Newbiewar

yea, something like that... many people from the big three went to the asians... now they are returning the favor when toyota's budget for white colar shrinks, the ones in need (big 3) grow...

Official: Sorry for touting Asian cars September 20, 2007: 07:36 PM EST Sep. 20, 2007 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- WASHINGTON (AP) - A Bush administration official apologized Thursday for a newsletter sent to thousands of government employees that encouraged them to consider fuel-efficient vehicles built by Japanese automakers. 'I deeply regret that our newsletter offended anyone, especially those Americans working in the automobile industry and the millions of people who make American automobile manufacturers successful,' said Joe Ellis, the Department of Health and Human Services' assistant secretary for administration and management. Some domestic automakers and Michigan's 15 House members have complained about an Aug. 17 e-mail sent by the agency to its 67,000 employees asking them to consider a list of a dozen green cars -- none of which were built by Detroit-based companies. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., on Tuesday called the e-mail 'way out of line.' The list, from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, didn't include any vehicles from General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) , Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F PRS) (NYSE:F PRA) (NYSE:F) or Chrysler LLC. All of the cars were made by Japanese or South Korean automakers. Ellis said in a statement that the 'newsletter highlighted vehicles not made by American manufacturers, thereby giving the impression that HHS was encouraging employees to buy foreign makes of cars.' 'Nothing could be further from our intent. Clearly, the newsletter strayed from its purpose of sharing information about energy conservation that is relevant to working for our department. In sending such a newsletter, we implied that we endorsed the purchase of cars not made by American companies,' he said. In the e-mail, an edition of the department's 'Energy News,' a quarterly newsletter, the department wrote 'fortunately, there are efficient options for a consumer to choose from when selecting a vehicle to drive. ... A couple of high profile (hybrid) releases for 2007 are the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Nissan Altima Hybrid.' It was produced by the Department of Health and Human Services' office of facilities management and policy, which falls under Ellis' jurisdiction. Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines said the department 'did the right thing.' Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said it was nice that the department was apologizing but 'I remain concerned that such a communication was sent in the first place.' 'It would seem to me that HHS officials should focus upon their mission of ensuring food and drugs are safe, and providing health care to our children, rather than issuing inaccurate advice that appears to endorse foreign made products,' Stupak said. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chrysler's Press Says US Auto Makers Will Regain Share September 20, 2007: 06:35 PM EST DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- The new president and vice chairman of Chrysler LLC, who recently headed Toyota Motor Corp.'s ™ North American business, said Thursday he expects Chrysler and other U.S. auto makers to re-gain market share after years of slipping to foreign rivals. Jim Press, who was tapped by new Chrysler majority owner Cerberus Capital Management LP to head up sales, marketing and product strategy, also said he can bring more of a customer focus, and long-term outlook to Chrysler. Press, speaking during a radio interview on Detroit radio station WJR-AM 760, said Chrysler has a capable organization and a "gold plated" culture, but that it needs "some good, fresh direction and some consistent thoughts and observations." Press said Chrysler will increase its share and said, "I think the domestic auto industry will increase their share." He also indicated that Chrysler's effort to shrink its dealer base would continue. "There's no question that there's been shifts in the market and we haven't made the responses necessary to keep our retail organization profitable and growing and prosperous," Press said. "So we need to take a look at that and the other thing we need to do is grow the business." He said Chrysler has a lot of opportunities to expand its market share, and that he, Tom LaSorda and Chief Executive Bob Nardelli make a strong team. Cerberus, which acquired an 80.1% stake in Chrysler from Daimler AG (DAI), has brought a more aggressive style to the Detroit auto scene with the hiring of Nardelli, the former chief executive of Home Depot Inc. (HD), and Press, who helped build Toyota's successful North American business. LaSorda, who was chief executive of Chrysler under DaimlerChrysler, is president and vice chairman in charge of manufacturing, procurement and supply. Both LaSorda and Press report to Nardelli. Press said he rebuffed offers over the years from other auto makers but was compelled by Cerberus's offer to help rebuild an American icon. He said he wasn't displeased or unhappy at Toyota. Chrysler is undergoing a restructuring after losing $1.5 billion in 2006. "Toyota is a very successful organization and they've got their act together and they're really doing well," Press said. "The course is set. This is a chance to not sit by the window and watch things happen, but be part of making history, making things happen." Press said at Toyota, there were "different reactions from different levels of the company" on his decision to leave. Press said the U.S. auto industry is going to come back and "come back strong." - By Terry Kosdrosky, Dow Jones Newswires; (248) 204-5532; terry.kosdrosky@ dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires 09-20-07 1835ET Copyright © 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

when toyota touts about listening to consumers, customers are groaning for a vehicle with more acceloration... toyota must have received a misunderstanding of what the consumer actually craved... Toyota, Moving Forward, Without your concent... japan Inc, taking over the world, without your concent

also remember that gm has been talking about incentives and discounts are to be cut back... but apparently that went out the window when they want to compete with toyota for trucks... august incentives the same as last years...

let me break it down for everyone... fleet sales could be good... as they appear to be in canada... but... in the us... the automakers have taught buyers and fleet customers... that they need xyz units to maximize output at the factories... so when you hear about profit loss to fleet sales... this is because gm has made the incentives even greater for fleet then they have for retail in order to obtain a majority of the fleet market... thus was true up until employee discout sale... where it was realized heavy discounts rebates and other programs aren't sustainable, nor is it the answer to the problem of the automakers... rebates shouldn't be a thing consumers rely on otherwise they become accustom to deep discounts and they aren't quite sure why... and when prices of things fall... its a recession... and discounts can do that... should I wait for next month to buy maybe it will have a better rebate... that encourages people not to buy... but the factories can't just stop working... while people see the general is trying to price things right... gm has been smart to reduce rebates but it can't just switch people cold turkey... same with fleet sales... the companies still need product... this is why consumers are anxious to see if gm does a classic version with the current malibu... not all fleets are harmful...government sales are good... lets put it to you this way... I can buy a chevy silverado classic for cheaper (retail) then its resale value... so... if I wanted to go into the business of reselling cars... one I've got the liscense two I've got the know how... and three kelly blue book is written... and so are the rebates... but if I did that every day... it would flush the market with silverados...and would ruin the supply demand ratio for that year model used vehicle... this is what the car rental place does... when the rental places realized people would buy them for more then they paid (when exporting gm vehicles to asia was in full strenght) they started turning them over more and more often... but now that gm has made major law suits to people who would to that... the rental places have still learned the importance and profitablity of returning the cars to the dealers after only a few thousand miles

this 24 percent was supposidly a one time event... probably government... which are safe fleet sales because they keep them until they need replacement... not just when they start to get old... the only bad ones are to rental agencies... pretty much everything else is good... and anything corperate is concerned about is a major purchase from one corp to another or government... I.e. bigger then a dealership... like the deal with google and the cobalt likely didn't go directly through the dealership... my old sales manager used to work with a fleet manager who made 150 car deal with a insurance company who needed vehicles to observe crash sites and look at damage and what not... very lucky sale but took the dealership months to finnish the order... very little profit for the dealer... but it showed volume... but this one example where the company used a dealership... something where the corp is aware of a certain sale to fleet is going to be a much larger safer fleet sale.

these fleet sales i think were the GMT900's... which probably arent the worst to fleet, cause in the industry the GMT800's had the best resale value of all... assuming the GMT900's follow that trend with less fleet... it seems likely, they shouldnt worry about fleeting the silverado... just when half of your impalas are going to rental agency... u got a problem...

this is toyota, handling too many products... someone should pat GM on the back for managing some 80 different models

for one, Direct injection doesnt require scrapping of pushrods... the ohv is a much lighter, cheaper, and less moving parts then its dohc counterparts... they can produce more hp/liter more hp/gallon of fuel... GM has intentions of incorperating DI, VVT, AFM, etc on all models by 2010 time frame... along with 6 speeds... and obviously your impression of buick only demistrates your youth...

GM, the world's biggest automaker, surprised analysts by posting a 6 percent increase in sales, led by a 16.6 percent increase in truck sales. Part of that was due to a 24 percent increase in sales to rental car companies, which GM and other U.S. automakers have been trying to cut back on because they hurt brand image and resale values. Ballew said August was a one-time increase and GM will reduce sales to rental fleets through the rest of the year. Carter said Toyota sales also were hurt by supply problems. Sales of the subcompact Yaris plunged 31 percent, for example, as Toyota failed to keep up with growing demand for a hatchback version. http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/ar...2&Symbol=GM

without a illistration of what they dumped into fleets... its hard to tell... hopefully GM will continue, their sales through the winter they've been praising their increasing retail consumers, so maybe its finnaly cought up with the beginning of the year priors fleet reduction... so assuming, GM can keep sales flat if not improve, imagine what will happen when GM starts to get the Opel rebadge, G8, CTS, Malibu, hybrid Giants... these should all be poised to hit the market within the next 6 months... and if consumers have finnally seen the new Silverado and GMC, then we can really assume, their sales will start to boom... at my previous store, 02-04 were major hits for the GMT800... and if consumers are lured in by such vehicles, as mentioned above, then they may buy something that isnt brand new... just because they never took a close enough look... seems to me, GM consumers recently are more pleased with their products then Toyota's consumers are with their respective new product...

toyota must have had a great summer last year... cause this is 2 months in a row of low sales... honda is up 4 percent... guess there aren't really any new models except for the turd of course... and looks like it needs deeper dicounts to produce the reaction they want... the camry and avalon are still in their first year I believe and the sales are already not as well as its predecessor... corolla not sure if its due... but the matrix is slated for 08 or 09 isn't it...? a lot of their suv's are new or almost out and I doubt they will also be well received... hrmm from a product stand point it looks like the steam roller is running out of steam... even the cookie cutters aren't making them all the same... with cracks in the engine bay and etc...

anyone see yet the monthly sales for the entire auto market... it would be nice to see how much gm actually outpaced everything...

GM + lambda = Toyota 10 million next year, but cant even sustain monthly gains...?

lol... never heard him say that, but its not really his place to say, more like lutz or wagoner... but good quote... i dont think toyota is supposed to increase this month but lets look... see how well their bloated rebate truck gets...

FOR RELEASE: 2007-09-04 GM Reports 388,168 August Deliveries Bucking The Industry Trend, 5 Percent Total Sales Increase Led By Full-Size Pickups and All-New Crossovers GMC Division Up More Than 21 Percent; Chevrolet Up Nearly 9 Percent Market Share Expected To Be The Best of 2007 So Far DETROIT - GM dealers in the United States delivered 388,168 vehicles in August, up more than 5 percent compared with year-ago monthly sales, a strong performance that resulted in an anticipated highest-of-the-year market share of nearly 26 percent. Brisk sales of full-size pickups and crossover SUVs led the increase. "Bucking the trend in the industry, we were able to post healthy sales results in August. When combining retail sales with our growing commercial business, our sales were up when compared with last August. Importantly, last month was our third-best retail month of the year," said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "With the double-digit decline in daily rental sales so far this year, and an overall market that remains challenging and competitive, we continue to stabilize our retail share and pricing in the market." Customers are also recognizing the quality of GM products. A recent study ranked Buick number one (tied with Lexus) in vehicle dependability. Another customer service survey has every GM brand above the industry average score -better than Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Ford and Land Rover. "The myth of import superiority is being destroyed. In countless independent consumer surveys, blogs and expert reviews, it is becoming increasingly evident that we build the highest quality vehicles and deliver them with world-class service," LaNeve noted. Overall incentive spending was flat compared with a year ago. August inventories were down about 34,000 vehicles to approximately 945,000 vehicles. "August performance shows we're hitting the sweet spot on truck programs, and our award-winning Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups are making important contributions on the retail side," LaNeve added. "Importantly, these vehicles contributed a 30-percent increase in full-size pickup retail sales, with Sierra kicking in more than 22,500 retail sales in the month. We are also pleased with the ongoing success of the GMC Acadia, Saturn OUTLOOK and Buick Enclave. They are driving our mid-utility crossover segment growth, which is up more than 400 percent compared with a year ago despite short inventories. As with many of our vehicles, these all-new crossovers offer segment-leading fuel economy, terrific performance and outstanding value." The GMC Acadia, Saturn OUTLOOK and Buick Enclave together had retail sales of more than 10,400 vehicles, pushing the significant retail increase in GM's mid-crossover segment. GM has 24 vehicles in the 2007 model lineup that achieve an EPA-estimated 30 mpg highway or better. Warranty coverage has increased substantially as a reason consumers cite when buying a new GM vehicle. GM's 5 Year/100,000 Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty continues to be a better choice for customers. GM's coverage focuses on the complete ownership experience and includes other provisions that competitors do not offer, including transferability to the next owner, more complete coverage of parts, and coverage for new and certified used vehicles. In addition, GM offers superior complementary programs, such as courtesy transportation and roadside assistance. "GM provides the best coverage in the industry and takes care of the vehicle and the owner like no other vehicle manufacturer," LaNeve added. Certified Used Vehicles August 2007 sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 45,195 vehicles, up 1 percent from last August. Total year-to-date certified GM sales are 361,077 vehicles, up 4 percent from the same period last year. GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, posted 39,905 sales, up 5 percent from last August. Year-to-date sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles are 317,398 vehicles, up 6 percent from the same period in 2006. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted August sales of 3,162 vehicles, down 12 percent from last August. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 1,421 vehicles in August, down 28 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 598 vehicles, down 36 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 109 vehicles, up 35 percent. "GM Certified dealers turned in a strong performance in August with sales of 39,905 vehicles, an increase of nearly 5 percent from last August," said LaNeve. "Our dealer network, the largest in the certified segment, is doing a great job providing customers with the wide selection, quality, value and peace-of-mind assurances they're seeking in a certified used vehicle." GM North America Reports August 2007 Production; 2007 Third-Quarter Production Forecast is Revised at 1.050 Million Vehicles; 2007 Fourth-Quarter Production Forecast Set at 1 Million Vehicles In August, GM North America produced 437,000 vehicles (152,000 cars and 285,000 trucks). This is down 28,000 vehicles or 6 percent compared to August 2006 when the region produced 465,000 vehicles (179,000 cars and 286,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 21,000 vehicles in August 2007 and 26,000 vehicles in August 2006.) The region's 2007 third-quarter production forecast is revised at 1.050 million vehicles (377,000 cars and 673,000 trucks), down 25,000 vehicles or 2 percent from last month's guidance. Additionally, GM North America's initial 2007 fourth-quarter production forecast is set at 1 million vehicles (334,000 cars and 666,000 trucks), down 107,000 vehicles or 10 percent from fourth-quarter 2006 actuals. In the fourth-quarter of 2006 the region produced 1.107 million vehicles (446,000 cars and 661,000 trucks). GM also announced 2007 revised third-quarter and initial fourth-quarter production forecasts for its international regions. GM Europe - The region's 2007 third-quarter production forecast is unchanged at 395,000 vehicles. In the third-quarter of 2006 the region built 374,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2007 fourth-quarter production forecast is set at 452,000 vehicles. In the fourth-quarter of 2006 the region built 443,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific -The region's 2007 third-quarter production forecast is revised at 492,000 vehicles, down 26,000 vehicles from last month's guidance. In the third-quarter of 2006 the region built 433,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2007 fourth-quarter production forecast is set at 631,000 vehicles. In the fourth-quarter of 2006 the region built 509,000 vehicles. GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region's 2007 third-quarter production forecast is unchanged at 258,000 vehicles. In the third-quarter of 2006 the region built 215,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2007 fourth-quarter production forecast is set at 257,000 vehicles. In the fourth-quarter of 2006 the region built 215,000 vehicles. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com. Note: GM sales and production results are available on GM Media OnLine at http://media.gm.com/us/gm/en by clicking on News, then Sales/Production. In this press release and related comments by General Motors management, we use words like "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "forecast," "objective," "plan," "goal" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, representing our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: the pace of introductions and market acceptance of new products; the effect of competition on our markets and significant changes in the competitive environment; price increases or shortages of fuel; and changes in laws, regulations or tax rates. GM's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q provide information about these factors, which may be revised or supplemented in future reports to the SEC on Form 10-Q or 8-K. GM strives to ensure that all of the information contained in a press release is accurate at the time it is issued. However, changes in materials, equipment and specifications, prices, availability, etc do occur over time. For the most up-to-date information on currently available models, please visit GM.com/shop. http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...amp;docid=39053

interesting... nice way for GM to start off an annual vehicle appreciation type award... im glad that GM is so well received by the middle east, interesting the Suburban is still marketed as a GMC around the world... i remember when they both used to be named that...

NEW YORK (AP) - Major automakers are scheduled Tuesday to report August sales, which some analysts expect to decline because of sluggish consumer spending, higher gasoline prices and weakness in the housing market. Buckingham Research Group analyst Joseph C. Amaturo expects retail sales to come in weak for the third straight month in August, which could pressure auto-related stocks. "Weaker year-over-year retail sales reinforce our concerns about the weaker consumer, in particular, as it relates to high ticket discretionary items," Amaturo wrote in a note to clients. Amaturo expects Ford Motor Co.'s August overall sales to decline at least 10 percent from a year ago. Both Ford and General Motors Corp. are likely to offer a production forecast for the fourth quarter. GM already has cut scheduled overtime through the rest of this year at six plants that make large sport utility vehicles and pickups. And last week, the company said it will cut 1,200 jobs at a Canadian pickup plant in January. However, Lehman Brothers analyst Brian Johnson expects GM to report a "small" 2 percent decline in August sales, compared to a year ago, mostly because of big incentives GM started offering on its vehicles. "GM appears to have had a relatively good month in August following two consecutive months of sharp sales declines," Johnson wrote in a client note. Sluggish August sales would follow a dismal trend for the industry this summer. Sales in June and July were at the lowest rate for a two-month period since 1998. © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

yea i remember using this at the dealership a lot... on the cobalt i could receive almost consitantly 35-45 mpg, at a screaming 90-100 mph... its fun to watch and play with speeds... the new tahoes too... i'd play with it... i could usually average 21-23 going 85 or so on the highway, not bad...

... yea well the impala proved that DOHC isnt champion... i dont know size dementions or power output, but i'm pretty sure it wins the hp/gallon war... but sometimes thats not the ultimate desire

the point is... advertising dolars can be spent better... and some people have suggested that the new accord might have an edge on the malibu... and it would look bad for gm to pull the program after being successful as soon as the competator changes their product

why doesnt the malibu use the same ohv 3.5/3.6 that goes in the impala...

perhaps the reason they did this is because they went to the advertisement companys with the simple philosophy, of... how much is it gonna cost... to advertise it right... and their 100 million advertisment stunt is by far a better idea, and use of money

so your saying... that gm doesnt want their dealerships sending proffits to asia...? what an insane theory... mine is... that really the malibu, is substandard, and that no asian car, or european car should ever have the embarassment of being compared with the engeneering of anything designed in america... and well its just a waste of floorspace to give up to the competition...