the last few years.
Rocky
Perhaps I need to get a gadget car, like a used DTS some day just to see if it is fun to play with all that stuff like memory seats, heated seats ( in California? ), night vision may be cool too ( maybe not? ) auto climate control ( never had - but sound good, maybe? ) auto dim mirrors ( why? ), navigation ( if I lost my maps, men don't need maps ! ), heated washer fluid ( i think it got cold once here, maybe not? ) rear warning system ( i thought the bang sound was the warning system? ) OnStar ( if I got lonely! ), twilight headlights ( to impress! ) and I am sure a hundred things I never heard of. I could get blue tooth, but I don't think it would be a good match to my other teeth.
Ya know, until something crashed, it would be fun to play with all that Cadillac stuff. Maybe I will some day. I almost bought a '77 and a '79 at another time. Gosh them old Devilles outclassed the others in their time. And great looking limos to date, they are! I owned buy one luxo from GM, the Olds. 98 Regency, which was FWD in 1987. Well in looking back, for the same money, I could have bought the Olds 442. The 180HP RWD car, would have been more reliable and something of a collector car. And good style too! Speaking of styles in collector or classics grade, I wonder if the Olds Aurora will ever make the grade? The last hurrah?
-Loren
Yes, current management may indeed be a keeper, if they pull off this turn-around. Pretty large ship to turn in such tight waters and not wreck.
What I was thinking before is that the US government may be planning on moving to a national health care system, and that may be part of the plan. Will GM stay in US otherwise, or continue to move to Canada and Mexico for North American operations? And what becomes of Delphi?
Guess we all should feel luck we don't have the CEO's company problems to deal with every day. Or is that day and night. I think the average person would overload.
-Loren
They have been mis-stating their books by millions now for 4 years, recording cash received that was not. They may have to re-state the books for those years, wiping out much more than a couple quarters profit - could wipe out the company. Could be a little "enronish".
How about the Ford 6 speed transmission. Didn't that help in the 0-60 times for the little 3.0 V6? Not too bad a time, and with lower HP than the competition. And wasn't there a joint effort with GM on the 6 speed automatics? I think the style of the Fusion/Milan will help sales. I think it is more of a style hit than the G6 -- do you all agree? Now the G6 does make a handsome coupe. Lends itself well to that shape as a coupe.
Style, as in pouring more style in the line-up, could help GM and Ford. Good cars, like the FiveHundred are just a little too plain. And while I kinda like the LaCrosse style, it seems many see it too conservative. I think it will look good for some time to come. Maybe add a little zing would be a good thing though. And please a new Malibu. Maybe as a RWD in a mid-sized car for the Malibu. And a Malibu SS V8 Northstar 300HP. Just a thought.
-Loren
I do understand where you are coming from Loren.
I would like you to try out a gadgetology car someday. You have to be patient though to learn it's capability's
AC seats would be nice for those hot Cali days
I do respect your views a great deal Loren. I don;t blow off opinions like some. Ya'll are the greatest IMO and it would be very awesome if someday we could get a edmunds convention in like Vegas.
Neways gadgets is what appeals to the under "40" crowd and atleast some cars need these to beable to compete. The Japanese seem to understand and the Europeans seem to be catching on. The Americans haven't got it yet, but do offer many "gadgets" on cars that the majority can't afford. The current STS V-8 with all the bells and whistles shouldn't be a $63K car, but rather a $53K automobile. It's absurd to charge that much for a car and it not be the benchmark. :mad:
Rocky
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehicle_Reviews/Sedans_and_Coupes/Preview_2007_C- hrysler_Sebring.S180.A10559.html
Mexico has a lot of European and Asian makes not available in the US. Its market appears far more fractured than ours.
From the article, it seems GM's sales are about 1/2 trucks with the other half split between Opel and Daewoo varients.
I guess the Malibu and G6 are starting to break that trend though, in offering the 3.5 and 3.9. IMO though, Chrysler would almost be better off just bringing back the 3.2 and using it with the 3.5, both of which are the same engine family. The 2.7 is a totally different engine, expensive to build, and expensive to repair when it breaks.
The profiles are similar. Daimler is doing something a little different up front.
It will be interesting to see what they do with the interior. Aura is nice, if somewhat conservative. Daimler uses those beautiful guages on the 300, PT Cruiser and Crossfire. I've never thought much of the turtle shell stuff Daimler puts on its upmarket steering wheels and between panels inside.
If you take a G6 convertible and compare it to a Volvo C70 convertible the G6 looks like it was done by a high school kid.
The first Saturns were a little bit cute, especially the wagon version. Since then it has been totally downhill. There is nothing to like about an Ion and the 2 door looks really weird!!!
The Sebring looks fine, nice improvement. I don't think I would buy a car with little windows and high door sills. I rented a current Sebring lately. Thought it could be a car to consider. Not after renting it...just a box on wheels and rear vision is ridiculous, why bother having a window in the back?
My brother rented a Magnum. Hate those small windows. Felt like I was in a tank peering out the cubby hole. You can't put your arm on the sill, or it will be way up in the air.
The over-all feeling is it felt like a 60's or 70's muscle car.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That's kinda funny; when I first saw the pics of the Aura circling around, I thought it kinda resembled the 2001-06 Stratus/Sebring, just with a busier front-end! I think in side profile, they do look very similar.
I think the main thing that reminds me of the Ion with the new Sebring is that roofline, which looks kinda tall, and almost a bit too big for the body. The way they had to put that black spacer peice in the C-pillar just gives it the look of a too-large roof that was forced to fit. Similarly, I think the Ion's roofline looks too big for the car, although in this case they just give it a thick C-pillar.
I hope Chrysler does something to "re-content" the interiors, though. The older Cirrus/Stratus sedans from 1995-2000 seemed to be a bit more upscale, whereas the 2001-06 models just seemed cheaper overall, even if they'd make attempts to spruce them up such as the expensive looking gauge faces, leather seats, etc. Still, you could change the gauge fonts and throw leather seats in a Chevette, and it would not a luxury car make!
This is something we were talking about a few days ago. With all the designers making the rounds among manufacturers, you are starting to see a lot of similar designs.
Lutz brought people from Chrysler over to GM.
Seems they must have been exterior thinkers only. The nicer GM interiors are going toward sort of an Audi-light look. Personally, I would have preferred variations on Chrysler interior themes.
Chrysler always got the look right in my opinion. They have had problems with consistency. Daimler seems to be making headway on that. They may be selling less than Toyota now, but they sure are not going away.
Now things might change but the government has done nothing and has said nothing about doing an Enron on GM. Enron stole money and lied. GM may have stroked the edges of good financial books but there has been anything close to what happened at Enron. No pensions have been touched.
These "mis statements" are not going to wipe out the company.
-Loren
According to the ad I heard on the radio they were automatics. If my '85 Silverado had one foot a bit further into the grave I'd actually be tempted to go check 'em out. But then, my truck isn't rusty enough yet, doesn't smoke enough, and has too many options that still work. :P
Rocky
Not bad....not perfect but nicer than a lot out there. That's the new Korean company and that's a good looking start in the low price market (I assume). Looks like a Ford oval on the front.
Here is a covered 2007 Honda CRV. It looks like a nice improvement in styling, though seems to be similar mechanically.
link title
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
You're not helping the economy or the country this way. If everyone kept their car until it could hardly move the U.S.A. will come to a standstill (literally and figuratively).
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Rocky
Right, sorry,
You see one Asian car and they all look the same (just a bad joke - no offense intended)
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
:P
(It's the Hindustan Motor's 'Ambassador')
Rocky