FUTURE_OF_GM

And that's the REAL point of this article... To get GM to kill itself.

Yeah, because that's what they need.... More bureaucracy on top of the already HUGE bureaucracy that is choking the companies to death. Like the "Chevrolet trucks are the most dangerous vehicles on the road" article, this is nothing more than a last ditch smear campaign aimed at one of GM's best sellers. Well... That was all SUPPOSED to change with Zeta. But as usual, GM couldn't make a damn decision. Umm, yeah... SEE: the viability plan where GM said it would reduce itself down to 4 core divisions and 40 models. And by that standard, I guess the Lexus RX and Toyota Highlander are identical too, right? (I didn't think so) Both this and the dealership debacle painfully showcase what GM has become... An entity where the tail wags the dog.

Someday... I will have the money to build a car like this!

And how does all of this relate to my initial opinion of the 9-4X being bland? I never said a damn thing about Ford. In fact I'm one of their biggest cheerleaders here. Even in the SHO thread, I openly admitted that the car was very impressive but that I would've liked a little more in the styling department. LOL, I don't think you'll see many CTS prospects cross shopping a Taurus. I wish Ford the best, but let's be serious.

What do I care about the future? I have enough invested in classic iron to "get me off" for years to come. As far as me being shy... Yep, that's true but you forgot about the "unless I'm passionate about something" part in which I liken myself to a hellhound.

Nah... The Malibu is much better. The Taurus is supposedly a much better car than the Charger too, but who sells more? (Just to use one of your other arguments) The same Astra that can't even move 50K per year and subsequently won't have a 2009 model year run? Stop being a minion for PCS, you're better than that.

What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? It's okay... We can't all be right 100% of the time. (Or in your case 25-30% of the time) As far as that smell... I think it's that German's ass that I just burned. (Not yours of course, just some random guy that I lit ablaze here at the bar)

The politicians are too dumb to see that, though... As for me... Well, I choose the automakers over the government any day. It could be real bad...

If I understood correctly, Daimler still owns 20% and Fiat would own 35% with the potential to own 20% more. That'd make it as foreign owned as Nissan IMO.

That's why... I was playing on what you said in the past. If indeed GME were to become a new company, Saturn's dealer network, extensive knowledge of Opel and appeal to import buyers would be a golden opportunity.

This one gives me chills... It's a BNSF head on collision from inside the cab of one of the trains (the sound is horrible) You can even see the engineer from the oncoming train dive out at 0.44. BNSF train wreck A YouTube classic: "The Beetis" The WTF blanket Shamwow:

My point exactly... It's the "snob appeal" of the quasi-import badge that attracts people, NOT the actual design. Remember: most are sheeple and buy what they're told or what they think makes them more appealing in the eyes of others. And FWIW; GM has repeatedly said that the SRX and 9-4X (which ironically compete in the SAME dealerships across the country) are both Theta premium as opposed to Theta.

Yes it is... (HINT: I don't give a f@#k about the power of wheels when I'm talking about design -- I don't even know what this Saab is supposed to be motivated by) Bland DOMESTIC designs haven't sold in mass for YEARS, my friend. Hide and watch how well your SHO sells. Ford won't market the thing and the average consumer (who probably won't even buy the regular Taurus in huge numbers) won't even know it exists. The program will be cancelled in under 3 years. (But then, I forgot... Only "rednecks" and "ghetto people" appreciate stylish cars)

*IF* GMNA files, they'll keep Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and MAYBE Pontiac. It's not hard to figure this out. Why doesn't GME buy Saturn off of GMNA and sell Opels here through it?

PCS need not even be dignified with a response... GME has been all sorts of f@#kED UP for so long now that it's pathetic. GMNA might not be so bad off now had it not had to save GME's ass a few years back. The Opel product is just as half-assed as the GMNA product. The Aura was dated, the Astra is a joke, and the the Antara is a fat pig. The ONLY reason we haven't been reading bad things about those products is because they sell so little that NO ONE outside of us nows that they exist. "Opel will save Saturn...." "Opel will save Buick...." "Saab has friends in high places and is safe..." "CPF doesn't think there is a need for Buick..." "Holden is dead; Chevrolet will take its place..." The bull$h! is so deep on this message board that I can smell it through my monitor.

This is further proof as to why Saturn should be retained and turned into a premium small car division. Buick will never be able to successfully market an Astra or anything smaller. Hell, Buick will be lucky if it doesn't suffer the same fate as Saturn in a few years (Unless GM gets it's marketing $h! in gear)

Yep... The Aussie deal went out the window with the Cadillac program. The premium line up there was supposed to be Cadillac, Saab, Hummer and Camaro

I can't help but think that this is an excellent solution to getting Chrysler back on it's feet again. Too bad it'll mean that the company is no longer american. And too bad that it might mean that my next car, will in fact, be an import. (If Chrysler is the only old skool Detroit manufacturer that offers volume RWD)

You know it's bad when BMW is "bribing" people to buy it's cars.

+1 The key now is PROTECTING the potential that the company has. In essence, GM needs to become a lot like the U.S. military. It needs to adjust for demand, but still retain the potential to become a hugley powerful entity if the market or environment calls for that to happen. I think GM should hold on to the core 5 and either Saturn or Saab. Hummer and the less lucky Euro brand will just have to die or go elsewhere.

Yep. I've had it happen multiple times. (I'll not go into detail unless someone wants me to) I usually just shrug it off. (I'm flattered, LOL, but that's not me)

I think everyone is taking this car too literally... Remember, it was made to be a character in Transformers. Of course it's going to be exaggerated. I love it and I'm sure I'll love the toned down street version.

I still think the Super Duty is the best looking HD truck out there. The GMT900s (especially) and this Ram look as if they're trying to hard with tacked on nose weigh.

Not to stray off topic to much. (If I do I'll edit) D.C. is clueless, as always... I love how Obama's approval rating has dropped 20 points in 2 weeks. Not that I dislike the guy... I certainly hope he is 'the second coming of god' that the media has made him out to be, because if he fails, it's going to get REAL ugly up in here. And I'm not talking ugly as in politics, I'm talking ugly as in no consumer confidence and desperate people doing desperate things involving perpetual violence. I was watching the inauguration and one of the newscasters said "And in a mere minute, America has been changed forever." I'm thinking "c'mon man, give me a damn break." Let's not put the carriage before the horse and hail the new hero before he fights the fight. I look around at the rising unemployment, desperation by some, families losing their houses, businesses going bankrupt and fat white rich guys getting fatter and richer and think; "same $h!, different day" Just this past week BAC deined privately handing out +- $6 Billion in bonuses to top execs... http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/1...of_america.html WTF!!!!!???? I support Obama and I think he's a smart guy, but I knew his "change" was really just 'more of the same' when I read a long time ago in USA Today (I tried to find the article, but couldn't) that his big stimulus plan involved China financing. Bush uses China to finance the war... Obama uses China to finance the stimulus... Same fundamental problem... Same $h!, different day...

For some reason it reminds me a lot of the "black car" concept for the C5. (The precursor to the Sting Ray III)