General Motors

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...173.A11964.html Lutz: Camaro Gear Could Spawn Big Caddy A Cadillac with more than eight cylinders still possible, Lutz says. by Joseph Szczesny (2007-02-25) Could the same rear-wheel-drive platform General Motors Corp. plans to use for the new Chevrolet Camaro also be used for a new rear-wheel-drive and/or all-wheel-drive ultra-luxury Cadillac? GM vice chairman and product guru Robert Lutz recently acknowledged it was a possibility during a conversation with journalists earlier this month at theChicago auto show. Lutz noted that as part of global product strategy, GM would have fewer but more flexible platforms tha…

Told him how Chevy's focus on horsepower was a welcome relief. Told him how the Z06 and TBSS gave me hope that car guys were still running things at GM. We started talking about the Camaro concept and I told him if they build it without watering down the design, meaning build it very near the concept, I'd put one in my garage. His response was totally disturbing.... He said GM marketing is convinced they should write off buyers older than 40, since they won't be able to sell them many more cars anyway. He said GM Mktg believes younger buyers are only concerned with technology (bells and whistles) in their cars rather than horsepower and cubic inches. He was *very* s…

GM to sell 20 pct stake in Suzuki Motor - report Sun Mar 5, 2006am ET TOKYO, March 5 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is planning to sell its 20 percent stake in Japanese compact-car maker Suzuki Motor Corp, the economic daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported on Sunday. Article continued Full URL: http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybri..._T268646&rpc=44

On the very top of this weekend's WSJ, there's a Chrysler Pacific dashboard with a red slash through the steering wheel. It reads... BAIL OUT DETROIT? WRONG WAY, DO NOT ENTER Just Say No to Detroit Given the abysmal performance by Detroit's Big Three, it would be better to send each employee a check than to waste it on a bailout, says David Yermack. Before Michael Moore became famous for documentaries like "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Sicko," his first big success came in 1989 with "Roger and Me." In that film, Mr. Moore followed General Motors chairman and chief executive Roger Smith with a camera crew, asking him why the company was closing plants and producin…

Why It Is Time for Rick Wagoner to Go Peter Morici University of Maryland Last week we learned that mistakes in GM accounting raised its 2005 losses above $10 billion. That is well over $5000 per vehicle. With Toyota earning money on its cars, GM’s disadvantage vis-à-vis Toyota must be in the range of $7000 per vehicle. Quite simply, GM has higher costs than Toyota, and Toyota can fetch higher prices for its durable vehicles than Rick Wagoner can command for his more trouble ridden contraptions. On the cost side, all the propaganda Rick Wagoner has been flinging about, just like the company accounts, does not add up. Repeatedly, GM officials have pointed to health…

When Lutz talks, people seem to listen. So here's what he told a roundtable of journalists about the future of each of GM's brands. MICHAEL BETTENCOURT From Thursday's Globe and Mail January 22, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST DETROIT — Robert A. Lutz, GM's charismatic vice-chairman of product development, doesn't know the meaning of "no comment" — one of the reasons he's so popular with auto journalists, who are fed everything the companies want them to say about the positive aspects of their cars, but often get stonewalled when questions turn to less-flattering subjects. This is not the Lutz way: very few companies have as blunt a corporate leader willing to provide …

Mark Reuss, General Motors and Rear Wheel Drive Reading the topic about Mark Ruess I was going to make a response about the upcoming "un-named" wonder known just as the SS. Then I as I got typing my simple response that became a not so simple response but a big concern... If this car actually seeing the light of day. Not that the question put up by someone worrying about the "little issues" getting fixed isn't important it is. (Just not to me!) I am thinking big picture, so here is what I am thinking and actually fear will happen. If this new SS actually is produced, and sitting on dealer lots, I will be thankfully proven wrong! I just believe this car CAN'T happ…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060323/ap_on_bi_ge/gm_gmac DETROIT - General Motors Corp. said Thursday that it is selling a majority interest in its commercial mortgage division for $1.5 billion in cash to a private investment group. In addition to the cash payment for a 78 percent stake in the business, GM said that GMAC Commercial Holding Corp. has also repaid $7.3 billion in intercompany loans as part of the deal. That would boost the total proceeds from the deal to almost $9 billion. The announcement comes a day after the world's biggest automaker and its major supplier, Delphi Corp., said they plan to offer buyouts to more than 125,000 hourly workers under an agree…

click here Take a look at the sales chart that Flint presents! What is that reverse alphabetical order with mistakes?

http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servle...y/Business/home

Read the whole article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11677325/site/newsweek/page/2/ GM chief designer Ed Welburn sweeps into his Chevrolet design studio and it's as if he were stepping back in time. On one side of the cavernous white room, designers huddle over a silver retro remake of the Chevy Camaro. A few steps away, stylists scurry around a future Chevy family car that ripples with sinewy muscles from a bygone era. Papering the walls of the studio are photos of classic iron from Detroit's halcyon postwar years—the chiseled '65 Chevy Impala, the jet-age '65 Ford Galaxie, the long-nosed '65 Plymouth Fury. Welburn slowly walks around the work-in-progress family car, ins…

I usually watch SNL (because there is nothing else on at the time), but didn't catch it this past weekend....and apparently missed a total undeserved thrashing of the American auto industry. It was full of all of the stupid misinformed opinions that have lead over half of the country to buy foreign cars. View this clip for yourself, and see if you think the portrayal of the Big 3 was "fair": http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/25/snl-tak...roit-3-bailout/ Unfortunately, people seem to believe everything they see on SNL....I mean, just look at the election......and SNL is using it's time to promote it's Detroit-hating OPINIONS as "FACTS" on a national stage for millions …

The Teardown Artists First, buy the hottest new car on the lot. Then rip it to pieces. Inside GM's chop shop, they take (apart) the competition very seriously. By Carl Hoffman A silver Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV is suspended on a lift in a room the size of a soccer field at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. It was purchased off the lot just a few days ago for $49,000, loaded, which seems a waste, since it's already a carcass. Mechanic John Klucka has removed its tires and engine and doors and seats and dashboard and, well, just about everything but a few wires and the windshield. "This is a complicated vehicle," he says, unbolting the engine from …

Top GOP leaders sending message to Big 3: Drop dead Advertisement GET FREE HEADLINES BY E-MAIL Printer friendly version Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery B ig-name Republicans are tramping around Michigan -- Karl Rove is expected at a fundraiser today in Grosse Pointe, Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman is campaigning for Senate hopeful Mike Bouchard and President Bush is rumored to be planning a campaign swing next month. But meet with Detroit's automakers? Nah, why should the president care whether U.S.-owned automakers, burdened by fierce foreign competition and cumulative decisions that threaten to swamp …

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/08/010402.html GM still is the biggest car company in the world. I wonder if GM's overseas brands are included in this figure

must be upset with all the criticism of that ass Friedman, so they had to fire back with another anti GM piece. Chevy Quiz: How Many SS's Are in Excess?

OK, more rumor, more newspaper chatter. BUT, if true this indicates that the President's Task Force is marketing savvy. Ask yourself, if you were starting a brand new auto company today, would you have a duplicate truck brand? Would you invest in a duplicate "performance" brand? Probably not. And we see that no one else around the world is rushing to duplicate the GM brand model either. The other one that needs to drop is Buick, as much as I love her. Toyota changed the branding model for the industry and now buyers expect entry-level luxury at the premium brand. LaCrosse and Enclave should be restyled and sold for slightly more as Cadillacs. The margins and to…

http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/07/news/compa...dex.htm?cnn=yes

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...5/1002/BUSINESS MARK PHELAN Lutz says GM won't sweat the small stuff Carmaker to focus on high-volume, big-profit products BY MARK PHELAN • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • July 16, 2008 Read Comments(19)Recommend (3)Print this page E-mail this article Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this? The troops need something to fight for, not a feeling of endless retreat. General Motors Vice Chairman and retired Marine pilot Bob Lutz gave his beleaguered company that goal Tuesday, saying the company will concentrate its engineering and design efforts on vehicles it expects to sell profitably a…

There is going to be a news conference at 2:30 regarding the auto makers bailout.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081028/bs_nm/us_chrysler_gm_6 There's got to be some irony in there about Taxpayers who own Toyota's paying for this....

From the Annual Report, a disclaimer that the financial statements are not credible. "General Motors' management is responsible for establishing and maintaining internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls. Internal controls over financial reporting are designed to provide reasonable assurance that the books and records reflect the transactions of General Motors Corporation and subsidiaries and that established policies and procedures are carefully followed. During 2005 GM identified three material weaknesses in internal controls, relating to statements of cash flows, accounting for vehicles on operating lease with daily rental car entities, and…

I'd like to share an interesting piece from U.S. News & World Report, in which Mark LaNeve responds to some questions about GM's present and future. To read it, click here.

Information to be released tomorrow. http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article....vf=2&bg=32&pp=0

The strangest thing about the crisis in the American auto industry is this: Nobody outside of Detroit seems to care. General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) could go down. Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people ) could go down. If either company fails, hundreds of thousands of workers could lose their jobs and health benefits. I'm not saying that this is going to happen. I'm just saying that the American people and the leaders in Washington don't seem particularly concerned about the traditional U.S. auto industry. I remember when we used to say that one in six jobs in America was connected to the automobile industry. I remember in 1953 when the head of …

Probably GM itself won't bother with any publicity ( after all, this includes Buick, and, in fact, Buick is ranked above Cadillac here ), so here is the J.D. Power Customer Service Index announced July 20th. It's based on a thousand-point scale: 1. Lexus 912 2. Buick 911 3. Cadillac 909 4. Jaguar 908 5. Lincoln 906 and the rest... Mercury 905 Saturn 904 Pontiac 903 Audi 890 MINI 890 Volvo 890 Acura 889 Chevrolet 887 Infiniti 887 Porsche 88…

I found this article on Motor Authority this morning. I don't know how much of it is based on fact or just speculating and wishful thinking. undefined Source: Motor Authority

Linkypoo Good, Nascar sucks and doesn't deserve GM's (and therefore my taxpayer) money.

Link to Article

For what it is worth, DeLorenzo has some new insights about a mid engined Corvette possibly getting the go ahead in September. I know a mid engined Corvette has pooped out in the past via drawing concepts, show cars etc, but it seems according to DeLorenzo this time it is almost a done deal. He seems to have spoken to some top GM officials on the subject and they will make the desicion in September. I was planning on buying a Vette next summer but if the mid engined Vette really is a reality this time, I will have to keep my 172,000 mile 1993 Trans Am until 2010 to get my Vette. I keep my cars a long time so if I by a Vette in 2008 I would have to keep it at least 14 year…

Sorry If already posted.... Kerkorian Calls for Drastic GM Overhaul The Daily Auto Insider Thursday, January 12, 2006 January 2006 Jerome York, investor Kirk Kerkorian's top lieutenant, urged General Motors to speed up and expand its restructuring, The Wall Street Journal reported. York, an adviser to Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp., which owns 7.8% of GM, said GM should immediately do the following: Cut its $2 a share annual dividend in half to save $566 million a year; cut pay significantly for top executives and directors; drop salaries for lower-level employees; trim GM's lineup of more than 80 U.S. models; and get rid of the Saab and Hummer brands to focus on cor…

The carmaker's 74-year-old vice-chairman on what it'll take to rebuild the brand: Attractive new models, more focus, and a bit of patience Perhaps no single personality in the auto industry conjures as much attention, praise, or controversy as General Motors' venerable new-car czar, Robert "Bob" Lutz. When he joined GM in September, 2001, after retiring from Chrysler in 1998, he lighted hope among longtime GM watchers and company lifers that he could bring style and spirit to a carmaker derided for building a parade of prosaic models. During the past year, with GM losing almost $4 billion and market share sinking, Lutz has been under mor…

What are the odds of the GM leaders waking up and do something that would make a great impression on Washington and the rest of the country. When they go back to Washington drive the best new product and efficent product you have and even bring a few Future mules like a Volt. If Rick drove up and parked at the Capital steps in a Volt Mule that made it all the way from Detroit alone with a Cruze and a hand full of their best hybirds it would not only put it on Washington but it would show what GM is really doing to a uninformed public. Make a show of this a show of what really is going on. Leave the Jets and SUV's at home and show how GM is and will compete in the…

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…

One thing I find funny about the internet - it gives me a chance to find all of the douche bags of the world and watch them open their word holes and have diarrhea come pouring out at just the click of my mouse. All from the comfort of my own home! http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/artic...,yhoo,msft,goog

GM cars play action heroes in 'Transformers' Ann Job | Link to Original Article @ DetNews HOLLYWOOD, Calif . -- The folks at General Motors Corp. are walking around a little starry-eyed these days, with an extra spring in their step and Hasbro toys in their hands. In a product placement coup, four GM vehicles, including a new generation Chevrolet Camaro due out in 2009, won starring roles in the heavily hyped new action flick, "Transformers." While automakers regularly wheel and deal to place their cars in films, GM's vehicles are cast as shape-shifting action stars in the expected summer blockbuster directed by Michael Bay. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Gene…

NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW: Rick Wagoner CEO of General Motors Feels 'Completely' Secure in His Job: 'I Know in the End, All of Us Are Going to be Judged on Accomplishments' On Calls For 'New Blood' in GM Management: 'That Is So Simplistic ... That Would Be The Biggest Risk I've Ever Heard Of' NEW YORK, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner tells Newsweek's Detroit Bureau Chief Keith Naughton he is particularly annoyed by critical media coverage that fails to acknowledge any progress at the troubled company. "They talk about that we are not moving to address the problems," he tells Naughton in the April 10 issue (on newsstands Monday, April 3). "I want to say…

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."

General Motors said it sold 9.369,524 vehicles worldwide last year,up 3 percent from 2006,which also beat out Toyota for the top spot,Toyota sold 9,366,000 vehicles in 2007.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/bob-lutz-to-st...nd-of-2009.html

UAW should be re-named United Assholes Bitches

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…

General Motors has been mandated by the U.S. government to shed brands as part of its restructuring process. Recent reports indicate that the General is hard at work, as three buyers are reportedly seeking to purchase Hummer, while a Chinese company may have interest in Buick. The Hummer fire-sale has been ongoing, but a brutal economy and non-existent credit markets have made a sale even less probable. Reuters is reporting that GM has than three bidders for the Sierra Club's symbol of excess, with one potential buyer from the U.S. and two others overseas. The price of Hummer is reportedly somewhere between $100-$200 million in cash, plus assurances that the buyer will …

April 5 (Bloomberg) -- Two years ago, General Motors Corp. promised dealers it would do whatever it took to reverse falling sales in the American cities that set the industry's trends. The slump has only worsened. Toyota Motor Corp. outsells GM two-to-one in Los Angeles and by a slightly smaller margin in Miami, according to U.S. data compiled by R.L. Polk & Co. In the New York City metropolitan area, where GM had a 4.5 percentage point lead in market share five years ago, Toyota has surged to a four-point advantage. Full Story below. GM Fails to Halt Toyota Sales Gains in U.S. Cities

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

Plunging market share, huge layoffs and a copycat filing by Ford. Those are just a few of the likely outcomes if GM can't avoid bankruptcy court. By Robert Walberg Rick Wagoner, chief executive of General Motors, has tried to comfort investors by saying GM has no plans to file for bankruptcy protection. Cold comfort, I'd say. The company's deeds, if not the CEO's words, point to an acute need for some sort of bankruptcy plan, even if just as a contingency. Consider: GM (GM, news, msgs) lost nearly $4 billion over the last year; its credit rating dropped to junk status; car sales plunged as GM built bigger cars and trucks just as gas prices s…

Can GM make hip happen? From YouTube to Jay-Z to student stunts, the automaker works the cool factor. Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News Link to Original Article @ DetNews General Motors Corp. wants a hip replacement. So the automaker infiltrated YouTube and put pop star Gwen Stefani in an SUV. It let rapper Jay-Z create a paint color and got a bunch of college students to live for a week inside a compact car. It's all part of a campaign dreamed up by the marketing minds at GM to create an aura of cool around the vehicle lineup they're working to reinvent. But can a mega-company `like GM -- built on mass appeal and known more for trend-following than trend-setting …

By SHARON TERLEP and NEAL E. BOUDETTE The Wall Street Journal A few months ago, General Motors flooded the prime-time airwaves with commercials introducing the G8, a big, powerful sedan that is supposed to re-energize GM’s Pontiac brand. But the ad blitz hasn’t had much effect. In August, GM’s 2,712 U.S. Pontiac dealers sold only 1,915 G8s — not even one per dealer. GM has problems on many fronts, including high gasoline prices, falling truck sales and billions in losses. The G8 illustrates one problem that’s often overlooked: The automaker’s lineup contains many vehicles that deliver barely any bang for the buck. Consider the Saab 9-5 sedan. GM promotes its Swe…

http://www.autonet.ca/News/story.cfm?story...1549930-cp.html Too bad this list doesn't include j-bodies...I could really use $6,000

York elected to GM board DETROIT – The General Motors Board of Directors today elected Jerome York to the GM Board, effective February 7, 2006. He will serve on the Board’s Public Policy Committee and Investment Funds Committee. “Jerry brings years of business experience and knowledge of the automotive industry to the GM Board,” said Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive officer. “We are pleased to welcome him to our Board.” York is a consultant to Tracinda Corp., the beneficial owner of approximately 9.9 percent of the common stock of GM. Tracinda Corp. is owned by Kirk Kerkorian. In his past business career, York spent 30 years in the automotive industry,…

Hybrids great on gasoline savings but not expense, study finds Based on $5-a-gallon fuel, Edmunds.com ranks the gas-only Chevrolet Aveo hatchback No. 1 in terms of total ownership cost. Honda's partly electric-powered Civic comes in 10th, while Toyota's Prius is 26th. By Martin Zimmerman | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer June 26, 2008 Beating out hybrids, the Honda Fit made it to the top of Consumer Reports' list of 10 most economical new cars. It ranked third on a similar list from Edmunds.com. (Honda) Hybrids may be tops when it comes to saving gasoline, but they're far from the best choice for budget-conscious car buyers, a new study says. The four-door ha…

Check out our 2nd spy pic. The REAR of Zeta featuring MASSIVE quad exhaust pipes and Holden Torana like styling! http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=659 To build on the excitement of General Motors worldwide products C&G has obtained the rights to publish this image of the 2007 Holden Commodore. What's so special about this vehicle? It is based upon the hottest of hot architectures General Motors currently has to offer. No, I'm not talking about in terms of sales, but rather speculation and rumors that have spread rampant around the 'net since C&G first broke the story some three years ago on the old boards of Zeta. There have been…

The article written by Jerry Flint spreads the blame around for the dreadful pickle the Domestic Automobile Manufacturers are facing. There is more than enough to go around. Blame that is, not pickles. The Link: http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2008/063...artner=yahoomag

General Motors' increasingly empty coffers could consign the Cadillac Converj show car to 'concept only' status. The Detroit Auto Show coupe has been the subject of production rumors since before it rolled onto the stage in Cobo earlier last week, but now Automotive News is reporting that GM may not have enough money to make Converj a reality. AN quotes GM vice chairman Bob Lutz as saying that the Converj is far from a done deal: Our take? The angularly gorgeous Cadillac was designed around the same extended-range Voltec architecture as Chevrolet's forthcoming Volt, itself a spectacularly expensive research and development effort. GM is clearly committed to makin…