CARBIZ

Okay, now I'm stuttering.....................

Iraq, Iran....it's all Persian to me.

Iraq, Iran....it's all Persian to me.

Too many leaks in the dike to plug, I'm afraid. The Impy is only in its 3rd year and will be totally replaced within 2 more. Since it came out, GM has introduced or revamped the Malibu, Silverado, Tahoe and HHR - that only from the Chev side! Some may not like the Impala, but considering the resources GM had to deal with and the almost total revamp to the entire 8 brand line up in the past 4 years, I'd say they did a good job. Let's save our venom for the next Impala. If it's not 'world class' then we can heap piles of scorn on the RenCen. I will be the first in line, trust me.

True enough!

GM needs to shout this from the rooftops, IMO. Every customer I talk to, I mention the low maintenance costs on GM products and challenge them to compare with the imports if they are shopping around. You would be amazed at how many deals this has gotten me. From timing belts to 3 month maintenance schedules, the dealer is going to see the import more often than a GM. Five years between tranny flushes, tune ups and coolant flushes all add up to a lot of savings, plus less hassle. In our busy world, most people don't want to take the time to visit the local shop for an oil change or other petty annoyances. It is the dirtiest secret in the car business that the imports see their cars more often, while all GM vehicles (except GM-DAT) are on a 6 month maintenance schedule - and many people go 8 or 9 months between oil changes. GM has been doing this since the introduction of the Northstar engine, so it isn't even new.

Indeed. We can't keep them in stock. FYI, the G5/Cobalt twins are the #2 selling compact cars in Canada right now, even outselling the venerable Mazda 3 and the new Corolla.

Ok, I'll call you crazy. Where have you been? Don't you know the Impala is outdated, has a crappy push rod engine, big overhangs, hard plastic interior and 'old' detent-style steering wheel and (GASP!) can still be had with a column shift. No, no, the Impala simply will not do. :wink:

Is infanticide legal in your state?

It's 16 years old. It would make a great boat anchor.

It's amazing how far people will go to NOT drive a minivan.

But if the Element was a GM or Ford, we'd be hearing 3 pages of threads about what an ugly piece of crap it is.

That's clearly wrong: they've just announced a HHR SS panel van for '09.

Well, turbo, you are half right: the Malibu does drive them into the show room, so they can then buy a Cobalt or Aveo or 'Nox. Just because the Malibu has become the darling of the self-appointed experts, does not in of itself make it a runaway success. 80% of GM's problems are with PERCEPTION. There is nothing wrong with the Impala (the fact that it sold 1/4 million last year, despite being 'dated' speaks volumes to that). If putting better door handles and better feeling switches in a car is going to win over the skeptics, then I am all for it. Mr and Mrs Joe Public will obediently do what they are told. Right now the media is telling them to buy a Malibu. Good for them. Now that the imports occupy more than 50% of the market, they are able to bring more new models to market every year than any of the Big 3 can, either collectively or individually; therefore, by default the market share slide will accelerate because even the most loyal Detroit fan is bound to stumble over something from Stuttgart or Japan that they might like. The fact that the CTS, Malibu and Escalade have caught the eye of the jaded media and won their blessings is a step in the right direciton, to be sure. Toyota's recent failings are another. Chrysler made a hit with the media with the 300, despite its lackluster build quality and poor design (the 'C' is not the volume seller, BTW), but it worked for Chrysler - although their combined sales never approached that of the more 'dated' Impala. I think Lutz understands this from his stint with Chrysler in the '80s. As I have said, now that GM has hit 20%, the slide will abate. Toyota will be #2 at around 15-18%, folllowed by Honda, Ford and the others. No shame in that. Once the housing crisis subsides, we may be seeing a 20 million American market in a couple years as people dump their gas guzzlers. That's still 4 million sales for GM. GM has quite a few new models in the pipeline, most of which will win the hearts of the media, which is all that seems to matter any more.

PCS' thoughts have a lot of merit. I don't object to Chevrolet 'losing' Corvette. If Pontiac is to survive and be GM's performance division, then it makes little sense for Corvette to stay within Chevrolet. Things have changed since '53. Chevrolet could still use a sports car, and the Camaro would fill that void. I have to agree with haypops remarks about China. My 2nd Chinese blender just died over the weekend. (For those of you counting, that is one Oster that lasted 25+ years, a Betty Crocker, made in China, that lasted about 3 years, and a 'Beaumark,' made in China, that was a Xmas present for the BF.) So much crap is coming out of China that there is bound to be a backlash, and when that happens foreign companies will get the boot. Plus, with the rise of fuel prices, the cost of shipping crap from China has tripled in the past year. Sooner or later, the supposedly cheaper Chinese labor will not be able to offset the cost of shipping. China is only tolerating our inroads as long as it suits them to do so. GM should not be relying on them long term.

He's driving an Element? :rotflmao:

Chrysler (okay, I would lease one, not buy), then Ford. After that, I'd get a MetroPass.

The big difference is that the European market has been 'mature' for some time and although the Japanese have made inroads, they are not taking over, so to speak. Odd that Japan is making such a push in North America (where they know we will do nothing about it), rather than in Europe. Once GM has been 'right-sized' in North America, things will stabilize. Until then, expect more doom saying and sky is falling. The cancer patient analogy is quaint, but one has to wonder whether the doctor in this case has the patient's long term health in mind, or whether he wants to keep the patient alive enough to get paid.

I bought the Mary Ann Keller book a year or two ago. I threw it out before I got more than 30 or so pages into it. I don't even remember why now, just that it was crap. I wish I had more time to read. I used to read at least one book a week. I have a copy of America Alone, by Mark Steyn. It's too scary. I'm about half way through it.

Yeah, but it's okay for the Japanese government to pay for Toyota's hybrid system, right?

With the increased usage of 'smart meters' (ones that allow for discounting of power used in off-peak times and penalties for power used during peak times), many people will recharge their cars over night when they aren't using them and power is both cheaper and more plentiful. Smart consumers already do this with running their dishwashers and clothes dryers at night.

Since we don't really know what was or was not said around the bargaining table (what do all those suits go on about for days and weeks on end anyway?), how can we know how much 'bad faith' there really is. I suspect a dying union is posturing for optics here and GM is posturing to get more money out of Queens Park and Ottawa, which seems to be happening. But in any event, the 50% rise in the $C over the past two years and the collapse of the 'poser' truck market has doomed the crew cab production anyway. That is something that CAW cannot change, so the rest is just mere whining.

Hence, my 'rolling eyes' icon. Vauxhall and Opel ARE owned by GM and are, therefore, now American companies, but a certain somebody on this Board insists that they are not. :AH-HA_wink:

Remember: Toyota is the 'green' car company. The Tacoma is biodegradable. No need to scrap them; they merely dissolve in water.

Well worth the read. I liked the references to Kennedy's shot for the moon. Everyone knows American get busy under pressure, and General Motors certainly is under pressure.