evok

Once GM eliminates the remaining 30,000 + production jobs, their workers/car should be aligned with the same efficiency as Toyota in NA. Based upon 2005 data, Toyota is about 75 workers/car. GM: White collar: 36,000 Production: 106,000 Retirees: 460,000 Toyota: White collar: 17,000 Production: 21,000 Retirees: 1,600

I have said that in the past, it is not a fair comparison to aggragate all the OEMS together as companies.

GM Hiring Temporary Recruits as Union Workers Leave May 24 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. has started hiring non-union workers for temporary jobs at several U.S. plants to replace union employees who are leaving because of buyouts and retirement incentives. ``GM has definitely started contacting locals to get some temporary workers out there,'' said Dennis Henry, 63, president of United Auto Workers Local 160 in Warren, Michigan. ``They're expecting labor shortages because of the attrition program.'' GM needs the new employees to avoid hiring new workers at plants that are closing and to cover shortages caused by buyouts. The Detroit automaker wants ``accelerated attrition'' from as many of its 113,000 union employees as possible. The effort is part of a plan to cut labor costs after losing $10.6 billion last year. GM's agreement with workers allows it to address manpower issues as they arise, spokesman Dan Flores said. He said more than 100 workers have already left. Hiring temporary replacements is the next step in GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner's plan to complete the closing of nine manufacturing plants and three parts depots by 2008. The plant closings are part of annualized cost cuts, including reduced union health-care coverage, expected to total about $7 billion by the end of this year. GM shares rose 92 cents, or 3.8 percent, to $25.40 in trading before the open of the New York Stock Exchange. Merrill Lynch Analyst John Murphy today raised his rating on GM from neutral to buy and set a $37 per share price target on optimism the employee buyout program will boost earnings. If the buyouts aren't sufficient, GM, the world's largest automaker, may need to take other steps to reduce the workforce, Wagoner told reporters two weeks ago, without giving specifics. ``We have to focus on maintaining production levels during the transition,'' Flores said. He confirmed some of the temporary workers have already been hired, and couldn't estimate of how many will ultimately be needed. Current workers have until June 23 to accept retirement or a buyout, some as high as $140,000. Some union employees are receiving letters that let them recommend people for the jobs, said Flores, without saying how many letters are being sent. The March buyout agreement doesn't specify how long the temporary workers could be employed at the plants. Local 160's Henry said 300 of his 2,800 members have taken the buyouts and at least 700 were interested. Some people are leaving July 1, the beginning of GM's regular two-week summer shutdown, Henry said. He expects the temporary workers will make $16 to $17 an hour. A UAW assembly worker earns about $27. ``We're expecting about 78 temps to come in and help out,'' said Jeff Manning, interim president of Local 31, which represents about 3,000 workers who build the Chevrolet Malibu sedan in Kansas City, Kansas. ``Some of them have started already and we'll be getting more in the next couple weeks.'' UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker told union leaders earlier this month that 12,400 GM workers had accepted the buyout offers. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conews&tkr=gm:US

In the case above, I have been told that Chevrolet T900s drove a lot of decision that adversly effected Cadillac on the program. That is the long story.

Such is the case with all of the product details that Cadillac realizes are needed, but absent. "It isn't generally something that is missed," Taylor said. "There is usually a story around it." That means that there is some production capacity, engineering commonality or corporate intrigue sort of obstacle that prevented Cadillac from executing on that particular detail. Ck out the Cadillac thread in GM News.

20,000 units is a large sales difference at a $35,000 average transaction price. That equates to app. $700,000,000 difference in revenue in BMWs favor. Lutz says a lot of things that should be taken at face value. I have info on the program and I assure you, the coupe can be canned tomorrow. The plans are preliminary at this point and if given the final OK, the vehicle is still years away.

The desireablity of Cadillac to the mainstream public is debatable and subjective! But the objective sales trend has shown Cadillac to be growing WITH the larger luxury market as a whole and not outpacing it as the term Renaissance might suggest.

What? So subrtract off 15k - 20k 3 - Series convertibles, wagons and coupes BMW sells in the US from the 105k total if you feel the numbers hide something. The Base Price of a Cadillac CTS is $29,990. The Base Price of the BMW 3 Series is $30,900. Cadillac targeted annual sales in the 50 - 60k/year volume not 30k as you suggest. If GM can develop a global business case for other iterations. Cadillac will not be able to sell enough coupes in the US to justify the investment. Remember that BMW sell 300k 3 Series vehicles globally. Cadillac only sells about 60k CTSs globally. That number is very similar to what is sold in the US.

Once GM eliminates the remaining 30,000 + production jobs, their workers/car should be aligned with the same efficiency as Toyota in NA. Based upon 2005 data, Toyota is about 75 workers/car. GM: White collar: 36,000 Production: 106,000 Retirees: 460,000 Toyota: White collar: 17,000 Production: 21,000 Retirees: 1,600

Let us ask the bigger question "What Cadillac Renaissance?" The recent sales data suggest that Cadillac has stayed pace with the larger and expanding luxury market. As for Lincoln - I just put that in for old time sake! In reality Fords come in three trim levels. There is the base Ford, the mid-level Ford Mercury and the up-level Ford Lincoln.

CaYear ...............................2005 .....2004..... 2003 .........2002....... 2001 Acura.............................. 209,610... 198,919... 170,918... 165,552 ...170,469 BMW division................... 266,200... 260,079... 240,859... 232,032... 213,127 Cadillac........................... 235,002... 234,217... 216,090...199,748... 172,083 Lexus ............................. 302,895... 287,927... 259,755... 234,109... 223,983 Lincoln ........................... 123,207... 139,016... 158,839 ...150,057... 158,934 Mercedes-Benz................ 224,269... 221,366...218,551... 213,225 ...206,638 Infiniti............................. 136,401 ...130,986 ...118,655.... 87,911.... 71,365

It was x-369. I do not remember if the Olds theta ever had a code. t-315,316 and 317 were all Saturns.

The first step is putting this back on the front page. "GM's Biggest Fans and Toughest Critics" And I do not think it will cost to much.

I like your idea a lot.

The targets are not that high!

I have seen that argument used on other boards so I am stating, there is FMVSS 118 on the books that covers express close windows safety requirements for anti pinch. That should put that issue to rest.

Cadillac even still has a long way to go with the V-Series cars. Really I do not care about the performance, that’s a moot point as far as I am concerned. It is the V-series styling treatment that is typical GM tacky, cheesy and ill conceived for the price. I was at my Caddy dealer a couple weeks ago and aesthetically the cars look like pieced together aftermarket jobs out of line with Cadillac historic tradition. This goes back to Cadillac not knowing what the heck it wants to be. The wire mess grill looked like an aftermarket, bling bling job, and no different that the old aftermarked Rolls Royce E&G Classic grills that the dealers installed in the 80s and 90s. Really, the vehicles looked like after thoughts and GM tried too hard to make the products different from the rest of the line up. Suggestion Lutz: Put a traditional egg crate on the vehicles and recycle the old Cadillac V underneath the crest to signify the V cars, instead of copying another OEM with the dumb mess(h) insert. The race “inspired” V and flag looks like it was designed by a committee. Hence tacky and ill conceived. What you currently have is akin to putting black walls on 1985 Eldorados, removing the stand up hood ornament and calling that package the EURO perfomance Touring Coupe! It does not work. It screams, we do not know what we are doing!

Bingo - the key words being to GM customers.

I do not remember the specifics but I do not think that was the case in the late 1990's. By that time the divisions had no power. Get The O.C. into this discussion, he was a lot closer to that program than I was. He might remember the details. Again, memory fails me on the details, but the Gen 1 Aurora died earlier than planned. There was an decision/annoucement back in 1998 or 1999 time frame where the H-C-G bodies would be move back into Orion. At that same time Buick City was going to be closed when the Lasabre was replaced. I think I mentioned earlier that the GMX160 was to be the lead program and be release in 1998 or 1999. Well that was puched back 2 MYs. I believe the Aurora II was an early 2001 introduction. So with Buick City closing (Ceasing 88s), and Aurora delayed and the 88's replacement shifted to Orion, there was a MY missing. The story is not all black and white. Just like Jim Taylor explained on the lack of express up windows in the 900 Escalade, there is a story for everything.

Thats just stupid.

I see how you left out BMW 3 (105k) and the Lexus IS statements.

Well the CTS(61k) was out sold by everyone in its class/price point except for the MB C-Class (60k). And that was just by 1000 vehicles. That includes the following: Acura TL (78K) BMW 3 (105k) Infiniti G35 (69k) Lexus ES (67k) And this year the Lexus IS should outsell the CTS as well. Success compared to what? the Catera! I assume some of what holds the CTS down has been its "uncompetitive interior".

And every time you go to Wal-Mar to buy some tighty whities, sox and wife beaters your money goes to the Chinese Communist Regime. So yes, decide where you want your money to go.

Yes there also was a very early GMX-382 Alero. These programs were never really hard timed as far as I remember. Meaning, there were codes but no serious work ever went into bringing these programs to production prior to the Olds announcememnt. The Olds announcement was in Nov./Dec. 2000.

Just for clarification: There was never a true replacement for the 1st generation Aurora. There never was a true replacement for the G body Riveria. The GMX-160 Oldsmobile was to be the lead vehicle out of the P-O-B H body triplets, prior to it becoming the replacement for the Aurora and the addition of the NSV8 to the program. Oldsmobile was not planned to get a version of sigma. There were tentative plans for Buick to get a version of sigma prior to the A&S Cadillac rebuilt of the GMX320 Catera. But that program was still born early on. Just prior to the cancellation of Olds, there was only 1 program on the books with any chance of reaching production. That was the GMT-360 Bravada. 3 other programs were dotted for Olds but were very early in the development. They were: GMX-369 Intrigum (Profile Concept off Eps wide) GMT-235 Minivan GMT-259 Joaquim/GMT-31? Theta Crossover