Sempuukyaku
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Posts posted by Sempuukyaku
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*Sigh*, still no AWD. Looks like I'll keep having to choose between the Fusion and a mid-size SUV for what I need.
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Well, the Motorweek best of 2007 awards were dished out and GM performed very well:
Best Family Sedan
Saturn Aura
Best Large Sports Utility Vehicle
Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon
Best Crossover Sports Utility Vehicle
Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia
Best Pickup Truck
Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra
Here's the link:
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I never debated that Escalade isn't doing phenomonally well, but that isn't the balance between Cadillac and other luxury SUV makers. Escalade just can't pull in X5, MDX, RX buyers, but the SRX could. If it looked more like the Vizon, perhaps, or just less awkward. Again, let me reiterate that I actually find it to be a very appealing looking SUV with some mistakes in the lines and perhaps a flawed vision. You yourself have said as much, alluding to the crash redesign to include the third row that, imo, totally messed up the lines of the Vizon concept.
You know, I think the Buick Enclave is going to be GM's premier vehicle in the mid-size luxury SUV market. I think the styling has more of a mainstream appeal than the SRX does and it's going to be very competitively priced.
Just my .02
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I never would've considered a Saturn until after I test drove the Outlook today. If this new Saturn means the death of the old Saturn, then it's fine by me. The new Saturn....by my observation, is pretty damn awesome right now.
STRIKE OVER!
in General Motors
Posted
GM, UAW reach tentative deal
Details emerge
Sharon Terlep | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers reached a tentative agreement early this morning on a historic new labor contract, instantly ending a two-day strike and paving the way for GM to pay the union to take over $50 billion in retiree health care obligations.
In calling off GM's first national walkout in 30 years, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said he is excited to present the deal to members and hopes to win ratification by the weekend.
Terms of the tentative deal include:
GM agreed to fund the VEBA near 70 cents on the dollar, sources said. That's significantly more then the 65 cent contribution the company originally pushed for.
"It's an agreement we're proud to recommend to our membership," Gettelfinger said at a 4 a.m. news conference at UAW headquarters in downtown Detroit. "This contract will be better in some ways; it will be different in some ways. Our retirees will be exceptionally pleased with the contract."
GM CEO Rick Wagoner said in a statement that the contract will allow GM to become more competitive while investing in its U.S. operations.
"There's no question this was one of the most complex and difficult bargaining sessions in the history of the GM/UAW relationship," he said. "This agreement helps us close the fundamental competitive gaps that exist in our business. The projected competitive improvements in this agreement will allow us to maintain a strong manufacturing presence in the United States along with significant future investments."
The union will convene national leaders in Detroit on Thursday or Friday for a vote on the deal. Gettelfinger said the union hopes it will win ratification from the full membership over the weekend. Workers could return to the picket lines if the deal is voted down.
He said the strike broke a logjam with the company over commitments on job security the union was seeking from the automaker.
"I would say the strike probably helped our side more than theirs," he said.
He said did not know if the UAW would bargain next with Ford Motor Co. or Chrysler LLC.
Details of the agreement began coming together on Tuesday night.
Gettelfinger said the UAW "got the job security guarantees we were looking for." The UAW was pushing GM to make specific commitments to invest in U.S. facilities and build future products here.
Closing the gap
With both sides in agreement over shifting retiree health costs to a company-funded, union-run trust, the focus in the last days of negotiations centered on finding a way to slash GM's labor costs without cannibalizing the union's ranks or worker wages.
GM's goal was to wipe out what it says is a $25- to $30-per-hour gap in wages and benefits with foreign-based carmakers operating in the United States, especially rival Toyota Motor Corp. The automaker lost $12 billion over the past two years despite dramatic production cuts and marked improvements in its product lineup.
The UAW is fighting to stem a nearly 30-year trend of declining membership amid drastic downsizing of the U.S. auto industry and growing production overseas. UAW membership has fallen to 576,000 active members from a 1979 high of 1.5 million.
"Two words were used in the announcement -- competitive and investment. That's the framework of this contract," said labor expert Harley Shaiken of the University of California Berkeley. "GM gets an agreement that will make it more competitive and the UAW achieves investment in new plants and product."
The health care trust was in the spotlight through much of the negotiations, though Gettelfinger said on Monday that the strike wasn't over the VEBA.
The company has been pushing hard for a trust that will allow it to offload the retiree burden. Gettelfinger said it was the union that initially wanted a VEBA.
The arrangement still must win court approval and undergo an accounting review by the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the GM statement.
Bargaining has continued throughout the strike that began Monday after nine days of post-deadline bargaining couldn't bring the two sides together. GM's hourly workers have been manning picket lines across the country since the strike started.
While protests remained peaceful on Tuesday, the strike's impact was beginning to be felt elsewhere, especially among parts makers and GM's Canadian suppliers.
Looks like GM and UAW came to a settlement and according to Gettelfinger, the agreement should stick
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070926/ap_on_bi_ge/auto_talks