Angry Dad

Following by example? Erstwhile cigar-chomping Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca took just a $1 salary--but a truckload of stock options--as Chrysler struggled to avoid bankruptcy in the late 1970s. Iacocca became something of a cause celebre; his $1 salary motivated the likes of Ol' Blue Eyes himself--Frank Sinatra performed Chrysler ads for a buck--and Bill Cosby entertained employees for free. Top brass at embattled auto parts maker Delphi (otc: DPHIQ - news - people ) may not have the same celebrity pulling power or charisma as Iacocca, yet they're following in the footsteps of the feted industrialist, who once informed union leaders he had thousands of jobs for $17 an hour, but none at $20. Delphi execs are to take a pay cut while the company seeks concessions from hourly workers, all part and parcel of a financial reorganization under U.S. bankruptcy protection. Chairman and CEO Robert S. Miller will reduce his $1.5 million base salary to $1 per year beginning on January 1, 2006; this will continue for as long as it takes for the company to successfully emerge from Chapter 11. Other execs who were at Delphi when Miller joined have also volunteered to waive 10% of their base pay, with President Rodney O'Neal foregoing 20% of his salary. Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 8 after failing to parley a restructuring agreement with the United Auto Workers union and its former parent, automotive giant General Motors

No matter how many HHRs sell the media will always be right. I saw one report where it was writen that sales were high because so many HHRs were being shot into rental fleets. The truth is the reporter made the entire statement up. After spending some time with these, I can understand why people want them. HHRs are, no doubt about it, a good value. It does have some "style". It may not be as stupid as a Scion XB which may be the only reason why anybody would buy one of those turds. It has a far better powertrain than almost any other small car and people have figured it out. The question isn't why HHRs are selling, it's how the pundits are going to erase the egg on their faces without admiting it was there to begin with.

No matter how much junk some people post about the 3800, it works. There's no lying about horsepower like the japs do, no cronic sludge issues like Toyota has, the dang thing works. And yes the Lucerne is a derivative of the C/H body. complete with 4t65e transmission that runs forever. Is all this bad? Well it sure as heck isn't trendy. Yep the 3800 is old but if somebody wanting a car to make thousands of miles without hassle asks me what to buy it is clearly at the top of the list. Can't say that about a Toyota V6.

Updated: 03:35 PM EDT Union Official Vows UAW Won't Budge On Delphi Wage Cuts By John D. Stoll, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, Dow Jones DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- Certain United Auto Workers officials have informed employees that auto-parts maker Delphi Corp. (DPH) is pressuring the union for a cut in wages to as low as $10 an hour. Al Coven, president of UAW Local 699, said in an interview Thursday that his office, representing Delphi hourly workers in Saginaw, Mich., has sent letters to employees outlining some of the terms that Delphi is believed to want, including wages as low as $10 an hour. While Coven said Delphi hasn't sent the figure out in official documents, he insisted that "we know that's what they want," but "we're not going to budge." Currently, Delphi hourly employees make at least $14 an hour and pay tops out at more than $27 an hour. Coven said high-level UAW officials have told him that, in order to accommodate Delphi's demand, the union would have to "re- open" the existing contract between the two parties and "the international [UAW officials] indicated they won't do that." Delphi's contract with the UAW is slated to run through 2007. Delphi has pressured the UAW and its top customer, General Motors Corp. (GM), which spun the supplier off in 1999, to provide bailout assistance as Delphi teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. The supplier lost $4.87 billion in 2004 on $ 28.62 billion in revenue and reported a $747 million loss in the first half. Chief Executive Robert S. "Steve" Miller, who blames high labor costs as the main problem at Delphi, has set a mid-October deadline by which Delphi will seek federal bankruptcy protection if it doesn't get adequate guarantees from GM and the UAW. Delphi officials weren't available for immediate comment and the UAW said it isn't commenting on negotiations with the supplier. The company is expected to make an announcement concerning its restructuring plans prior to the bankruptcy deadline of Oct. 17, when U.S. bankruptcy laws stiffen. The company has lined up various consultants and legal staff that would be needed to navigate a Chapter 11 filing, and Miller insists the company has adequate financial backing needed to weather the storm. In total, Delphi is said to be seeking $2.5 billion in immediate concessions from the UAW. The supplier also has indicated it needs to stop funding its costly jobs bank of workers, which would yield an estimated savings of at least $400 million annually. Coven said, "I think the attitude is, if we're going down, we're going down swinging." He referenced the pattern set in recent bankruptcy restructurings in the airline and steel sectors and insisted blue-collar workers were "squeezed" by federal courts seeking to shrink labor costs to more competitive levels. He said Delphi workers would be treated the same way if the company files Chapter 11. "They're just picking us off one at a time," he said, referring to the weakening of the strength of various unions in the U.S. He said the UAW "has bargained for 40 years to achieve what we have, they shouldn't expect us to give it back." -By John D. Stoll, Dow Jones Newswires; 313-226-1249; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires My opinion: To survive GM is going to screw anybody and everybody as soon as posible. They simply have to. It will be painful, it will be bloody but the one thing driving this is the ignorance shown by the UAW. They cannot accept that they are part of any problem. They cannot accept that their actions are part of any solution. That last paragraph shows the ignorance of the UAW leadership.

costs less to build. You guys need to get something right. The noise that the magazines have BRAINWASHED you with that multi cams and gazillion valves being the secret to efficiency is total crap. The magazines are wrong! The secret to power with respect to cost is in PCM capabilty and harnesing that capability to control the variables that produce the most gains. Yes an engine with variable cam timing and manifold controls is a better deal than a four cam non cam phased engine. Far more efficient and costs less in every respect. Get this straight, cams aren't the secret to engines. The best posible solution is to eliminate the dang thing all together. They are always a compromise. I dare say the vast majority of you complaining have not driven a 3.9 or a 3.5. This is the bottom line, GM wants to make money, to do so they have to give the consumer the best deal. They are not going to burn the current plants to the ground and build a new engine very other year. They do make huge improvements with PCMs far faster than any of you seem to recognize. There is far more reward there than radical engine designs coming to market at an insane pace. After you drive a 3.9 and look at what you get for the money come back again and explain what a failure it is. I don't think many of you will.

Don't care, the Miata has no style.

The Sienna reviews on MSN tell quite the tale about the V-6. It's the V-6 that has the problem. http://www.licquia.org/archives/2005/06/12...nd-reputations/

3800 has no power? What a crock. Unlike the sludge prone Toyota V-6s this motor just runs and runs and runs. Bottom line is if I was buying a car to race from light to light, it wouldn't be a Lucerne. But if I was doing 200 mile trips on the weekends, who really gives a crap as long as it goes forever and costs nothing to do it?

No comments on the hood bumps yet? You'll see them.

Did you see this?: http://www.4stroke-design.com/

Just for giggles I searched the story about GM giving rides outside of the Chicago park. If you read the explanation given by the Toyota slappy and the utter garbage he spewed....well let's just say Toyota people have a tendency to lie. It's nice to be quick to market but being right is better.

Has anybody seen any review or that dreaded fabricated word "comparo" where the Miata is the clear winner? What seems to be the biggest shock is that the Solstice has taken all the press. It may not be the better car in all regards but I defy anybody on these boards to tell me or anybody else how if the two are parked side by side, the Miata simply becomes invisible. Pontiac now owns the "buzz". Who'd a thought GM could pull it off.

Instead we should pay to not produce?

For the press Toyota gets praising the phony virues of it's hybrid system the TRUTH is more fuel will be saved by DOD, E85 and VVT technology. That is not to say that hybrid tech will never surpass the current sad state it is in now but to consider it the magic solution is a farce. If there is one benefit to the recent spike in fuel prices it will encourage and create demand for alternative energy utiliaztion. In other words, ethanol is now cost competitve. In my opininion I would always take an ethanol powered vehicle over any current hybrid. The tech works and it not a maintenance disaster like the Prius down the road.

It will only be a matter of time until some manager writes a rule about how to break rules and then take credit for it. If GM wants to impress me with it's "renegade ways", build the Nomad. no back seat, no leather, a basic touring coupe wagon.

How will the import faithful explain the results of the firts head to head, Solstice vs. Miata from C&D where...... C&D prefers the Solstice. Bottom line is Solstice is a homerun while Miata is a hoehum.