FUTURE_OF_GM

Because I didn't even care enough to read it. LOL... Wow, this is the first time anyone has ever posted toward me in the very same manner I use. KUDOS! I just can't believe you still have your panties up your ass after I told you to take what I wrote in jest.I never said anything about sales of Prius vs. Cobalt. That's not the point in the first place. The point is, assuming that "GM is in this situation compared to Toyota" based on the Prius alone is ignorant and ill informed. 1) The Prius doesn't turn much volume and the htbrid market is a niche. 2) The ONLY reason to even produce a hybrid is for PR purposes as even Toyota will tell you that they do not make much profit, if any, on Prius sales. Now, had the article started with something like "The difference between Toyota and GM can be summed up by the Camry and the fact that Toyota has executed it miraculously while GM has put out subpar W-Body after awkward Epsilon for the last 10 years" then it might hold some merit. But stating that Toyota's success and MASSIVE profits came on the back of one, low production hybrid that has only been on sale for a few years is just ludicris. Bull$h!.. The Prius is currently (or was currently seeing) high inventories as well as incentives. My dealer alone had 50 in stock around Christmas and was even advertising specials. Which it is not. We can only hope... It's about time american automakers gain a bit of consideration from the american government. Welcome to the world of being a domestic car fan where EVERYTHING positive about Detroit falls on deaf ears. WTF ever... Anybody with half a brain can see it was a marketing effort for Toyota, the scripted Sierra interview, slant and tone of the article as well as confirmation pole alone are enough to show that. Nobody said you had to read it. Besides, it's my opinion, you know the very thing you defended in the very first line of your first post against me. REMEMBER? So maybe you should take your own advice. But, that seems to be typical of import sympathy camps. Whats good for domestics and domestic fans is never shown in the same light when the tables are turned.

More dark... I seem to be good at these. They'll tell you about guilt And in time you'll face the darkness... But darkness is a friend to you Embrace and fly through the madness Flying past God and wars and conflict Oppressor in you Plowing through minds and paranoia Oppressor in you The oppressor's in you Cause yesterday don't mean $h! What's over is over and nothing between Yesterday don't mean $h! Because tomorrow's the day you have to face There's no rewinding time --- Pantera "Yesterday Don't Mean $h!" one of my favorite Pantera songs... Not sure what it's about other than how I interpret it, which is to follow your heart and seize the day. Live this life insane, nothing but pouring rain I'm an outlaw, it's amazing I'm sane Born and dressed in black, my soul is fighting back Fueling Hell and raising cain, cain, cain No Have you ever felt like I have? Cry for me sky --- DevilDriver "Cry For Me Sky (The Eulogy of the Scorned)" DevilDriver is fronted by Dez Fafara (former Coal Chamber lead singer) and is currently my #2 favorite band (Behind MetallicA) This is an especially dark sounding song, BUT in reality Dez says he wrote the song about the relentless touring that he has done throughout his career and the fact that it can essentially suck the life out of you.

First of all, I hope Ford doesn't fold and I don't think they will (Just like I didn't think GM would) The only difference is the media seems even MORE hellbent on ruining Ford than they were GM. Secondly, even if they did fold, they'd be much smaller BUT much more competitive. And I'd be willing to bet that the new post bankruptcy Ford would kick some serious ass.

I agree... It'll take some time, but as long as GM continues to execute like they are doing now, I think they'll be alright. If not, then I guess we can "celebrate" the destruction of another great american icon through "superior" products and "informed" consumers

Prozac is used for depression, not anger. How many times do I have to tell you that? I find it funny that you won't reply to any of my quibs anywhere but in this section, and then when you do it is to defend an asian company. No surprise there. What's even funnier is that your job is pretty 'removed' from things and therefore I don't understand where this passion to defend Toyota & Co. comes from. I mean, if you were actually part of the import humping media, then I maybe could understand, but whatever I guess.

LOL... Most of my article crtitique was meant to be in a sarcastic tone. I guess maybe you haven't been around C&G very long and don't remember the "old FOG" posts where I used to shred articles just for the hell of it. At the very least it's funny and you can't deny the arguments I raised. I figured people would enjoy seeing me go 'schizo' on an article just like the good ole days (And most of them did) I mean... After all, the article is complete and total bull$h!, so why not have some fun? The fact that this piece is just a bunch of fluff is VERY, painfully apparent. Even the average 'know-nothing-about-the-auto-industry' can see that.

I really can't see the logic behind the (hideous) Imperial.... I mean, wouldn't that set Chrysler up in MB territory and why would anyone in their right mind buy an MB ovr a better and cheaper Chrysler. (I know, the name MB carries a lot of weight, but it's becoming tarnished with poor quality and the introduction of Maybach didn't help it's "premium" status that much) I think, the only reason the Imperial is even on the table is 1) To maximize volume on the LY platform and up profits and 2) To keep the UAW/CAW working instead of sitting on their asses collecting a free check.

From The Auto Extremist I've said it once and I'll say it again. The politicians will go where the money is and they're not afraid to say it. (Because the majority of the american public knows that they're essentially worthless and out for themselves) So, expect Toyota to get a big boost from D.C. since the politicians can smell the money. They're like rats at a molasses factory, they'll just keep showing up and multiplying

EXACTLY!!! My family currently has 4 V8 vehicles and 2 4 cylinder vehicles... It isn't that hard to conserve gas when we need to.

LOL.... That quote right there shows their predisposition for asian offerings.... Sure, the Titan and Tundra were more significant than the F-150 and T900s, both of which have the survival of their respective companies riding on them.L-A-M-E GASP!!! What?!?!?! The big 'Yota V8 can't out accelerate everything else when towing?!?! Then WHAT'S the POINT of all that power??? It is a truck afterall, not a dragster. ***And who is this publication again? I've never heard of them.... (That says a lot right there, because believe me, I HATE the media and I remember everyone, even quotes.)

Except, 1) It isn't a very good effort and 2) It doesn't even have the capacity to threaten the Ram, much less GM and Ford. Yep, and judging by the state of things they're getting older and Toyota is FAILING to attract many younger buyers. The Camry IS the new Buick and heres some good news. Buyers 25 and under DO NOT show the traditional anti-domestic bias of their predecessors. In fact, they tend to lean a bit more toward domestic producers. Which they were and still are. Gruff sounding voiceover and all... Between Toyotas Grandma image for it's Camry and it's "I'm an accountant that doesn't really need a truck" image for it's Tundra, I think it sounds kinda bleak (Not hard to turn the tables with OPINION, is it?) Funny, this doesn't seem to matter in the environmental argument. Not hard to do if you have a pulse, considering the sales of the last model. Cute.... What a GREAT PR pitch!!!! Why is this guy even relevent again? Oh, I remember, to get the other 'good ole boys' to rush to the Toyota dealer! What a scripted f*ckin' quote... How long did the Toyota rep rehearse with him on that? Cute... Good ole boys everywhere UNITE!!!!!!!!!! Your master Toyota has employed a whole 2,000 of you! Wow.... (Much sarcasm implied) Heavy dose of pessimism.... What happened to the "and what GM plans to do" part of the article?

I love the poll to the side to REINFORCE this effort in marketing Of course they are!!! They're KILLING a large part of our economy AND heritage. Oh, and DON'T BOTHER Toyota, your employees are ALREADY arrogant as hell, AND IT SHOWS! Whoop-de-f*ckin'-do There still is a relatively large number of players.... However, many of them are NOT huge like Pepsi/Coke/Cadberry (RC) That's an awfully fat assed fist, because it looks like an organic blob of $h!, not a fist. You want to see Buff Toyota? then look at the new Silverado... Look at the Nissan Titan... Hell, look at the new Ford Super Duty. THAT'S "steroidal" not some organic Camry-morphed-into-a-fish truck.

This article (of course) failed to mention that most of those american sales IMPORTED cars, you know, NOT built in america. They HAVE to do something to combat pricks like you in the media. So GM should just roll over and die?!?!?!?!What? Do you and the coveted (and usually wrong) analysts have a crystal ball that says GM won't rebound? Especially globally where GM consistently KILLS Toyota in places such as China and is beginning a HEALTHY businesses in places such as India and Russia? You idiot.......... How can you even be sure that GM is attempting to buy Chrysler for this reason? And if you think Toyota didn't at least consider buying them, you're even more ignorant than this article makes you sound.

The second page begins with smiling Toyota employees at Toyotas brand spankin' new San Antonio facility.... Cute. Yeah, because that's a market that ALL the asian companies aren't trying to crack... I mean, afterall, the San Antonio facility does top this page. And I'm getting tired of Toyotas ABSENCE in this segment being turned around on the domestics to look as if they were stupid for selling vehicles americans wanted. Wall Street sure the F*ck wasn't complaining in the 90s when profits were thick and I didn't see any of these pansy liberal journalists voicing the "I told you so" articles back then. Hell, these hypocrites were probably driving the kids to soccer in their SUVs just like everyone else.EVERY major manufacturer has introduced BIGGER cars and SUVS as well as BIGGER horsepower numbers. It doesn't take Einstein to see the HP increases (and subsequent domestic bashing) going on with the asian V6s and V8s. Hell, the new TUNDRA is prime example of this!!!! It's 'BIGGER is BETTER' marketing campaign "Most powerful in the class V8" and beligerant "You bought an economy car" radio ads are enough to make the typical Prius driving enviro-humper throw up with worry. It's ridiculous!!!! Honda... Introduced not only SUVs, but also a truck AND is considering, for the first time ever, V8 powerplants... SUBARU exploited TRUCK CAFE numbers for their new Forrester and Nissan BRIBED the government for CAFE CREDITS for GODS SAKE! Yet, NONE of this is EVER in the media! Might I remind you that the Silverado and Aura are CURRENTLY besting the Camry and Tundra in almost EVERY comparison test. And, NEED I REMIND YOU that the Impala, and choice Buicks CONSISTENTLY best the Camry in quality surveys. NEED I REMIND YOU that BOTH GM and FORD divisions consistently BEST Toyota in customer satisfaction surveys EVERY YEAR! Do you need more proof that GM can out perform Toyota?!?!?! Just wait! So what? GM isn't supposed to pay healthcare now???????

We ALL know who that'll be.... 1) It won't be america because we've been in decline, outsourcing everything but our soul, for years now. 2) The MAJORITY of americans aren't cheering for Detroit in the first place (ESPECIALLY in the media and pop culture) or couldn't care less whether they live or die and 3) Everyone with half a brain knows that China will pass both nations to become the new superpower anyway.america is a crumbling, rusted, sour reminder of what once was great. It has a society of uneducated, greedy, ignorant people who think "Being a good american citizen" includes CONSUMING (Yet not producing) at all costs. (THINK: The Economist) And on top of that, consuming goods that are a fraction of a cent cheaper (WAL-MART as opposed to local business) or that are considered "cooler" (Imported cars) at the expense of their fellow american and his/her job. If you buy a Toyota, you stab your neighbor in the back... It's as simple of that. It's not Marxism (Modern capitalism has nothing to do with Marxism in the first place) it's fact. Less income for americans, especially the middle class, means less consumer power, choice and potential. Even Sociologists are beginning to see the change because generation after generation the gap between the upper 5% and lowest 5% of the population is increasing as the quality of life in america is rapidly declining. Generation Y is the FIRST generation that, overall, is not expected to surpass their parents in standard of living and quality of life. Anybody want to guess why? How is that relevant (Other than to drive the greenie knife into GM's back subconciously in the minds of readers--- Personal bias? Yes.) and what is it supposed to mean? Thanks to FALSITIES perpetuated by the media about the myth of quality difference as well as currency manipulation. The deck is stacked, so GM will never win anyway. I find it funny that everyone makes it a point to rub in "the top 4 cars sold in america are import" yet the majority of the top 20 is DOMESTIC. With some RELEVANT redesigns (Such as the 2008 Malibu) it's not going to be that hard to crack the top 4, and if Toyota continues with it's STERILE emotional attachment quotient and pitiful quality scores of recent, it "ain't gonna" be hard to outsell that Camry within 5-10 years or 1 or 2 product cycles. Except for all those failures over the years such as the 1980s Toyota minivan that would spontaneously combust or the Previa or maybe the Tercel, um... The Echo, the HORRIBLE T100 and recent low volume, compromised Tundra. The Corona, the Starlet, the new Prius that stalls in the middle of the interstate as well as only delivering 40% of Toyota's OWN mileage claims. How about the new Avalon that $h!s transmissions or the countless Camry V6s and their sludge that locks the motor up. How 'bout those Tundras and Sequoias the puke ball joints. etc, etc (And the list goes on) You know, the $h! that is never thrown in Toyotas face unlike the Monza, "No Go" Nova, Cimarron and countless other "references" that always find their way into GM articles. And, a little known fact: The designer of that "relentless" Toyota production system was american AND the first Toyota was built by tearing down a Chevrolet to see how "quality" vehicles were made. Until now..... And Toyota also doesn't have the UAW breathing down it's back either. See, they don't have to play fair with the american companies... Hell, even our own government will sell the Detroit 3 out for a brand spankin' new, shiny Toyota plant. Didn't we just hear that quote not 2 minutes ago.... Either someone is SCARED that this will change (and is driving home the message) or someone is biased and is trying to acquire new buyers. NOT TO MENTION, IT IS REPEATED A 3RD TIME UNDER THE IMPALA PHOTO! What a fluff piece....

Wow... I hear slurping. BULL$h!! The Prius (Now a slow selling, incentivized model) had hardly anything to do with the current state of affairs and it's ignorant on all levels to imply that it did. The volume is marginal, it has been plagued with PR and quality problems and the technology is hardly "cutting edge" at this point. The ONLY difference the Prius *MIGHT* have made is that it started the media 'jacking off' over everything Toyota does (Much like this article) and thus resulted in a ton of good PR for Toyota (Most of it NOT DESERVED) and subsequent BAD PR for GM and Ford (Most of it NOT DESERVED) That isn't saying much, since the VERY SMALL hybrid market is by all accounts now stagnating faster than a North Carolina mud puddle on a hot July day. Stroke Toyota... Keep causing GM problems and we'll see how far your precious import trnasplants that are "creating so many jobs" get you then.It's too bad that all of GM's fluff pieces are in off-the-wall low traffic sites, while Toyota can afford to BUY people like BusinessWeek. Give me a F*ckin' break... GM, along with Ford and Chrysler Corp, has been the red headed step child of this nation since the 70s. The media has tried to destroy them, the consumers bad mouth them on a PERSONAL 'principle' level and the government couldn't care less if they died tomorrow. That ameriCANT will never win because we lost national pride and 'esprit de corps' a LONG time ago. Modern america is a greedy, capitalistic disgrace to it's founders and to people who fight and have fought for it's survival.

I think it looks good. It's not that elaborate, but that's probably because GM knows it's dealers are cash strapped. A lot of the dealers here are ghetto, but a lot of them are also pretty good looking. GM needs themes for ALL of it's sales channels. The question is; what are they going to do about dealers with even more franchises in the same building? For example, my local Cadillac dealer also sold Pontiacs and GMCs. They refused to give up Cadillac in exchange for Buick (Because they founded the franchise on Caddy) so they simply bought out the local Buick-Saab franchise from another dealer here. So, essentially they have one building, with very limited space selling Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saab and Cadillac.

Cool. But a little too 'Toyota' for me. I'm not that impressed at all, honestly.

In keeping with the light, we can't have a good random lyric topic without something from the King himself. I'm gonna keep on the run I'm gonna have me some fun If it costs me my very last dime If I wind up broke up well I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time I'm gonna give it ev'rything I've got Lady luck please let the dice stay hot Let me shout a seven with ev'ry shot Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas, Viva, Viva Las Vegas

I almost forgot... I snaped these at Auto Fair at Lowes Motor Speedway last fall. I thought I had a better picture of the newer truck, but I guess not. (I'll look to make sure though, as both were beautifully restored) A closer look revealed that it still had the chain drive rear end under it. Pretty cool! I'm not sure if they were owned by a private collector or Charlotte FD.

That's awesome man! I remembered you mentioning that a while back nd how you get weird looks when you drive it.

BV: One of my favorite SOAD songs! wildmanjoe: LOL, Goota love AC/DC! avant1963: What is that from? Sounds cool. This one been stuck in my head for a while: Pray for solace Pray for resolve Pray for a savior Pray for deliverance Some kind of purpose, a glimpse of a light in this void of existence Oh... Now witness the end of an age Hope dies in hands of believers Who seek the truth in the liar's eyes Take hold of my hand For you are no longer alone Walk with me in hell Lamb of God is the artist and the song is political (Like 99% of their music) But to me it has a personal meaning about battling depression. Here's some randon Zombie for y'all Body of a monkey and the feet of a cock, Dragged from her home on the killing rock, Black dog dying on the weather vain, The Devil's in a cat and the baby's brain, We all pray for 20 innocents, We all bow down 20 innocents, We all hang high - 20 innocents, We all accused - 20 innocents, Do you want to know where their dreams come from? Some showed the faith and some showed none. The End - The End of The American Witch Contrary to popular belief (That Zombie sings about sadism) most of his song are about horror movies (In fact, some even have direct horror movie quotes in them) since he's a horror movie buff. I'm sure this song references some obscure movie, but alas, I love the randomness of his lyrics (He's one of the few than can pull this off)

I agree that we're seeing improvement. But, until perception swings I don't see it making much of a difference. As far as the Nascar thing. That letter right there is proof of how ignorant and brainwashed MOST americans are and that they'll buy the Toyota PR $h! hook, line and sinker. People like that dumbass in the NY Times are people that need to be controlled. mainly for 2 reasons 1) Journalists such as this haven't the slightest CLUE about the facts vs. myths of this industry and as a result pretty much promote propaganda and lies at the expense of Detroit and 2) Yuppies like that usually have a pretty loyal following/readership of incompetent fools that spoon that trash in as fact just as soon as it hits the door step. My only hope is that *MOST* americans aren't stupid enough to believe everything they read, even when taking into account GMs less than stellar history in some areas. Maybe, just maybe GM has evolved enough to get the respect they deserve. P.S. I find it funny that the integrety of journalism in this country has become such trash that these anti-GM/Ford/DCX yuppies have gotten so desperate that they actually have the nerve to publish things like GM's supposed (READ: implied) link to the Nazis and lines like "GM is a terrorist" They'l literally stop at nothing to destroy Detroit, and now that Detroit is so weak, yet on the verge of greatness, they're turning up the "sensationalism" heat to try and stamp out a turn around. To bad it's at the expense of their integrity and audience respect. GM is a terrorist? C'mon... Even the most adament anti-GM, anti-conservative people can see right through that! Give me a break. Besides, who reads periodicals and newspapers any more anyway?

1931 Studebaker Fire Truck. (1 of 4 produced) I seem to gravitate toward odd things like this. Of course, my family has been in the fire fighting business for years now. Maybe someday I can either afford this, an old school bus or a Futurliner.

Speaking of darkness... Hello darkness, my old friend, Ive come to talk with you again, Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping, And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence. For some strange reason, I really like their work. (Simon & Garfunkel)