FUTURE_OF_GM

Get your LEED certification at OLD NAVY now!

But Toyota is supposed to step in and save the day, no?

$15 billion.....

LOL, I agree and you guys know how I feel about the whole 'green' movement in general. I have lots of fun making fun of the 'radicals' in her college, LOL. I swear to alah, if I have to hear one more instructor gloating about how 'amazing' the new Smart car is, 'ima hafta chokea bitch'. One of the owners of the hotel gave them a tour before they left (I had to leave early to be back in time to make a presentation) She said he was really cool in that he said "First and foremost, I am a capitalist and the green industry is just that; a way to make money."

Very nice.... If winter has a saving grace, it would be the gorgeous sunsets that we're treated to.

+1 I'd love to see that. I bet Hyundai would be knocking though...

That's what I was thinking... If we were smart as a country, we would SEIZE the moment as fast as possible and use the access to cheap energy to BUILD AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SOMETHING ELSE. Think about the JOBS it would create! But alas, no one in government is that smart.

I agree 100%.... That's why I want to start going to local tracks again. (Might even get down your way) What's sad is that all of the NASCAR guys I talk to (I know quite a few that work for virtually all of the teams here) feel the same way, it's all about $$$. It almost seems like the sport is rotting from the inside out. One of the guys was telling me the REAL motivation behind the Car Of Tomorrow. Guess what... $$$$$$

Absolutely... They amount of consultation they received FAR exceeded their investment. But that happens in my field too, nothing like creating and doing research and then having your esteemed instructor take ALL of the credit for it.

Don't forget about Honda.... (See my post in the Honda F1 thread) And you'd better believe Nissan will be in there when $$$ improves. Besides, everyone knows that 60-70% of the Toyota engine is base on Chevrolet engines anyway (That came out when Toyota entered the truck series) Naturally, they're aisna, so they steal other comapnies innovations, put lipstick on a pig, and are reveled far and wide for being such TECHNICAL INNOVATORS!!!!!!!!1111!!!!

Believe it or not, that's the plan NASCAR is the reason that the next NSX was/is supposed to have a V8 engine. Honda submitted a 'prototype car' to NASCAR a few years ago, but NASCAR turned them down (put them on hold) because they were already dealing with Toyota entering the sport. But Honda went ahead with the plans anyway and built the BLOCK in the new NSX to be NASCAR certified. Now, fast forward to today and Honda is whispering in NASCAR's ear again (in light of the big three shrinking... Once again an asian company uses the loss of the big three as an opportunity for gain) and word is that NASCAR is seriously considering letting them in. FWIW, look for Toyota to BUY their way into Evernham Motorsports next year too. Since Dodge is on the skids, Toyota swooped in and offered Evernham a HUGE amount of money, the question is will he bite. (But we all know the answer since it is NASCAR, after all) Naturally, Dodge can't compete with the Toyota offer and Toyota is once again BUYING their success in motorsports. My sources... Well, I live in Charlotte NC, so you figure it out... :AH-HA_wink:

I love Mulally... I think more of his type are SORELY needed in the automotive business. These executives SHOULD'VE walked in there with a swagger IMO. Congress declared war last time by being too ignorant to see the severity of the situation at hand and piling on as much as they could. IMO, the three auto execs should've walked in there with a 'finger on the button' mentality that would've given THEM the power in the situation. They don't need to be arrogant, but they need to present the case to congress in a way that states; "Look, either you jump down off your high horse and help us out, or we'll blow this house into a hundred pieces by selecting the nuclear option of bankruptcy." They should've DEMANDED respect and if it takes FEAR to do that, then so be it.... (This is also why I'm not so sure I want to go into this industry... It's usually not good for me to mix passion and business)

How about an automotive publication... One that tells the truth :AH-HA_wink: I'll work for you, hell, I'll volunteer!

+1 And I bet the jaded public would like that too, as everyone seems to be as 'fed up' with the banks as they are the automakers.

Did anyone catch the EXCELLENT Lou Dobbs segment on CNN last night talking about how our government penalizes our automakers while governments around the world subsidize their automakers? Excellent! Comparable to this.

http://www.proximityhotel.com/ My GF and her classmate's project for architecture this semester was to coordinate with the owner of this hotel (He owns multiple hotels and fronts a foundation for community improvement) and basically re-design a large part of downtown Greensboro NC. Yesterday, we had her final critique at The Proximity which included him, the other big members of the foundation and several key people in the leadership of the city. Of course, as far as we know, everything was theoretical, but it would provide a very good and complete basis if the foundation wanted to move forward with plans. The foundation funded everything, from trips to Greensboro to even supplies and prints. (You architecture people know how expensive that stuff can get!) And for the finale, he invited all of us (people working on the project, family and guests) to the hotel, gave EACH member of the project a free room on one of the top two floors, presentation space complete with a technical staff, a bar and food AND each of us a free 3 course diner at the formal restaurant inside the hotel. The staff and facilities were amazing and we had an excellent stay! The idea behind the hotel is for it to conserve resources and the guest not even REALIZE it. (Basically, they want to show that we can still live in the lap of luxury, at the same time as saving the planet) They certainly accomplished their goal. It's one of the nicest facilities I've seen. (And I used to do 'conventions' almost every weekend) LEED certification... Well, I save my opinion on that for now. () I just have issue with a program that gives you the same amount of points for installing a bike rack as it does for RE-USING an existing structure. (like revamping a MILL into an apartment complex, for instance) But whatever, I guess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVpX5fUvPlg "Insurance Company Rules"

No major media coverage...

De Lorenzo for president!

Trying to please wall street by making cars that are ACTUALLY profitable... How 'bout the asian automakers do the same? GM and Ford consistently top ALL measures of quality outside of PRIVATE Consumer Reports.

Just as I predicted, What LITTLE media coverage the event got was nothing but negative. The media, just as I predicted 5 years ago here, will kill the domestics.

And, BTW, if these congressmen are SERIOUSLY considering an unscientific CNN poll that was conducted by a private company as a basis for their decisions, it shows how IGNORANT they are. Only in america.

Where were these conservatives when Citi put its hand out a few weeks ago?

Once again, it's all about votes.... The american car market is divided right down the middle import vs. domestic. The population is divided about a bailout as well. So, instead of doing the right thing, and becoming the leaders that this country needs, the government would rather do what gets them the most votes so that they can maintain power. No surprises here... Doesn't matter.... It's all about maintaining votes. The fact that the population is too stupid to realize what implications a collapse of Detroit will have is a moot point so long as that same public keeps re-electing the representatives. Besides, I'm sure non of these idiots even read the plans anyway. Proving that the media is highly effective at swaying the public. Proving that at least 53% of the population hasn't got a clue. Ya think? Maybe you guys should've ACTUALLY prepared for it or ACTUALLY expected the TYPICAL media response... NOTICE: Since the plans went public, there has been virtually NO detailed reporting on them. Instead, the media wants to continue the negativity and opinion swaying by running what are basically EDITORIAL opinion pieces. I say f@#k IT... Take 'em bankrupt and hopefully it'll be like a 'foot to the throat' of this economy. I'm already poverty level, so I couldn't give three sh*ts about the economy, in general.

I think (hope) they'll be able to maintain 20%... I'm an advocate of going back to the basic 6 division design. It looks as if GM is going to do that (the big 4, Pontiac and at least a 50% stake in Saab) even if it desn't keep Saturn (I hope it does)