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Regards,
OW
That will happen regardless of whether there is a recession, the auto-market is 12M or 16M, or whether the Big 3 all exist or none exist.
Despite what you here in the media there are plenty of people who can afford to buy cars; people withdrawing their money from stocks now have that sitting in the bank.
Perhaps then, it may well become a New World Standard.
Regards,
OW
If the price is right, which an auction would dictate the right price, anyone could buy a former GM division such as Cadillac, and run the plants. If I had the $, I would go to the auction, and buy the plants, tools, designs, and rights to the names. Just don't ask me to subsidize GM, when they could sell Cadillac, or a bankruptcy judge will have it auctioned off, and we can have new owners.
Maybe the forum should be renamed: "What should a New Owner do with Cadillac?"
Maybe you should start a new thread with that title???
Yeah, just what we need. A modern day Packardbaker. Yuck!
I can picture a Camry with an eggcrate grille, a wreath and crest on the pignose,
and vertical taillights somehow grafted on the Bangle butt.
Well I think some of our politicians owe the unions and other corporate lobbyists and donators some favors. And the propagandists of the unions and Big3 are inundating the media with these phoney Armageddon stories for the economy if one of them fails (1st being GM). (Unfortunately there are a lot of suckers out here who believe this!) This is all in preparation for giving Pelosi and Congress a reason to throw the doors of the Treasury open to them.
So I'm not quite there in creating the new forum. I'm still afraid we're all just going to continue to bailout the rich and powerful groups in this country, draining any Social Security funds we may have, and bankrupt the country eventually (or have a 50% tax rate).
Our national debt is over $10 trillion now, and that's growing faster and faster with each give-away, each year! Why don't we just get it over with and go back to a feudal serf system! giving it all to our Lords! :mad: :mad:
That's exactly the strategy. Globalization and endless reverse socialism to help the elite will produce that exact ideal.
GM directors' options include bankruptcy filing
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
12:23 am U.S. ET | Nov. 22
General Motors directors are considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the Wall Street Journal and Detroit television stations reported. According to local TV reports, GM's board was meeting late Friday night in the company's downtown Detroit headquarters and had added court protection to the list of actions that may be taken as the company's cash supplies dwindle and the prospects for immediate federal aid dim.
from autonews.com
Wow???
More like Congress smelled a con job and told them "nice try". After getting burnt by the financial institutions, their B.S. Meters(tm) were on maximum. Plus, I really do think that most Americans really do feel that they shouldn't whine like little puppies who got their butts kicked by the bigger dog down the street. They need to grow some teeth and fight back.
Plus, as has been mentioned a zillion times by now, the workers in the UAW saw this day coming a decade ago.
Includes this interesting quote -
"Sport Sedan Standard of the World" now wears a Cadillac wreath and crest.....
It's a very nice car. Really. Whomps on a 5 series in price and performance.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
http://media.gm.com/us/cadillac/en/product_services/r_cars/07v%20series%20oview.- - htm
I did make a mistake. The V series has leather wrapped components whearas the other marques use molded to plastic PVC coatings. The base CTS uses realistic like leather.
http://www.robertellerassoc.com/articles/Interior%20challenges.pdf
I can't comment on BMW or other import cars of this ilk, as the nearest dealers are more than 300 miles away, with a round trip taking more than a days drive.
I did request that my login to Edmunds be removed and I plan to try to find out how or if this can be done.
In topical news, Wards keeps the CTS engine on their ten best list:
"GM’s high-feature 3.6L V-6 with direct-gasoline injection returns for the second time. Tested in the Cadillac CTS, yet flexible enough to proliferate through the auto maker’s CUVs, the advanced V-6 makes a hardy 304 hp on regular gasoline."
Ward’s Announces 2009 10 Best Engines Winners
Now, after the explosion takes place in 2009, hopefully it's a new year and a new business model that invests more in the products to become first class globally.
Too bad you are leaving. Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
OW
Three of the ten engines on the list were Big 3 iron. Some engines, like the one in the Vette ZR1, didn't make the cut because the vehicles they are in cost too much to be considered under Ward's criteria (a $54,000 cap).
Wards was leaning towards greener engines this year I guess. They liked the GM engine in the CTS because it has direct-gasoline injection, and cranks out a lot of HP on regular.
I'm not sure profit is coming back anytime soon, if at all for GM and Chrysler. Many households in my neighbourhood signed a petition letter to our reps basically saying
1) They're disappointed by the government's decision to give GM and Chrysler bailout with barely any strings attached, and
2) That GM and Chrysler have lost them as customers until every cent of the bailout is returned.
Not too many people signed, only 229. However in a living community of roughly 280-300 houses it sounds plenty. This is my living area only, I dare bet there are lots of others out there.
Given current situation, I'm not sure even GM can ignore that. Karma, I say...
OTOH GM made a solid start with CTS, and the current CTS deserve the title world class, at last. One step, good one but not enough. Just make sure the next step doesn't send GM back to the bottomless pit.
This will perhaps be my last entry on this thread. I finally conclude (to myself, indeed) that there are 3 ways to turn Cadillac into a world standard again:
1) If the company goes BK now, and restructure focusing on core brands like Chevy and Cadillac.
2) If GM somehow, miraculously receive enlightment and start restructuring now, assuming they start getting profit soon. Or...
3) No way it's gonna happen with GM, just sell it to someone who can.
Happy new year to everyone. Also, goodluck, GM, you're seriously gonna need it.
2009 Detroit Auto Show: 2010 Cadillac SRX
Cadillac sales fell 24 percent in the first 11 months of 2008, about on par with U.S. light truck and SUV sales overall. The automaker sold nearly 148,000 Cadillacs in January through November, including about 14,800 SRXs. But Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division sold five times as many RXs.
Regards,
OW
circle, you make the point clearly...D3, while making cars that some folks want (their sales aren't zero, after all, they still sell in the millions), the "imports" seem to pay more attention to the buyer, since every RX sales was a cannibalized D3 sale, at one point...
Reading books lately about auto trade (Comeback, The End of Detroit, Call Me Roger), each book describes the Japanese as companies who try and determine what the customer wants, rather then make what they want and try to sell it...also, Japanese seem to be receptive to feedback from their dealers, in terms of complaints and desires of the customers...The Sienna and Odyssey seem to be designed that way, literally taking 1000s of customers from Chrysler's minivans, as Chrysler just let their design get old while Japanese tried to improve an already good idea...
As much as I admire the Japanese for their products and methods of efficient manufacturing, at times I really get PO'd at our Big 3, asking myself how they could miss the onslaught in the 1980s, as plants were built here and their sales were exploding from zero...
All the D3 had to do was SIT IN and DRIVE any Accord, Prelude, Camry and a blind man could see the difference in quality, performance, and overall ergonomic design...sit in a Honda and everything is where it should be, easy to reach, nice tactile control, well designed...how could the Big 3 miss the pink elephant in the room???...how could they just not see it???
In 1988, I bought a Prelude and a Legend...the Prelude had a 2 liter engine that put out 135 HP, the Legend had a V6 that put out 165 HP...that same year, IIRC, the BIG V8 (302 CID, 5.0 liter) engine in the Ford put out 160 HP...so, the V8 was 2.5 times as large as my Prelude, yet only 25 HP more...in a tank...and the V8 put out 5 HP LESS than my puny V6 in the Legend...couldn't they see ANYTHING???
My 1988 Buick Park Avenue has a 165 HP V-6. That doesn't seem too impressive nowadays, but the car is still no slouch and seems to have a lot of pep.
And that TQ curve was broad & flat.
In '87 = 225 \ 300.
The 'feel' was quite different than
you'd find with a typical 4 cyl Prelude...
- Ray
TQ junkie
225 hp (168 kW) 300 lbf.ft (407 Nm) SEFI (1988 - 1992 ALL) w/ AOD 4 Speed Automatic
Regards,
OW
Sounds slow now but felt quick then. Mustang was 14.0 I believe with the same engine.
Regards,
OW
1983
5.0 (302 ci)
139 hp @ 3400 rpm
250 ft/lb @ 2000 rpm
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Nearly double your HP right there. Of course, not legal outside of a race track or off-road. But yes, the cars back then made plenty of power. Mercedes had a 3.0L I-6 in 1964 that made 200HP. Smog equipment and the EPA just eviscerated cars in the U.S. for nearly 20 years.