General Motors

I'm hearing increasing chatter regarding the 2008MY GMX386 on Global Epsilon. Backroom channels, scrawling on the walls of secret passages, notes between homeroom and first period, smoke signals, that sort of thing. Internal GM plans (as recently as September 2005) were showing a very green October 2007 launch. Hands on the wheel. Eyes on the road. It seems the eternal footman was recently spotted in the area of this bedrock program. No coat was seen in hand. Not the hint of a snicker. Yet, there he was, inexplicably peering in its darkened windows, fogging up the front passenger window, kicking tires, tracing his fingers along the sheetmetal. What WAS he do…

This relates to the global industry problem and are relevant discussion in light of what is happening at GM and DPH. It is not only a US problem. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9784776/site/newsweek/

Detroit Free Press 6/1/2007 Katie Merx Jun. 1--General Motors Corp., once the symbol of big, slow corporate America, virtually matched Toyota Motor Corp., the icon of lean manufacturing, in North American assembly plant productivity last year for the first time since it has been measured, industry research group Harbour Consulting reported Thursday. Toyota logged 22.05 hours of plant labor per vehicle assembled, while GM reported 22.15 hours, a difference of one-tenth of an hour, or just 6 minutes per vehicle. "General Motors essentially caught Toyota in vehicle assembly productivity," consultancy President Ron Harbour said. The results come at a turbulent time f…

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

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0.../C01-330449.htm Do you agree with the proposal, or disagree?

FOR RELEASE: 2005-09-23 Great Lakes Chevy Dealers featured in corn maze Ohio attraction shows Silverado truck carved into corn field, educational display on GM commitment ethanol-fueled vehicles Napoleon, Ohio - Visitors to northwest Ohio this fall can visit the Great Lakes Chevy Dealers' Corn Maze at Leaders Fun*Time Farm in Napoleon. The maze, carved out of a seven-acre corn field, features the designs of the classic Chevrolet bowtie logo, full-size Silverado pickup and "link" to the Web site GreatLakesChevyDealers.com. "This marks the 9th year we've created a corn maze, and it's our first in working with the Great Lakes Chevy Dealers,…

Date posted: 01-18-2007 DETROIT — Call them love letters to the Chevrolet Volt. But General Motors apparently has been besieged by consumers who want to get their hands on a production version of the electric concept that was unveiled last week at the North American International Auto Show. Writing in GM's Fastlane blog, Beth Lowery, GM environment and energy vice president, said the Volt's fans have been flooding the automaker with lots of ideas. Among them are suggestions to build a high-performance version and to get it "into production within two years while keeping the price under $30K." Lowery says, "It's a little early to talk in detail about the specific a…

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autoshow_t...wNncmVlbi1jYXI-

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…

Happy Birthday to the whole GM Family. Here's to the technology that will carry us through to the next 100 years.

Harris returns to head GM public relations Jamie LaReau Automotive News / January 31, 2006 - 12:26 pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DETROIT -- Beset by bad press and a skeptical Wall Street community, General Motors is bringing back its former public relations chief, Steve Harris. According to an internal company message, Harris will resume his former job as vice president of global communications on Wednesday, Feb. 1. He replaces Tom Kowaleski, 54, who took that job after Harris retired in 2004. Kowaleski is leaving GM to pursue other interests. According to a company insider, senior GM executives have concluded th…

Harris returns to head GM public relations DETROIT -- Beset by bad press and a skeptical Wall Street community, General Motors is bringing back its former public relations chief, Steve Harris. According to a company insider, Harris will resume his former job as vice president of global communications on Wednesday, Feb. 1. He replaces Tom Kowaleski, 54, who took that job after Harris retired in 2004. Kowaleski is leaving GM to pursue other interests. According to a company insider, senior GM executives have concluded that Kowaleski -- who is known for his product expertise -- is not well-suited to be GM's spokesman during its financial crisis. Harris, 59, was widel…

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../607290395/1148 After reading this article, it appears to me that there is somewhat of an alliance underway....that has been in the works since the late 90's. How separate is GM Europe from General Motors here in the states?

Found this on Autoblog. I am not sure how good this is but I was just thinking the other day I wish they just had Bob around to tell them they are doing something stupid once in a while. Seem sto the story Dan Akerson wants him back but the Goverment does not want him back [go figure]. Well I hope GM can get him in to help sort out the new product and make sure they don't screw it up. I would like him to take Mark Reuss and really teach him all he knows. It is refreshing to see someone like Akerson show that he needs help with product. There may be hope for him yet and it is so sad the Goverment is showing that they are inept as usual. God can only hope their idea o…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21016575/from/RS.1/ Hefty GM hybrids could boost automaker Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon get impressive mileage; ‘halo’ effect seen By Roland Jones Associate editor Updated: 6:52 p.m. ET Oct 2, 2007 General Motors took a major step forward last week in its bid to boost its fading fortunes, but it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of. True, GM clinched a new four-year labor contract with striking United Auto Workers that, if ratified by union members, could put the automaker on more even footing with its Asian rivals. But in a less noticed-move that ultimately could prove nearly as important, GM provided new details about the indust…

Here are some surrvey numbers from Autobytel.com Not sure how accurate these are but it might be worth checking them out as they are not what I expected. Hybrid owners are 40% Republican 36% Democrat 21% live in the Midwest 31% in the Northeast and 16% on the West Coast 57% are over 45 years old 49% do not have collage degrees 33% make less than $40,000 a year Now I know this most likley includes many Flex Fuel Taurus and pick up trucks in Iowa. But need less to say I still figured the tree hugging West Coasters would have been more dominate just with the Prius and Honda Hybrids. I think it would be real interesting to see some real demographics on who a…

this article is FOGM BAIT! Auto Extremist and not really in a bad way!

i'll try to get the address the SS V is HOT!

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 22, 2012 After a $1 billion dollar investment into Holden by the Australian government and General Motors, Holden is starting a new project to develop new vehicles for China. Holden announced a new design and engineering partnership with Shanghai General Motors and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC – an engineering and design joint venture between GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp) to help develop two new vehicles for the Chinese market. Work on the two vehicles will take place at Holden’s technical center in Port Melbourne. The vehicles will be based on existing GM global platforms. No mor…

Sunday Herald Sun - News.com.au Holden to lose $1 billion a year if GM dumps Pontiac By Carly Crawford Sunday Herald Sun April 26, 2009 12:01am GM expected to dump Pontiac this week Holden will lose $1 billion a year GM hoping to stave off bankruptcy Embattled car maker Holden stands to lose up to $1 billion a year when its ailing US parent dumps major brand Pontiac. General Motors is this week expected to announce plans to ditch or sell the brand as it desperately works to stave off bankruptcy. That means the maker of Australia's most popular car could be in for more pain, the Sunday Herald Sun re…

Today will see a forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. What a truly Golden Opportunity. I hope some good will come out of it http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080625/pa_obama_pittsburgh.html?.v=1

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574346

May 1, 2009, 10:17 am Endangered Cadillac: 2009 CTS-V Series For those of you following the shrinking of General Motors (GM) as it tries to devise a survival plan that could allow a takeover by the federal government, Cadillac has been designated one of its core brands. Its previous association with Saab and Hummer has been dissolved, and the historic old Cadillac brand — which, at 106, is older than GM itself — is looking toward the future. A question for GM’s prospective government owners: How will you feel about the 556 horsepower CTS-V? You don’t hear much about maxi-cars from Washington these days. The Obama Administration is one that talks about restraint an…

Some older models are suddenly hot sellers Chevy Impala, Pontiac G6, PT Cruiser, Saturn Ion are mong those seeing big gains An analysis of new car and truck sales at the halfway point in the model year confirms some now long-familiar trends -- but also reveals some surprising developments. The rush to smaller cars -- fueled in part by high gasoline prices -- is not only moving new compacts off the sales floor, but also more familiar cars that have been around a while. The Chrysler PT Cruiser had a 7 percent sales increase during the first six months of 2006 compared with 2005, according to J.D. Powers and Associates sales reports. Sales of the retro-styled car jum…

Here is how it used to be in America and at GM. http://www.archive.org/details/Achievem1955

Automotive News Charles Child 7-12-06 It's clear that Kirk Kerkorian will not let up on Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors. Kerkorian's implied threat to replace Wagoner with Carlos Ghosn is just a start. Kerkorian, the crazy-like-a-fox billionaire from Las Vegas, will keep prodding Wagoner to perform. But I have a plan that might keep Kerkorian at arm's length. OK, Wagoner is not Ghosn. But there's no reason why he can't act like the celebrated CEO of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. Ghosn stood tall at Nissan by spelling out specific sales and financial goals after he took command of the troubled Japanese automaker in 1999. Under his first three-year pro…

Most Americans will not buy from bankrupt automaker-survey DETROIT, Dec 28 (Reuters) Almost three of every four American consumers polled would not buy a car from a manufacturer that had declared bankruptcy, according to arecent survey, giving struggling U.S. automaker General MotorsCorp. <GM.N> something else to think about. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they would not purchase or lease a new car from a bankrupt automaker, according to a survey released by Cincinnati-based research firm Directions Research Inc. Twenty-six percent said they would buy from a manufacturer in that position. GM executives have denied speculation they would seek Chapter 1…

Standing under a fading blue sign that says BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMERICAN V6, Allan Taylor gestures at the factory behind him and grimaces. "Everything in there is obsolete," he says of the Buick engine plant. Taylor has spent 30 years there, and at 59 he's nearing retirement. It's a good thing too, since the plant won't be running much longer. General Motors plans to shut it down in 2008, one of nine factories the company aims to close, eliminating 30,000 jobs. Taylor is surprised the plant has lasted this long. "We have to put buckets under the machines to catch the leaking oil," he says. Buick City, where he works, was once a vast manufactu…

DETROIT--General Motors Chief Executive G. Richard Wagoner, in Washington to plead his case for more government financing, brought fresh evidence Thursday of GM's desperate situation--a $9.6 billion loss in the final three months of 2008. The Presidential Task Force on Autos had summoned Wagoner and several other senior executives to Washington to answer questions about the company's request for up to $16.6 billion more in taxpayer aid, on top of the $13.4 billion it has already received from the U.S. Treasury since Dec. 31. The task force, led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House Economic Advisor Lawrence Summers, wanted a better understanding of GM…

My question is "How many more body blows can GM take?" GM paid approximately $2.4 billion for 20% of Fiat Auto and spent another $2.0 billion to cancel Fiat's put. That's $4.4 billion of cash expended for what in the end was a bit of diesel engine technology. Essentially a loss of $4.4 billion. GM paid approximately $1.4 billion for a 20% stake in Fuji Heavy Industries (maker of Subaru). It then sold 8.7% of its stake to Toyota for $315 million, implying the remainder (to be sold at market prices back to Fuji for retiring) is valued at around $408 million. This would amount to about a $677 million loss on GM&#39…

HUMMER, GM Foundation Mark American Red Cross Month With Thanks, Vehicle Donations DETROIT – In recognition of March as American Red Cross Month and the partnership with the American Red Cross, HUMMER and the GM Foundation announce the delivery of 10 more HUMMERs to Red Cross chapters across the U.S. Red Cross chapters in Atlanta ; Detroit ; Los Angeles ; New York ; Norfolk , Va. ; Philadelphia ; San Diego ; San Francisco ; and Washington , D.C. will receive a combination of H1, H2 and H3 vehicles to strengthen their emergency preparation and disaster response capability. These vehicles are part of a committed 72 vehicle fleet that will include a combination of H1, H2…

here is a memo i got from one of our sales trainers. A 2006 Prius costs $4,325 more then a compareable Malibu If you average 55 mpg - pay back time will be 5 years If you average 44 mpg - pay back time will be 6.5 years A major consumer magazine states that 44 mpg is more realistic Based on $3 a gallon and 15,000 per year. Based on a Malibu averaging 27 mpg Hot climates have dramatic impact on fuel economy due to the air conditioning draining the battery thus, requiring the use of the gas engine. Dont park a Prius for 2 weeks without starting, this will drain and damage the batteries. This may not be covered by the warranty because it could be consid…

The Canadian Auto Workers union says General Motors has reversed its decision not to build any hybrid pickups in Oshawa, Ont., and will start assembling a hybrid truck this fall. Click here for the full story. It looks like my next truck . . . being the Hybrid . . . could be another Sierra built in Ontario.

http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/03-04-06_1 Sorry guys, the link is either slow, or not working. Try this one. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060331/sff031.html?.v=38

Innovative, Compact Six-Speed FWD and AWD Transmission Handles High Torque and Boasts Smooth Shifting, Aids Fuel Efficiency -On-axis design enables spacious packaging -Advanced clutch-to-clutch shift operation -Wide 6.04:1 overall ratio spread -Co-developed by GM and Ford Motor Co. -Engine torque capacity from 280 lb.-ft. to 300 lb.-ft. -Shift speeds up to 7000 rpm -Calibrated for quick launch and fuel-efficient cruising -Built at GM Powertrain's transmission plant in Warren, Mich. WARREN, Mich. - The new Hydra-Matic 6T70 and 6T75 front- and all-wheel drive six-speed automatic transmissions will debut in several GM models in 2007. The Saturn Aur…

Ya know... just because you don't agree with him, PLEASE Mr. Flybrian, let's let the community manage the unruly. Closing a topic is unnecessary and rude. As soon as they user community gets a wiff of this, they'll be gone quicker than Ralph Nader on a bad suspension design.

I have been investing up to my neck in GM stock the last 4 months, that plus what I already own or what GM has granted me over the years, has made me a small fortune today. Today was a good day on Wall Street.

That he was a *perfect* fit to help turn General Motors around as well as Lutz. And, I don't want to hear that they would have clashed, because that's absolutely false.

I think we can close this section now....

UAW should be re-named United Assholes Bitches

I think it's time for KK to go.... http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusin...=&from=business

IDA to consider $21M for GM Business First of Buffalo - 10:01 AM EST Thursday by Thomas Hartley An Erie County Industrial Development Agency public hearing Dec. 8 will consider a request for $21 million in incentives for the General Motors Powertrain plant. GM says the package is essential to bringing additional work into the Town of Tonawanda facility. Spokeswoman Doris Powers Toney in Pontiac, Mich., said the automaker is considering renovating the facility "for the purpose of modernizing engine lines and volume for possible new work. "Until after the hearing, we won't have anything further," she said. "There is nothing new to report." The earliest that the ECIDA…

I don't think it would stop me. If GM or Ford etc. goes bankrupt, its said that it would kill sales. But assuming financing was there, would you feel comfortable buying their car even knowing that they were going under? Discuss the reasons.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Daniel Howes Commentary: Questions override future If you want to understand General Motors Corp. today, as it marks its 100th anniversary, consider two data points: The automaker will open three plants this year -- in China, India and Russia -- a testament to a nearly 20-year global expansion that has made GM a formidable and generally profitable player in virtually any market of consequence outside the United States and Canada. And, second, GM is spearheading an industry push to secure at least $25 billion in taxpayer-backed loans from Congress, the culmination of a harrowing three-year race to radically remake an iconic business th…

If Zeta were to come to North America in some form or another, which vehicles would you like to see be derived from the architecture? You only have until Model Year 2008 (so, release in late '07 at the latest). Lets hear it, and why would you do it?

http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr121708.html This round of tests, there are no new Top Safety Picks ("good" front, side, and head restraint performance, plus ESC availability). All cars had good frontal crash performance, while side crash performance varied, usually depending on the vehicle's age. Side performance... Suzuki SX4 - Good Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe - Good MINI Cooper - Acceptable Chevrolet HHR - Acceptable Ford Focus - Acceptable Saturn ASTRA - Marginal Hyundai Elantra - Marginal Chrysler PT Cruiser - Poor Most of the cars had "acceptable" structures but were let down by high torso injury measurements - front passenger torsos for the HHR (ma…

I was watching the news this morning on CNN and just before a commercial break, I caught the clip about the new side-impact crash ratings. Chevy Impala is number 1 followed by the Toyota Camry (or fat Mazda 6, if you so desire). I think that this is good news, considering the car comes standard with side-impact airbags, meanwhile some of its other competitors don't. I'm also surprised to see that someone else hasn't already posted something about it on here. Guess I get to be the one to spill the beans! Yay for me!!!

Be truthful! Are you a dieter trying to lose fat?

In Indianapolis, It's Autoworkers versus Autoworkers The Atlantic GM's bankruptcy was structured as something called a 363 sale, in which you create a new company which buys the assets you want the reorganized firm to keep, and leave the remaining assets in the old company, which then tries to sell them for whatever they're worth and gives creditors the money. Needless to say, the assets left inside the old company are often not as valuable as the ones the company keeps--they may have little value at all. So when "Old GM" found a buyer for its Indianapolis stamping plant, that was a happy piece of news; if it's not sold, the plant will be shut down in September of nex…

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

1000 loyalty bonus in effect GM card topoff in effect auto show bonuses end of season discounts BUY BUY BUY i can buy a 1SV G6 for 11k right now. (15k after 2500 rebate) minus 1k loyalty - 3k GM card topoff. GO GM!

Well if you thought September was bad... October is only getting worse... Sales are never gonna see 2004's totals... What kind of incentives would it take to get customers to flock in... 0% intrest? 10 year warrantys? 5-10k$ off of every vehcile? what will it take to get some vehicles off the dealership... the customers are used to it... they will expect nothing less... so why stop incentivies? if GM offered a 10 year bumper to bumper & 10 year powertrain... wouldnt that set the bar and let people know GM is a serious contender? no incentives would be needed... then GM would know exactly what problems their products face so they could fix them... that…

Anyone hear anything about GM doing some wild 4th of July deals? I was hoping that news would have broken today, maybe they're waiting for Friday?

Automotive News November 3, 2008 - 12:06 pm ET UPDATED: 11/3/08 3:57 p.m. EST DETROIT -- Auto sales at General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC plunged in October, dragging the U.S. industry to a 32 percent decline and its weakest performance in a quarter century. GM plummeted 45.1 percent from a year earlier. Ford sold 132,248 cars and trucks, down 32 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. outsold Ford on its way to its 23 percent drop. Daimler AG and American Honda were down more than 24 percent, while Nissan, Hyundai and Chrysler were all down at least 33 percent. "If you adjust for population growth, this is probably the worst industry sales month in the post…

I am starting to get baffled by the alphabet soup of change. Which new platforms are to be redone or scrapped/replaced for the 2008 and 2009 model year? 2008 - Malibu and related platform? 2009 - Impala and related platform? What about LaX and GP - when are they do for facelift or doomed to the graveyard of monikers? What is moving from FWD to RWD? This would be interesting for everyone's edification.

Given the results of C&G Polls, this should be interesting: Informal Survey Time By Jack Keebler GM Director--Advanced Concepts Group One of the things that GM would like to better understand is the level of enthusiasm for rear-wheel drive versus front-wheel drive, particularly for young buyers of compact and sub-compact cars. Our belief is that front-wheel drive cars can be very rewarding to drive if properly set up. We also like the interior packaging space advantages, low mass and poor-weather traction of front-drive vehicles. At Saab, there is a long and storied tradition of fast, reliable rally cars. These cars fed significant power through the front wheels …

Neato. Video showing many of the sights you guys may have already seen but here it is again. Inside the Solstice factory. Look for Willie Wonka about 8 minutes in. (ha, ha) http://www.fastlanedaily.com/episode/fld_20090408

http://www.freep.com/article/20081122/BUSINESS01/81122026 Any comments welcome Chris

Well today, I was inquiring about an 07 Z06 for a friend of mine... because 06's were sold out he wasnt able to get one... 07's are sold out as well but... i asked about how much profit the 06's had, and if the 07's were the same... while, not sure about the exact price, it was a good comission... but apparently the price on the 07 is going up, but likewise, the invoice is going up more then the msrp... and this sparked an interesting discussion... while "total value promise" sounds good to the customer, sounds good to GM, it sounds horrible to the salesperson... Every model had a reduction in base MSRP for the year 2006... and now i've started looking over our sale…

This is interesting. Something we probably all already figured (for Caddy). http://www.thecarconnection.com/blog/?p=815&DID=RSS

I figured the readers and responders on this forum may generally agree and be able to relate to this particular write up in the Washington Post. The author touches on some good points - that mainly Kerkorian has proposed this alliance or merger with Renault simply for the price of the stock - with absolutely no regard for the long term health and well being of General Motors. Moreover, he touches on how unsuccessful Nissan (and Renault) have been in so many areas, even in some where they've tried to take on GM directly (like the Titan). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6071401040.html

Jim Mateja asked some very direct questions of Wagoner for use in this article.... about his job, potential rivalry with Fritz, confidence of the board, etc. Pretty good read: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi...hi-business-hed

GM looks east to Asia Pacific in new era of opportunity for Holden GM HOLDEN will become part of a powerful new Asian-based global operation under the ‘New GM’ that emerged from General Motors’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday. In a dramatic swing to the east, where GM operations have been smashing sales records in contrast to the company’s decline in the US and Europe, all of GM’s overseas operations will be managed from Shanghai under a new branch, GM International Operations. It will be run by GM Asia Pacific president Nick Reilly, who has been promoted to GM vice president of international operations under the restructuring announced by GM CEO Fritz Henderson. …

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…

www.BillCara.com July 17, 2006 GM: like flies to manure I am unimpressed with anything I read about the state of affairs at General Motors. I sold it a year ago at $35, and about six months later the stock hit a low close of $18.33. I call GM a pure speculation - the antithesis of quality companies (like the Cara 100) where most people should be focused on trading shares. Today in Japan there is published speculation as to whether Auto giant Toyota Motor (a Cara 100 component) will let third-stringer Nissan Motor go into a tripartite alliance with Renault and GM. Some of you may see this as a defensive move by Toyota. I see it more as a case of flies being a…

INVESTORS SAY EVEN MORE CUTS ARE NECESSARY By Michael Ellis and Joe Guy Collier Detroit Free Press DETROIT - What will it take for General Motors to return to profitability? According to the experts on Wall Street, the automaker must do a lot more than just cutting 30,000 jobs and idling 12 plants in North America, which the automaker announced this week. Not until GM gets rid of at least one of its eight U.S. brands, weathers difficulties at its largest parts supplier, Delphi, and forces its unions into more concessions will the automaker win back favor with investors, they say. They also want GM to cut more of its manufacturing capacity. In other words,…

Is This Detroit's Last Winter? This is the thanks you get for creating the middle class, Henry. In the throes of the biggest auto swoon since 1931, the headmen of Detroit go hat in hand to Washington to try to keep their once mighty industry upright for a couple of months and are treated as if they had invented the four-wheel-drive subprime mortgage. AIG torpedoes the entire economy and gets a $150 billion handout; Citigroup takes risks no sane manufacturing company would even contemplate and is rewarded with a $20 billion federal bailout. And the car guys? full article here

http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/16/markets/sp...dex.htm?cnn=yes

The only reason that I have been able to come up with as to why GM would delay/cancel the NG Malibu and ION (both of which were supposed to be awesome -- and we know the ION was) is that now they're concentrating on the several new crossovers they have planned. I remember a discussion a while back in which our insiders told us that GM thinks crossovers are going to be the key to the future. While getting ahead of the game in an expanding market is good, does GM just expect it's current sedan buyers to make the move to X-Overs when they find out the sedans GM offers in 3 years are the same ones it offers now? I'm all for GM trying to control the X-Over segme…

Is GM taking too much ill will from the markets and press and too much criticism? GM's every move is bloodied and they can't seem to do anything right in many's eyes. Yet Ford and Chrysler seem to be doing things and FOrd in particular seems to be sliding under the radar lately. Is GM taking too much of a hit? Are GM's issues WAYYYYY overblown?