CSpec

Check out this TV report on massive cities the Chinese government is building that have no inhabitants: The reason is of course that construction activity boosts the country's GDP figures, even though by any measure this is insane. Be skeptical of China's quoted growth--a lot is illusory.

No. Thanks, that's what I figured. As for the car itself, I assume it will be fine. Competition in that bracket is pretty fierce though, so in the end victory may come down to sticker price.

Was that 3D thing he was playing with real?

Since I live in the capital of the free world, there is no recession. Unemployment in Arlington, VA is 4% and housing prices are rising rapidly. Thanks, taxpayers!

I hope you were being sarcastic.

Happy birthday! Make it a good one.

Don't be so sure on that one. Do we need to replay the crash tests of the Brilliance BS4? What Chinese homegrown cars top the ones being imported there? The past is not the future.

Whoops, missed this. Happy bday man.

Don't be so sure on that one.

By the way, anyone know of a green energy company that pays a dividend as nice as Exxon? I inherited some and I would love nothing more than to dump it, but unfortunately I need the money for now...This would not be a gamble, I want a low-risk, consistent-yield stock. The price of a stock is just the present value of its future dividends. It's actuarially equivalent whether you sell it or hold it, unless you don't trust yourself with a big pile of cash. Also I'm not aware of any green technology that isn't risky, unless one becomes an arm of the taxpayer. As for this battery technology, The Economist wrote about it this week. Sounds very promising. It looks like usable electric drive and self-driving technology will converge! The automotive future is bright. It will be a fine day indeed when I can be whisked along in a silent car, taking a nap in the driver's seat.

GM's lack of small car sales and its CAFE balance is its own doing more than anything else. GM has always made class-competitive trucks, but not so much with cars, especially smaller ones. Oops. Why would they bother with lame small cars when they could make huge profits off trucks that are protected by a 25% import tariff and cheap gas (by international standards). Great photo of the Optima in the OP.

I like the cut of your jib, SAmadei.

If the Volt transmission was manufactured in New Orleans in 2005, there would be a problem as well. What's your point? My point is that the system is highly distributed so a disaster in one locale only slightly affects global supply, not a catastrophic loss. Which is actually proving to be false. Mazda just halted new vehicle orders from dealers. Lines all over the world are shutting down. Last I checked there are plenty of other manufacturers you can choose from. Which has NOTHING to do with globalism and everything to do with geo-diverse production. As you apparently missed in my post, it is entirely possible to be geographically diverse WITHOUT globalism. I don't understand what you're arguing--GM should be the only auto company in the world with many plants manufacturing the same exact car worldwide? Like Coca-Cola?

If the Volt transmission was manufactured in New Orleans in 2005, there would be a problem as well. What's your point? My point is that the system is highly distributed so a disaster in one locale only slightly affects global supply, not a catastrophic loss. Which is actually proving to be false. Mazda just halted new vehicle orders from dealers. Lines all over the world are shutting down. Last I checked there are plenty of other manufacturers you can choose from.

If the Volt transmission was manufactured in New Orleans in 2005, there would be a problem as well. What's your point? My point is that the system is highly distributed so a disaster in one locale only slightly affects global supply, not a catastrophic loss.

Bingo! That is incredibly false. Globalized production reduces risk. SAmadei understands.

Odd to be backing up over a distance that long too.

Oh look, Chase emailed me this morning telling me I can donate my credit card points to the Red Cross! Of course it's only a total coincidence that the Red Cross skims a nice profit off the top. And Japan doesn't want their help.

At the risk of sounding like a science geek, I'm guessing because "lumina" is closer to the lumen, which has more to do with light and less to do with electricity. Honestly GM prolly just thought it had too much baggage. Whatever Yeah and Lutz was busily changing the names of cars he approved personally anyway. I don't see him calling GM's trailblazing new model the same as a meh 90s sedan.

CRANK DAT a/c knob.

See, THIS is a country that actually needs donations because it's poor: Ivory Coast’s Health System Collapses, MSF Steps in

It's quite the wrong thing. Japan has been pleading with people to NOT send them earmarked aid like this. It's a big profit opportunity for American charities to get a bunch of money that Japan does not want or need. The New York Times backs me up. No, not really. From your own "source": And who did GM give their money to? Exactly the group that Japan said don't give your money to. Also, lol at your derision of the NY Times as a "source".

It's quite the wrong thing. Japan has been pleading with people to NOT send them earmarked aid like this. It's a big profit opportunity for American charities to get a bunch of money that Japan does not want or need. The New York Times backs me up.

You can't put a price on the safety and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of people, nor can you on environmental devastation. That is false.

And it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the REAL disaster, the tsunami itself.