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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Rocky
True, but Toyota could pay GMs total health care tab and still have at least $4-5 Billion in profit.
I did hear in the Corolla forum that the Matrix/Vibe in Sept was going to get the Camry 2.4L. True or not???? If it does it'll make that even more attractive.
If you were referring to another post I'm sorry it wasnt clear.
It's statements like this that make any reasonable person wonder how anyone can discuss a subject rationally. You do seem to have a very good knowledge of GM products and their good and bad points.
But...
since 1985 the auto industry is 40% bigger and more productive. It's BOOMING... just not in GM's perspective.
since 1995 the US$ has had a 15% currency advantage over all the European countries;
Since 2001 as noted above the US$ and Yen have remain stable versus each other.
Want more... The US Steel industry is the most prodcuctive and innovative in the world!!!! The US steel industry is in it's best cycle ever!!
You may want to think that things are going to hell in a hand basket but in reality they are not. For sure though certain areas are hurting while others are booming. This is capitalism at work and it's all good.
So that is 3.7 billion that the imports did not have to pay and 3.7 billion out of the GM losses last year.
This was GM's decision back in the late 80's and they knew what they were doing. While the bloom was on the truck/SUV market all was good. Now it's more difficult and all that can be said is that GM/F have to find a solution to past bad decisions. It's noone else's fault.
I'm not sure where your getting this economic boom from ???? We as a society are adding thousands and thousands more in debt to the credit cards and to the buying of a over inflated real estate market. But hey if that's the way you see the economy in this great country, then more power to ya. :confuse:
I'd advise you to get a second opinion and look at midwest states where the majority of manufactoring takes place and the many losses in not just automotive.
Rocky
Rocky
I don't think it is the exchange rates which are the problem.
The right car,as in Chrysler 300 and Magnum, or a Ford Mustang seem to be good selling cars. Chrysler's warranty is now shorter, so I am not sure how that will impact future sales. Maybe a lot of the woes of GM are not having anything to sell that the customer wanted. The CTS and Corvette have a little bit of appeal in their own way, but most of the cars a still kinda bland. People looking for just a point A-B car, will look more at gas mileage, comfort, resale and such. Something which Toyota, and Honda can do quite well. So those drifting into a GM showroom are thinking more of how much less is their car. Yes, it has to be discounted before any consideration is made. Those looking for style, drivers that enjoy the road, or want a little extra style flair will more likely be sucked into the Ford showroom to see the Stang, or into Chrysler to see a 300 or the latest new car. Sure the Solstice is kinda cool, but is hardly seen in a showroom, and is in a very limited market.
Does anyone know what the slogan, " Chevy, An American Revolution," means?
Once again, the question of will the 2006 styling save GM. That is easy -- NO! This doesn't mean a GM, or re-organized GM can not survive. Doesn't mean they are not going to sell cars in China. Just can not believe the current direction of GM and current styles will cut it. Due to the lower quality of some the earlier cars, they need a longer warranty, some way to stabilize the resale value of the cars, and perhaps a National Health Care Plan in USA, as a recovery. After the chapter 11?
The Camaro would be a good starter car to get things going again at Chevy. Make it look like the show car, keep the size and weight down, while offering a 3.6 V6 at a reasonable price, like say $21K. It would have the HP, and with lower weight than a Challenger, say 3,000 to 3,200 # would be a good handling and scooting car. Chrysler and Ford seem to be producing a pony car which is large and heavy for a sports car, so why not go with lighter and more agile? Gas mileage would be great, as would the zero to sixty, in a reasonable priced car. Add a corvette engine for say seven grand more. And upgrade package for those that want all the bells and whistles for say $3K more.
Loren
Loren
"BMW 3" like car in the mid to high $30's with benchmark Quality and creature features like Acura/Lexus. Will the G8 finally be it ????? I'm praying on it. However the new 07' CTS seems to be good on what little we know. I'm also praying on it too. I'm also praying it get's a really nice interior and the bells and whistles of the STS/DTS.
GM no doubt has done alot of "wrongs" in it's past. It has alot of "making up to do" and therefore perhaps a industry leading warranty would really help resale and consumer confidence.
I for one do like the GTO and will miss it. There was alot of potential for the GTO, and if the redesign would of saw the light of day, perhaps it would of been a "hit".
Obviously GM saw it as to much of a risk and thus canceled the 08'
The Camaro I think will be a neat car. I wished they would make a special I-ROC Z-28 edition and forget the "SS" thang for a while. The I-Roc would have somewhat the image appeal of the Shelby. Not as good yes, but better than SS ! :mad:
Well that's my 4 cents :shades:
Rocky
Airbag redesign destroys GTO
Rocky
But...
since 1985 the auto industry is 40% bigger and more productive. It's BOOMING... just not in GM's perspective.
I was referring to industry as all of US not Auto. As I said very little is still made in this country. Turn anything over and it rarely says made in US. Yes we as a country are buying more and more. The stuff is so inexpensive. When I was a kid we had quite a few toys. today we have a birthday party for my 5 year old and we gt at one party over 20 gifts which is more than we had all together. For $15 you get a lot today. Guess this is great and hopefully it will continue.
since 1995 the US$ has had a 15% currency advantage over all the European countries; Europe is in the same boat we are. Little I buy here says "Made in Europe".
Since 2001 as noted above the US$ and Yen have remain stable versus each other.
Want more... The US Steel industry is the most prodcuctive and innovative in the world!!!! The US steel industry is in it's best cycle ever!!
You may want to think that things are going to hell in a hand basket but in reality they are not. For sure though certain areas are hurting while others are booming. This is capitalism at work and it's all good. I know and thats great. Just seems like it cannot continue unless we somehow as a country turn around. I guess we can always sell corn. We have lots of land.
Yes, like always bringing up Honda transmission problems, for example...
imidazol97: And always the last word... No one else has any knowledge to be left alone; any statement always countermanded.
It's called a discussion. During a discussion, opinions offered as facts, or outright mistatements, will be corrected.
I believe it was President Harry S. Truman who once said, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen."
My FIL says the Black Sea area of Russia is so rich with fertile farm land that it will make grain/corn prices in the U.S. drop like a rock. He said South America is basically untouched and once they get rolling you can pretty much kiss American Farming goodbye !!!!! So basically American Farmers are getting outsourced too. :surprise:
Rocky
n.
Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation.
n 1: an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic; "the book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic"; "his treatment of the race question is badly biased" [syn: treatment, discourse] 2: an exchange of views on some topic; "we had a good discussion"; "we had a word or two about it" [syn: give-and-take, word]
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I believe it was President Harry S. Truman who once said, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen."
Thanks for that. It's pretty obvious that some people are heavily invested in these "opinions", even though a quick look at the actual facts proves them well off the mark.
The dollar has half the value against the yen that it did twenty years ago. If a strong dollar was a primary reason why we buy imported cars from Japan, then this long-term trend of the sliding dollar should have killed that, but it didn't.
Yet we want the cars, anyway (including the "Japanese" cars built in the USA.) Is there something in the water, or perhaps there's a more rational explanation?
However, with a standard 3 sedan line-up of small, medium and large. For Chevrolet that would be Cobalt, Malibu, Impala.
Keep in mind that the GTO isn't so much competition for the Mustang, but for the GT-500, which will be similarly priced and most likely sell in similar numbers.
What killed the GTO is becuase there is no lesser versions of the Monaro there are no lesser versions of the GTO to pad sales and compete against the base and GT version of the Mustang.
From what I've heard, the original plan was to build the Zeta coupes in North America and send some Monaros to Australia and elsewhere to balance the rebadged Statesman's sent up here. GMNA's production incoherence killed that, and screwed Holden out of the 2007 Monaro since they'll have to set up their own coupe production line and won't have it up until the 2008 model year.
GM has always been a management nightmare. They've have profit issues more times than I can count. Durant got canned twice for putting the company in debt. Smith on the other hand was shot down for putting profits over market share.
Um, there are "lesser" versions of the Monaro: the base is the 3.6HF V6 and the V8 is the LS1. In fact, you can't get the equivalent of the LS2-powered Pontiac GTO from Holden; you have to buy the top-line HSV GTO.
GM didn't sell the lesser versions in the US because the cost of re-engineering the Monaro to US standards and shipping from Australia set the price floor too high for them.
Maybe they should have made it a 4-door and it would have got a lot more attention!
I'll report from Kansas, the aircraft manufacturers here in Wichita are doing great. My buddy, who works for cessna is getting all the o/t he can handle. There is plenty of adds in the paper looking for aircraft workers. Houses and retailing are being built left and right. Housing is still extremely cheap here, I wish we had some of the appreciation seen in other areas.
I personally don't see where everything is going down the tubes. The fed is trying it's best to slow things down, so we'll see where we are headed.
Ohh, and I know what your response will be... Wait 'til the Chinese learn how to build airplanes...
Rocky
P.S. dieselone, have you ever considered working their ????
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gm- news/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=20&docid=22932
The Boeing plant was sold to some outfit in Canada and is now called Spirit Aerosystems. I don't know if they are currently hiring for general labor, but they are for engineering etc.
I've seen many adds for machinists and other type labor jobs with the local aerospace supplier business. From the local paper, it seems machinists/CNC operators are in high demand, along with fabricators.
Granted, this is a very cyclical sector. Just a few years ago, after 9/11, they were laying off left and right and Wichita was really hurting, now they are back on top again.
The original in the 60's looked "tough" (word from the past). Current version has a milquetoast image and unimaginative styling. Compare that to new Mustang which effectively captures essense of 60's version fastback and Bullit excitement.
GTO also overpriced for intended market and has some other troubling attributes such as handling according to Edmunds tests. Edmunds points out that a Camry can outhandle the GTO in the slalom.
GM, except for Corvette, lost direction on styling and performance about 35 years ago.
http://autoweb.drive.com.au/A_54561/cms/newsarticle.html
Purhaps your thinking of the later years.
And I am sorry, but if you think a Camry will outhandle the GTO, then you have some real issues.
And I am sorry, but if you think a Camry will outhandle the GTO, then you have some real issues.
Read Edmunds road tests of GTO. There are many other cars, such as mid-size sedans, that will outhandle GTO in slalom. Edmunds said that GTO had clumsy handling. If I recall, braking also was mediocre on GTO.
Marketplace is ultimate determinator of car's worth and desirability. Think that it has spoken.
Apparently not too many folks think that GTO worthy of purchase. Contrast this with Mustang or new Civic SI.
The original (64) and the subsequent in next few years looked tough. Remember to compare with other cars in those years.
Following are excerpts from Edmunds comparison test between Subaru and GTO:
Big tires, rear-wheel drive and a fully independent suspension can only do so much when they're trying to herd in 3,725 pounds of sheet metal. At moderate speeds the big Goat is stable enough, but push harder and its limitations aren't hard to find.
Driven back-to-back with the Subaru, the GTO feels massive, with slow turn-in and excessive body roll. With no stability control to rein you in, the GTO will happily progress to easily controllable oversteer which can be fun provided you have the room to play. Wide pedal spacing makes heel-and-toe downshifting nearly impossible, and the brakes never feel strong enough despite a switch to larger rotors, calipers and pads for 2005.
Slalom testing confirmed the GTO's clumsiness as it rumbled through the cones at a leisurely 60 mph. The STi knifed through it at 66.7 mph, a Toyota Camry Solara can do it at 60.9 mph.
As far as what the car is worth, it is funny that outside of the US the car goes for 15k more than here. I guess having a Pontiac badge on it doomed it after all. It didn't help that all the US magazines dubbed it as bland. Question, do you really think they would have called it bland if it had a BMW badge on it?
So facts, test data and Edmunds test report are meaningless? Lack of customers for this car have sealed its fate. Contrast this with another Pontiac brand, Solstice, which is huge success in marketplace.
It didn't help that all the US magazines dubbed it as bland. Question, do you really think they would have called it bland if it had a BMW badge on it?
A car can have mediocre or poor styling and still be a success if it has other desirable attributes. Look at Subaru WRX STi which Edmunds compared to GTO in road test. Face it, GTO is a dud.