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I know that the Swedish government is considering giving out some automaker bailout money of its own, and is very concerned about the native auto industry disappearing entirely (even if it IS true that neither Swedish automaker has been domestically owned in quite some time). My swag (super wild-[non-permissible content removed] guess) would be that the Swedish government is making the bailout money conditional on bringing Saab (and eventually Volvo) production back to Sweden, at least as much as can be achieved with the existing production facilities.
On a sidenote, I don't really know that much about Volvo production - is it still mostly in Sweden? What Volvo models for the NA market are produced outside Sweden?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Sorry about the above pic. To late for me to edit it out.
I do not understand how a CFO at GM can be considered as competent. An average homeowner with a BS degree could have done better.
Ford's does. :shades:
Maybe they'd be doing better if they sold that here too. But they don't. Why? Because GM would rather sell Suburbans.
Maybe they'd be doing better if they sold that here too. But they don't. Why?
Or maybe because it is a concept that is due out as a vehicle in 2010?
The nonprofit Aspen Institute said today that it had convened a group of stakeholders that included Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned ...
Before or after GM cancels production? We'll see if it actually comes out here, but I have my doubts. Maybe if they can pull off the Cruze...
Speaking with Automobilwoche, the source also revealed that a hybrid 9-1 will be available from the start of the model’s product life-cycle. Product planners are keen to launch the new car in the U.S. and are already testing a prototype camouflaged under the sheet metal of an Opel Astra. Expect to see styling influences taken from the Saab Aero-X concept car (pictured) used on the new 9-1.
The new car will feature a conventional two-mode hybrid system with an electric motor mated to either a diesel, petrol or biofuel internal combustion depending on which market it’s heading to. The system allows the electric motor to be used during stop-start driving and initial acceleration, with the internal combustion engine only kicking in during high load.
The hybrid 9-1 will also feature new nano-based lithium battery technology, which last twice as long as conventional nickel metal hydride batteries and exhibit rapid charge and discharge characteristics as well as longer lifetimes.
Now can you do something about the extra large price? :P
With the 9-1 that would do something about the price. Hopefully starting somewhere near $25k. IF this car can do what the Mini did it could be very successful. Needs to be cool looking for the young at heart and be priced right.
If this car is ready to come out in less than 2 years it would increase the value of Saab.
January sales are expected to be down 18.1 percent from very weak sales in December, Edmunds.com estimates, largely due to significantly lower rental-car and corporate fleet sales. Retail sales will be about flat with December's.
"Our research indicates that retail sales are pretty much flat compared with December," said Jesse Toprak, Edmunds.com's executive director of Industry Analysis. "However, automakers' decision to cut fleet sales and make other production cuts will cause a large sales decline to be recorded on the books."
Well, Mr. Wagoner, your forecast just needs to be reset yet again.
730,000 for Jan. 2009
GM will sell 156,000 units in January, down 38 percent compared to January 2008 and down 29.3 percent from December 2008. GM's market share is expected to be 21.3 percent of new vehicle sales in January, down from 24.1 percent in January 2008 and down from 24.7 percent in December 2008.
MS keeps slipping. No change there.
Regards,
OW
Question is what the dealer stock is. Hopefully a month of plant downtime will reduce it to better levels and the plants can get running again. This will allow the fleet sales that were zilch this month.
ouch
General Motors Corp. is quietly lobbying Congress to help the automaker avoid a multibillion-dollar tax bill the company faces as part of its $13.4 billion loan agreement with the federal government.
The Detroit automaker has been urging members of Congress to add a provision to the $819 billion economic stimulus bill to eliminate the tax liability, which officials said could cost GM as much as $7 billion, and jeopardize the company's restructuring.
GM circulated a proposed fix to Congress, but the House passed the stimulus bill without the provision on Wednesday.
"In essence, a large portion of the federal loans may have to be used to pay income tax and would be immediately returned to the government, certainly a result not intended," GM said in a two-page memorandum distributed on Capitol Hill and obtained by The Detroit News.
Provisions of the loan agreements "could result in a significant multibillion-dollar tax liability at a time when auto companies need these funds to restructure their business operations," the memo said.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090130/AUTO01/901300348/1148-
Hey what's up in coming with the 2012 Hummer lineup?
"More bailout money please" :lemon:
Regards,
OW
Not intended by GM anyway. On the other hand, it's just fine with me, and probably the IRS too.
Sorry, you must have missed the previous post on how GM is disentangling Saab from GM by moving production of the Saab out of Germany to Sweden? Of course these are rumors.
Hey what's up in coming with the 2012 Hummer lineup?
And the post that mentioned that the H2 plant (Not GM plant) is shut down for months and the H2 may not be started up again?
I guess I do not see the reason why the 3 marques need to be gone today. As long as virtually no money is being spent they are costing GM little and what they can sell helps the bottom line. It will take time to close down the divisions or find buyers.
Disentangling is good....but who are they going to get to buy them in the middle of a worldwide recession?
I think that's the point. Especially with the turmoil surrounding GM. If you were a prospective buyer, would you make an offer now, or wait until GM falls completely flat, and then pick through the pieces?
Big whoop, they could also move the whole operation to Aruba and it wouldn't make a difference except they'd have happier employees. They're still under the GM umbrella and they can still be sold here in the states, which accounts for what 30k units annually? Nothing about that says, they'll be shuttering this useless dead weight that has made zero money for them in the entire 20 years of stake.
And the post that mentioned that the H2 plant (Not GM plant) is shut down for months and the H2 may not be started up again?
Got that too. Still doesn't mean a thing if the H3 is still going and the brand exists. Again, that is one madel that has made it's 5 year run, it was ready for replacement anyways. Nothing stopping GM from releasing an H4, H5 or H6 in hopes of reviving the brand the same way a 9-1 and the 9-3 are for Saab. It's also been for sale since the summer with absolutely no takers. Gee, there's a surprise...
I don't think you see what others are seeing 62' which is this. I believe GM is quietly "holding on" to these brands and hoping for some miraculous turnaround with help from Congress (and the Obama administration
They most certainly have future plans all ready for Saab it seems, and Saturn too. They're just not "focused"
Pontiac is safe, they're just not "focused".
And stopping production on a 5 year old model does not constitute getting rid of the dead weight which is what they ned to do.
"focus on 4 brands" What a load of bull :sick:
Edit: Hey look, Honda just announced the end of the S2000, which ran for 9 years. And Toyota is no longer producing the Solara. So in GM terms, both of these nameplates are going away so they can both "focus" on Lexus and Acura.
While that may be true, I think what they are MORE interested in doing is keeping dealers of these nameplates from sticking their hands out ala what happened with Olds.
Saab, unlike Hummer and Saturn, probably has some proprietary value, and by jettisoning them, they can build something unique to Saab, thereby making it worth more to a prospective buyer. And GM may get a customer in the end, if they share an engine with another product.
Since you are responsible for the generation two and three Volts can you say anything about what ideas you’re considering?
I think people want better prices, so why not make a smaller car with a smaller battery to reach lets say 20 grand?
You’re pretty much describing our plans for Gen 2. Looking to improve efficiency, maintain performance, take cost out of the car and how can we broaden Voltec technology to other vehicles.
http://gm-volt.com/2009/01/30/chevy-volt-generation-two-2/
More of this information is much appreciated.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I believe my cellphone is capable of doing that. Hope that's not the best OnStar can do.
Saturn Outlook is Family Car of the Year
FAMA, a leading Hispanic magazine, has named the 2009 Saturn Outlook as its “Family Car of the Year.” The annual FAMA automotive awards, which are based on input from visitors to the magazine’s website, are presented to one vehicle in each of seven categories. The magazine specifically noted Outlook’s functionality, spaciousness and fuel efficiency as factors in its decision to honor the 8-passenger crossover.
A. With a tight credit market and low consumer confidence continuing into 2009, vehicle sales remain dramatically depressed year-over-year in the industry. As a result, the company has made the difficult decision to continue to scale back production at many of our assembly plants to align production with market demand and maintain appropriate inventory levels based on the current industry market forecast of approximately 10.5 million units in 2009.
While all of GM North America assembly plants are expected to come back on line and produce vehicles in the first quarter, many of those plants will also experience additional down weeks in the first and second quarter of 2009, as the company continues to align production with reduced market demand.
Also, Lordstown (Chevy Cobalt, Pontiac G5) and Lansing Delta Township (Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook) will alternate production between first and second shifts during February and March to further manage the decreasing volume needs of the products they build, and lose their second shift of production altogether at the end of the first quarter of 2009. This is not an indication of sales trends for any specific vehicle model or make but a direct response to current market conditions across the industry:
GM sales were down 31% in Dec. ’08 as compared to Dec. ’07.
All other OEMs were down as well. Some examples include (Dec. ’08 vs. Dec. ’07):
Ford 32% Toyota 37%
Chrysler 53% Honda 34%
Kia 39% Nissan 31%
Hyundai 48%
"Our research indicates that retail sales are pretty much flat compared with December," said Jesse Toprak, Edmunds.com's executive director of Industry Analysis. "However, automakers' decision to cut fleet sales and make other production cuts will cause a large sales decline to be recorded on the books."
January sales will drop 30.1 percent from last January, according to the forecast by Edmunds.com, parent of AutoObserver.com Year-to-year comparisons are less meaningful since 2008 grew progressively weaker in terms of the economy and vehicle sales. The opposite is expected for 2009, predicted to end on a higher note than it starts. Evidence of a 2009 that will end on a higher note than it starts is indicated by the fact that pent-up demand seems to be growing.
"Given the dramatic downturn in car sales since September, it is reasonable to assume there must be an underlying demand building," said David Tompkins, Ph.D., Edmunds.com senior analyst. "Edmunds.com site traffic behavior in January reflected a 13 percent increase in purchase intent compared with December, so within the next six weeks we should begin seeing those sales come through -- though perhaps some will manifest themselves as late-model used car sales."
Looks like that loan was short lived. Domestics get $13.4 billion. They have to pay it back in 3 years. BUT GM also has to pay $7 billion in tax ramifications this year.
Big ouch. I wonder what GM's gonna do about it, hope they're not planning another scheme, though I wouldn't bet they won't.
I feel kinda bad for Saab. The cars are pretty good looking. They're just overpriced by about 5k imo, and they need quality check. Other than that Saab would make a very credible near luxury brand.
Huh, how will that be any different with OnStar? So there are other features I missed, I guess...
Maybe I misunderstand your comment but if you are unconscious you cannot call for help. OnStar will not only contact emergency but tell them where you are if you cannot respond.
FYI, it looks like Toyota will be coming out with their own version of OnStar. Lexus has been using GM's OnStar but will be doing their own.
Yep. When the airbags deploy, OnStar is automatically notified, and they call you. If you don't respond to them they automatically notify the authorities that they have an air bag deployment and exactly where you are.
I used it once on a good samaritan call. I wasn't sure whether I was in Mass or RI, as I was on the highway at the state line, and they could tell that I was still in Mass, less than 100 feet from the state line.
Sorry, you must have missed the previous post on how GM is disentangling Saab from GM by moving production of the Saab out of Germany to Sweden? Of course these are rumors.
"Rumors of a disentanglement" -- that's a long way from real plans to shutter the brand.
I guess the reason many people are questioning GM is that they say things but they seem to move at a glacial pace. Five or more years to make changes doesn't sound like much urgency given their current rate of cash burn.
The Sync setup is neat...you have some of the advantage of telematics, but you don't have to pay for an additional subscription...it uses your existing cellular service.
Whoops, I admit I wasnt aware of that one.
OnStar uses Verizon wireless. You can purchase minutes, or link it in to your Verizon calling plan for an extra $10.
What if I don't use Verizon? I dislike the use of CDMA operators as that means I'll have to settle for their phones or the crappy CDMA phones sold out there.
No, I use GSM always, as that means I'm free to use any phone I want. Plus using my own phone means I don't have to look at the ugly operator's logo stamped on it everytime.
The peace of mind we have when she drives to/from school - she's home almost every weekend - cannot be measured, especially in the winter.
GM actually has a commercial showing a cell phone bouncing around the interior of a car in a simulated accident, so I believe it is worth the monthly subscription fee.
The "turn by turn" directions, however, aren't really worth it. My wife has used them a couple of times in her '08 VUE, and they've had her do some pretty odd things on her way to her destination.
I recently bought a portable GPS system, so I'll look into dropping the tBt part of the subscription on the VUE and just keep the "Safe and Sound".
When my new 1976 Vette had an A/C go out they had to remove the fender to get to the parts
Totally agree! GM and Chrysler are an order-of-magnitude off on how quick they need to act. The UAW isn't doing any better saying that they are starting to review their contracts.
I thought these players should have been locked in a room before the holidays and not allowed to leave until they came to new agreements that would have made them break even this month!
Socialistic environments don't emphasize speed!
The turn by turn feature is another I've heard of yet still can't see how that can be useful. I recall hearing a co-worker shouting at whoever OnStar rep was on line for directing him to the middle of nowhere when he asked for directions to Boise, he was somehow guided about 50 miles south in a very remote place. Hope it was just a human error.
Turn by turn is cool - I have that on my cheap $90 navigation gizmo. Without turn by turn directions, you have to rely on the map to figure out where to turn, and that can be distracting.
Yes, but with OnStar, you don't get the gizmo or the map, just the voice giving you turn-by-turn directions. It's a lot like your friend reading them to you over the phone, except you don't (usually) have to pay your friend to do it. :shades:
Apparently, a map is a premium luxury feature, as Buicks and Caddys have screens where OnStar can download turn-by-turn directions to. But us pedestrian Chevy/Saturn types must make do with being directed to the middle of a wilderness I guess. :confuse:
This still goes under my "What was GM Thinking?!?!" file...come on, EVERYONE ELSE offers nav systems in their mainstream vehicles.
JK!
Regards,
OW