Lexcar14

Those cars are not mainstream vehicles. SUV's are not popular in Europe at all. Europeans, especially Germans, obsess about where products are made, unlike Americans. You'll hardly see any mainstream vehicles from the big auto companies that are made in N.A. or Asia for the European market. Even Toyotas are made in Europe! When Europeans go out and buy something, they first look at where it's made, whereas Americans look at the price tag. That's just a cultural difference. So I highly doubt you'll see Opels for Europe made in Tennessee. Ain't happening.

Well the Lambda's would need to sell the same or more in volume to supplant the midsize SUV's. I just can't imagine GM seceding that market to the Explorer, Cherokee, 4Runner, and Pathfinder.

I would think it helps Lambda too. But no way GM dumps the TB and Envoy. 319,000 a year is still a hefty number. And GM does make some profit off it.

Now I support giving Kerkorian a seat on the GM board!!

UNBELIEVABLE! Maybe this is a hint that Wagoner may be leaving soon? He seems awfully interested in securing his retirement while the company is slipping! He should be worried about securing some RWD platforms, new engines, and fresh designs, instead of worrying about his pension. This guy needs to go before it's too late.

I gotta agree, the marketing at GM is atrocious! It's been like that for ages too. I think Wagoner should go too. He's a not a car guy, and it shows. Bringing Lutz was a great move, but Lutz is not the CEO. At the end of the day, Wagoner makes the decisions. I don't know who they could bring in, but GM does need a new leader, IMHO.

Well Ghosn actually lives in Paris, France, so he's far removed from the situation. He was just looking at the move in pure dollars and cents. Nissan is keeping the design team in Cali though, so I think it does make sense in the end for the company.

Ghosn was responding to questions at an award dinner in NYC. Seems to be slamming management at GM and Ford, without mentioning them by names. "There is no good management with bad results." "When you are in an industry like the auto industry the best practices exist everywhere," says Ghosn. "You can figure out how they [the winners] are doing it. Forget the past, and forget the excuses. Copy those best practices." It was clear that Ghosn was talking about Detroit. "There's a lack of accountability when someone fails and gets promoted." There is trouble when you create a culture where failure is sanctioned. Then he adds, "There is a lot of incompetence in the industry." "GM problems you can fix them. Ford problems you can fix them. If you can see the problem as it is, you can always fix it." http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2005/11/2...artner=yahootix

Well as far as introducing new brands, I think Americans are far more welcoming of something new and trendy than in other countries. Look at Scion! It's been very successful. Saturn was a new brand in 1994, when it was at the height of it sales success. New car brands can do well in N.A., and I think with Holden and Opel, GM will have its competitors reeling. GM could also regain market share it lost with Oldsmobile. It's a bold and risky move, but it's visionary and could shake up the entire auto industry in N.A.

Actually, I live in Kentucky, in the backyard of the Camry plant. Everyone around here reflexively buys Toyota, unless it's a full size truck. I just think 2 new brands in America would be a good way for GM to regain market share and get back into conversations.

It's true that Saturn will basically be Opel, but GM needs to shake up their lineup. It costs way too much money to dump a brand, but less expensive to change the names and logo. Chevrolet, Cadillac are fine, but something needs to be done with Pontiac and Buick especially. They're good cars, but people don't wanna say they own one. Changing names is the quickest way to change perceptions. GM can't afford to wait another decade. Look at Buick in China! They're booming! But most of the cars are just rebadged Daewoos and Opels. I think something in the reverse could be successful here.

This is a long a term strategy and may be the thing needed to make GM cars wanted by the public again. I think that GM needs to bring the Holden and Opel nameplates to N. America. I don't wanna get rid of Buick, Pontiac, or Saturn, but I think the names need to be changed. Pontiacs and Buicks are just not in people's minds anymore when they think of buying a car. They are not considered 'cool' cars to own. If GM brings over those 2 new nameplates, I really think GM could make more sales. After all, those would be considered import autos, even though they're GM. When you tell someone you bought a new Buick or Pontiac, you shouldn't have to defend yourself. Bringing Holden and Opel nameplates may do the trick to get the bad perception out of people's heads.

I'm not sure Toyota would buy them cause Toyota wouldn't need GM. They don't like buying companies either. Plus, I think Toyota would be gun shy due to the political ramifications of a Japanese company buying GM. Ghosn and Zetsche are very ambitious and have huge egos. They would both love to be the head of the largest car company in the world, so I could see them jumping for it. But since Ghosn is French, that might not be a good thing. Zetsche is the only bitter pill that could be swallowed. But I believe they would move DCX-GM to Detroit so that it would still 'technically' be an American company, just with German management. Actually DCX thought about moving their hq's to Michigan after their merger, but Schremp changed his mind about it.

Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, and Nissan-Renault are the only auto companies with enough money to buy a faltering GM. VW is about broke, Ford is in the red, BMW and Honda are too small. Here's my prediction...DCX. Zetsche takes over the helm...merges Mercedes, Chrysler and GM into a global juggernaut and moves the company headquarters to Detroit, so as to appease Americans. They'll probably get rid of some overlapping brands for N.A. GM has too many valuable assets around the world like Holden, Daewoo, Chevrolet, and Cadillac, and Opel. It's the largest automaker in China. GM will never disappear. Before they would go into a bankruptcy, I think the GM brass will try to get with another company.

GM is far too valuable to wollow in bankruptcy forever. Sadly, it would likely be bought by another auto company. In bankruptcy, GM would be able to jettison those pesky UAW contracts and pension obligations. After that, GM would be a prime takeover target by a company such as DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, or Nissan/Renault. GM has a lot of valuable assets and strong markets in Asia for any other company to ignore. Honestly, if GM declared bankruptcy, it wouldn't bother me if DCX bought them and maybe moved their headquarters from Stuttgart to Detroit. DCX would then stop the Toyota juggernaut. Personally, I think GM needs a new CEO. The company is just taking way too many hits to the gut. The company needs new blood, and fast.

Hasn't Wagoner & Co. been predicting this slide for the longest time? I think they knew that the fall would be rough, so this isn't a surprise. I think they're biding they're time until the beginning of the year when the new SUV's coming out. I really don't see GM filing bankruptcy this quickly. Besides, they got a lot of assets that could be sold, like GMAC and stuff, before they file Ch. 11.

A lot of people buy hybrids for environmental reasons as well, especially in California, not just for pure savings. Hybrid engines are much more cleaner and efficient...that's a fact.

Yeah, I think the front end could be kinda Cadillac-ish too. Can't you just see some future Cadillac with the same exact headlights? I wonder why GM didn't think of making the same exact tailights for the Impala? These tailights look good on the Ferrari, but I think they would've looked good on the new Impala as well.

The rear of this car is nearly identical to the Cobalt's. The car though is really stunning. I love the front end. It's very simple, but very elegant. And the interior is the best I've seen in a Ferrari. Ferrari

Well after staring at the pics forever, I've found myself liking it each more I look at it. They're certainly very unique and will stand out on the highway. I think these are SUV's that you'll need to appreciate more in person.

I actually own a 2004 Honda Accord coupe and I love it so far. I don't like the looks of the 2006 model. It doesn't look that much different than mine. I do wish I had the LED's though! But don't worry, I'm a huge GM fan. :) The Accord is the only big coupe that looks good, IMO. The old Monte just is too funny looking for me.

YES, dealer orders indicate a sale cause in Europe, unlike in America, most customers order their cars from the factory. Very few cars are sold from lots, at least new ones. In fact, it's very common for customers in Europe to buy their cars in cash. When I told my European friends I financed my new car, they looked at me like I was on crack or something. :blink: