General Motors

A fresh Perspective on GM and the auto industry http://www.321gold.com/editorials/shedlock...lock101405.html MarketWatch is reporting "Ford's SUV Sales Halved in September": "Ford Motor Co. reported Monday that sales of its traditional SUVs plunged 51% in September, as consumers continued their mass exodus from the thirstiest vehicles on the road amid record gasoline prices. "Overall, Ford turned in a 19% decline in U.S. sales last month, to 228,157 cars and trucks. Crossover and passenger car sales actually improved, but not nearly enough to make up for the steep decline of its bulkier SUVs. "Sales of the Ford Explorer and Expedi…

A Portrait of My Industry The Wall Street Journal By Rick Wagoner (Commentary) Dec. 6, 2005 DETROIT – Since mid-October, General Motors has announced plans to cease production at 12 North American manufacturing facilities and eliminate 30,000 jobs by 2008; trim $1 billion in net material costs in 2006; and, in cooperation with the United Automobile Workers, reduce GM's retiree health-care liabilities by $15 billion, or about 25 percent, for an annualized expense reduction of $3 billion. The reason for these dramatic actions is no secret: GM has lost a lot of money in 2005, due to rapidly increasing health-care and raw-material costs, lower sales…

well, i was just looking over the GM Blog fastlane and i came out with... i'm assuming thats the grill of the new escalde seeing that that is the title of the article...

A Smaller GM Might Be a Beautifuller GM Date posted: 07-10-2006 I suppose that General Motors' current obsession with E85 ethanol promotion makes it the world's largest all-natural organic car company. After all, corn is organic and ethanol is distilled from starch crops, including corn — all-natural. And yes, being based on the California coast absolutely makes me a nuts and granola kinda guy, so I'm bullish on grain-alcohol fuels. The downside is that in the whole state, there are only four places that offer E85 (85-percent ethanol, 15-percent gasoline) fuel. Of these, only one sells to the public, so if you don't live near the Regional Transportation Center in San D…

A strike at Delphi could cripple GM -- analysts Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:28 PM ET Printer Friendly | Email Article | Reprints | RSS By Jui Chakravorty DETROIT (Reuters) - As the deadline for Delphi Corp. to ask a court to void its union contracts edges closer, analysts worry a strike at the auto parts maker -- General Motors Corp.'s largest supplier -- would deepen the financial crisis at the automaker. Bankrupt Delphi Corp. has threatened to ask the court to void its contracts with the United Auto Workers union if it cannot reach an agreement by Friday to lower labor costs. This could result in a strike, which could shut down plants and force GM to burn throu…

It is the time of turnaround... It is the time of desparation. We are all headed to profitability... We are all headed to bankruptcy. Carlos Ghosn to Meet Rick Wagoner July 14... Better known as... BASTILLE DAY!

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

Whatever happened to the spyshot? I remember that it said it was going to be posted on here once the site goes live..

Love this: http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant

Did you folks see the train wreck in oshawa? i received some photos yesterday. Its a great way to increase sales and market share. Looks like someones insurance company just bought about 1.3 million dollars worth of trucks. i cannot get these to post!!!

I agree with the overall theme: bankruptcy could have a positive outcome for GM and Chrysler. The key is setting expectations and eliminating uncertainty about warranties, brands, dealers, etc. http://adage.com/article?article_id=134959

Isuzu to Leave US Market http://www.leftlanenews.com/isuzu-to-leave-us-market.html

From SmartMoney It looks like there may be some serious conditions attached to any TARP money that could be forthcoming. After reviewing the books over the weekend, this was leaked to the media. I personally believe that this may be the only way for GM to get itself back on track. While they may lose major market share, they can become profitable. GM could see their market share at 10% after a restructuring, but it's better to be smaller and profitable than to have 20% share right before you go out of business forever. I'd rather have a smaller, focused, profitable GM than no GM at all..

link to article

The Employee Pricing Event does not seem to have had any effect on Buick sales in particular. Every lot I visit is chock full of 2008 models, despite this sale having been on for weeks now. After the employee pricing is over on September 30th what is GM going to come up with to move that iron? Is GMAC likely to increase their pull ahead?

By Micheline Maynard Monday, June 1, 2009 Provided by The New York Times Link to Article It is a company that helped lift hundreds of thousands of American workers into the middle class. It transformed Detroit into the Silicon Valley of its day, a symbol of America’s talent for innovation. It built celebrated cars, like Cadillacs, that became synonymous with luxury. And now it is filing for bankruptcy, something that would have been unfathomable even a few years ago, much less decades ago, when it was a dominant force in the American economy. ------------------------------ I thought this was a really good article.

http://www.wisdems.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/701875

The JiangLing Landwind is based off of the aging Rodeo/Passport platform. Expect it to become a chinese automakers first foray into the US SUV market!But all three have awful ratings in europe! http://paultan.org/archives/2005/10/07/jia...t-outside-view/

Anybody see old Al tear into the USA Car makers yesterday. Said the reason that they are in trouble is because nobody wants to buy Gas Guzzlers anymore. Started going on about how good Toyota is...blah..blah.......blah. Sickening. Was he Vice President of Japan. He needs to get his info correct. He made it sound like the USA cars get 10 miles to the gallon. ALL of them. WTF Al

Thanks to ItaliaSpeed.com for this news tip. http://www.italiaspeed.com/2005/events/peb...pider/2908.html

@dfelt @ocnblu https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rivian-electric-amazon-com-gm-exclusi/exclusive-amazon-gm-in-talks-to-invest-in-electric-pickup-truck-maker-rivian-sources-idUSKCN1Q12PV?il=0

Amazon Packages Can Now Be Delivered to More Than 7 Million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Vehicles Amazon Key In-Car Delivery offers customers a convenient, time-saving way to receive packages inside their vehicle 2018-04-24 DETROIT – (NYSE: GM) Starting today, more than seven million owners of eligible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles in the United States can enjoy the convenience of having Amazon packages delivered inside their vehicle using Amazon Key. In-Car Delivery comes at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members with an active OnStar account and is available in 37 U.S. cities and surrounding areas, with more cities to follow. …

http://www.ktrv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5100193 I saw something on this while watching Faux News (Cavuto) a few nights ago. They said that according to the US government, the Mustang and Suburban, two distinctly American-looking vehicles (original pony car and full-size SUV), are actually not American (65% and 68%, respectively; 75% and up qualifies as "American"), while the Toyota Camry, something traditionally viewed as an import, is (80%). Of course, they had to mention that the Prius, "something very popular in California", has zero American content.

I know something like this was posted but I can't find it can someone get me the percent of GM cars that is American, Toyota and Honda etc.

Eyes on the Road By Joseph B. White (WSJ) Amid Fuel-Economy, Emissions Debate, GM's Lutz Says Horsepower Still Sells Product Chief Issues Challenge to Green Critics April 9, 2007 Here in the temporary capital of Horsepower Nation, New York City, Bob Lutz, General Motors Corp.'s vice chairman for product development worldwide, last week painted a bleak picture of the automobile fuel efficiency and global warming debate swirling around the auto industry today. And he had a challenge for the industry's green critics. Mr. Lutz, never one to shy from jousting with the industry's detractors, faces a difficult task in his role as chief product strategist for the worl…

Back in 2005, Opel opened in all respects, an embassy in Berlin, to be able to wheel and deal with the German politicians as they saw fit. GM, needs to set this up in Washington, D.C. as far as I am concerned, to help with North American Auto issues. For those that have visited the German capital, this is the Opel building you see there. One that is near and dear to me. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder opens ‘Opel in Berlin’ 2002.05.14. Rüsselsheim/Berlin. The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, along with the Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, and the Chairman of Opel's Board of Management, Carl-Peter Forster, today opened ‘Opel in Berlin', Opel's new coordinati…

An Open Letter to G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Corporation From Randal Charlton, Executive Director of TechTown, the Wayne State University Research and Technology Park – www.techtownwsu.org – in Detroit, one of Michigan’s 16 high technology business incubation and economic development parks November 21, 2008 Dear Mr. Wagoner: Congress has asked you and the rest of the Detroit auto industry to come back by December 2 with a plan that can help your companies survive as well as serve the interests of the taxpayers. Detroit was once the business heartbeat of America. Now, unfortunately, to some outside the state, it …

thestreet.com A reasonable explanation for some of the chaos being reported. Perhaps Bush should bomb Iraq to get GM/Ford off the front pages?

Well.....duh!!! DETROIT (Reuters) - In an industry where 'product is king,' General Motors Corp. is in dire need of attractive new vehicles to rule the road, analysts say, mostly dismissing a move by the ailing auto giant to cut jobs and close plants to save billions of dollars a year. The world's largest automaker on Monday said it will cut 30,000 North American manufacturing jobs and close 12 operations as part of a broader restructuring plan. "I don't think the cuts are enough, but it's not a matter of whether they are enough or not, it's a matter of whether or not the company will create the culture of innovation GM …

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/sv/20050825/tc_sil...ey/_www12466179

Once more befits it that the voice of Truth, Fearless in innocence, though leagured round By envy and her hateful brood of hell, Be heard amid this hall; once more befits The patriot, whose prophetic eye so oft Has pierced thro' faction's veil, to flash on crimes Of deadliest import Buickman

What do die-hard GM fans make of this recent article posted on Wired.com? It's amazing how many people don't actually want to give GM a fighting chance in the market place. http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cars/index.bl...ntry_id=1237739 Friday, 30 September 2005 Toyota on Top Now Playing: Pearl Jam Although hybrids are currently less than one percent of total auto sales, two investment gurus believe that sales of gas-electric vehicles will enable Toyota to pass GM and become the world's biggest vehicle manufacturer. I attended the Investing for Clean Energy in Oregon event yesterday, where Roger Ballentine, the president of consulting firm Green …

Toyota's Gain a Plus for U.S. Automaking: Doron Levin (Update1) By Doron Levin April 26 (Bloomberg) -- The report that Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's biggest automaker, surpassed No. 1 General Motors Corp. in worldwide sales during the first quarter shouldn't be viewed as evidence of U.S. industrial decline. U.S. automaking arguably has never been stronger. That's not to say General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Corp. aren't struggling and won't soon, if ever, dominate the industry as they once did. For long-term owners of the common stocks and bonds of the U.S.-based automakers, not to mention for their workers and for the communities in…

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…

Check it out: http://chirpthird.com/vb/showthread.php?p=79637#post79637

I think he's right. http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...192.A10986.html Back in my army days they used to tell us, "Take the high ground." It's better to be on top of the hill shooting down than on the bottom, climbing up. I found this was true in the luxury car business, too. To succeed you had to take the high ground. Sell the higher-priced luxury car with the advanced technology, not the lower-priced one. Don't be worried about costing more. Glory in it. Our Cadillac forgot this lesson long ago, went for volume, lost the high ground to Mercedes and Lexus and BMW, and really is no longer a luxury nameplate. It's what Buick used to be. I recall long ago, …

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:

Looks a bit like the Uplander in this pic from Autospy.net Korea http://autospy.dreamwiz.com/board/bbs/tabl...upload/c100.jpg

You know, the ads where they claim to be american car companies and try to convince everyone that it's okay to be anti-domestic. "You just keep doing what you do, and we'll keep building cars you want to buy." -- Honda Translates to: Just keep believing that Detroit is worthless, because we'll sell you a car instead. --or-- We're better off without Detroit anyway. Or, Detroit builds cars no one wants to buy. It's the over all tone that pisses me off. This is the kind of shady business I've bitched about for years. It seesk to benefit from Detroit's loss, as usual. I mean really; 60% of the country hates the automakers anyway and now it seems that these companies are…

GM Tv said that they will debut the GMC Yukon on October 5th, and the Cadillac Escalade sometime within the first weeks of November!! They also have the Avalanche ready to show us..., but that girl is standing right in front of it!!! I expect they will debut those in January since they are due out second quarter.

AP ArticleDETROIT – The new General Motors arose on Friday as lawyers finished an all-night paperwork session transferring the bulk of the automaker's assets to a company controlled by the U.S. government.Once the world's largest and most powerful automaker, new GM is now cleansed of massive debt and burdensome contracts that would have sunk it without federal loans.But the new GM also emerges amidst the worst sales slump in a quarter-century.The massive transfer of factories, money and intellectual property was completed about 6:30 a.m., according to a person briefed on the situation, clearing the way for a smaller and faster company better equipped to compete in the bru…

AP source: GM to build small car in Michigan Yahoo! Story Link By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher, Ap Auto Writer – 27 mins ago DETROIT – Michigan has won the high-stakes competition with two other states to build General Motors Corp.'s next-generation subcompact car, a person briefed on the decision said Thursday. The announcement that the car will be built at a retooled midsize car factory in Orion Township near Pontiac will come Friday, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public. It will save about 1,200 jobs at the factory, which had been slated to shut down later this year. GM spokeswoman Sherrie …

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

Secret Plant In Mexico Could Become GM's Area 51 From News Max.com: "We Heard … that General Motors has four plants in Mexico, but has secretly been building a fifth plant there. The global auto giant – facing enormous health and retirement costs in the U.S. – has been diversifying its manufacturing globally for years. Why the stealth plant? GM execs don't want to upset the UAW which recently cooperated with GM in a buyout plan for employees. Some 25,000 are said to have taken GM's early retirement plan. Meanwhile, Ford announced it is significantly upgrading its operations in its three Mexican plants." Link to Article

Autoweek article "GM will offer DUB-branded tires on trucks, SUVs" http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...30008/1530/FREE

Jerry Forbes adds his opinion about GM's future here.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=130591 "in July, consumers' consideration of presumably out-of-favor segments including large crossovers, minivans and sports cars began a significant recovery, while consideration of small cars and hybrids actually began declining from levels in June."

By TAMMY JOYNER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday, September 21, 2008 Later this week, the final vehicle will roll off the line at the last American auto assembly plant in Georgia. Once that happens on Friday, production at the General Motors plant in Doraville will be over. So, too, will be Eddie Bailey Sr.’s automaking days, just 430 hours shy of 30 years — automatic retirement at GM. As GM factory in Doraville closes, an era rolls away “I can’t complain. It’s been a good living, even after always being on the edge,” said Bailey, who started as a line operator. “They raised my family and helped plan my future and retirement and paid for some of my e…

Who has the juice?

JASON STEIN | Automotive News Posted Date: 8/22/05 http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103024 General Motors has promised to run product development globally in the past. This time it's actually happening. After several false starts, GM is assigning global programs to different vehicle development centers around the world. The automaker now has globalized engineering, design, information systems and manufacturing, with global operating and capital budgets. For instance, engineering work on the next generation of vehicles on the mid-sized, front-wheel-drive Epsilon architecture -- including the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 -- now is led by GM'…

Reuters Navistar fires long-time auditors; to restate profits Friday April 7, 5:22 pm ET CHICAGO (Reuters) - Truckmaker Navistar International Corp. (NYSE:NAV - News), which earlier this year had blamed its long-time auditor for a delay in filing its annual report, said on Friday it has fired the auditor and will restate earnings going back to 2002 to fix accounting errors. The Warrenville, Illinois-based company said its audit committee had terminated its 98-year relationship with Deloitte and Touche and hired KPMG as its new independent auditor. Earlier this year, Navistar failed to file its Form 10K annual report with U.S. regulators and blamed the delay on …

There are many varying opinions about what will happen to GM in the future. Auto analyst Maryann Keller has given her thoughts to a group of Virginia auto dealers. Among other statements, she believs that Pontiac and Buick will "disappear within the next five years." To view the entire article, click here.

So in the end, the UAW puts the final nail in the coffin. It would be a fitting final chapter for GM who apparently will never be able to rid itself of the albatross. I suppose a dying animal will do anything to survive, including kill another. It is, however, the one consolation from this whole morass, which is the final demise of the UAW which will finally be gone no matter what the outcome of this attempt at legislation. Good riddance. *** Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the sticking point was the United Auto Workers' refusal to set a "date certain" to put employees at U.S. auto manufacturers at "parity pay" with U.S. employees at foreign automakers in …

Linkity Auto Dealers, Late to the Game, Rally for Big Three Rescue Some Reticence Lingers, as Federal Help Could Speed the Closure of Sales Networks -- but a 'Way of Life' Is Threatened NEW CARROLLTON, Md. -- At a Chrysler dealership here Wednesday, dealers rallying in support of a government bailout for Detroit's Big Three grew emotional over the threat to "our way of life," as one put it. But even as they backed Detroit's plea, they acknowledged being late to the lobbying effort. "We probably should have done this across the country," Tammy Darvish, who owns the DarCars dealership that hosted the gathering, told a crowd that included a local seafood business,…

Rich Ceppos The Madeleine Effect By RICH CEPPOS AutoWeek | Published 01/23/06, 3:00 pm et So there we were, Anne Asensio and me, on the GM stand during press days at the North American Interna-tional Auto Show in Detroit. We watched workers ease the retro-inspired Camaro concept onto its turntable. Asensio is French. She has spent much of her career designing cars for Renault, and is now the executive in charge of GM’s advanced design studios, where this most red-blooded of American concepts began life. Though Asensio would be the first to say she didn’t pen the car that won AutoWeek’s Best in Show award—and is a cinch for production according to hig…

Auto sales fall in March Only BMW posts gain; figures for rental cars, fleets should boost the domestics. Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News U.S. consumers bought 13 percent fewer new cars and trucks during the first 12 days of March, a disappointing sign for automakers as they enter the important spring selling season, according to a survey released Monday. J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network said every major automaker, aside from BMW AG, posted a decline in retail sales during the period. The survey tracks sales at more than 10,000 dealers nationwide and doesn't include sales to fleet customers. Detroit's automakers fared worse than their top compet…

Got a letter today about it. http://www.grabthekeys.com/ at the Palace of Auburn hills. 25 different GM vehicles. 2 different courses. 1 great weekend. If you have friends or neighbors who own or are considering a competitive product, here's your chance to have them put new GM cars and trucks through their paces. Plus, we'll have complimentary beverages and snacks. I wish I could go, but I'm busy that weekend. So For you Michigan people sign up and tells us how it is.

http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant

free press http://www.knollenberg.house.gov/blog/?p=55

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's traditional Big Three automakers on Wednesday reported surprising increases in January U.S. vehicle sales, breaking losing streaks that began in the fall of last year as their aggressive discounting lost steam. Both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. cautioned that their outsized monthly gains came from a one-off surge in fleet sales, while their retail sales declined in the traditionally slow month. Sales to rental-car companies and other large-scale purchasers such as government agencies are generally less profitable than sales to individual buyers. Even so, the stronger sales tallies were welcome relief for both GM and Ford, whi…

By Greg Migliore Automotive News / August 30, 2005 http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=13195 DETROIT -- Automakers are opening their vehicle fleets and wallets to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. General Motors said it is donating $400,000 to the American Red Cross hurricane relief fund, and the GM foundation will match employees' collective donations up to $250,000. GM also is making 25 vehicles available to the Red Cross to deploy as needed, according to Hilary Spittle, GM's spokeswoman for corporate responsibility and philanthropy. Ford Motor Credit Co. will allow customers affected by the hurricane to defer two vehicle payments. …

I assume this is the correct spot to post this - It's not strictly a GM article, but focuses on them more than Ford or DC: Link to article -RBB

"GM to restructure European sales, marketing" John Revill Automotive News February 5, 2009 General Motors is restructuring its sales, marketing and aftersales operations in Europe to give its Opel, Chevrolet Europe and Saab brands more autonomy. The change will allow each brand to be more responsive to market conditions, Brent Dewar, GM Europe's head of sales, marketing and aftersales told Automotive News Europe. "This year will be as challenging as 2008. We want to speed up decision making and focus our resources," Dewar said. The initiative will see three executives named brand leaders, effective March 1. Alain Visser will be vice president for Opel w…

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…

http://www.autoshowinmotion.com/index.asp?...1BFFE36791FC%7D Select Location San Jose: 11/10 - 11/13 San Antonio: 11/12 - 11/13 You've seen the vehicles at the auto show. Now experience over 150 of the hottest new cars, trucks and SUVs on the planet from behind the wheel at the AutoShow in Motion. Test drive the exciting General Motors family of vehicles and then compare them with Honda, Ford, Toyota, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Dodge, Mercedes and more*. One minute you're stepping on the accelerator of a Corvette® down a performance course, the next you're taking a HUMMER® H2® off-roading. If the vehicle can do it, we're going to prove it! An…

I found this cool Corvette engine assembly animation on you tube and thought it was pretty cool to share. Even though I have a red C5 convertible it is still neat to see how the new engines are put together. There is also a higher res screensaver download website, but if you may want to preview it first because the download file is huge. http://www.smallblockscreensaver.com

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Sorry... wrong information

Bailout Blues: GM can’t afford to throw out its Opel baby By: John LeBlanc The latest has Government Motors refusing to explain the “why” it can’t make a decision between what the German government wants (Canadian Magna’s Russian-backed bid) and what the automaker wants (Belgian private equity RHJ International’s bid that would give GM more control in a new Opel.) Now listen up. Your Canadian pride may be backing Magna (Way cool—Canada’s first modern automaker!!) But as a Canadian taxpayer now with a share of GM, you may want to start cheering for the RHJ guys. Here’s why. Full Story at Wheels.ca

you know, if GM goes bankrupt, or is using it as a threat to leverage cash from the US Govt..... could you make a case to say the CANADIAN GOVERNMENT should chip in also? or can you use bankruptcy in the US as a threat to coerce some cash out of Canada too? of if the ship sinks, does that mean all of the Canadian operations goes down too? I am curious to hear how this affects the folks north of Pembina.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/...rings-attached/ This paragraph scares the hell out of me... what it means to me is no Camaro, no Corvette, no GXP's. Basically GM could turn into a maker of true cookie cutter gov't mandated automobiles.

Bankruptcy, Shmankruptcy Jerry Flint, 02.13.06, 12:00 AM ET Enough already on General Motors and Bankruptcy. I am tired of the B-word. GM isn't going bankrupt this year; GM isn't going bankrupt next year; 2008 is so far off that even Bill Gates could be bankrupt by then. It's dangerous to go three years out, but no, I wouldn't expect GM to go bankrupt in 2008, either. Why not? The company has $19 billion in the kitty and just about $100 billion in the pension fund. But there's more here than the balance sheet. When I was a boy, there was one reason companies went bankrupt: They couldn't pay their bills. GM can pay its bills, so that's not a problem. The new reason f…

Behind The Mask Jim Dollinger Saturday, August 12, 2006 Here is further proof that GM intends to close Buick and probably Pontiac. How can you not have an "identity" after 100 years? Management is falsely protraying their intentions as their plan is to eventually own and control distribution. This hidden agenda is part of the reason the call was made for the indictment of "Red Ink Rick". Please don't be fooled by the spin offered by PR experts. The market share slide and the move to offshore production continues. Forbes.com Market Scan GM Ready To Roll In 2007: Report R.M. Schneiderman, 08.11.06, 8:15 AM ET Ailing auto giant General Motors will begin to …

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/06/14/wag...r-gms-top-goal/ General Motors boss Rick Wagoner said being the world’s largest automaker is not the company’s top priority anymore, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Would we like to stay number one? Sure. Is it the top priority of the company? No,” he said at a press conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the automaker is building a new plant. “We’re really focused on very strong profitability growth and balance-sheet strength in addition to driving the revenue side.” Recently, there has been a great deal of speculation that Toyota will soon surpass GM in terms of overall worldwide sales volume. However, Wagoner ha…

Lutz: Better cars not enough Turnaround also requires reining in retiree costs By Daniel Howes / The Detroit News Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News Lutz says, "I don't think it's going to take 20 years to turn around, but it's not going to happen in 20 months." If it's possible to be positive and negative about General Motors Corp.'s fortunes, Bob Lutz is both. "I don't for a minute believe that what we're doing is not going to work," Lutz, GM's vice chairman for global product development, told me Thursday. "The image turnaround of General Motors is under way. But there is a lag effect." Yes, there certainly is. That turnaround depends …

Apparently the Big 3 are going to ask the Govt. for $25 Billion in cheap money. The term "bailout" kind of pisses me off, but that's how our brainiacs in the media love to spin it. I personally have mixed emotions about it, because there's this part of me that feels a lot of the Big 3's problems were brought on by themselves. But on the other hand, if we can spend untold millions in Iraq (Halliburton anyone?) - give money to Isreal, spend money on army bases in Japan, have the Federal Reserve "bail out" other big banks and mortgage companies, etc, etc; then I say, why not give money to the Big 3? After all, they're actually producing a useful, tangible product that…

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http://www.thestar.com/article/554388