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hyperv6

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Everything posted by hyperv6

  1. hyperv6
    Ideally it would be great if GM could kill the Holden name and Opel name and just make everything one name but at this point I do not see it happening soon. Holden is just now getting over not building a car and I think to eliminate the name so soon would be too much a blow for the nationalistic customers. Now in the future as the product becomes more global accept for the grill I can see the change being done. Why make 6 grills when one would do. As for Opel and giving up on a long time operation in Europe. Well it is like a finger that has poor circulation and gangrene. You may have had that finger for 80 years but it is easy to give up if it is doing damage to the body and is not easily cured. Like they say it is better to lose a Finger and save a Hand. Market and Government offer no simple fast or easy fixes to Opel.
  2. hyperv6
    My original impression was not to scare them but to work around them. Give PSA the control as a Euro company to make deals with Germany and make new deals with the Unions and then sell it back at a higher price to GM with lower operating cost. The profits would be payment to PSA for their work. Lets face it the Euro Union and labor would be more responsive to a French owned company in the Union vs. an American owned company outside the Union.
  3. hyperv6
    As for interiors. Well some are much better and as good as any and better than many. But there are still some things that could be a little better. In the case of Cadillac being better is not enough. To make an impression it needs to be a significant difference to prove their point. If you want to be the standard you need to set the standard high. I expect changes with the coming product to address this.
  4. hyperv6
    I get what you mean but the difference was not German vs American engineering. The difference was choice of tuning by the divisions. Both coul make the others cars if they so choose. Chevy targets a softer ride as do the Asian makers for cars in the states unless they designate it a sport model. My point is Chevy chooses to be more American in product and if Buick wants to carry on the Euro tuning they do not need Russelsheim to get the same results. Odds are if it is a clean break the key staff will be moved anyways. GM will not lose people they want to keep. The only real loss here if it is a clean break is a model like the Wagon that needs the Euro sales to survive here. But even then that will be a small number of wagons. To me it is sad if it should happen as this is one wagon that would be worth having. But we still may get it as it very well may not be a clean break. The bottom line is GM here coul make anything Opel has done and then some. It just comes down to product planners choosing it.
  5. hyperv6
    Am only speaking of the handling sine that was what we were speaking of. Look I am not going to argue with you so let me make this clear so you can find something more important to argue about. #1 The HHR SS and Cobalt SS are not world class cars in their full form. #2 The said vehicles do have world class handling in SS form with the F5 suspension though not making the entire car world class in themselves. #3 My entire point was to show GM at the Michigan tech center can take a lowly basic econo car and make it handle so very well that it would equal anything done by the Opel staff. #4 I just stated I have not had electrical issues, lucky maybe but all the same it was not a problem for me. #5 My SS has been great. I got it at a low price new and have enjoyed it. I am looking to sell it this year and replace it with a ZR2. While I am looking forward to the new truck I will miss my SS. My buddy just sold his with many stone chips, broken windshield and more miles for $10,000 so I expect to get a decent price for mine in near showroom condition. So let's Sumerize here just to make sure you get what my point was. Entire car is not world class. The SS handling is world class. The SS suspension is an example of GM USA ability to take even a basic old platform and match Opels abilities. Finally we have established you wife's cars electrical suck. If I have missed something just re read 1-5 again. We agree on Europe.....High Five! I am peaking of the suspension on the SS please read 1-5 above. This was why I only was speaking of Lap times not interior comfort. Yes the interior sucked.
  6. hyperv6
    Sorry as a Owner of a HHR SS tuned by Mark Stielow of the GM Performance division that one is world class. Sorry I left off the SS. The F5 suspension carried the HHR SS to a class record at the ring and the Cobalt SS with in 2-3 seconds of a 5th Gen Camaro SS lap and still have excellent ride quality. The suspension in the Cobalt SS and HHR SS is night and day over the stock. I agree the stock is decent but not world class by any means. As for my comments World Class has nothing to do with the rest of the vehicle. As for electric and other issues I have not had any to this point. The bottom line on Opel at this point is there is nothing on a Regal that could not be done in Warren to gain the same results. Opel holds no secret codes to suspension tuning. They just tune to their market and then soften it a bit for ours. Daewoo also has a lot to do with many of these vehicles too as all branches work on them. It is a common sight to see a Opel in Michigan in Warren testing too. I think you will see with the ever slowing growth in the auto industry you will see more targeting of large markets and greater growth areas. The problem today many markets are just not flat profitable and even if you go global for some it is still not worth the investment when you can make develop a model or two and sell just as many cars in larger market and make twice the money. Europe is becoming much like California. High taxes to pay for all the social programs. Heavy government regulations that hinder doing business and MFG. Countries going bankrupt and other countries unable to do what they feel is best for them because a Euro Union tells them what they can or can’t do. Doing business in Europe is difficult right now and will become even more difficult to expand a company. Many large cities are wanting to heavily tax cars driven in town like London. Then you have cities like Paris that want to restrict the age of a car driven in town. Then some just want to eliminate cars all together or go all electric. So GM has few options here as making Opel profitable would be difficult even if they started just selling rebadged VW’s. They need to find a way to make Opel profitable or at least not unprofitable to them. And that means it could be a joint venture, complete sale or a sale and then buy back. Either way GM can survive with or without Europe. If you do not believe that then notice they have survived Europe with constant losses for how many years. Just not losing money would be an improvement.
  7. hyperv6
    I think you overestimate Opel an underestimate GMNA. also anyone of value woul be moved. We saw that with Holden. Keep in mind the only thing limiting GMNA is the choices they make. The Cobalt and HHR were not well sorted suspensions but the were given to Mark Stielow to sort out. Both became world class cars. Mark also is behind the Z/28 and I believe the new ZL 1. The key to better suspension engineering is in he hands of the product planners not Opel engineers. Diesels account for so little and much it is shared development anyways some with PSA. As we have seen many of GM cars are tune well in standard form even with ot the extra badging. The seceret is less spring, better dampers, moderate bars and right sized tires. In the past a F41 suspension was bigger tires, stiffer springs and big bars with little in the way of better dampers. Today they know less is more and you do not a stiff suspension off the Warren black lake. Inused to work with Mark and he is a world class chassis engineer. He is overseeing more and more and the lack of Opel is not going to be the impact some think. You do not need to be German anymore to turn corners. You are correct as Americans generally expect softer tunes. Product planners account for this. The bottom line is Opel has nothing that GM does not know or have.
  8. hyperv6
    I am sure anyone or anything of value at Opel has or will be moved or accessible. GM would not lose anything the can not afford to lose. We saw at Holden those of value were moved or promoted. GM is large enough to absorbs any drain of Opel. Lets face it name something Opel does that could not be done anywhere in GM's system. The greatest risk may be the Buick wagon but I suspect even it is figured into the deal. Now if GM was not a company that fully able in several other continents and if Opel was a major source of income and growing I would be more concerned. The greatest challenge us the emotions involved by loyal Opel customers and over reacting GM fans. Now how good of a deal in the end the details will tell us. No matter what in the end the flow of losses will be stemmed and that is something GM and Opel had little chance of doing on their own. They could sell Opel and let PSA make new deals and then buy Opel back at a profit to PSA and then run a more efficient profit making company. That is pure speculation but something similar could be in the works.
  9. hyperv6
    Most auto makers are struggling in Europe. They may be making money but profits and volumes are not growing even for the well established. This is why China is even very important to them. We have so much to learn of this deal yet. But in the end G Ms losses will be stemmed and stock and profupits will reflect this. We need to keep in mind anything GM is doing at Opel can be done at any of their other tech centers. Much of it was spread globally anyways. Also sales in Europe with Opel were modest compared to sales in the more important markets. GM is a very versatile company and they can transfer any work and technology to another site with little effort.
  10. hyperv6
    The G wagon is good if you in Nairobi but I would take the Cadillac if I were going work on my long drive on I5 in LA. The G wagon is great for stoned out rock starts that want to draw attention but for over all comfort in a city the Caddy is the choice.
  11. hyperv6
    Some Benz are world class engineered and some models are just riding coat tails. As for GMC they need more than Denali as not everyone wants to pay for the plastic chrome. Second the cheaper models are still more profitable than most cars on the market. With thinking like that don't apply for CEO anywhere. Lol....
  12. hyperv6
    I think we all need to look to GMC to see what revival Cadillac needs. GMC was not known as a luxury brand for the most part. Their heritage was lost on most people and many were crying for them to be removed from the GM line up. But they discovered the Denali. The Denali has given them a compelling product that draws people to it. They found that with just some simple chrome and features they can increase the price of the product over others and have people waiting to buy them. The key to the Denali is how it reflects on the owner and it tells others you can afford the best. How a product reflects on the owner is pride of ownership and what driving or being seen a said vehicle says about you. The Denali has found this grove. Now with that said Cadillac can not just add some chrome and expect people to come, Cadillac needs to find a new niche and what works for them. I think future styling to be key and the highest quality interiors with some of the most advanced features that are easy to use. Lets face it the Germans interior need help in many cases. They are nice but not that nice. It may take some trial and error but they will find it and it will take time and models to keep the grow of interest coming. Living in the past to a point is fine but you need to move forward and create a new heritage to live on with. https://www.yahoo.com/news/denali-big-news-money-gmc-200000692.html
  13. hyperv6
    I wish more people would grasp reality as you have. Thanks for the post. There is so much yet to be done and so few realize or will admit what it takes to get it all done. Even then Cadillac needs to still take the time to earn the rep back. You can relate back to heritage but most people today are more about what have you done lately. 59 Fins mean little to many buyers today.
  14. hyperv6
    No you would not touch the Jeep name as it holds so much equity. You would keep the Wrangler and Cherokee names too.. The rest well let GMC address them. I would make GMC the Luxury truck division with up scale on all models and make Jeep the real off road and sport models. The Jeep name due to WWII and the thousands of vehicles left around the world due to war is a well accepted model much like the old Land Rover was. Many do not see it as American or any other nationality as it is a Jeep. Now if GM does not buy Jeep as odds are working that way GMC should look into doing more real off road vehicles for their line. There is no plan for a ZR2 at GMC but that still should not stop them from making a Wrangler like competitor. GM is not boxed in by a style or shape so like they did with HHR they built a better PT Cruiser. GM could take and build a better Wrangler. Hummer should have been models under the GMC label and it would have been much easier to change and modify the product. Odds are we still would have had a GMC hummer of some kind around. Lutz said making Hummer a brand was one of his biggest mistakes. He said it should have been a GMC.
  15. hyperv6
    The truth is the Mercedes that serves the world has never been the same one serving America. Mercedes USA was always a Luxury division and really never offered the cheaper and less expensive models they did offer else where. They did offer some low end models when Studebaker was their distributor. I remember an old 190 sedan with a 4 cylinder that kind of looked dumpy a family friend had. The 190 sedan back then was just a cheap basic car and it made a Checker look like a Luxury car. Many forget about these as few people restore them. They were rust buckets and a good one today is only worth $10K at best and much less than the cost of a good paint job. Mercedes has been a be all to many parts of the world for many years but they are going to have to increase that as volume becomes ever more important. In America they are trying to lower the range of their lines to meet the low end Luxury and even considered he Pick up for volume but did not follow through. Mercedes wants to get into the market selling cheaper cars in America but just can not figure out how to do it without damaging the image or delusion that Mercedes is anything but Luxury. Even BMW at least has Mini. My father lived in Germany in the 50's and owned a Mercedes. I was always impressed till I got older and he showed me and explain to me it was like owning an Impala in Europe. It was not like owning a 450Sl. I did laugh as his buddy won a 300SL gullwing in some kind of contest. He sold it for a Corvette as he had a single garage and could not get in or out with the doors. I thought that was funny.
  16. hyperv6
    http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2017/02/16/general-motors-first-sell-europe-then-buy-jeep/ Now here is an idea that may have merit. Sell Opel and buy Jeep. {I would skip Ram} Jeep is a true global brand as it has had a global presents Mix it in with a GMC brand. They would have to replace the Fiat based products but that would be a good thing. Jeep could open many market doors Chevy and other GM products struggle at. For sure more profit than Opel.
  17. hyperv6
    HHR was a tall Cobalt wagon Hatch. So in essence the Cruze hatch and the HHR hatch both were in the same class and similar sized platform. In fact the Cruze is the HHR equal in size and platform. The problem is the Cruze will never sell in the numbers the HHR did due to the fact is does not look like a SUV. Also the lack of hatch room in the back with the seat up renders the Cruze hatch less usable with 4 people in it.
  18. hyperv6
    I can give you a map to lead you home but unless you gain the understanding how to read it you will remain lost in that wilderness. In a perfect world things would happen as you see but guess what? .
  19. hyperv6
    Come on you have been here long enough to know the development times of new product of 5 years and mild refresh of 2 years. Also you know engines tale 5-7 years to develop. Then finacially you know damn well it takes billions to do each product. So you have to pick a couple get them out and then leverage their profits to pay for the rest. $12 billion was seed money to turn the ship. The profits from the models we get from that investment will pay for more. Same with man power as they can only only have so many engineers on a project at a time. Budgeting money and manpower is key. There is no mfg that can do it all at once any more. Time is not so much a factor here as Cadillac has the luxury of price and high atp so no needs to pull large volumes to remain profitable. You do not mfg and sell Cadillacs like Chevys. Everyone else here understands this why did it miss you?
  20. hyperv6
    GM needs FCA like herpes. FCA has shown profit but not a long term profit. They still have a heave debt over capital ratio. They also have more over capacity in Europe than Opel. The profit they turned is like the way they say Alfa doubled sales in December in North America. They went from 23 cars in November to 54. Keeping in mind that they were projected to get to 150,000 units in North America and 400,00 units globally. This is a real problem as FCA needs volume more so than Jeep can supply. The only help FCA could get is once VW pays off the diesel deal so they can buy Jeep and Ram. Then the rest of FCA goes away. Wow Alfa is up to 5839 in Europe their biggest market. Lets see 400,000 - 5839 - 54 =............... to go. Way to go Sergio.
  21. hyperv6
    It is easy to provide number that only work for you vs. all the numbers. While we have less options at the now emerging CUV line at Cadillac we have many other options in America that while a little less expensive are also still in the Luxury class. Also in a way you could include the Luxury crew cab trucks as they are really a hybrid and something Germany does not offer. That one sucks the oxyrgen right out of the room with Denali, High Country, King Ranch and what ever Ram has.
  22. hyperv6
    Dude this is a transition over time. GM, Cadillac and JDN has made it clear from the start. Even BMW and Benz do not have the money or man power to revamp entire portfolios of product all at once. To be honest the work at Cadillac over the next 5 years is pretty ambitious in this day and age. As for how good or bad the XT3 is. Well you should tell us since you appear to know how it will handle and run. I assume you drove one. Maybe it was you in the Camo driving for the Camera's? Lets just see what we get before we praise or condemn this. I expect it will be not the full product we want but it will be one giant step in the right direction. The key is price point and volume with this model. Right now selling a cross over is like running a whore house on an aircraft carrier only FCA could F it up. Do the right thing and just new product for what it is not what your predigest is. We even give you the benefit even with your comments.
  23. hyperv6
    First you need to let them build the vehicle and just see what you get before you dis them. The key to this is to keep the price down to produce it and the purchase price under the XT5 so the Alpha is not going to happen. The Alpha Gen II could replace the XT5 or larger. This is an entry level model for this segment so there are limits. We also have GM tuned and or designated engines coming. I do not expect all the things will be in place on the first JDN models but as time goes on they will replace things with only Cadillac products. Ford is just going though the motions as they have not fully committed the money yet for a proper rebuilding of Lincoln yet. Not sure if the good guys there that saved Lincoln will get the money or not but I hope they get a chance. Till then they will have models that will still be too close to the Fords and just no moving away from it like Cadillac is doing and working to. I bet unlike Cadillac who now has their own staff of engineers and designers that there are still Ford engineers designing Fusions on Monday and Lincolns on Friday. This has changed at Cadillac and JDN has made a big point that they get their own people making their cars. The money did not just go to product but also to how they make cars for the future. We should see this evolve with each new model moving forward.
  24. hyperv6
    It will be interesting to see what all is in play. So many just see the sale as a dump but there may be a bigger long term deal in play here. The tech aspect would help GM stock here too. It is tough to make money as an automaker but an automaker making advanced technology stimulates stock. In some cased like Tesla to where they are way behind and slow getting new product out people still invest.
  25. hyperv6
    You are smart enough to know while the basic bones are similar that 80% plus of the car will be different. Just look to the Camaro and CTS. Same bones but two very different cars that both handle at the top of their class.
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