General Motors

GM & UAW Reach An Agreement Over Labor Contracts William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com September 19, 2011 This morning, General Motors and the United Auto Workers announced they have reached a tentative four-year labor agreement. The agreement, which will effect about 48,500 GM employees in the US, will begin to be to ratify over the next seven to ten days. GM is being mum on the details on the contract, but The Detroit News and Automotive News has uncovered some parts of the contract. The contract gives a $5000 signing bonus to eligible UAW-represented GM employees. Also, the contract raises the pay of entry-level workers by $2 to $3 m…

GM's performance wows Wall Street Associated Press Jul. 27, 2006 12:00 AM General Motors Corp. lost $3.2 billion in the second quarter because of heavy charges for layoffs and early retirements, part of its massive restructuring program. But without those charges, the world's largest automaker scored a profit that blew Wall Street away and bolstered management's claim that the turnaround is working. GM shares rose $1.34, or 4.4 percent, to close at $32 on the New York Stock Exchange. They have traded in a 52-week range of $18.33 to $37.57. The loss of $5.62 per share in the April-June period compared with a loss of $987 million, or $1.75 per share, for the same peri…

GM's Powetrain Chief Resigns William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 2, 2011 Jamie Hresko, General Motor's powertrain chief stepped down on Monday. GM Spokeswoman Katie McBride said on Tuesday, Hresko stepped down "to pursue other opportunities" after 28 years at GM. Hersko's departure comes about a month after CEO Dan Akerson moved Tom Stephens who was overseeing product-development to become GM's new Chief Technical Officer. Akerson gave Mary Barra, a manufacturing engineer Stephen's old job. A person close to the situation states, that it was Hresko's own decision and not a management shakeup. Hresko worked at GM for 28 years, mostly…

Buick and Opel to Share Design Buick Could Get Opel Design: Latest Strategy is Fluid, like GM's Future By Todd Lassa "Just before the Detroit Three presented their loan guarantee/bailout proposals to Congress, Motor Trend learned that General Motors would shift Opel's design language from Saturn to Buick. Now we know why." I suppose this would indeed be why we are getting the new Buick Regal in the U.S. instead of a new Saturn Aura. At anyrate, for Saturn, why were the names changed to begin with? Why was the Aura a G6 in drag and not the genuine German Opel? Will the Regal be dumbed down compared to the German engineered car it appears to be identical to? This …

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=new...id=amu7IIYCoDYQ Okay, I've been a little skeptical at how car companies interpret and report their own costs for a long time, so it's natural for me to really wonder how in the hell a company the size of GM, which still sells quite a few cars btw, can go from making profits pretty consistently to almost sudden death in 1 year (think 2004 to 2005)? I have to agree with the commentary for the most part - but haven't we been hearing this doom and gloom story about GM losing market share and going bankrupt , not being competitive, etc, etc, for a very long time? Here it is, 2008, and GM is still here. Something else I th…

VW may overtake GM in China: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/20...icle_356353.htm

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http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../606180301/1148 A great article about GM Brasil and the cars they have available. Including CUV's, and small pickups. I drove those vehicles and walked away from the GM of Brazil test track wondering aloud how a global car company filled with so many demonstrably talented and intelligent people could do something so dumb as to keep some of the best small vehicles made anywhere out of a market that's clamoring for those models.

December 6, 2005 GM names its displacement-on-demand "Active Fuel Management" Detroit, Michigan – General Motors has trademarked Active Fuel Management as the name for its displacement-on-demand technology, beginning with the 2007 5.3-litre V8-equipped Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. The name will be applied to all model-year 2007 vehicles equipped with the technology. Active Fuel Management enables the engine to automatically and seamlessly operate on only half the engine's cylinders when full power is not needed, improving efficiency by as much as 12 per cent in some vehicles. GM currently offers the system in nine models, and by 2008 it will be used…

H3 Drives Record HUMMER Sales Strong Start for Chevy HHR and Impala Pontiac Sales Up 7 Percent, Paced by Brisk G6 Deliveries DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States sold 355,180 new cars and trucks in August, down 16 percent from the same month a year ago. Car sales in August declined 15 percent and truck sales were off 17 percent. GM's August sales performance was in line with expectations following exceptionally strong sales in June and July, spurred by the highly successful GM Employee Discount for Everyone program. "We knew August was going to be a tough month given extremely tight inventories," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America…

I don't know if Autoweek will have this later in the week, but for now I won't post all of it - just the good stuff ------------------------------------------------------- Lutz: 'I would give myself a B+ or an A-' Dave Guilford | Jamie LaReau | Automotive News / May 22, 2006 http://autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...B/60517019/1003 To say General Motors had a bad year last year is putting it mildly: It lost $10.57 billion. But Vice Chairman Robert Lutz, 74, says attitudes inside GM are changing. He says a new culture led by a product renaissance will help the company complete its turnaround. News Editor Dave Guilford and Staff Reporter Jamie LaReau sat do…

I'm not sure how much these sketches really reveal about the design of Suzuki's upcoming midsize sedan. Looking at these sketches is still not the same as viewing actual photos. A link to the Motor Authority website is provided below so you can see for yourself. undefined

GM Expected To Announce An All New All-Electric Vehicle William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com October 11, 2011 Tomorrow, General Motors will be making announcements to reporters about future plans. One of those announcements has been leaked out by The Detroit News, saying GM will be announcing an all-electric vehicle for the US. The car will be a small, battery-powered vehicle designed for urban markets, a source tells the news. Green Car Reports says that vehicle is the Chevrolet Beat Electric. The car was originally shown in India earlier this year. When asked, GM spokesman Mike Albano declined to comment. "We have some news announcement…

AP GM to put French factory, Hummer brand up for sale Wednesday September 24, 4:38 pm ET By Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer GM treasurer says company will put Strasbourg, France, factory and Hummer brand up for sale DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp.'s treasurer said Wednesday that the automaker is planning to put its Strasbourg, France, manufacturing operation and its Hummer truck brand up for sale, and it may announce more asset sales later this year. ADVERTISEMENT Company Treasurer Walter Borst said in a slide presentation at the Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference that the company expects to distribute marketing materials for both operations in …

http://www.autoextremist.com/current/ November 26, 2008 Washington to Detroit: Drop Dead. By Peter M. De Lorenzo Detroit. The glee with which the Washington establishment - and every two-bit instant car “expert” who decided it was high time to weigh-in with his or her opinions - attacked Detroit and what’s left of the U.S. car industry last week was a sight to behold. Everyone from chief knucklehead Michael Moore to Neil Young (Neil Young?) got on the “Detroit Deserves to Die” bandwagon, adding to the chaos with their naively-crafted pop logic musings and “finger-snap” solutions. It was truly pathetic. Starting with the stunningly ill-informed members of the …

Earlier this week, when General Motors rolled out the very same 3-door Chevrolet Beat concept that it showed back in 2007, we were a bit confused. After all, GM's Ed Welburn teased all of America when he pulled back the tarp on a related (but clearly different) subcompact during NBC's Today Show (video here), only to trot out the same vivid green three-door that has been steadily making the show circuit rounds for some time now. Well, Kicking Tires has unearthed the back story, and evidently the tarp-pulling session with Matt Lauer revealed a foam model of the production Spark five-door. Understandably, GM couldn't very well drive a foam block up the ramp and onto the s…

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,452990,00.html

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Deciphering Standard & Poor's ratings reports on General Motors Corp. (GM) is becoming more and more like reading Federal Reserve meeting minutes and speeches. Just as bond investors examine the Fed's language with a fine-toothed comb to find the slightest hint of a change in the bank's interest-rate policy, so have investors picked over S&P analyst Scott Sprinzen's most recent report on General Motors. They're grasping for clues as to what might happen to the legendary auto maker and its financing arm General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMA.XX) now that GM is mired in even more problems since auto supplier Delphi Corp. …

IIRC, GM is set to give congress their plan tomorrow. Can't say I have a good feeling about what might be in it, but we shall see. EDIT: Has anyone else noticed that the usual GM posters have been absent from the web recently? Makes me think that word must have come down from on high that no internet posting would be allowed. Rather ominous, huh?

http://www.autonet.ca/Facilities/story.cfm...1654647-ap.html

http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=112257 Seems as AH-HA said there is still a chance for OSHAWA 2

Left Lane News According to conditions written into the federal loan agreement that General Motors signed last month, the automaker will be forced to default on the loan should “any labor union or collective bargaining unit shall engage in a strike or other work stoppage.” This stipulation means that if the UAW was to strike, GM would be forced to pay back the loan immediately - forcing GM into bankruptcy. The United States Treasury set many conditions that would trigger a default, though the terms hadn’t been disclosed until earlier today when GM filed the necessary documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal requires the UAW to accept lowered w…

Leadership After Lutz Bob Lutz has already retired at least once from an executive position at a car-maker when he left DaimlerChrysler following the merger. When he joined General Motors a few years back to oversee its product development, he was already well past the standard retirement age and by next year he will be 75 years old. According to Just-Auto.com, GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster has been informed by Chairman Rick Wagoner that he will be taking over Lutz's seat on the board of directors as well as his role leading product development in 2008. Autoblog

Canadian Driver

GM Grows by Leaps and Bounds Overseas Bolstered by sales of premium motorcars like the Sino market Buick LaCrosse pictured above, deliveries of GM products in mainland China rose by 25% over last year's strong figures to 876,747 units. This also earns GM an 11.8% share of the domestic Chinese market, an impressive for a foreign manufacturer in an increasingly-competitive and state-dominated market. For the very first time, Buick sold more cars outside the United States than within (304k vs. 240k) and its not all the result of budget models. The more upscale and expensive Chinese LaCrosse sold just over 52,000 units in its first year on the market, compared to 71,0…

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124035637935940943.html Quote: So King Barck the Mild is finding as he tries to dictate the terms of what amounts to an out-of-court bankruptcy for Chrysler and GM. He wants Chrysler's secured lenders to give up their right to nearly full recovery in a bankruptcy in return for 15 cents on the dollar. They'd be crazy to do so, of course, except that these banks also happen to be beholden to the administration for TARP money. Wasn't TARP supposed to be about restoring a healthy banking system? Isn't that a tad inconsistent with banks just voluntarily relinquishing valuable claims on borrowers? Don't ask. Kingly prerogative also confli…

GM to build two hybrid SUVs in Texas Wed Feb 1, 2006 9:19 AM ET DETROIT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it will build Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrid sport-utility vehicles at its Arlington, Texas, plant in late 2007. The hybrid system is being advanced and adapted by BMW (BMWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) and GM for use in cars, trucks and SUVs. GM, the world's largest automaker, also said it will produce the world's first light-duty integrated hybrid transmission, to be designed and built at its Baltimore, Maryland, transmission plant. http://y…

Worhorse is a domestic supplier of motorhome, bus, and step van chassis. While not specifically a partner, they the exclusive provider of GM powertrains in this segment. At one time Ford owned this market. Worhorse started in the last 1990's and make a great product, I think. They have announced a new chassis called the UFO. Presently inexpensive class A motor homes are gas powered with the engine in the front under an obtrusive "doghouse". The higher end motorhomes offer a diesel pusher layout. The rear engine layout makes for a quieter and more roomy coach. Worhorse has announced a Vortec 8.1 L. powered rear engined chassis called the UFO. I think this may mean…

GM Wins Big as China Passenger-Vehicle Sales Jump 19 Percent in 2005 Date posted: 03-16-2006 SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — General Motors is the top manufacturer in China and the Hyundai Elantra is the top 2005 model, according to a new report by the statistical research firm R.L. Polk. Polk, which measures new-vehicle registrations, found that passenger-vehicle sales in China reached almost 3.8 million vehicles last year, up 19 percent from 2004. General Motors leads the automakers with a 14.2-percent share of the Chinese auto market, followed by Volkswagen at 13.3 percent. Polk said Nissan's passenger cars grew a whopping 58 percent to move into 8th place in the China marke…

GM's Lutz makes his mark with Solstice Sports car may be start of a risk-taking strategy September 1, 2005 BY MARK PHELAN FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/lutz1e_20050901.htm After four years at General Motors Corp., Vice Chairman Bob Lutz gets what he asked for. The 2006 Pontiac Solstice is Lutz's baby, and both Pontiac's future and his legacy ride in the little roadster. GM hired Lutz in 2001 to inject style and passion into a humdrum lineup. He challenged the company's designers to create an exciting sub-$20,000 sports car as the first step. The Solstice is that car. If it succeeds, Lutz's le…

I JUST SAW THAT IN THE CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE TEST THE 2006 CORVETTE Z06 AND HIT THE 60MPH IN 3.6 SECS AND THE 1/4 MILE IN 11.7 SECS WITH THAT SPECS I THINK THAT THE CORVETTE Z06 CAN EASILY BEAT THE DODGE VIPER,FORD GT AND FERRARI F430 WHAT DO YOU THINK'

By Brian Moody Date posted: 09-01-2005 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=107099 "The hot side stays hot while the cool side stays cool." "Tastes Great, Less Filling." "Strong enough for a man but made for a woman." Each of these familiar product slogans have the same hook — opposites that coexist. More to the point, they're opposites that complement each other to the point that they become the defining characteristic. And whether you're talking about a McDLT, Miller Light or a new SUV, it's the contrasts that make them interesting. The 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara masters two competing opposites that …

By EMILY FREDRIX, AP Business Writer Emily Fredrix, Ap Business Writer – 2 hrs 21 mins ago ValuJet was reborn as AirTran. Philip Morris rechristened itself Altria. Blackwater became Xe. Would a name change work for beleaguered General Motors? It would mean casting aside a brand that stood for almost a century as a symbol of American industrial might, but some marketing experts say it might be just the thing to help the once-mighty automaker make a fresh start. "If the goal is to try and put this company on a massive diet and just turn it into a smaller car manufacturing operation, I'm not sure there'd be that much harm in rebranding," said Jean-Pierre Dube, a Un…

I was reading (somewhere) about the 07 GMT 360's. It said they would feature displacement on Demand technology. Does anyone know if this is true and if these engines are designed for it or will be redesigned? I was under the impression it only worked (at this point) on push rod engines. The ATLAS family is DOHC. Thanx in advance for replies....

a base XL-7 2wd for like 23,500. with AWD it adds 1600. great deal. 7 passenger adds a grand. about 26,500 for the model with leather. the top model is another 2 grand, or 28,500. Maxxed out this thing would barely top 30g. I think this vehicle should sell well. the GM engine and features per dollar should make it a hit.

... of the current strike? Mine after I take Arkus for a walk.

Detroit Free Press covered the annual GM Analysts call this week and with the second quarter results it showed that GM has lost $800 million in the quarter but over all North American Earnings were breakeven and this was with 8 weeks of shutdown. Over all the Stock beat wall streets estimates and yet still sold off in large numbers during the pandemic closure. Analysts had plenty of questions for GM with a major question of will GM consider spinning off their technology arm which would include electric vehicles operations into a stand alone company? The idea of a stand alone GM Tech company is to recognize the advanced tech GM has over other auto companies and t…

and......if I must say so......some very large volume highly respected dealers at that......... from an article in Automotive News: Despite GM's hardships, the board's endorsement has emboldened Wagoner's supporters. Just before the board's special Sunday meeting, two prominent dealers each wrote a letter to the board members in support of Wagoner. The two dealers – John Bergstrom, chairman of Bergstrom Automotive in Neenah, Wis., and Carl Sewell, chairman of Sewell Automotive Cos. in Dallas – are longtime friends of Wagoner's. Bergstrom, who owns 13 GM stores in Wisconsin, says several board members thanked him for the gesture. On April 4, The Wall Street Jour…

General Motors stunned the automotive world last week, but it wasn’t for the usual negative reasons. Industry followers more accustomed to hearing about large layoffs or sickening sales declines were startled when GM said its U.S. sales rose 3.7 percent in February, even as its two domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler, posted sizable declines and the overall market was flat. GM’s gain in the normally soft month was led by strong demand for its sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks including the redesigned Chevrolet Silverado. Even more impressive, the gain came without the huge sales incentives of previous years. Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17467382/

Along with showing us the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Avalanche, they also had the 2007 Cadillac Escalade and 2007 GMC Yukon Denali there for us to see. The Yukon has a unique front end with a small Envoy resemblance. The back end is much nicer than the Tahoes and the honeycomb grill looked amazing. The Yukon had 20 inch chrome wheels. The Escalade was literally jaw dropping. The whole vehicle is stunning. The front is a large Cadillac type grill with (I dont know how to explain this in words) Buick-like port holes on the fenders along the front doors. It has a large Cadillac symbol on the grill and huge chrome wheels. It was a very deep red colour. We wer…

The Details About The UAW Contract For GM William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com September 20, 2011 Related: GM & UAW Reach An Agreement Over Labor Contracts Today, the United Auto Workers released details of their agreement with General Motors and it appears the Union came out pretty good. General Motors has reportedly agreed to retain or create 6,400 union jobs as part of a $2 billion investment for in future products and the plants that build them. The investments include, Two new midsize vehicles to be built at Spring Hill New transmission program at the company's Warren, MI powertrain plant New engine program at the compan…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The General Motors Corp. Spring Hill manufacturing plant will survive if the company makes good on its promise to employees to bring in a new product line -- one that likely won't be a Saturn, analysts said. GM announced earlier this week that it will cut 30,000 jobs and close nine assembly, stamping and powertrain plants and three parts facilities. The line in Spring Hill producing the Saturn Ion compact car will shut down in 2006, a move that could eliminate 1,500 jobs. But GM officials have promised union leaders and plant workers that Spring Hill will be part of the company's future plans as it reworks and retools in an effort to cut …

When the Chinese started to gain market share in TV.s from the Japanese, the Japanese cried. so congress put tariffs on Chinese televisions. On RCA. Magnavox and New American companies such as Polaroid, Apex, Advent and others who use Chinese manufactures to compete with Japan.The tariffs were so high these companies can not manufacture regular TVs in China for their price advantage. At Target stores they have a whole new line of electronic products called Truetech. DVD players, DVD recorders, Radios, LCDS, Telephones etc. all made in China, but their line of regular TVs are made in Korea because of the High Chinese Tariffs. Can not the Big Japanese Companies com…

http://www.thegmsource.com/plugins/p2_news..._articleid=1079

This is a nice article written in response to the Friedman article. Very factual and paints a picture of how GM is way more important to America than Toyota. It's not even close. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13447045/site/newsweek/

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...amp;docid=55359

GM expects to profit as much as 750 million on the transaction. Link To article

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061111/1033803.asp

Toyota is working hard to sell themselves as a American company and making claims of 10 American plants. Well GM posted this billboard with their responce to Toyota's claim. Not sure where it was but the photo was on a GM blog site. To bad they don't take the lead and be more proactive in their advertising more often. It is time to not be Mr nice guy anymore.

I thought about posting this article on the Ford forum but since GM is also mentioned prominently in the article I decided to post it in the GM forum. Much of the stuff said in the article I think we already know about http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/15/news/compa...rce=yahoo_quote Why Ford is in worse shape than GM General Motors' turnaround is now in motion, but don't count on Ford having made the same progress this time next year. By Alex Taylor III, Fortune senior editor September 15 2006: 10:10 AM EDT NEW YORK (Fortune) -- As he finishes his first full week as CEO of Ford, Alan Mulally may be wondering what he got himself into. The rumble of bad news never seem…

Link to Article

I can understand Saab and Hummer since they are not "true" GM brands (they are recent), maybe even Saturn, but the Pontiac name is GM to heart. I'm not sure that I'm going to like the outcome of GM. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,460085,00.html

Gettelfinger: UAW was 'pushed over a cliff' Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News DETROIT -- United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said he expected to resume negotiations later today with General Motors Corp. to try to reach a contract agreement and end a strike called at 11 a.m. "The company has indicated they want to meet, and we will be going back to the table today," Gettelfinger said at a news conference at the union's Solidarity House headquarters. Earlier Monday, the UAW ordered its members off the job after setting a strike deadline Sunday night that passed without any agreement. In his first public comments since contract negotiations began i…

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Rick Wagoner's 31-year career may fall victim to the mistakes of the industry and his own, even if General Motors Corp. survives. The GM chief executive officer unleashed scrutiny of his record after asking for a government bailout to keep the Detroit automaker in business. Now, his departure may be a necessary condition of any federal rescue, business leaders and lawmakers say. ``Management needs to be replaced,'' said Robert Crandall, former chairman and CEO of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. ``The fact is that the management as a whole has had lots of opportunities to fix thi…

12:01 ET AP - General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner announced his resignation today amidst persistant rumors of an impending boardroom coup. Although the GM Board of Directors have not commented to the media, speculation within the industry has suggested that the recent appointment of board member Jerry York could have been the catalyst for Wagoner's resignation. Before being appointed to the board, York had publicly commented that GM should sell off the underperforming SAAB and HUMMER brands, a strategy Wagoner openly opposed. Within certain industry circles Wagoner has been known as "Red Ink Rick," a nickname that references GM's spiral toward bankruptcy and an SEC probe …

at km77 nice. why can't our malibu look this sleek?

WENDOVER, Utah - It took Mother Nature millennia to create the Bonneville Salt Flats, but she needed only a few hours of hard rain to wash out this year's Bonneville Speed Week. After two days of speed trials, a violent storm swept through northern Utah on the evening of August 16, leaving standing water on the immense natural speedway and compelling officials to cancel the final four days of the event. Before the rain came, journalist Don Sherman drove GM Performance Division's Ecotec Lakester to a 189.205 mph speed record in G/BGL (G Class/Blown Gas Lakester). Sherman eclipsed the 179.381 mark set in October 2004 by GM engineer Mark Dickens with the high-tech reincar…

Edmunds Evaluation: 2007 Suzuki SX4 Hatchbacks rule. And they're popping up all over the place. But the 2007 Suzuki SX4 is much more than a hatchback. Sure, it compares in size and price to the new crop of vehicles being produced by other Asian automakers but the Suzuki SX4 is the least expensive all-wheel-drive vehicle on the market. With a five-speed manual transmission its base price is just $14,999. Our Suzuki SX4 came with a four-speed automatic transmission and no options and stickered at just $15,999. We spent two weeks with this charming little hottie and found it to be, well, charming. Although it's a little light on frills, the SX4 is roomy, comfortable and…

January 6, 2006 11:03 AM PST LAS VEGAS--Customers who subscribe to GM's OnStar service mostly call when they need help unlocking a car or after an accident--but some call when they are lonely, said Chet Huber, president of the company. "They call and ask them (the OnStar phone consultants) to contact their wife," he said. The social calls, however, have been dropping since the company integrated Verizon's cellular service with hands-free driving. During Hurricane Katrina, OnStar gave customers in Louisiana free cellular service. In some places, it was the only phone. The company will come out with a new upgrade of its hardware in a month. On…

Miller's Speech URL: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0.../biz-364915.htm This was a VERY interesting read...and many of the industries he references that had low cost competition that upset the incumbents is covered in a Management Framework known as Disruptive Innovation Theory (DIT). More info for anyone who is curious: The Innovator's Solution

Oldest Customer of 2010 Camaro [source: General Motors] When most people retire they take up golfing, but 101 year old Virgil Coffman is living life in the fast lane. The active centenarian recently became the oldest known living owner of a new 2010 Camaro. Despite initial concern from the sales associate, Coffman knew exactly what he wanted when he purchased the 400 horsepower, bright yellow, Transformers edition Camaro. Impressed by the overall design, Virgil was ultimately sold on the cars' easy handling. After owning nearly 40 cars in his lifetime, he follows the philosophy that if you want something, get it. These days Virgil says he can'…

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/cgi-bin/artic...articleId=28180

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103041

Instead of a caravan, we get a website. http://www.theengineofdemocracy.com/ http://www.wwj.com/Website-Set-Up-To-Show-...r-Big-3/3405364 I don't know about you guys, but I'm personally kind of disappointed.

TCC Test: 2007 Suzuki XL-7 Your first thought when shopping a crossover might not be Suzuki. It's one of the few brands known more for its name than its vehicles (what exactly is a Forenza, anyway?). And even then, the Suzuki most of us know has two wheels and a 200-mph top end. But that may change after a first drive of the new XL7. Suzuki doesn't have the cachet of a Honda or a Toyota , but its XL7 readily compares with the RAV4 and CR-V, and now offers seven-passenger seating, too. The sharply-dressed new XL7 is also a cheaper alternative to the coming class of crossovers that includes Ford's Edge and the Honda Pilot, as well as existing Subaru wagons. The Car Con…

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau Washington -- Detroit's Big Three automakers came closer than America realized to becoming the Big Two. General Motors Corp. ended merger talks with Chrysler LLC in November 2008 to focus on getting emergency federal aid, but Chrysler continued to believe a tie-up with GM was its best chance for survival. In April, as both automakers were surviving on government aid and fighting bankruptcy, Obama administration officials spent two weeks working on a plan for GM to acquire Chrysler's best assets and keep the doors open on a third of its factories. Some members of President Barack Obama's auto task force saw it as a f…

To me, this scenario doesn't sound unrealistic, but would like to know your thoughts. You just gotta love the hits made against the vette..."gas guzzler on dated hardware"...then the later comment, "america's only sports car"...apparetly someone didn't get the memo :rolleyes:

Courtesy of WDIV local 4 Detroit http://www.clickondetroit.com/download/2005/1020/5134795.pdf

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Colum...rticleId=109608

As it sits Sunday night, prospects for a morning sale announcement of 51% of GMAC to the Cerberus-led group are looking nothing short of terrific. Here's hoping it's all we're talking about tomorrow morning! I'd planned on a "Spring ahead" hangover, but - alas - feel compelled to set the alarm in time for "Squawk Box"...

By Jamie LaReau Automotive News / September 05, 2005 http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=54362 DETROIT -- General Motors will make fuel efficiency a key marketing theme, company executives say. "We need to go on the offensive," says Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis. "The facts support a very good claim on our part." GM will not increase its advertising budget to spread the fuel-efficiency message, Ballew says. Instead, he says, GM and its brands will incorporate the message in ads that promote the company's value pricing program. GM offers 20 vehicles that get 30 mpg or bet…

http://chirpthird.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6786

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...=74&docid=18699

For those of you with XM radio, did you know you can listen online to XM for free? Link: http://xmro.xmradio.com/xstream/index.jsp Go to where it ask, Already an XM Satellite Customer, then Click Create an Account