oldshurst442

Lord Of War (I forgot about this scene...was pleasantly surprised again to see the Poncho) American Beauty (Totally forgot about this too...I must now acquire either a '70 442 W-30 or '73 Trans Am SD455 so I could passively aggressively tell my wife too that "I rule")

Watching play-off hockey is sooooo relaxing when your team aint in it anymore...

I JUST SAW A LOVELY LADY IN THE STANDS WEARING AN EXPOS CAP AT THE VEGAS GAME!!! YIPPI!!! Or should I say...YOUPPI!!! But...2-0 for the Golden Nights

No...it aint. Smoke and mirrors... Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are another beast all together, but cryptocurrencies and Tesla perceived value are valued on the same smoke and mirrors principles. When GM had to go through bankruptcy, the company's debts and expenses were put on one side and closed down and a new company emerged. But THAT could only happen when there is a REAL value attached to a company. 600 billion attached to Tesla is NOT a real value. Restructuring of GM had many valuable assets going for them. REVENUE streams WERE healthy for one. Actual sales of automobiles is another. Did you know that Pontiac's sales, Hummer's sales, SAAB's sales and Saturn sales in 2008, the year prior GM went bankrupt and FORCED to close down these brands had MORE sales than Tesla has now at their peak? Pontiac in 2008 had 267 000 sales Saturn had 188 000 Saab had 21 000 Hummer had 27 000 That makes a total of 535 000 units. Tesla produced 509 737 and delivered 499 550 in 2020... GM SHUT DOWN brands that TOTALED MORE SALES than TESLA produces and delivers in 2020... In 2009 at the bankruptcy these brands totaled half of that with 252 00 sales... You put too much value in stock price values...stock price values are MANIPULATED...smoke and mirrors...

Battle of the Sin Cities.

smoke and mirrors, my friend. smoke and mirrors.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a36715189/jay-leno-production-quarter-mile-record-tesla-model-s-plaid/ Jay however, talks about American ingenuity when talking about the Model S Plaid....a necessary uptake as compared to the bashing that is done in this thread.

My point being: Tesla's car manufacturing may fail them to the point of where consumers might not want to buy Tesla vehicles. Especially if Tesla does not give a proper 2nd generation to their current crop of cars. The Roadster 2.0 is a halo car. If it didnt exist, Tesla could have used the Model S as its halo car so by having a Rodster 2.0 in the line-up wont change much. However, if a 2nd gen Model S does NOT show up anytime soon, anything from Cadillac or Porsche or Audi and anybody else that could meet and especially beat the Model S' performance specs in speed and in battery and range performance, Tesla is SCREWED!!! And I could feel it in my gut, that GM WILL meet and beat Telsa's tech. VW too. And if the marketing hooh-la-la of Lucid is genuine, not good for Tesla and the Model S IF the Model S stays as a gen 1 offering. And THEN when THAT happens, then the bread and butter models WILL be affected. ESPECIALLY if the Model 3 and Model Y dont get gen 2s, but even if they stay with that gen 1 look...because as we see with the Ford Mach E, a new, shinier model will ALWAYS sell better than an older, passé vehicle. And when THAT happens, because Im afraid it will, revenue streams from selling cars will dwindle, carbon credit sales will be non-existent and then the car making business for Tesla is done for. But like I said earlier, Tesla's powertrain and battery tech is still second to none. Even if VW and GM could and will meet and beat it, its still on top and Tesla could just relegate itself to sell its platforms to OEMs. And this would be a great money making endeavor for Tesla. Powered by Tesla could be a very powerful marketing tool for many body shell "coach builders". Something a reminisce about it from the pioneering days...

Profit is such a delicate definition...especially when it comes to corporate capitalism. But that is neither here nor there. The conversation SHOULD steer itself AWAY from all other OEMs and it should really JUST BE about Tesla. Tesla's revenue streams are a delicate issue. There is revenue. From all kinds of sources. But as far as the revenue streams that are DIRECTLY related to its car selling business, and how efficient it could build them, well, this is where the problem lies for Tesla. It does sell enough cars for a viable revenue stream. Heck, that revenue stream helps Tesla put money back into the company with Tesla's construction of battery fabrication factories AND car fabrication factories and it also helps investors tom continue to invest in Tesla's stocks. THAT is a good thing as money that Tesla needs to use is there for various projects that need to be made in the future. But... Tesla's manufacturing is inefficient and costs money to the company. THAT leads to Tesla having quality issues too, which also cuts into the bottom line. Market erosion is also happening from at least 2 OEM giants (VW and Ford of all places) and from China's car companies and there hasnt been a full onslaught of competition yet from any of the OEMs. GM hasnt entered the fight yet. But its coming here and in China... Side track from GM and contrast: GM's manufacturing inefficiencies was only because there were too many brands...NOT because of a lack of an understanding of how to manufacture cars. Unlike Tesla. GM's quality problems because of shytty bean counting...NOT because of shytty manufacturing. Tesla over engineers in some places needlessly and under engineers in others. Not because of bean ccounting, but because of a lack of experience. All GM had to do is NOT cheap out on the processes... GM's market erosion WAS because of cheap bean counted products...BUT GM still had and still has a very very healthy market share. People bought and continue to buy GM products. Tesla is being questioned even by those investors who truly believe in them right now. Its funny, even when GM was dragged through all that mud during the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s. 10s and now 20s, especially during the bankruptcy, GM was NEVER questioned about their existence. Many people wanted their solvency, but even those people, they just knew GM was really not in danger of selling any cars... Can we say the same with Tesla now? Selling carbon credits is not a way to keep a business afloat. Tesla has to figure out a more efficient way to manufacture a vehicle. The Cybertruck is said to be engineered in a way for Tesla to make money. But the Cybertruck wont be selling in any high volumes to KEEP Tesla afloat. If the Cybertruck indeed ever goes on sale to begin with. Their bread and butter model...the Model 3 and Model Y , even with the new manufacturing plant in China...is still a manufacturing mess... Again...something that GM in 2009 NEVER had to face...

In all honesty...GM's "bankruptcy" was not a conventional one. It was a solvency that was restructured. Because there actually was revenue streams that were coming in. Pretty SUBSTANTIAL revenue streams at that. Its just that a lot of waste and fat had to be trimmed and why a restructure was presented as a solution instead of liquidating the company and dissolving it. Tesla on the other hand, is not like GM where there is a healthy revenue stream from actual selling of cars. Tesla does spend billions in factories and their proprietary EV charging network which negates their revenue streams as the revenue coming in just goes directly back into the company. HOWEVER...much data including Sandy Munroe concludes that Tesla's manufacturing of automobiles is very very inefficient. GM did not have that problem. Sales were also there for GM. (Tesla's market share going forward after 2023-2024 is under scrutiny too) GM's problems were that they had an enormous amount of expenses. Not even debt. Their debt load WAS manageable. Banks did not want to loan them money BECAUSE there was an over all (and global) bank meltdown (thanks to greedy American bank mortgage loans etc)... It was their expenses that really did them in.

Id say with the Roadster 1.0 Tesla was considered a legit car company even with just that car and it was just a conversion job. Elon wanted a legit Tesla EV with a REAL EV platform and that is how the Model S came about, but Tesla as a company starts with the Roadster as the REAL Tesla technology and raison d'etre is the battery tech and electric motor. To this day, Tesla is considered a tech company with their battery tech, motor and software front and center ahead of their car production...

Tesla is not going to go bankrupt. At least not in the 2020s. In the 2030s...who knows? Too many "investors" have poored too many billions into this to just let it fail. However, if Tesla CARS dont overtake the competition in sales market share, then who knows what will happen next. Consumers NEED to BUY your vehicles to STAY IN business... THAT is just how...business works. However, if Tesla cars wont exist, Tesla powertrains and batteries IS a thing and Tesla could provide THAT to OEMs that dont want to invest the billions developing their own tech. Volkswagen Group or GM might not be those that would buy Tesla powertrains and batteries as they have their own technologies...but... Toyota might. They have fallen behind. Honda might. Honda will be buying GM tech, but having another option like Tesla might benefit Honda... Mercedes might also. Mercedes EV tech is pathetic as of now... Keep in mind that VW does outsell Tesla is certain markets NOW. Keep in mind that the Ford Mach E also has eroded Tesla market share. GM EVs that actually compares to Tesla, like the GMC Hummer EV, well, the Hummer EV has a very very healthy amount of down deposits for one. Tesla like craze about the Hummer with people...

Did it ever gain momentum in the first place? (on vintage vehicles being electrified) I dont think it ever was THAT huge of a thing. As with "sacrilegious" engine swaps like a Toyota twin turboed inline 6 being dropped in a '69 Camaro or an LS swap in a Mark IV Supra or in an air-cooled Porsche 911 not bothering me, I dont care if a battery electric powertrain gets to be swapped into a classic car. But...I do hurt just a tad inside when the V8 goes away for an electric motor... I do find THIS trend: "On the heels of the news piece where something like 20% of BE vehicle owner are switching back to IC" to be quite interesting though. Not good for the 2035 ICE ban I must admit. Even though I DO think its coming because its more to do with worldwide government regs rather than market place acceptance, there might be a push back by consumers for regs like these...

What did one lung say to the other? we be-lung together! What do you call a lung thief? breathtaking! Thank-you. Thank-you very much!

I needed some cleaning products for my automobiles. Both cars hadnt been cleaned on the inside for quite some time now... I have 3 consecutive days off starting today so I thought Id do some car cleaning. I thought I had some left over but nope, so before heading to work yesterday, I bought some cleaning products. And this is what I saw in the Canadian Tire parking lot. My dad's 1979 Impala seemed to have had the same colour... Say what you will about 1970s cars from GM. Diss, bitch and complain and say that GM's troubles began in the 1970s. I, for one though, LOVE many many GM products from this era. This Poncho right here...long, low and sleek. Beautiful convertible. Miles better looking and interesting than the shyte cars that you could see in the background...

Hey @David K-Pop is a cancer. A vicious one at that! https://ca.news.yahoo.com/kim-jong-un-calls-k-121112259.html Dont look at me...David. Im only regurgitating what the expert of Korea is saying.

Earth is flat?

I cried. Started feeling weak right after she said that she still had cancer in her lungs, spine and liver. And then when she started singing, her beautiful voice, the tears just flowed... I admire her courage.

Oldshurst442 to CCAP: "I bet you do not hear THAT too often..." Everybody on CheersandGears: "Wut? Did he actually say that??? " "What nerve???!!!"

Somebody does not know and understand Benz's history... I suggest that somebody learn it. At the very least, that person could just use Wiki... A couple of merges and acquisitions and introduction of new brands in the early history of Benz motor cars between the three gentlemen that bear confusingly the name of the company today. Herr Benz, Herr Daimler and Herr Maybach all had their own proper automobile companies to which they merged together, collaborated together before and after mergers and created a new brand together with a new name (Mercedes) and further merged and formed and acquired each other's companies to form new companies... And then furthered their merger traditions in the late 1990s with an American company using the name Daimler-Chrysler in the NEW company that if we actually do the math, we would see that at THAT point in time, Daimler-Chrysler had MORE brands then General Motors did... Let us not forget to mention acquisitions of American and European lorry manufacturers... I dont blame him tho, the history of this company and its names are most definitely confusing... But, seeing that he is a fan of the company, Id think he would know better... Mercedes, over time, has taken over as the MAIN brand name... But in this company's history, all three gentlemen had their names of Daimler, Maybach and Benz adorn a vehicle under its convoluted branding system including models under the Mercedes name in the company... All three gentlemen engineered their own stuff on their own brands bearing their names, but also engineered stuff under their mergered and acquisitioned convoluted company. And all three gentlemen worked and engineered stuff on the brand named Mercedes. Same but different when we compare the histories of Dunbar Buick, Louis Chevrolet, Ransom E Olds and GM founder that was ousted but clawed his way back into buying himself into the company and acquiring and buying out Louis and Ransom and creating new brands like Pontiac and Cadillac... Not quite accurate and profound this history lesson, but good enough to put things into perspective to show that GM and Daimler-Benz or whatever they are calling themselves today are indeed apples to apples. The German company just decided to consolidate all models and brands into one name over time. GM decided to create an empire with several brands, then shut down some of these over time but continue on with a multiple brand strategy.

Number 7 was left stranded. Its OK. Im happy anyway. Time to root for Number 25.

E class is bundled with the CLS... In effect, putting the C Class in 3rd place... With the exception of the GLE, what I posted are in effect the models that sell the most in the US... Their bread and butter lease queens... 7600 C Class 7000 GLBs 15 000 GLCs THAT right there, is a LOT (30 000 units) of $38 000 - $43 000 vehicles. And I know those are just starting price points. Id say the avg lease prices of these probably leave the store at 45 000 - 46 000 dollars. Still... If you take a looksie at Buick... https://www.buick.com/ These fall under a Buick level of competition and YOU yourself dont consider Buick as luxury... This little exercise just brings home the points: 1. Mercedes is not entirely luxury...ESPECIALLY to what their bread and butter vehicles selll at IN the USA... 2. Further proof that Mercedes-Benz is akin to General Motors rather than Cadillac. And if we factor in the HOME market of Europe...those A Classes, CLAs and C Class cars are just Chevrolets for Europe...

If the Bruins lose tomorrow... Maybe they should change their pick me up song of Im Shipping Up to Boston... To this: Fits them perfectly... choreography, lyrics and all!!!

Im in hockey/baseball mode...so this would be my version of two Rangers pic(s)

Actually...they ARE a volume brand in the USA. https://www.mbusa.com/en/all-vehicles#vbg-suvs What Im about to post...STRAIGHT from the USA M-B website..are all lease queen specials...meant to get the lessee to spend the least amount of $$$s per month so M-B could roll-out as many of these as possible for volume and market share. The figures YOU love to educate us with when you try to tell us about how LUXURY Mercedes is and how M-B dominates luxury sales and when you talk about M-B in general....