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Automotive News & Views United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)
16716 messages, Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 3:23 AM
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Replying to: grbeck (Nov 18, 2008 7:46 am) Would that need a chapter 11? Have to imagine that the corporate culture of a Toyota, Honda or Nissan is very different from GM. The GM workforce, without a union, and first level supervision maybe could be trained into that culture. Top and middle management would have to be replaced similar to a new U.S. President's administration such as what Obama and Emanuel are now doing. Obama is bringing in his people, but of course retaining apolitical career government employees and grunts. Is there any way that elements of top/middle management at Toyota, Honda and Nissan could be induced to join a Phoenix GM? What a challenge. This would be like a head coach of a Super Bowl Team leaving it and taking over the worst team in the NFL with aspiration to build it into a Super Bowl contender. |
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Replying to: jimbres (Nov 18, 2008 8:58 am)
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this is simply a supply and demand production thing here. Most of us middle-aged population here in the States feel like The General has been dead and dereft of creativity for about 40 years. We don't feel the Big Guy has our best interests at heart by any stretch. Product has been tolerable but doesn't light our fire. I say no to a bailout for the States. Maybe SAIC of China(their Chinese build partner)can purchase bits and pieces of GM, including some experts who don't mind moving to China, and work to build for the burgeoning car-buying public there. Beggars can't be choosy, eh? |
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Replying to: lemko (Nov 18, 2008 8:48 am) Well, that works for you and others who choose these brands. But, you cannot escape statistics that GM market share is declining. GM has needed to stabilize or increase its share by having its brands appeal to more and more buyers, but that has not happened. GM did not have competitive models to Lexus, Acura and Infiniti when these were introduced in late 80's and never was able to catch them. If GM were great back then, perhaps Lexus, Acura and Inifiniti would have withered and died for lack of sales early on. Finally, the 2008 CTS has been acclaimed as near/equal to its foreign brand competitors. Maybe 22 years late. I presume that UAW build CTS, but it was top GM management that finally got it right and hopefully not to late for Cadillac's fate.
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Nov 18, 2008 9:17 am) Only Lexus seems to have been consistent and, to be brutally honest, the only really decent car they have is the LS460. Everything else is just a "Toyota Deluxe." Do they still make that silly and pointless LS460h? Infiniti had a recent resurgeance, but it wasn't too long ago it was an also-ran with a slow-selling Q45. Heck, if I wanted to stand apart from everybody, a Q would've been perfect. You saw maybe one for every 100 Lexus LS. Acura? Well, the RL would be nice if they put a V-8 in it and priced it at least $10K-$15K less. They made a major blunder letting the cartoonist for Pokemon design the latest TL. |
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Replying to: jimbres (Nov 18, 2008 8:08 am) GM was the largest corporation in the World for many years. It has squandered that wealth. It is now something like 10th largest and the biggest loser. It is less than half the sales of WalMart. Only about 10% of the workforce that WalMart has. Yet rocky and friends have no problem trying to organize Walmart with the possible consequence of pushing them into bankruptcy. If GM goes under Ford and Chrysler will pick up much of the sales and be stronger. I miss Studebaker more than I will Buick. I owned two Studebaker cars and the best PU my dad ever owned was a Stude. No subsidies were offered to keep Studebaker and Packard alive. Same should go for GM. It will add less to the unemployment than was added last month. The dealers that are not already bankrupt will be done from lack of sales by january. Those lost jobs are just as important as the UAW jobs.
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Replying to: gagrice (Nov 18, 2008 9:31 am) |
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Replying to: lemko (Nov 18, 2008 9:10 am) I'd seriously consider the Malibu & Aura if I were shopping for a family sedan. But why did we have to wait until practically yesterday for GM to produce compelling alternatives to the Accord & Camry? I've rented the previous generation Malibu & it's nothing I'd want in my garage. I've said before that the latest CTS is gorgeous & that I'll test-drive one when I'm shopping for a replacement for my BMW. Here's GM's problem as I see it. Once upon a time, if you asked me to list my 10 favorite cars, 7 or 8 of them would have been GM offerings. (The rest would have been English sports cars.) Today, there would be 1 GM car on that list: the CTS. Most of the rest would be Germans. Somewhere along the way, GM lost me because of decisions that GM made - or didn't make. I'm the customer, & the customer is always right. |
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lemko! I would mourn Buick's passing more than facing the prospect of my own death. 
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General Wesley Clark, New York Times: “What’s good for GM is good for the Army” “[W]e must act: aiding the American automobile industry is not only an economic imperative, but also a national security imperative… “[A]s Detroit moves to plug-in hybrids and electric-drive technology…automakers are developing innovative electric motors, many with permanent magnet technology, that will have immediate military use. And only the auto industry, with its vast purchasing power, is able to establish a domestic advanced battery industry. Likewise, domestic fuel cell production — which will undoubtedly have many critical military applications — depends on a vibrant car industry.” New York Times, Nov. 16, 2008 The real General has spoken iluvmysephia1 ~Those of your against the Big 3 are under some kind of hypnosis~ GM and the Big 3 under normal conditions pays dividends.., sponsors more.., contributes more.., pays more taxes and bails out more than any other.., and yes the Big 3 would bailout the government if needed - All positive - so it pays to help the Big 3
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