Newbiewar

well... I suppose like we say, if it flys it dies... nothing gets past us... unless we miss

Former Toyota USA President Jim Press Never Owned A Toyota Or Lexus The Chrysler media blog's got an interview with the new Vice-Chairman of "The New Chrysler," Jim Press. Much of it's a nice little flufferview of the guy who until being snagged by Cerberus, spent thirty years at Toyota, eventually becoming President of Toyota USA and the only non-Japanese ToMoCo board member. Still, at the end of the interview was a little blurb that stood out as shockingly note-worthy: "Press has always loved cars. He built his first go-cart at age seven, got his first car when he was 12. At age 13, he started washing cars at his family's dealership in Kansas. But he said he never bought a Toyota or Lexus. The only vehicle he owns is a Yamaha motorcycle. But he'll soon be driving Chrysler vehicles." Are you kidding us -- the guy worked for Toyota for over 30 years and never once bought one of the vehicles he sold? We're stunned. Seriously, stunned. Full verbiage of the post below the jump. Press Sees Strength in Dealers, Investment in Future from Cerberus Posted Sep 27, 2007, 10:34 AM by Mike Ellis He's been on the job for less than a week, but brings a wealth of automotive experience to Chrysler. So what does Jim Press, the new Vice Chairman and President, think needs to change at Chrysler? Ask the Chrysler workers and dealers - they already know what changes need to be made, he said in a candid interview with the TheFirehouse. "One of the things I've learned over the years is the talent in the organization doesn't rest wherever the executive floor might be," he said on Wednesday. "What we need to do is create the atmosphere and the environment for people to realize and do what they need to do to take care of the customer." "I don't have any playbook, I don't have any secret codes, and there's no silver bullet here. It's about empowering the organization, driving decision making closer to the level where they know what needs to be done, closer to the customer." Press has already visited three Chrysler dealerships during his first four days on the job, and he plans to visit many more. Chrysler dealers have weathered good times and bad, they have more seniority than Chrysler management, and nobody knows more about how to sell cars. The veteran dealers and the strong workforce are some of the reasons he joined Chrysler from Toyota, Press said. "I have a saying and that is the strongest steel comes from the hottest fire, and there's been a lot of fire here and there's a lot of strength," he said. When asked why he is so sure that Chrysler will gain market share in the future, he said that Chrysler vehicle lineup gives him confidence. "The bones of our products are really strong. They're emotional, they're fun, they're exciting. They have an appeal that other products don't have. And they have good integrity." Chrysler's competitors are growing fiercer, he said, but "they're starting to face a little bit of a headwind themselves, and I think that opens the door for us," he said. "We're nimble. We have new ownership. Our new ownership has empowered us to do things right. We don't have a lot of constraints that other companies do. We can be nimble, we can be fast, we can be flexible." The foresight and the capital of parent Cerberus Capital Management gives Chrysler a great advantage, he said. "We have been given the opportunity to earmark a ton of money for development of advanced products," he said. "Things that are really necessary to have a strong foundation for the future are being put in place. And one of them is product development of advanced technology." Another reason for optimism is the opportunity to expand the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands outside the United States, he said. "If you look at the global auto market, do you know that we're adding a 100,000 cars a day to the planet. And someone else is selling all those vehicles outside the United States, and we ought to get our share, especially if we can get our 10 or 11 percent share here outside," he said. Press has always loved cars. He built his first go-cart at age seven, got his first car when he was 12. At age 13, he started washing cars at his family's dealership in Kansas. But he said he never bought a Toyota or Lexus. The only vehicle he owns is a Yamaha motorcycle. But he'll soon be driving Chrysler vehicles

only words that come to mind are "GETTER DONE"

honnestly i hope i never see one of those missles fire off... going to kuwait at the start of the year... and if iran gets violent... they've got more firepower then we do

reminds me of the maxima...

my f-body network is... well limited but hopefully we'll get someone

i know a few people... myspace will hopefully find you a buyer

well one of the problems with the chevy is its soo light compared to the ford... also... the Ford doesnt have nearly the flex in the axel as the chevy... it was one thing that we learned while we got the new product... this was one thing they stressed, that if you go slow over major dips and bumps, the ford will tip one way or another... where as the chevy can really tuck those wheels into their wheel welds, one reason this is kind of designed against chevy... the ford doesnt have the tortional strength as the chevy either... they broke the frame on the ford while trying to test it against the chevy for one whos gonna drive on a road like that... at that speed... i take the humvee over whoops like that, i dont take my 3500 sierra over woops like that at that speed and like one person mentioned... you can find the frequency in all suspension set ups... and they happened to run all the vehicles at fords optimum speed... try running it at chevys speed or toyota, where they look the best, and see how much the ford bounces or what not

my thinking is it will appear as a onetime expense similar to the buyout of 30k employees... its the same thing... in my opinion and the same thing as far as taxes are concerned... i beleive...

Well... its a little unorthadox as far as the lines go... but if you look past that... i've incorperated my work with my hobbies... what do you think?

i've seen an opel astra over in new mexico, holloman airforce base a week or so ago... must have picked it up in a tour of a german airforce base... but i was hardly impressed... not to saying it is the exact same car, a recent model... looks pretty similar to what i've seen online... but i'd say i'd probably by the cobalt over what i saw... maybe the interior or the way it drives is better... or maybe it was just a couple years older... just noticed it in a parking lot... didnt really pay it much attention other then that... i did a double take on the emblem... looked at the liscense plate... looked like the american plates fit naturally...

doesnt GM generally pay somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-8 billion a year on healthcare? so thinking about that you'd think if not managed properly the 35 billion could be blown through in 6 years? just like the UAW deal with the catapiller employees?

hrmm never thought of it like that although in the lyrics it never says "lights down low" Well, I ain't Burt Reynolds and I ain't Tom Selleck; I got bills up the pike and my car's an old relic. I get Chevrolet pay but I've got a big smile 'Cause my little Baby loves me Cadillac style! Well, I don't have a condo in Panama City. You could say I'm a member of the Poor Boy Commitee. But I kinda feel rich when I've been with her a while 'Cause my little Baby loves me Cadillac style! Well, about ten thirty, Lord, she puts me in drive, Turns all the lights down and man, alive! All eight cylinders are firin' in line, I'm never out of gas and I'm always on time! Well, I ain't Goldfinger and I ain't Joe Fashion And you can't buy much with the checks I'm cashin'. So, people, if you wonder why I'm a-ridin' with a smile It's 'cause my little Baby loves me Cadillac Style. Well, about ten thirty, Lord, she puts me in drive Turns all the lights down and man, alive! All eight cylinders are firin' in line, I'm never out of gas and I'm always on time! Well, I ain't Goldfinger and I ain't Joe Fashion, And you can't buy much with the checks I'm cashin'. So, people, if you wonder why I'm a-ridin' with a smile, It's 'cause my little Baby loves me Cadillac style. Yeah, my little Baby loves me Cadillac Style! Well, my little Baby loves me Cadillac style guess he's sleeping around, but still gets back to his wife ontime? when he said well my little bably loves me... thought he was refering to his car... but who knows

Union Corruption Watchdog Criticizes GM/UAW Deal on Health Care; Says Congress Should Hold Hearings on 'Lousy Deal' for Retirees FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today objected to the tentative contract agreement between General Motors (GM) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) to transfer more than $50 billion health care in liabilities to a fund controlled by the union. Dr. Carl Horowitz, director of the Organized Labor Accountability Project and editor of Union Corruption Update, reacted by saying, "This is a great deal for GM. They get to shed billions in obligations made to former workers. It is a great deal for the UAW. Gettelfinger and his cronies get to control billions in health care dollars. It is a lousy deal for retirees and future retirees who may lose some or all of their benefits." Horowitz continued, "Union-controlled health and benefit plans lack transparency. That is why they so often get looted by corrupt union officials. The UAW is not clean. As we have documented, many unions have been plagued by a number of benefit scandals in recent years." "Union-controlled health and benefit plans often shortchange union members and retirees. Instead of getting the best deal for participants, these plans are often characterized by cozy, inside deals beneficial to the union bosses, and on occasion, organized crime. With the staggering size of this proposed health fund, the UAW bosses must be salivating." Horowitz concluded, "Congress should hold hearings on what this deal means to the tens of thousands of GM retirees and future retirees. Neither GM nor the UAW can be counted on to act in the best interests of workers. Putting the union in charge of this health fund creates a potentially huge conflict of interest for UAW leaders."

i think your mistaken with this... expenses are not like assets and are not taxed as such... you dont profit from expenses, they are just deducted from overall earnings... thus a tax write off... so in essance GM's not going to get as big a tax write off as they had previous years, but... tax write offs are not nearly as good as never spending the money in the first place so... after about 4-5 years GM will break even as if they had not had the one time lump sum of 35 billion, but after that... it frees up their cash flow considerably... like bob lutz was saying in 5 years they will be the most profitable auto manufacture... you dont have to show anything for that 15 billion if i understand this correctly... sure this will be a one time expenses that will look terrible on income statements... a few years ago GM was preparing to pay almost 8 billion per year on health care contracts... this 35 billion will do a lot for their books... at least the longevity... but like the UAW catapiller reitires are concerned for the UAW of GM because they got a veba in 98 and after 6 years the money was depleted...

a little competition for business is never a bad thing, expecially when it comes to labor industry... I wonder if we'll see major land deals and tax breaks again... would be nice if the CAW helped the big 3 to newer and better agreements with the nation and local officials to get contracts for such discounts... labor is only half the ball game new factories, investments... can come at the expense of taxs while new CAW members are received for longevity

not really... its a lot more then that this 50 billion has to provide for UAW for the next 80 years its the UAW job to invest it right and save it so their members can count on that health care

i dont know if anyones watched the video but can that cadillac be identified... since its not an inline http://music.aol.com/video/cadillac-style/...kershaw/1346472

"All eight cylinders are firin' in line, I'm never out of gas and I'm always on time"

hrmm... well at least guess the song? in the music video it shows what appears to be a 60 model, 2 door convertable... massive car

poetic license?

Okay, lets start from the top... a song about cadillacs... but once thats figured out... the singer says all 8 fire inline... which cadillac model is he refering to that had an i8 note i dont know the model but i do know the song

I think GM's profile of recently launched vehicles or new vehicles is about to shine... new vehicles that i'm aware Silverado Sierra GMT900 Hybrids Saturn astra New Saturn Vue Saturn Outlook Saturn aura (still gaining sales) Pontiac G8 Pontiac Vibe (yuck, doesnt really help gm) Chevy Malibu Cadillac CTS GMC arcaida Buick Enclave these vehicles will probably start to really shine through in 6 more months as next spring and tax returns start coming in... then 6 months after that we have the camaro, possible ute, possibly new lacross, the chinese (holden) buick luxuary sedan really dont know whats up with saab... but i think hummer is supposed to get something new soon... sales should be good for a while... hopefully get a GMT900 refresh by 2010 or 09, just to spice up sales and let the chassis last a few more years

property tax is a bitch... expecially with land costing millions for 1 acre...

signing bonuses to UAW members to approve the contract; and wage increase of 3 percent in the second year, 4 percent in the second year and 3 percent in the third. you have 2 wage increases for the second year... assuming its 3% first 4% second 3% third?