FUTURE_OF_GM

WOW! BusinessWeek must've launched a HUGE anti-Detroit campaign!!! More bull$h!.

Your wish is granted my once proud EX-admin... DIDN'T SEE THIS IN THE MEDIA!!!!!!!!!! WHERE IS THE COVERAGE FROM THE MEDIA!!!!!! IT'S BIAS I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!

The next phase: To continue destroying hybrids by the time the GMT900 hybrids come out!!! By then their goal will be: "It doesn't matter if the vehicle is hybrid or not.. It matters how big the vehicle is and what country of origin it is" Therefore relegating GM's BETTER plan of adapting the technology to bigger vehicles, to an also-ran status.

Silly posters... Toyota got caught flat footed so C&D is just doing damage control for them... Just like any good PR firm or ass kissing media outlet would do!

Just like Toyota built the Prius to do well in EPA tests.

You know I really hate a troll... Anyway... Did this receive any publicity?!?!?! Probably not, since GM doesn't know the meaning of the word and since the media is anti-GM

No press and no marketing.... What a surprise.

LMAO... Yeah right!!! Toyota will NEVER be destroyed like GM has simple because they are NOT an american company. That's one thing we proudly do here in america as americans.. Destroy our industry and heritage and cherish foreign entities like they have some sort of god given aura... Good ole america; everybody's b*tch for the right price

What a surprise.... It's our friends the analysts blowing smoke up everyones asses again (No surprise there... Just look around you here) Everything is fine with Toyota... Recalls, Safety Concerns, Bad business practices, Screwing employees, Being slow to enter segments, Producing lackluster products, Buying out websites to cut off bad PR, Promoting their superiority through mediocre products, Killing Detroit, Buying the media, Killing babies It's all good.... That's Toyota's new saying!!!! Given to them by their HONORARY PR agency; the american media. REMEMBER: This is an OPPORTUNITY for Toyota to deal out its "EXCELLENT" customer service experience (Much sarcasm implied) Just like Buicks aren't rated higher than Lexi, Lexi owners are just more picky....LMFAO Nice that they drag "Ford" and "Explorers" name through the mud stating false facts. "Recalls have absolutely NO impact on future sales" Yeah sure, unless the F***ing media hypes the hell out of it, then ties it in to your supposed "30 years" of $h!ty vehicles, then dwells on it in various supposedly "unbiased" publications and websites... So... Sure, it doesn't effect sales of Japan Inc... But, then again, what does?!?!?! They're just... SO... DAMN.. PERFECT! (Sarcasm) "It's almost as if when there is something so sensational as the Explorer rollovers... It kinda sucks the air out of the room for the next one" Yeah.... Because there hasn't been another recall since the Explorer rollovers.... And what's with the continued DWELLING on that $h!?!?!?! Sounds like somone is trying to 1) justify import superiority or 2) attack SUVs "Instead, Toyota can benefit from the recalls, Hass and others say, by being as transparent as possible and providing prompt, courteous assistance to recall customers -- a play the manufacturer has accomplished in the past by including extras such as servicing older vehicles that it wasn't required to by law." Isn't that the POINT of a recall?!?!? It's not as if they're doing it by choice like this idiot would like you to think. "Analysts also note that recalls from Toyota and other large manufacturers are likely to go up, as is the overall number of vehicles affected. "This is just the reality of the industry these days," says Joe Barkai, program director for automotive research with the manufacturing insights division of IDC, a Framingham (Mass.) global market-research firm. "When you consider the enormous pressure to get to market in less and less time -- down to 20 months from four or five years a decade ago -- it makes a lot of sense. There's just less time to discover these issues." Funny that was NEVER mentioned during the 400,000,000 times we've heard "Those $h!ty detroit companies recall more of their crap" "AHEAD OF THE PACK. Barkai contends the most effective way to measure a manufacturer's performance isn't the frequency of recalls or the number of vehicles affected. Rather, Barkai studies the amount manufacturers pay in warranty costs relative to their revenues. By comparison, Toyota outshines its major American competitors, spending a mere estimated 1.5%, vs. the domestic average of 2.5%. At the extreme end of the scale, General Motors (GM) spends 3%." That's funny.... We never heard anything about that last year when the media was busy DESTROYING all of the progress GM had made in perception because of a damn tailgate cable. "Indeed, Toyota still largely exceeds industry averages for initial quality in surveys conducted by organizations such as J.D. Power & Assoc. In Power's 2005 Vehicle Dependability Index study, Toyota maintained an 18% margin over the industry average. It's the only manufacturer besides BMW with two cars on Edmund's top 10 list of vehicles with the best residual value. And in Consumer Reports' annual car issue, published in March of this year, Toyota outranks Ford and Chrysler for long-term reliability." So..... Being number 1 is no longer important when it's a Japtrap brand?!?!?! Exceeds average and other GENERIC disclaimers are all that count?!?!?!?! "In admitting the fault, Toyota executives pointed to its internal mantra, kaizen, the Japanese term that means continual improvement. Ernest Bastien, Toyota's vice-president of vehicle operations, says the problem had already been addressed on the assembly lines, and that the company had come forward without being urged to by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." Give me a F***in' break..... :puke.gif: "SHOCK ABSORBERS. "Nothing is more important than protecting our brand image," That's right, because THAT is the only reason your cars sell. "Unless Toyota starts mishandling recalls, sales sag, or publications stop issuing praise, those snarky smiles will most likely fade from Detroit's face." Yep... Make Detroit out to be the bad guy when Toyota is issueing the recall.... Toyota driver UNITE and TELL those EVIL domestic shreuds "After all, as Barkai points out, "Toyota is better structured to fix these types of problems. They're very good at executing decisions, everybody falls in line. For domestic manufacturers, it still takes a long time to learn those lessons." Wow!!!! Talk about arrogance..... This is the kind of "slap in the face" that I'm always talking about... The media pushes the knife in and Toyota pours salt in the wound.. Shady ass business practices. It's a sad day in america when this $h! gets published as fact. At the market close on May 31, American depositary shares of Japan-based Toyota Motor were down 80 cents at $107.02, or 0.44%. The sharpest drop-off came after the minutes were released from the latest Federal Reserve meeting, indicating the possibility of another interest rate hike in June. LOL, even the Toyota fans are giving them hell for being biased... Of course, I'm sure all of the "educated liberal and conservative elite" (READ: Ignorant trash) will take this $h! hook, line and sinker. As for me.... Well, it seems like I hear A LOT of slurping going on when I read this article.

Sting Ray.... AWESOME!!!

Message to the media: WORK HARDER.... What you need to brace yourself for is the constant RUBBING IT IN OUR FACES that Toyota is number 1 that'll happen at the end of this year. It's all downhill from here folks... The media will get their way and one by one the majority will continue to not only abandon GM & Ford but begin to loathe them just like most of our resident "In the know" guys and insiders who are already working overtime to elevate Honda and Hyundai now that they've successfully destroyed GM & Ford and elevated Toyota to #1. Detroit is like a punctured balloon now. NOW FOR YOU OPTIMISTS: When I was working full time at the investment firm that still employees me, we dropped from #1 in two key surveys the last year I was there. While the company WAS concerned about it, the overriding sentiment within was one of wisdom. "Once you're on top, there's no where to go but down. And it is inevitable. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger and harder working."

We need at least 2 sales channels peddling vans in order to turn a profit. I would've rather had a Saturn than a GMC though... Although, if the GMC version is based on the Terracross as promised, then it should be very cool!

GM should expand the hell out of Hummer, Saab and Saturn IMO... The only thing is, they need to be sure not to degrade the cache of the division. (i.e. No Patriots and Compasses)

I would love to see a new Chevelle... And especially one based on the late 60's car... BUT, what I would like to see more is a new GTO based on late 60's goats... I say, make Camaro & GTO top priority... Then if there is a market, G6 convertible and Chevelle. As for a Malibu coupe.... I'd vote to call it Nova maybe RWD is good... BUT, GM needs to attack BOTH markets. Instead of making a Buick, Pontiac and Chevrolet all on Epsilon and all with the same craptastic qualities. Why not use your resources effectively to attack BOTH markets leveraging ALL of your divisions/dealers.

THIS is a prime example of how acceptable it has become to ridicule and destroy GM (or other great american icons) for no reason... AND, this is a GREAT example of why GM won't win the battle... They CANNOT defend themselves in because their enemies OWN the playing field. I don't think the NY Times has that big of an impact and this WAS an opinion piece... In fact, this is the first I've heard of it.

GOOD!!! It'll apeal to all those Tundra buyers well then, since it looks like a dog turd. Oh, wait... It doesn't have the requisite "I'm better than you, you ignorant domestic redneck" chrome cheap looking alphabet treatment in the grille.... Nevermind. I think it looks good!!! It might look a little weak, but good nonetheless.

Wow... Whatever it is, it looks good! Although, I'm sure it won't be good enough for the media... The Camry OBVIOUSLY looks better and all

Why can GNC not have one individualized product?!?!?! The Envoy did it and worked well, yet the Acadia has to be an Outlook knock off, except more bland??? One day we get an article about how "GMC's differentation worked well and will continue to be a goal" then the next we get this junk.

I know.... That still doesn't make it correct or proper for Toyota to fling insults or better yet for the media to adopt them.... Of course, the media IS basically Toyota P.R. so go figure.

You know.... If the field was leveled and JAPAN INC *STILL* ate Detroit's lunch, then I wouldn't complain. But, this is just an example of how the deck is stacked... Not only do the Big 3 have to be burdened by pensions, and put up with a government that doesn't care, and deal with a media that WISHES for their demise daily, and listen to ANALYSTS that couldn't predict their next bowel movement, AND get shuned by a jaded public, and battle the Japanese government AND be FORCED OUT OF one of the LARGEST markets in the world. (No wonder Toyota and Honda are so much more healthy----WE would be to if one of the top 4 markets was OURS completely for the taking) But then, they (The big 3) have to put up with BACKSTABBING Asian business practices.... Japan INC LIE to the consumer and make him/her feel that they care about our economy and livlihood and then TWIST the KNIFE in Detroit's BACK as much as possible by RELENTLESSLY TARGETING what few niches the big 3 have left, hinting at the media about issues such as hybrids, subjective measures and other THEIR LOOS/OUR GAIN issues (And the media, like pitbulls, are too dumb to know anything but "attack" and gladly oblige) and importing BILLIONS into this country each year, while taking the profits back home. It's nothing but a death sentence that Detroit has been fighting back from (and losing) for years.

TOO BAD GM AND FORD WON'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO TELL THE TRUTH OF COURSE,THE MEDIA WOULD JUST SHOOT IT DOWN IF THEY DID. WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - A battle for the hearts and wallets of consumers escalated this week as retirees of the Big Three U.S. automakers launched a campaign to make Americans think twice about buying a foreign car ---even one made in the United States. With Asian automakers shipping about $65 billion worth of autos and auto parts to the United States last year and U.S. automakers shedding tens of thousands of jobs, ad campaigns by Toyota <7203.T> and Hyundai <005380.K> touting the number of Americans they employ have hit a raw nerve. "While foreign automakers own more than 40 percent of the market, they employ only 20 percent of the workers," Jim Doyle, president of Level Field Institute, said at a news conference on Thursday to roll out a more than $1 million ad campaign focused initially at Washington policy-makers. "The result? Each foreign auto purchase supports half the jobs (that) buying a Ford, GM or Chrysler does," Doyle said. The campaign comes as chief executives of General Motors Corp. <GM.N>, Ford Motor Co. <F.N> and DaimlerChrysler AG's<DCXGn.DE> <DCX.N> Chrysler unit are expected to meet with and foreign exchange issues. Mike Moran, a spokesman for Ford, said the Detroit automaker had made "a contribution" to Level Field, but declined to say how much. "These are retirees of U.S. companies and they approached us," Moran said. "We've just supported this grass-roots effort that these people have undertaken." Doyle, who worked at the Commerce Department under former President Bill Clinton, said the group welcomed jobs created by foreign automakers in the United States, but wanted to set therecord straight on which cars were the most American. "Deciding what is made in America is getting really complicated," he said. "But if you really want to know, it's very simple: look at the jobs." To help prospective buyers do that, Level Field has created "scorecards" showing the Big Three still employ far more Americans than Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. Doyle, the son of two Detroit autoworkers, insisted his group was not created to bash foreign automakers. But U.S. car companies have long been frustrated about the difficulty of selling cars in Japan and other Asian markets. Last year, U.S. imports of cars, trucks and auto parts outstripped exports by about $138 billion. The automotive trade deficit totaled more than $50 billion with Japan and nearly $11 billion with South Korea. Although a recent Treasury Department report noted Japan had not intervened in currency markets since March 2004, U.S. automakers complain the threat of government intervention artificially depresses the yen, keeping down the price of Japanese cars in the U.S. market. The United States and South Korea are set to begin talks in June on a proposed free-trade agreement. U.S. automakers accuse Seoul of breaking previous promises to open its market and want more proof of its good intentions before Washington gives it preferential access to the U.S. auto market. ***Good 'ole U.S.A. not only are we in Japan's pocket, but now we're apparently about to let Korea have their way too (Hence probably why you're starting to see those companies held in such high regard by the media.... OVER DETROIT--- They get to nail the coffin shut apparently)***

YAY!! No media coverage!

I agree and disagree.... I agree in that the Pontiac traditionalists shouldn't be the prime target because Pontiac needs to expand it's appeal. I disagree with throwing away heritage though... Heritage, ESPECIALLY Pontiac's can be a VERY VALUABLE tool with lots of equity. The new Pontiac should play on it's roots of PURE performance and PURE excitement... I'm not talking about the "tacked on ground effects" of recent memory. I'm talking about the 60's and the IMAGE that Pontiac STILL has in a lot of people's thoughts. INFORM the consumer of what Pontiac WAS and has once again BECOME; GM's rebel division (for lack of better words) That IMAGE would be RED HOT in todays market if it was taken to the people in the correct way. Especially if the cars had a dose of CLASSIC americana thrown in (Not really retro---Just heritage inspired, even if only in spirit and attitude) Something like a campaign that ties in the menacing GTO with a new EXCITING looking GTO.... etc. I've come to this point in my mind again; Pontiac suffers from the same problem GM does... THEY HAVE FAILED TO INFORM THE CONSUMER OF WHAT EXACTLY THEY ARE AND WHAT EXACTLY IT MEANS TO DRIVE A PONTIAC. Cadillac has capitalized on this concept, now why can't the rest of GM? Agreed Agreed

I tend to disagree... While Pontiac definitly LOST it's way, I do think the division has some credentials in performance.... The Trans Am alone has kept that going with a lot of todays youth. The 6000 and, while not really performance oriented-per se, the Grand Am have quite a following too. Not to mention the Solstice dropping jaws in all age groups and the GTO, at least in name, carries the banner. Eventhough it doesn't look the part, it still carries credibility with a lot of people. Pontiac has the same problem that ALL of GM has... They need to INNOVATE and LEAD instead of immitate and follow.

I agree 100% GM is really going to have to work the Pontiac PR hard to keep interest burning. But, then again, Pontiac will also have the new FWD offerings to help with sales, such as the NG G6 (Isn't it supposed to come online before the changeover would be complete?) and the new Vibe (I'm not sure where this program is... One minute I hear that it's on, the next I hear that it doesn't exist anymore) I think it can be done and I think the Pontiac brand has A LOT of equity with the youth... But GM will have to execute it correctly every step of the way. Pontiac's image isn't as bad as some here may think IMO.