tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post182292354108816230..comments2023-11-05T03:29:20.511-05:00Comments on Mr Furious: My Big Three Bailout PlanMr Furioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03781439243585972721noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-16852203704685072222008-12-08T08:35:00.000-05:002008-12-08T08:35:00.000-05:00Rock on Mr. F ... rock on.Rock on Mr. F ... rock on.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16821245532511885309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-82227004730807125672008-12-05T13:39:00.000-05:002008-12-05T13:39:00.000-05:00Well, we should clearly both be collaborating to r...Well, we should clearly both be collaborating to run FoMoCo and Chrysler, Bob...<BR/><BR/>As for GM, I hear most of what you are saying, and I recognize that I am talking out of my ass, but I don't really see any of your suggestions as drastic enough departures from the status quo. <BR/><BR/>1. Buick. The Enclave IS nice, but is that a reason to keep the brand alive? Why is Buick's quality better? Are they selling? Are they making money? If not, it's a waste of resources that could strengthen the rest of GM. Keep in mind, all of the chopping I want to do.<BR/><BR/>2. Never said there should only be hybrid Equinoxes, but they should be offered.<BR/><BR/>3. If they could prove that GMC is merely badge engineering and had no cost, then fine. But I have a feeling there is a couple floors worth of upper management somewhere doing the same thing as Chevy. Not to mention maintaining marketing and advertising for two versions of the same truck. Your dealer argument has some merit—if you'd rather, just flip it and have all trucks be GMC, and stop making the Chevy version.<BR/><BR/>4. Looks like you Pontiac comment got chopped...but we more or less agree.<BR/><BR/>All of my suggested chopping would involve consolidating the nest aspects and talent of each brand into the remaining GM.Mr Furioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03781439243585972721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-11961016810088454352008-12-05T10:32:00.000-05:002008-12-05T10:32:00.000-05:00My take on your plan: (Me being an arm-chair engin...My take on your plan: (Me being an arm-chair enginner)My comments in bold.<BR/><BR/>GENERAL MOTORS<BR/><BR/>Buick—Gone. The loyal Buick customer base has to be pushing 70. Elderly people buying their last car ain't a plan for the future. <BR/><BR/><B>Wrong – keep Buick, but spend a lot of money injecting updated design – See 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Buick has the quality of Lexus, it just needs to keep doing what its doing. Have you seen the Enclave? – it rocks and gets the best mileage in its class. </B> <BR/><BR/>Cadillac—An upscale line is good. And I like the new "sharp edge" direction. Skews younger. Pick one full size sedan, I like the STS, so ditch the DTS. You can only keep the Escalade if every single one is Hybrid or DoD (Displacement on Demand—shuts off half the cylinders when not needed)<BR/><BR/><B>DoD is standard on every GM Truck or SUV with the 5.3L and 6.0L V-8, which is the vast majority of its engines. The 4.8L is only on a few base models.</B><BR/><BR/>Chevy—Family cars, SUVs, pickups and the Corvette. That's it. Start making Hybrid Equinoxes. And goddammit, build a fucking station wagon again. No more Avalanche—stupidest idea ever. All full-size trucks and SUVs need Hybrid or DoD powertrains. <BR/><BR/><B>Therermay be Hybrid Equinoxes coming, because there are hybrid Saturn Vues, but why make them all Hybrid if you lose money on each? It should remain an option. Again, DoD is standard on every GM Truck or SUV with the 5.3L and 6.0L V-8, which is the vast majority of its engines. The 4.8L is only on a few base models.</B><BR/><BR/>GMC—Gone. There is no need to duplicate with Chevy: Yukon=Tahoe. Stop building both. All commercial trucks are Chevys now. Why? Because the separate division has a whole layer of management that is redundant.<BR/><BR/><B>There is a lot of sense to making GMC. It’s so Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac dealers can sell a line of pickups that doesn’t say “Chevy” on the front, when they won’t be selling Chevy cars, confusing the customers. The cost of engineering this line is virtually nothing.</B><BR/><BR/>HUMMER—Gone. Just for symbolism's sake if nothing else, but that market is dead. <BR/><BR/><B>I wish they made a few small vehicles like the old Jeep CJ’s. It’s too late for that, so I have to agree with you.</B><BR/><BR/>Pontiac—Because I like the Vibe, Solstice and G6 so much it's hard to let go. Pontiac can be the "sporty division" and those three and the G8 is their lineup. That's it. No SUVs or vans, and ditch the G5, it's ugly.<BR/><BR/><B>They don’t do vans anymore, and won’t be doing SUV’s anymore either. That is what GMC is for. I agree with what GM WANTS to do with this brand: Make it a niche brand of rwd cars. Now if their horrible dealers will LET them. Goodbye to the G#, G% and the Vibe. They</B><BR/><BR/>Saab—Sell it. Please. Let somebody in Sweden make cool, quirky cars again. GM trashed this once great brand the second they bought it, and I will go back to Detroit and kill someone if their mismanagement means Saab's demise.<BR/><BR/><B> May be the best chance to unload the brand. Still, it’s pretty ingrained into the engineering of GM.</B><BR/><BR/>Saturn—Duplication is a problem here, but they have the best lineup in the company, run differently from factory to sales floor and as far as I know do well.<BR/><BR/><B>Agreed. Now that Saturn’s are the same as Opels, the engineering is cheap. The only question is would it be better for Buick to share Opel, like they do in China?</B> <BR/><BR/>FORD MOTOR COMPANY<BR/><BR/>Ford—Your website won't load, so you get nothing. Actually, here's what I want: The European Focus. Wagons and hatchbacks. Trust me.<BR/><BR/><B> Ford agrees – they are coming.</B><BR/><BR/>Lincoln—Again, and upscale brand is fine. Sedans only. No SUVs.<BR/><BR/><B>SUV’s yes, especially the upcoming MK…MK…whatever.</B><BR/><BR/>Mercury—A fetish for vertical grillwork is no reason to duplicate an entire line of automobiles. Good bye.<BR/><BR/><B> It think they should make all Mercurys into smaller Lincolns. That said, chicks buy Mercurys for some reason.</B><BR/><BR/>CHRYSLER<BR/><BR/>Chrysler—Family sedans and minivans. No more Aspen. All trucks and SUVs are now Dodges or Jeeps. Limit duplication.<BR/><BR/><B>agreed</B><BR/><BR/>Dodge—Sporty cars and trucks only. All lame sedans (Avenger=Sebring) and vans are now Chryslers. <BR/><BR/><B>Agreed, Except Dodge needs a minivan…it sells </B><BR/><BR/>Jeep—Compass, Liberty or PAtriot: Pick one, lose the other two. Everything else is fine.<BR/><BR/><B>agreed</B>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669616484991718478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-58944631912476752592008-12-05T09:55:00.000-05:002008-12-05T09:55:00.000-05:00With all due respect Mr. Furious I am tired of arm...With all due respect Mr. Furious I am tired of arm-chair engineers/auto CEO telling GM what it should do.<BR/><BR/>You lost me here:<BR/><I>—but GM (and last year, Chrysler) was betting EVERYTHING on these [SUV’s and Trucks] vehicles at a time when it was the Era of the Big SUV was winding down.”</I><BR/><BR/>If it was so clear to everyone, but the big three, then why did Toyota spent $1.5 Billion building a new truck plant in Texas that started producing trucks a little over a year ago? Why did Toyota just unveil their latest version of the Chevy Tahoe, (but a little bigger and less efficient) this year?<BR/><BR/>Companies built butt-loads of SUV’s in the 1990's and 2000's because we Americans were gobbling them up and they are one of the few models that actually make them money. American’s tastes are the problem, not the companies that produce products we want. It didn’t help that cheap gas prices made them unreasonably affordable to operate.<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, if the big-three could wave wand and start producing smaller cars tomorrow, it would <B>not</B>help them for two reasons:<BR/><BR/>1)Nobody is buying cars, regardless of brand or type, due to the financial crisis.<BR/><BR/>2)Small cars - especially Hybrids DON’T MAKE DECENT PROFITS. This includes many of the small cars made by the imports. <BR/><BR/>As an example, nearly every industry analyst knows that even super-efficient Toyota loses money on each Prius it makes. They may make a few dimes on Corollas, but only because they are subsidized by the Japanese market and subsidized by the six models SUV’s, and the larger cars that Toyota makes. <BR/><BR/>If gas had stayed up in the $4 range, then people who normally buy big, luxury cars may have looked toward smaller luxury cars, where a profit could be made. With gas back under $2 bucks, small cars are economy cars again. <BR/><BR/>Your plan for the big three, would due what the Prius has done for Toyota - make good PR, but it would do nothing for their bottom line.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669616484991718478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-87905311955394270562008-12-05T09:24:00.000-05:002008-12-05T09:24:00.000-05:00BTW, Rickey heartily approves of you using imagery...BTW, Rickey heartily approves of you using imagery from the Creationist bible at the top of the post.Rickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05773465359487671887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-77073166400060433622008-12-04T18:19:00.000-05:002008-12-04T18:19:00.000-05:00Superb post.Superb post.Angeloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10670726408659825019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-1592871606292885762008-12-04T16:51:00.000-05:002008-12-04T16:51:00.000-05:00Saab—Sell it. Please. Let somebody in Sweden make ...<I>Saab—Sell it. Please. Let somebody in Sweden make cool, quirky cars again.</I><BR/><BR/>Amen! Bring back the 900 hatchback line!Rickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05773465359487671887noreply@blogger.com