A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Mississippi River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day the Japanese won by a mile. Afterwards, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A "Measurement Team," made up of senior management was formed. They would investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was that the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the Americans had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering.
So American management hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough people were rowing. To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower: "We must give the rower empowerment and enrichment through this quality program."
The next year the Japanese won by 2 miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. Then they gave a High Performance Award to the steering managers and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
I'll admit though, that I'd also consider a Malibu or Aura.
I had a chance to check these two out at the auto show this weekend, and whoa! The new Malibu is an absolute carbon copy of the Aura! I hope these two have different engines (although I don't think they do) or chassis tweaks or SOMETHING to distinguish them, because otherwise this is a blatant case of rebadging (admittedly rebadging a very good car - the Opel Vectra) which I thought GM was trying to get away from....
...and BTW, do my eyes deceive me, or do these cars NOT have cupholders? I couldn't even find a bottle holder in the door.
On a side note, I made a point of sitting in all the midsize and compact models this time around, and I have to say there is SO little that stands out in this industry these days, Malibu and Aura included. I say that with one caveat: the Chryslers are distinctly, obviously, cheaper and harder inside than all the other brands out there. More roughly built too.
3 days and counting until GM has to turn in its new turnaround plan.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
What you forgot is that the Ford canoe only lost by one mile, and the reason GM sold the paddles was that they fell off the canoe. Oh, and the rower GM fired was UAW, so they didn't actually stop paying him anyway, which means the bonus money came out of nowhere...no wonder GM is in such terrible shape. :shades:
Why is everyone obsessed with GM, anyway? They're a dinosaur in the auto industry. They keep reporting that Ford is in a better position, and has been playing things much smarter. Let GM die, give Ford a bailout in the form of a preferred stock buy (I don't like bailouts in general, but I can tolerate the government buying stock with my money: at least there's a potential for return), and leave Chrysler alone...Cerberus can bail them out themselves if they really want to, why is Nardelli crying to the government instead of to the owners of his company? Or did Cerberus already tell him to take a hike? If they did, maybe there's a good reason, and we should listen.
> Honda owners who just got their car back from a 100,000 mile checkup that cost them $1200 and then they said that nothing has ever gone wrong with it.
Amen.
There's a vast difference with some folk in the level of care and maintenance given their cars in the past years. While some were afraid not to have HoToy do their 15,000 mile full price repair and checkup, others let their US brand cars go with infrequent oil changes at the corner service station. They didn't take them to the dealer for those other things to be fixed under recalls, secret warranties, and just "general maintenance" like replacing the transmission in your Honda as it fails. :P
The service department at my local dealership could have closed down in the last 10 years, as far as I know. Honda lovers like me know how cars work, and we do our own maintenance. Of course my Accord is not like a Malibu, and actually has a radiator cap, so I can check the level inside. :P
My GMC dealer sent me coupons for free lube and oil changes on the GMC PU I bought from them. I never spent a penny on service the year and a half I owned that truck. By contrast the Toyota dealer across the street from GMC where I bought my Sequoia charged nearly $60 for the 5000 mile oil change. They used cheapo 30 weight dyno oil. Synthetic would have added $70 to the price. I will probably change to synthetic at 10k miles. I will do it myself for that kind of rip-off price. VW only charged me $53 for my Passat TDI and it was very specialized oil. I would rate Toyota service near the bottom. With Lexus at the bottom of the pond. Lexus is good till your warranty runs out. If you don't trade-in for a new car they stick the royal knife in you. While our LS400 is a very good car, it was very expensive maintenance until we found a good indy garage.
Only time will tell if that changes when GM is gone.
Funny, all the parts that failed in my wife's 2003 Yukon had nothing to do with maintenance. $3,600 and counting.
Air Shock Absorber MAP Sensor Power Steering Pump Air Bag Sensor
Sounds like the experience I had with a 00 Suburban, only you haven't gotten to the expensive parts yet;) A/C compressors and transmissions dieing at an early age certainly get your attention when paying the bill. Horrid fit n' finish and rattles are the icing on the cake.
Hmm, I've never known anyone who repaired an active type air suspension for $78, unless you yanked out the air shocks for regular shocks. Which may or may not also require a spring change.
I had a chance to check these two out at the auto show this weekend, and whoa! The new Malibu is an absolute carbon copy of the Aura! I hope these two have different engines (although I don't think they do) or chassis tweaks or SOMETHING to distinguish them, because otherwise this is a blatant case of rebadging (admittedly rebadging a very good car - the Opel Vectra) which I thought GM was trying to get away from....
There's really no difference in engines on these cars, although the Malibu has a wider variety. It offers the 2.4 4-cyl with a 4-speed automatic or 6-speed auto, a 3.5 OHC V-6 with a 4-speed auto, and the 3.6 DOHC V-6 with the 6-speed auto. Oh, and the hybrid. The Aura only offers the 2.4/6-speed and 3.6/6-speed, and the hybrid.
I think the 3.5 V-6 is fleet-only though. And the 2.4/4-speed auto does let the Malibu come in at a cheaper base price. As for the badge-engineering, this is one of those cases where I don't mind it. The cars are at least different enough, style-wise, to have different identities to me. It's not like how Ford or Chrysler would often just change the easy stuff like grille inserts and taillight lenses to come up with a different car.
I like the rear of the Aura better than the Malibu. Something about the way the Malibu's tail just ends too flat doesn't sit right with me, and the taillights seem unfinished, somehow. And up front, the grille of the Malibu seems a bit swollen, sort of like a Camry. So with the rebadging, I guess I look at it as GM giving you a choice in style. Same basic car, but some may prefer the Malibu's style to the Aura, and vice versa. In contrast, if you shop for a Camry, Accord, or Altima, you're pretty much stuck with how they look. If you like the style, fine, but if not, you either have to deal with it, or shop elsewhere. I guess the same could hold true for GM though. You might not like the style of the Malibu, Aura, or G6!
As for the cupholders, I hadn't noticed. I'll have to check that out the next time I sit in one.
Me too! I already intend on keeping my 1989 Cadillac Brougham forever. Who knows? I may be the only person driving a 68 year-old 1988 Buick Park Avenue by the time I pass based on the longevity of many of my relatives.
There will be a lot of people like us which will = much fewer new car sales with each passing year. Ironically, resale value of used domestic cars may skyrocket as there will be an increasing demand for the ones that survive as the years go on. I'd be exponentially more likely to buy a 6 year-old 2009 Cadillac or Buick versus a new Lexus or Toyota.
Yes, it was under warranty. The point is it failed and so manyproblems in under 80K miles is not first class product. :lemon:
I purchased a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty just before the original expired and lucky I did. The only thing I was stuck with was the air bag sensor for $600...and the fluids when the A/C compressor was repaired which wasn't covered in the plan.
You don't understand the first concept of the economics of capitalism. Greed.
'Why would they leave?', gagrice correctly asked. GREED is why they won't leave. Greed and profits are the two basic pillars of capitalism. This country needs at a minimum 10 million new vehicles annually. 12-14 million units is a 'normal' year in this new tighter environment.
Any company that has a multi-billion dollar manufacturing presence here and is making $Billions in profits here is not going to just up and leave....except the Detroit 3 which can't seem to exit fast enough. In fact the 'outsiders' are increasing their presence here while the D3 are shrinking their's. Why? There's money to be made here...$Billions!!!
As to your other point about the cost of labor, you simply have no idea of what you're talking about. With the current $ vs JY exchange rate the US labor costs are among the lowest among the developed countries.
I assume from your parrotted statements that you are a UAW member. Do you realize that one of the key points that the UAW wanted to happen has just occurred? Hmmmm....? It's been pushing for the JY / US$ to trade for less than 100 / 1 for years and years...that's the whole accusation of currency manipulation. Well for the past several months it's been happening. Today it's at 94 / 1.
The UAW should be ecstatic....except for the fact that the transplants here generally are not affected by currency issues. US$ are US$.
I prefer the Malibu's look and definitely the option for the 4 cyl engine which Saturn doesn't offer. Well over 50% if not 75% of midsized autos are 4cyl models. Not to offer one is a decision to marginalize onesself.
However... the trunk opening ( or lack thereof ) in the Malibu is a HUGE mistake. It's a big trunk it's just than you can't put anything into it that isn't near flat.
Other than that the Malibu is every bit a serious competitor in a very crowded market.
That '53 Buick - yours? It seems things get together for me, happened to just read Road & Track January 2009 issue (not mine don't subscribe and can't remember the last time an issue was read). 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible restored and for sale at stableltd.com for $225,000. It's white so not the one I saw almost forty years ago.
Another story in the issue at Tech Bits, about Portland, "Are cars desireable in a city? or even necessary?
While I have never met Ed Wallace, I will not link his site or the Ft Worth paper. But again this sunday's article has continued to increase my admiration for his expressed opinions.
Big 3 will spend today polishing up their testimony as they carpool to DC.
Probably in a Maybach or LS460 stretch with bar. They will need to be at least the inebriation level of Ted Kennedy to communicate with the bunch of losers.
Shoot, if the showed up in a Maybach or LS460, I wouldn't give 'em squat because they don't even have faith in their own products to show up in foreign vehicles. To make a statement, Waggoner should come in a Malibu, Mulally in a Fusion, and the Chrysler guy, (don't know who he is) should come in one of their minivans.
That's class, and chutspah. Can one imagine the media going nuts over this. The CEOs upon questioning could say that they have confidence that someday their corps can build cars of these distinctions.
I would say it will be the corporate jets. The Big 3 asked the FAA not to post their travel or tracking. If it was me I would cram all three into an Aveo to see what the masses will be stuck driving.
The hearing crank up again tomorrow so I guess the Big 3 will spend today polishing up their testimony as they carpool to DC.
Actually steve, I believe the automaker plans are due tomorrow, and the CEO testimony is scheduled for Friday, isn't that it?
andre: the interiors of the Malibu and Aura I was in were literally IDENTICAL. As for the exteriors, they look very similar to me - I realize noses and taillights are individualized, but this is just one more example of rebadging the bad way. And look at Aura sales, in the crapper from the beginning, because it's a SATURN. The forgotten brand. Why can't GM get this? Everybody else in the world gets this! The car should have been a Chevy from day one.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yep, just the plans tomorrow - I jumped the gun before my caffeine kicked in. Congress probably won't even stroll back into work until Wednesday at the earliest. :P
andre, it's funny that you should prefer the Aura to the Malibu - especially the rear.
One thing that truly annoys me about the Aura is that there isn't really a good spot to put your hand to close the trunk lid - no license plate cut out, no chrome trim, nada. Which means you'll put fingerprints on the paint.
The 3.5L/4-speed was phased out in 2007, I think. If I had to get one, I'd probably go with the 2.4L/6-speed auto.
I got a pair of air controlled shocks for $75 at NAPA and put them in my Rivy at about 150k miles. The air lines are held on with a C clip. I also needed a MAF sensor that was $127 at Autozone that year. Held on by 2 screws. The car was 10 years old back then. Had I taken it to the dealer for those 2 items, it would have been much more. I'd call rear shocks a maint item after 36,000 miles.
"But the [non-permissible content removed] big 3 have vehicles like the Fit and Versa that they can just send here, where the NA big 3 don't."
Um, GM had a perfectly competent offering in Europe called the Corsa but they forgot to make it safe enough for U.S crash standards.
Instead, we get the miserable little penalty box known as the Aveo which itself was achieving a miserable 3 star crash test ratings not too long ago. That, and lousy gas mileage to boot. Oh, and it's gonna be here till around 2011 or so. Yup, brilliant move there GM!
Ford has a new Fiesta coming over that sounds like it'll give the Honda Fit a run for the money. Auto mags are already claiming it to be more fun and tossable and achieving better mileage than the Honda too.
This is where GM and Ford differ and why I have for the most part supported them over the years. When they really "TRY" to put the effort into something, it shows. Meanwhile GM will put enough effort in to build something that comes off as mediocre to average, and then when it doesn't meet sales expectations, they just clone it and hope it's siblings pick up the slack. :sick:
And then when it farts out completely, GM goes and re-names the damn thing hoping that the buying public forgets all about the previous F-ups from the last model.
A good friend of mine was a service manager for a Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealer in New Hampshire. After not one, but 2 Lemon GMC Sierra pickups (One official, the other dumped for cheap $$$) he now drives a Tundra. This is a guy who had free reigns to the service dept. where he could get discounted parts and pretty much free labor to fix his trucks and yet he defected.
And last I spoke with him, at 50+ thousand miles, it has needed nothing (1 warranty repair for the rear tailgate) major in that amount of mileage than both of his previous truck COMBINED.
'46 straight eight then practiced shifting on quarter, three quarter, and a deuce and a half courtesy of the military, but not trained as a trucker. Thinking about that unlimited jk again - a lot different than the goosey jeep over there.
i'm not a big gm fan, but i drove an 02/03? chevy pickup owned by one of my brother in laws over the weekend. has 135k on it and it ran fine. never anything other than maintenance, as far as i know. he uses it every day for work and would hear about it, if it was off the road. his last one, a 1992 had over 200k on it when he bought the current one.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
"But the [non-permissible content removed] big 3 have vehicles like the Fit and Versa that they can just send here, where the NA big 3 don't."
Um, GM had a perfectly competent offering in Europe called the Corsa but they forgot to make it safe enough for U.S crash standards.
Um, Honda DID have to federalize the Fit for U.S. shores, you know, and it spent quite a bit doing so. That's the difference between the two - GM hoped to swamp 'em with sheer model quantity rather than invest in bringing over the most competitive models. GroupThink at work.....
But you have to admit, even if you are a Ford fan, that neither Ford or GM has made quick or effective steps to globalize their operations. The writing was on the wall by 1990, yet here it is 2008 and they are still not there. It took them almost 20 years to PLAN TO get serious about it. Bailout? Thumbs down.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
And then when it farts out completely, GM goes and re-names the damn thing hoping that the buying public forgets all about the previous F-ups from the last model.
All the domestic companies have been known to change the names, to protect the guilty. The Fusion isn't an old established name. Ford just can't sell a midsize sedan under the name Taurus anymore, because they absolutely ruined it for previous owners. The Malibu name comes and goes on a whim. The Detroit 3 have been sleeping on cars for the past 15 years, and they are trying to play catch up. The worst part is, the Japanese 3 are starting to get serious about the light truck segment. So It's not looking good for the future either.
He knows the secret that many who have migrated away from GM and F and C year after year learned about U.S. cars. It is truly disappointing that this reality still exists and is the main driver in the lost market share. When U.S. trucks can't maintain quality, all has been sacrificed.
Considering the plethora of problems with my Denali, I can see why the parts suppliers went bankrupt. Now it's the manufacturer's turn.
I finally capitulated with a new CR-V and will probably never buy a U.S. car until the new industry puts out bullet-proof product for at least 5 years running. The "Mark of Excellence" has been tarnished Big Time!
Despite the proponents of the current U.S. auto industry, I'm done for quite some time. Consider GM, F and C crushed by the competition.
And then when it farts out completely, GM goes and re-names the damn thing hoping that the buying public forgets all about the previous F-ups from the last model.
You've summed it up very well.
No kidding, just as I was reading your post, on the TV there was a commercial and the announcer says "the ALL NEW Chevy Traverse"!
Well, the Fusion wasn't really a replacment for anything either. I mean I guess one could look at it as a replacment for the slow selling Taurus, but the release time for the current Taurus came right around the same time as the Fusion, if not before it. Could it be a replacement for the Contour? Maybe so, but the Contour has been off the market for years now so I don't think buyers really see the connection. Also, the Fusion IMO is a major improvement in all areas.
I'm talking models like the Cavalier/Cobalt that will become the Cruze. The Regal to the Lacrosse, the Park Ave to the Lucerne, the sunfire to the G5, Grand Ma to the G6. The new names haven't exactly taken off in the sales dept. and they are really no more special / no less mediocre than the models they replaced IMO.
"But you have to admit, even if you are a Ford fan, that neither Ford or GM has made quick or effective steps to globalize their operations. The writing was on the wall by 1990, yet here it is 2008 and they are still not there. It took them almost 20 years to PLAN TO get serious about it. Bailout? Thumbs down."
I agree, but I do think that Mullally has made a few more moves towards "righting the ship" than Wagoner and his bunch of cronies. Look at the truck side of things for instance. When was the last time you saw a commercial for the Expedition? How much advertising do you see for the the Navigator? Even the Explorer and Mountaineer have been without advertising for well over 2 years at least. Now, the Explorer is expected to go crossover (kinda pointless but maybe they know something I don't) the Mountaineer may not survive, the Expy/Navi have no remodels in sight leaving the F-series (which Ford relies heavily on to pay the bills) as the lone gas guzzler in the stable. And here, they have new "Scorpion" diesels in the works to broaden the appeal.
They also made the tough (well maybe not so) choice to let go of their dead weight like Jag, LR and AM . These brands took needed funding away from Fords core.
Now, in no way am I saying that Ford is in the clear for the future. Quite the opposite actually. But when I look at the current portfolios of it compared with GM I feel a lot more confident of my support for Mullally and Ford.
You know, the major problem is you have GM, an American car company, designing a car in Europe, and doesn't even give a SECOND of thought to MAYBE selling it in their own home market, and therefore taking that into account during the design phase.
That's why Ford is going to be OK...they've begun factoring that in with all their models around the world. That means it costs less to "federalize" vehicles for multiple countries. Design for one country, use in all the rest, save a bunch of money, and we get the Fiesta. :shades:
Ford just can't sell a midsize sedan under the name Taurus anymore
Uh, Ford is currently selling a midsize sedan called the Taurus.
Japanese 3 are starting to get serious about the light truck segment.
Yeah, right! The Tundra and Titan were serious efforts. The Tundra is an "almost full-size" truck with an interior straight out of a 1970 Dodge and the Titan is so flimsy I could tear its interior apart with my bare hands.
There is NO WAY a 1970 Dodge looked like that inside! Tundras sell mainly to the Toyota faithful, which is half the reason Toyota ever launched that model. I DON'T think sales will ever reach the heights Toyota had hoped for though - they will probably settle around half that level.
Nissan is dropping the Titan after just one generation, the only possibility being selling rebadged Rams as the Gen II, which is looking unlikely with Chrysler's current woes. Titan sales have been terrible, as was the quality of this vehicle the first couple of years.
bpizutti: GM has been doing the same thing for a couple of years now - consolidating vehicle design and planning for world cars. Both it and Ford were a solid 20 years late in starting this process, and in neither case is it anywhere close to coming to fruition. The Fiesta is the first model that will come from that effort at Ford, and it will be a decade or more before there is a diversity of models available that are a product of that process. I can't give Ford any more kudos than GM in that regard.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Comments
So American management hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough people were rowing. To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower: "We must give the rower empowerment and enrichment through this quality program."
The next year the Japanese won by 2 miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. Then they gave a High Performance Award to the steering managers and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
I had a chance to check these two out at the auto show this weekend, and whoa! The new Malibu is an absolute carbon copy of the Aura! I hope these two have different engines (although I don't think they do) or chassis tweaks or SOMETHING to distinguish them, because otherwise this is a blatant case of rebadging (admittedly rebadging a very good car - the Opel Vectra) which I thought GM was trying to get away from....
...and BTW, do my eyes deceive me, or do these cars NOT have cupholders? I couldn't even find a bottle holder in the door.
On a side note, I made a point of sitting in all the midsize and compact models this time around, and I have to say there is SO little that stands out in this industry these days, Malibu and Aura included. I say that with one caveat: the Chryslers are distinctly, obviously, cheaper and harder inside than all the other brands out there. More roughly built too.
3 days and counting until GM has to turn in its new turnaround plan.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Why is everyone obsessed with GM, anyway? They're a dinosaur in the auto industry. They keep reporting that Ford is in a better position, and has been playing things much smarter. Let GM die, give Ford a bailout in the form of a preferred stock buy (I don't like bailouts in general, but I can tolerate the government buying stock with my money: at least there's a potential for return), and leave Chrysler alone...Cerberus can bail them out themselves if they really want to, why is Nardelli crying to the government instead of to the owners of his company? Or did Cerberus already tell him to take a hike? If they did, maybe there's a good reason, and we should listen.
Amen.
There's a vast difference with some folk in the level of care and maintenance given their cars in the past years. While some were afraid not to have HoToy do their 15,000 mile full price repair and checkup, others let their US brand cars go with infrequent oil changes at the corner service station. They didn't take them to the dealer for those other things to be fixed under recalls, secret warranties, and just "general maintenance" like replacing the transmission in your Honda as it fails. :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Air Shock Absorber
MAP Sensor
Power Steering Pump
Air Bag Sensor
Regards,
OW
My GMC dealer sent me coupons for free lube and oil changes on the GMC PU I bought from them. I never spent a penny on service the year and a half I owned that truck. By contrast the Toyota dealer across the street from GMC where I bought my Sequoia charged nearly $60 for the 5000 mile oil change. They used cheapo 30 weight dyno oil. Synthetic would have added $70 to the price. I will probably change to synthetic at 10k miles. I will do it myself for that kind of rip-off price. VW only charged me $53 for my Passat TDI and it was very specialized oil. I would rate Toyota service near the bottom. With Lexus at the bottom of the pond. Lexus is good till your warranty runs out. If you don't trade-in for a new car they stick the royal knife in you. While our LS400 is a very good car, it was very expensive maintenance until we found a good indy garage.
Only time will tell if that changes when GM is gone.
Air Shock Absorber
MAP Sensor
Power Steering Pump
Air Bag Sensor
Sounds like the experience I had with a 00 Suburban, only you haven't gotten to the expensive parts yet;) A/C compressors and transmissions dieing at an early age certainly get your attention when paying the bill. Horrid fit n' finish and rattles are the icing on the cake.
Hmm, I've never known anyone who repaired an active type air suspension for $78, unless you yanked out the air shocks for regular shocks. Which may or may not also require a spring change.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
There's really no difference in engines on these cars, although the Malibu has a wider variety. It offers the 2.4 4-cyl with a 4-speed automatic or 6-speed auto, a 3.5 OHC V-6 with a 4-speed auto, and the 3.6 DOHC V-6 with the 6-speed auto. Oh, and the hybrid. The Aura only offers the 2.4/6-speed and 3.6/6-speed, and the hybrid.
I think the 3.5 V-6 is fleet-only though. And the 2.4/4-speed auto does let the Malibu come in at a cheaper base price. As for the badge-engineering, this is one of those cases where I don't mind it. The cars are at least different enough, style-wise, to have different identities to me. It's not like how Ford or Chrysler would often just change the easy stuff like grille inserts and taillight lenses to come up with a different car.
I like the rear of the Aura better than the Malibu. Something about the way the Malibu's tail just ends too flat doesn't sit right with me, and the taillights seem unfinished, somehow. And up front, the grille of the Malibu seems a bit swollen, sort of like a Camry. So with the rebadging, I guess I look at it as GM giving you a choice in style. Same basic car, but some may prefer the Malibu's style to the Aura, and vice versa. In contrast, if you shop for a Camry, Accord, or Altima, you're pretty much stuck with how they look. If you like the style, fine, but if not, you either have to deal with it, or shop elsewhere. I guess the same could hold true for GM though. You might not like the style of the Malibu, Aura, or G6!
As for the cupholders, I hadn't noticed. I'll have to check that out the next time I sit in one.
There will be a lot of people like us which will = much fewer new car sales with each passing year. Ironically, resale value of used domestic cars may skyrocket as there will be an increasing demand for the ones that survive as the years go on. I'd be exponentially more likely to buy a 6 year-old 2009 Cadillac or Buick versus a new Lexus or Toyota.
I purchased a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty just before the original expired and lucky I did. The only thing I was stuck with was the air bag sensor for $600...and the fluids when the A/C compressor was repaired which wasn't covered in the plan.
Regards,
OW
'Why would they leave?', gagrice correctly asked. GREED is why they won't leave. Greed and profits are the two basic pillars of capitalism. This country needs at a minimum 10 million new vehicles annually. 12-14 million units is a 'normal' year in this new tighter environment.
Any company that has a multi-billion dollar manufacturing presence here and is making $Billions in profits here is not going to just up and leave....except the Detroit 3 which can't seem to exit fast enough. In fact the 'outsiders' are increasing their presence here while the D3 are shrinking their's. Why? There's money to be made here...$Billions!!!
As to your other point about the cost of labor, you simply have no idea of what you're talking about. With the current $ vs JY exchange rate the US labor costs are among the lowest among the developed countries.
I assume from your parrotted statements that you are a UAW member. Do you realize that one of the key points that the UAW wanted to happen has just occurred? Hmmmm....? It's been pushing for the JY / US$ to trade for less than 100 / 1 for years and years...that's the whole accusation of currency manipulation. Well for the past several months it's been happening. Today it's at 94 / 1.
The UAW should be ecstatic....except for the fact that the transplants here generally are not affected by currency issues. US$ are US$.
However... the trunk opening ( or lack thereof ) in the Malibu is a HUGE mistake. It's a big trunk it's just than you can't put anything into it that isn't near flat.
Other than that the Malibu is every bit a serious competitor in a very crowded market.
It seems things get together for me, happened to just read Road & Track January 2009 issue (not mine don't subscribe and can't remember the last time an issue was read). 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible restored and for sale at stableltd.com for $225,000. It's white so not the one I saw almost forty years ago.
Another story in the issue at Tech Bits, about Portland, "Are cars desireable in a city? or even necessary?
While I have never met Ed Wallace, I will not link his site or the Ft Worth paper. But again this sunday's article has continued to increase my admiration for his expressed opinions.
The hearing crank up again tomorrow so I guess the Big 3 will spend today polishing up their testimony as they carpool to DC.
Probably in a Maybach or LS460 stretch with bar. They will need to be at least the inebriation level of Ted Kennedy to communicate with the bunch of losers.
That's class, and chutspah. Can one imagine the media going nuts over this. The CEOs upon questioning could say that they have confidence that someday their corps can build cars of these distinctions.
Actually steve, I believe the automaker plans are due tomorrow, and the CEO testimony is scheduled for Friday, isn't that it?
andre: the interiors of the Malibu and Aura I was in were literally IDENTICAL. As for the exteriors, they look very similar to me - I realize noses and taillights are individualized, but this is just one more example of rebadging the bad way. And look at Aura sales, in the crapper from the beginning, because it's a SATURN. The forgotten brand. Why can't GM get this? Everybody else in the world gets this! The car should have been a Chevy from day one.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
One thing that truly annoys me about the Aura is that there isn't really a good spot to put your hand to close the trunk lid - no license plate cut out, no chrome trim, nada. Which means you'll put fingerprints on the paint.
The 3.5L/4-speed was phased out in 2007, I think. If I had to get one, I'd probably go with the 2.4L/6-speed auto.
Um, GM had a perfectly competent offering in Europe called the Corsa but they forgot to make it safe enough for U.S crash standards.
Instead, we get the miserable little penalty box known as the Aveo which itself was achieving a miserable 3 star crash test ratings not too long ago. That, and lousy gas mileage to boot. Oh, and it's gonna be here till around 2011 or so. Yup, brilliant move there GM!
Ford has a new Fiesta coming over that sounds like it'll give the Honda Fit a run for the money. Auto mags are already claiming it to be more fun and tossable and achieving better mileage than the Honda too.
This is where GM and Ford differ and why I have for the most part supported them over the years. When they really "TRY" to put the effort into something, it shows. Meanwhile GM will put enough effort in to build something that comes off as mediocre to average, and then when it doesn't meet sales expectations, they just clone it and hope it's siblings pick up the slack. :sick:
And then when it farts out completely, GM goes and re-names the damn thing hoping that the buying public forgets all about the previous F-ups from the last model.
BTW, bought my first 2 Honda Accords from the one in Burlington. Excellent dealership FWIW.
And last I spoke with him, at 50+ thousand miles, it has needed nothing (1 warranty repair for the rear tailgate) major in that amount of mileage than both of his previous truck COMBINED.
Um, GM had a perfectly competent offering in Europe called the Corsa but they forgot to make it safe enough for U.S crash standards.
Um, Honda DID have to federalize the Fit for U.S. shores, you know, and it spent quite a bit doing so. That's the difference between the two - GM hoped to swamp 'em with sheer model quantity rather than invest in bringing over the most competitive models. GroupThink at work.....
But you have to admit, even if you are a Ford fan, that neither Ford or GM has made quick or effective steps to globalize their operations. The writing was on the wall by 1990, yet here it is 2008 and they are still not there. It took them almost 20 years to PLAN TO get serious about it. Bailout? Thumbs down.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
All the domestic companies have been known to change the names, to protect the guilty. The Fusion isn't an old established name. Ford just can't sell a midsize sedan under the name Taurus anymore, because they absolutely ruined it for previous owners. The Malibu name comes and goes on a whim. The Detroit 3 have been sleeping on cars for the past 15 years, and they are trying to play catch up. The worst part is, the Japanese 3 are starting to get serious about the light truck segment. So It's not looking good for the future either.
He knows the secret that many who have migrated away from GM and F and C year after year learned about U.S. cars. It is truly disappointing that this reality still exists and is the main driver in the lost market share. When U.S. trucks can't maintain quality, all has been sacrificed.
Considering the plethora of problems with my Denali, I can see why the parts suppliers went bankrupt. Now it's the manufacturer's turn.
I finally capitulated with a new CR-V and will probably never buy a U.S. car until the new industry puts out bullet-proof product for at least 5 years running. The "Mark of Excellence" has been tarnished Big Time!
Despite the proponents of the current U.S. auto industry, I'm done for quite some time. Consider GM, F and C crushed by the competition.
Regards,
OW
GM, F and Chrysler are still concentrating on using 8 track tape players.
The rest of the world are installing MP3 players.
Fugheddaboudit!
Regards,
OW
You've summed it up very well.
No kidding, just as I was reading your post, on the TV there was a commercial and the announcer says "the ALL NEW Chevy Traverse"!
I'm talking models like the Cavalier/Cobalt that will become the Cruze. The Regal to the Lacrosse, the Park Ave to the Lucerne, the sunfire to the G5, Grand Ma to the G6. The new names haven't exactly taken off in the sales dept. and they are really no more special / no less mediocre than the models they replaced IMO.
I agree, but I do think that Mullally has made a few more moves towards "righting the ship" than Wagoner and his bunch of cronies. Look at the truck side of things for instance. When was the last time you saw a commercial for the Expedition? How much advertising do you see for the the Navigator? Even the Explorer and Mountaineer have been without advertising for well over 2 years at least. Now, the Explorer is expected to go crossover (kinda pointless but maybe they know something I don't) the Mountaineer may not survive, the Expy/Navi have no remodels in sight leaving the F-series (which Ford relies heavily on to pay the bills) as the lone gas guzzler in the stable. And here, they have new "Scorpion" diesels in the works to broaden the appeal.
They also made the tough (well maybe not so) choice to let go of their dead weight like Jag, LR and AM
Now, in no way am I saying that Ford is in the clear for the future. Quite the opposite actually. But when I look at the current portfolios of it compared with GM I feel a lot more confident of my support for Mullally and Ford.
That's why Ford is going to be OK...they've begun factoring that in with all their models around the world. That means it costs less to "federalize" vehicles for multiple countries. Design for one country, use in all the rest, save a bunch of money, and we get the Fiesta. :shades:
Uh, Ford is currently selling a midsize sedan called the Taurus.
Japanese 3 are starting to get serious about the light truck segment.
Yeah, right! The Tundra and Titan were serious efforts. The Tundra is an "almost full-size" truck with an interior straight out of a 1970 Dodge and the Titan is so flimsy I could tear its interior apart with my bare hands.
Chrysler for Walter P. Chrysler
Dodge for John and Horace Dodge
Buick for David D. Buick
Chevrolet for Louis Chevrolet
Nissan is dropping the Titan after just one generation, the only possibility being selling rebadged Rams as the Gen II, which is looking unlikely with Chrysler's current woes. Titan sales have been terrible, as was the quality of this vehicle the first couple of years.
bpizutti: GM has been doing the same thing for a couple of years now - consolidating vehicle design and planning for world cars. Both it and Ford were a solid 20 years late in starting this process, and in neither case is it anywhere close to coming to fruition. The Fiesta is the first model that will come from that effort at Ford, and it will be a decade or more before there is a diversity of models available that are a product of that process. I can't give Ford any more kudos than GM in that regard.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)