thegriffon

More on Saab from Auto News: Jonsson said a decision on Saab's future including possible new financing or new stakeholders will be made in the next two or three months. He declined to reveal how much money Saab is seeking. "A total sale is far down the priority list. We have integrated ourselves into GM as an organization and on the product side," Jonsson said. A complete shutdown of Saab also "is totally off the map," Jonsson said. "Next year we will start to roll out new products and that is a great opportunity to get some revenue."

Expect GM to sell only a part of Saab, retaining slightly more than 50%, as they do GM Daewoo. Initially the rest may go to the Swedish government in return for assistance. Note that Saab will be building the 3-door Astra in addition to the Delta-based 9-1 and 9-3. Whether they stay in the US market, or keep producing a midsize 9-5 model is another matter. Of course, the "new" direction for Saab may simply be in focus, perhaps the "green" luxury brand BMW has been considering. With a focus on downsizing the next generation, aerodynamics, BioPower engines, and the BioHybrid concepts, they're halfway there already. They just need to change the marketing focus and build a 9-e using the E-Flex system. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned, since it actually is in GM's plan, unlike so much other stuff that has been reported: The Beat.

Other than single men not living as long, I can't think of anything.

The thing about a golden parachute is—you don't get one if you don't leave.

Citi is a different case. It's not in need of a bailout so much as a boost in investor confidence. The government investment follows a large investment by another (Arabian) investor. That's not to say the mortgage crisis has not hurt them, but that their main problem is fear of loss rather than actual loss.

What they've been guilty of for too long is abandoning Sloan's concept and homogenizing all the brands, not merely in rebadges, which they have moved away from largely (G3 and G5 aside), but in market and price. Instead of increasing prices at Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile and Saturn to keep pace with premium imports, they allowed each division to chase volume at the expense of image and margin. They still have not corrected that, and everytime they try hordes of customers and dealers howl and complain that prices have too high. As for division viability and volumes, as I have indicated elsewhere, a $3000 gross margin per vehicle on a mere 300,000 Pontiacs a year (including Canada and Mexico easily possible even now) would give GM $900 million a year to spend on product development. Without sharing platforms that should be enough to develop a brand-new model for the division every year. With a 10 year cycle between platform changes and a new model change every 5 years (Toyota's standard), that's enough to support at least 7 unique models. And that is without sharing models with Holden, or platforms with Cadillac, Buick, Opel or Chevrolet. If, and this is the real problem facing the domestic automakers, if they can make those margins per vehicle, they can easily support every brand with a broad range of fresh, competitive vehicles. The problem is they don't. Until they do they cannot support adequate development for any number of brands. Not 4, not 3, not 2, not even one. Cutting one or more brands will not change that.

I'm embarrassed by their naivety, but at least I didn't vote for them.

About g— d— time. I would hope they push pricing even higher in future.

What's odd is that at the same time they think the Detroit automakers are in trouble because they are building the wrong kind of vehicles. But then holding two opposing views at the same time is what politicians do best.

There remains a high probability that this or a future arrangement put together next year will demand line-item control over product development and production decisions by people with no concept of supply and demand in a competitive automotive market. remember, these are by and large the same people who think people bought more SUVs because automakers made more of them, and that people would all be driving 37 mpg vehicles now if only someone made them. Well they do make them and they don't buy them. CAFE for 30 years has caused automakers to increase fuel-efficiency to world-class levels without any effect on CAFE or national fuel consumption. It has merely enabled people to buy larger, heavier vehicles such as full-size SUVs which use comparatively more fuel. Only high fuel prices and recurrent charges linked to fuel consumption can improve CAFE, not manufacturers' efforts to improve economy.

Or buy only building vehicles no-one is willing to buy at $2 a gallon gas.

'The Engine of Democracy' Coalition to Send Workers From 50 States to Washington to Support Auto Bridge Loans WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Engine Of Democracy, a coalition of organizations representing more than 6 million jobs related to the American automotive industry, today announced plans to send representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to Washington, D.C., to show support for $25 billion in federal loans to General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Spearheaded by suppliers and dealers in all states, this effort shows the massive, nationwide support for the federal loans the automakers need to help ensure the national security of the United States, the continuation of a robust automotive manufacturing base and the economic well-being of the nation and its citizens. "This is about line workers, parts suppliers, dealership mechanics, and hard working moms and dads earning a living for their families," said Carl Galeana, an automobile dealer in several states and a coalition organizer. "As Americans, we depend on the auto industry to drive our economy in these very tough times. The role it played in reinvigorating our economy after 9/11 is just one example. And please, let's not forget how this industry turned on a dime and became what President Roosevelt called 'The Arsenal of Democracy' during World War II." On December 5, 2008, 51 people from the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia who are directly or indirectly employed thanks to GM, Ford or Chrysler will gather outside the U.S. Capitol Building to tell their employment story and the impact of automakers on their locale. Each participant will be wearing a red, white and blue sport jersey with key data about the industry's impact on their state emblazoned on them. "America's car companies play a crucial role in the nation's economic engine," said Neil DeKoker of the 400-member Original Equipment Suppliers Association. "Almost 4 percent of U.S. gross domestic product is auto-related and represents 10 percent of U.S. industrial production by value. Ford, GM and Chrysler account for more than 70 percent of U.S. production and support more than 6 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia." According to Driving the Future: The New American Auto Industry by The Automotive Trade Policy Council, the U.S. auto industry invests $10 billion in this country in plants and equipment each year. In addition, the U.S.-based auto industry is second only to the semiconductor industry in R&D spending -- $12 billion last year alone, the study said. A significant portion of that R&D money is spent developing alternative energy vehicles that will move the U.S. away from its dependence on oil. Without the work of GM, Ford and Chrysler, the U.S. could be forced to import critical technologies such as batteries, biofuel technology, advanced internal combustion engines and transmissions, hybrid systems, and fuel cells. That, in itself, has all the markings of a national security disaster. The auto industry has one of the largest economic multipliers of any sector of the U.S. economy. Its growth or contraction can be detected in changes in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. In many states, employment in automotive and automotive parts manufacturing ranks among the top three manufacturing industries, according to a recent report by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). The Engine of Democracy coalition also will launch a microsite entitled "The Engine of Democracy," Monday with the URL www.THEENGINEofDEMOCRACY.com. Automotive employees, retirees, car owners, auto supplier employees, dealership employees, mayors, state legislators and interested citizens will be encouraged to go on the site and add their stories about America's car industry and its impact on their lives. Visitors also will be encouraged to write their Congresswomen, Congressmen, Senators, Secretary Paulson, President Bush and President-Elect Obama -- as well as legislators from other states -- to encourage the U.S. Government to approve a bridge loan for America's car companies. Visitors also will be able to see the impact of Detroit's automakers on their state as well as key facts and myth-busters concerning Detroit's automakers such as: -- The automakers are requesting a bridge loan, not a bailout as Wall Street has done. The companies need the loan because the U.S. credit freeze has essentially closed capital markets and squeezed their cash flow from operations that are being devastated by extremely low consumer demand across the industry. This freeze is happening as the automakers are in the midst of huge restructuring costs, heavy pension and health care payments and massive-yet-crucial product and advanced technology investments so that today's and tomorrow's vehicles are even safer and more environmentally friendly. -- GM, Ford and Chrysler make vehicles Americans want to buy. 50 percent of the products sold in this country come from those companies. The best-selling vehicle in the U.S. is a Ford; No. 2 is a GM product. -- Motor vehicles and parts are the single largest export from the U.S., topping aerospace, medical equipment and communications. -- According to J.D. Power, three of the top five brands for dependability are American made: Buick, Cadillac and Mercury. The 2008 Chevy Malibu is the highest ranked midsize car in initial quality. The 2008 Chevy Silverado ranks highest in large truck quality. Ford quality is on par with Toyota and Honda. -- Ford has the most five-star safety rated vehicles in the industry and GM has the same number of vehicles as Toyota that achieved the top safety rating, according to the Institute for Highway Safety. -- GM, Ford and Chrysler build fuel-efficient vehicles. GM has twice as many models that get 30 mpg or better than its nearest competitor. GM's four new midsize crossover vehicles have best-in-class fuel economy. GM has eight hybrids on the road today, with a total of 20 planned by 2012. The 2-Mode Chevy Tahoe full-size SUV was named Green Car of the Year last November. The new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid beat the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 6 miles per gallon. In minivans, Chrysler is better than both Nissan and Toyota and basically tied with Honda. -- GM, Ford and Chrysler have been restructuring their businesses over the past few years that included the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, a new labor contract with the UAW that will bring costs in line with foreign competitors in this country, and productivity gains that have put them on par with the competition. Ford was profitable in the first quarter of 2008 before the economic crisis began and has been working for two years to improve its balance sheet through aggressive restructuring while accelerating the development of new, safe, fuel-efficient and high quality products. GM has reduced structural costs in North America by $9 billion since 2005, eliminated raises and bonuses for executives and salaried employees, and aggressively addressed its manufacturing footprint, shifting from truck and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers. -- According to The Harbour Report, the manufacturing productivity bible of the industry, GM has more plants leading their respective segments in productivity than any other competitor, foreign or domestic. The Engine of Democracy Coalition is an informal, ad hoc group of concerned automotive supplier and dealership employees and affiliated organizations that are impacted by the future of America's car companies. This group is self-funded and has received no funds from Chrysler, Ford or General Motors. Source: Engine of Democracy Coalition

Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Chrysler share ownership of the GEMA engine manufacturing plant building the world engine in the US. There are minor differences between the engines used by each however, and I'm not sure if Mitsubishi is using any engines built there.

Most of Chryslers fwd vehicles now use a Mitsubishi platform. That's the Journey, Sebring, Avenger, Patriot, Compass and Caliber. One of the three previous Sebring models (cabrio?) was based on the Eclipse, the others were unrelated Chrysler designs with similar styling. In addition Chrysler imports an older version of the Mitsubishi Delica from Taiwan for sale in Mexico as a Dodge van.

What is certain is that semen contains chemical triggers meant to train a woman's immune system not to attack the foreign DNA. When condoms are used for birth control this does not happen and can cause complications during a first pregnancy as the immune system attacks the "foreign" DNA of the fetus. This may be another reason why in traditional societies a widow was expected to marry the brother of her deceased husband, who would share much of his DNA and be less likely to have problems with pregnancy than an unrelated male. I'm unsure if this is connected with preeclampsia, but ingestion of semen in fellatio probably won't have the same effect as ejaculation during intercourse, as the environment is very different and far more hostile in the mouth and esophagus and stomach.

Transparently self-serving.

Because it didn't cost that much money—the G8 is based on a volume car that outsells the Camry in it's domestic market. You'd be a fool to by a Camaro if you need the space and utility of a large family sedan, which is what the G8 is—a large family sedan as big as the Honda Accord, and in V6 form even a little cheaper. Thanks to the low $A, they might even be making money on them again. Face it smk, the G8 is a great sedan that didn't cost the money and years a car like the smaller Alpha projects will.

A Pontiac should exude the essence of Pontiac's rebellious performance years. They should imply "I'm a sports car" not "I'm an economical plain family car". As such they should if possible be rwd, but that isn't strictly necessary. A mini has a suitable sporting image and yet remains fwd. The heritage of light-weight drilled, acid-dipped frames, powerful engines in relatively small cars, "wide-track" for better handling, "speed-lines" (not ribs) and racy styling that emphasizes the appearance of speed. Practicality should be high on the list of priorities, but not at the expense of handling, acceleration and braking. SUVs, vans, pickups and "station" wagons are therefore out, sedans, roadsters, coupes, hatchbacks, fastbacks and "sport" wagons are in.

For years Ford had their own airline, and it probably still does.

New Study Finds Americans, Including Elected Officials, Earn a Failing Grade When Tested on American History and Economics Third Intercollegiate Studies Institute Report on Civic Literacy Suggests There is an Epidemic of Historical, Political and Economic Ignorance in America; Colleges Must be Main Part of Cure WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Are most people, including college graduates, civically illiterate? Do elected officials know even less than most citizens about civic topics such as history, government, and economics? The answer is yes on both counts according to a new study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took ISI's basic 33-question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an "F." Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent (or 21) of all surveyed earned an "A." Even more startling is the fact that over twice as many people know Paula Abdul was a judge on American Idol than know that the phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" comes from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Complete results from ISI's third study on American civic literacy are being released today in a report entitled Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions. The new study follows up two previous reports from ISI's National Civic Literacy Board that revealed a major void in civic knowledge among the nation's college students. This report goes beyond the college crowd however, examining the civic literacy of everyday citizens, including self-identified elected officials. But according to ISI, the blame and solution again lie at the doorstep of the nation's colleges. "There is an epidemic of economic, political, and historical ignorance in our country," says Josiah Bunting, III, Chairman of ISI's National Civic Literacy Board. "It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI's civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned. How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don't understand the American experience? Colleges can, and should, play an important role in curing this national epidemic of ignorance." A large majority of respondents agree colleges should prepare citizen leaders by teaching America's history, key texts and institutions. Seventy-two percent of respondents with a high school diploma believe colleges should teach our heritage as do 74 percent with graduate degrees. However, the impact of college in advancing civic knowledge, as evidenced in ISI's first two studies, is minimal. In the new study, this trend is confirmed. The average score among those who ended their formal education with a bachelor's degree is 57 percent or an "F", which is only 13 percentage points higher than the average score of 44 percent earned by those who hold high school diplomas. And when you hold other non-college influences constant, the gain from a college degree drops to about 6 percent, quite consistent with past ISI findings. Further demonstrating the minimal influence of college in advancing civic literacy, ISI discovered that the civic knowledge gained from the combination of engaging in frequent conversations about public affairs, reading about current events and history and participating in advanced civic activities is greater than the gain from an expensive bachelor's degree alone. Conversely, talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies and monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminish a respondent's civic literacy. "People may be listening to television experts talk about economic bailouts and the platforms of political candidates, but they apparently have little idea what our basic economic and political institutions are," observes Dr. Richard Brake, ISI's Director of University Stewardship. "Our study raises significant questions about whether citizens who voted in this year's landmark presidential election really understand how our system of representative democracy works." For example, Brake points out that less than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government. And only 21 percent know the phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" comes from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which President-elect Barack Obama cited in his acceptance speech on Election night. Following is a sampling of other results from several basic survey questions: * 30 percent of elected officials do not know that "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence; and 20 percent falsely believe that the Electoral College "was established to supervise the first presidential debates" * Almost 40 percent of all respondents falsely believe the president has the power to declare war * 40 percent of those with a bachelor's degree do not know business profit equals revenue minus expenses * Only 54 percent with a bachelor's degree correctly define free enterprise as a system in which individuals create, exchange and control goods and resources * 20.7 percent of Americans falsely believe that the Federal Reserve can increase or decrease government spending "The nation's ignorance of the kind of knowledge necessary for informed and responsible citizenship --- and the failure of our nation's colleges to effectively address and fix this problem --- would certainly be unacceptable to our founding fathers, who believed that the university would create leaders to preserve liberty," asserts Dr. Brake. "Our report demonstrates that Americans today expect no less from our colleges than our founders did." The report calls upon elected officials, administrators, trustees, faculty donors, taxpayers and parents to reevaluate collegiate curricula and standards for accountability. Some of the questions ISI believes need to be asked are the following: * Do colleges require courses in American history, politics, economics and other core areas? * Do colleges assess the civic or overall learning of their graduates? * Do elected officials link college appropriations to real measures of civic or overall learning? "Citizenship is a life-long commitment," says Bunting. "Colleges need to do their part to help young citizens keep their commitment. In the process, they will be helping to preserve the civic vitality of our nation." The ISI test was administered in conjunction with Dr. Kenneth Dautrich of the University of Connecticut and Braun Research, Inc. All 33 questions and ISI's Our Fading Heritage report are available at www.americancivicliteracy.org. About the Intercollegiate Studies Institute The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) (www.isi.org) was founded in 1953 to further in successive generations of American college youth a better understanding of the economic, political, and ethical values that sustain a free and humane society. With ISI's volunteer representatives at over 900 colleges, and with more than 65,000 ISI student and faculty members on virtually every campus in the country, ISI directs tens of thousands of young people each year to a wide array of educational programs that deepen their understanding of the American ideal of ordered liberty.

PR skills do not equate to managerial competency, nor vice versa. Would you trust a spin doctor to run GM?

Pelosi to Auto Industry: Show Us a Plan for Viability WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House and Senate Democratic leaders held a news conference this afternoon in the Capitol to discuss aid to the domestic auto industry. Below are the Speaker's opening remarks: "Thank you very much, Mr. Leader. I wish to associate myself with your remarks because I think that you have clearly laid out what the challenge is to our economy, to the auto industry and to Congress as we go forth. "It is all about accountability and about viability. Until we can see a plan where the auto industry is held accountable and a plan for viability on how they go into the future, until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money. "And that is really where we are with this. I want to join the Leader in saluting those who have worked so hard on this, and add to that our Michigan delegation in the House of Representatives. "The auto industry is very important to our country. It is essential, its survival is essential, to maintaining our industrial and manufacturing base. That industrial base is essential to our national security. So, for reasons of our national security, for reasons that relate to the health of our financial community, and for reasons that relate to the needs of the workers who will be affected by this, it is essential that we see some restructuring, some path to viability, from the auto industry. "The Leader addressed what that meant in a timetable. I know Leader Hoyer will adjust that as well so I won't go into that. But again, we reject those who are advocating bankruptcy for the industry. We reject that. But we do want to work together, and I don't think we saw very much in the hearings of the last few days that gave us the confidence that we can act upon it legislatively. "Hopefully, in another week or two, we can see a plan that can take us viably into the future with accountability to the American people before we spend another dollar of their tax dollars. Thank you, Mr. Leader."

Democratic leaders in the house and senate shut it down because a bipartisan agreement that the administration supported was reached without their approval.

Again, from AN: John Wolkonwicz, analyst for IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass., said Waxman's ascent was "the worst news of the week for the domestic auto industry. That's going to increase of the cost of autos for all Americans. Waxman is a Beverly Hills guy. He's going to give us the Beverly Hills version of a green agenda."

These same Democratic leaders kicked Dingall off the Energy Committee today, and installed their own anti-Detroit crony.