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[Chris_Doane]

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Edited October 14, 2006 by CD/BP

[91z4me]

Wow all of that GM is going bankrupt retoric was pretty off then wasn't it.

[hyperv6]

One step and one day at a time!

Once we get the Delpi deal done there will room for a breath but they still have some work to do. Things can unravel much faster than they mend.

But they are moving in the right direction and this is a positive sign.

Keep it up GM!

[Newbiewar]

GM will get slammed next quarter when they show more losses...

the only reason gm really profited last quarter was because of the sale of various assets... IZUSU & SUZUKI

[Northstar]

GM will get slammed next quarter when they show more losses...

the only reason gm really profited last quarter was because of the sale of various assets... IZUSU & SUZUKI

You think so? I was thinking that with all the T900 SUVs out and in full force for the full quarter that GM would have a better quarter. They should sell more cars and at a higher profit margin on each one.

[Newbiewar]

You think so? I was thinking that with all the T900 SUVs out and in full force for the full quarter that GM would have a better quarter. They should sell more cars and at a higher profit margin on each one.

sure the profit was offset in the first quarter by buyouts, delphi deals, health care... but is it really that easy to tell how the companys financial situation is doing after one "break even" quarter in which a lot of money was thrown around?

perhaps the GMT900's will be profitable, but not to keep the entire company afloat on the turn around, once the silverados get started i think we'll see some serious profits, and once saturn gets revitalized we should see some major money makers...

looks to me as if Saturn gets revitalized for 2007, 2008 seems like a good year for cadillac and chevrolet, buick should get behind the 8 ball by around 2008 or 2009, GMC is always along for the ride, pontiac needs a bit of work, but should be doing well by the time 2008-2009 comes rolling around... once zeta is in full force and GMT900's are in full production, epsilon II is being introduced GM will be massively profitable again... Lutz is desgning these cars to be profitable with a 25% market share... and lanave is changing perceptives slowly but surely... as you see stock markets changing feelings toward GM's product also ought to make a swing...

I wonder if Ford's ratings will be increased... i have a feeling GM is going to leave Ford in a pile of rubble...

[Mr.Krinkle]

Lutz is desgning these cars to be profitable with a 25% market share... and lanave is changing perceptives slowly but surely... as you see stock markets changing feelings toward GM's product also ought to make a swing...

I wonder if Ford's ratings will be increased... i have a feeling GM is going to leave Ford in a pile of rubble...

ford is in a world of pain right now... theyve got some good stuff there but i think they need to work on some other things right now. maybe its just me but i dont get any kind of sense of comfort when i hear bill ford speak...whatever the hell his name is. i just dont feel all that confident.

for the life of me, considering their size and output i just cant understand why they have so many problems...f-150, explorer, focus, mustang......these are all top sellingmodels....what gives? taurus... what happened to them"

gm's not going anywhere nd neither is ford...lets act like it.

as a side...the bronco was cancelled when?

i know the escape came soon after....im just tring to figure a timeline.

anyone can help id appreciate it.

thanks.

[Newbiewar]

ford is in a world of pain right now...  theyve got some good stuff there but i think they need to work on some other things right now. maybe its just me but i dont get any kind of sense of comfort when i hear bill ford speak...whatever the hell his name is.  i just dont feel all that confident.

for the life of me, considering their size and output i just cant understand why they have so many problems...f-150, explorer, focus, mustang......these are all top sellingmodels....what gives?  taurus... what happened to them"

gm's not going anywhere nd neither is ford...lets act like it.

as a side...the bronco was cancelled when?

i know the escape came soon after....im just tring to figure a timeline.

anyone can help id appreciate it.

thanks.

bronco ended early 90's...

i think 92 or so... you can always goto cars.com and do research

[ellives]

I don't understand Ford either. I never understood the demise of the Taurus. It fell off the planet so fast it was scary and it was a nameplate people recognized for good or bad.

The Lincoln unit sales number posted in that other recent thread were absolutely embarrasing for Ford. The Town Car used to be THE big luxo product. Obviously this too has passed.

ford is in a world of pain right now...  theyve got some good stuff there but i think they need to work on some other things right now. maybe its just me but i dont get any kind of sense of comfort when i hear bill ford speak...whatever the hell his name is.  i just dont feel all that confident.

for the life of me, considering their size and output i just cant understand why they have so many problems...f-150, explorer, focus, mustang......these are all top sellingmodels....what gives?  taurus... what happened to them"

gm's not going anywhere nd neither is ford...lets act like it.

as a side...the bronco was cancelled when?

i know the escape came soon after....im just tring to figure a timeline.

anyone can help id appreciate it.

thanks.

[ellives]

Merrill- Lynch falls in the same category as bean counters. They jump on the bandwagon when it's obvious something is changing. In GM's case, the stock has already risen 30% so Merrill jumps in with an opinion. I hope none of our posters are using them to buy stocks.

Just heard this on CNBC.

http://today.reuters.com/investing/finance...S-GM-STOCKS.xml

[andy82471]

GM will get slammed next quarter when they show more losses...

the only reason gm really profited last quarter was because of the sale of various assets... IZUSU & SUZUKI

True to some extent but I also think the analysts like what they see in future GM products.

[Robert Hall]

ford is in a world of pain right now...  theyve got some good stuff there but i think they need to work on some other things right now. maybe its just me but i dont get any kind of sense of comfort when i hear bill ford speak...whatever the hell his name is.  i just dont feel all that confident.

for the life of me, considering their size and output i just cant understand why they have so many problems...f-150, explorer, focus, mustang......these are all top sellingmodels....what gives?  taurus... what happened to them"

gm's not going anywhere nd neither is ford...lets act like it.

as a side...the bronco was cancelled when?

i know the escape came soon after....im just tring to figure a timeline.

anyone can help id appreciate it.

thanks.

The last Broncos were '96..replaced by the Expedition in '97.

What happened with the Taurus, I think, was after the redesign with sci-fi styling in '96, they basically ignored it.. one restyle in '00, and nothing much afterwards. Ford shifted their focus (no pun) in the US to high profit margin trucks and SUVs through the nineties into the early noughties..

[haypops]

ford is in a world of pain right now... 

From today's Car connection

Ford Issuing New Bonds

Ford Motor Co. confirmed it is making a private bond offering that seems to spotlight that the automaker is concerned about its short-term cash reserves at Ford Motor Co. and Ford Motor Credit.

Under terms of the offer, which is being made privately, holders of about $2.5 billion in bonds with coupons as low as 4.95 percent coming due this fall can swap them for bonds that pay as much as 10.6 percent. The deal, which will allow Ford to hold on to more of its cash this year, will cost the finance unit an estimated $90 million per year.

A Ford spokesperson said the company could not comment about the strategic reason for the bond swap. But analysts say that the only reason a company delays paying off bonds in the near term in favor of paying off debt later at a dramatically higher interest rate is because it is concerned about its cash reserve and cash flow in the near term.

[Mr.Krinkle]

with all the excitement and concern about gm's future i just forgot ford was/is in the same boat. sh*t will probably still get worse before it gets better. gotta just hope they can figure it out.

the oj chase in the white ford "bronco" pretty much killed that truck, that was 94/95?. i just thought it funny that the "escape" came not too long after. i know they got that whole "e" thing going on...probably just a coincidence.

[PontiacTechNJ]

OJ was responsible for a white Bronco sales boom , and even more unhappy customers because , overall , they suck

[Mr.Krinkle]

OJ was responsible for a white Bronco sales boom , and even more unhappy customers because , overall , they suck

yeah and that mustve done wonders for their image. even more reason to distance yourself from it. overall it did suck but whatever the catalyst was its gone. they couldve kept the name and spruced it up a bit if they so chose.

i still find it funny the escape came next.

[haypops]

because , overall , they suck

Yes, but the phrase blanco broncho rolls off the tounge so nicely.

note: closest emoticon to mexican flag

[ellives]

Merrill Lynch is not a "bean counter" although they have plenty of them there. Your whole first paragraph how little you understand the world of finance.

In fact it is NOT their job to "count beans." It is their job to essentially provide consulting services to their clients in the area of finance. To this point, it is NOT their job to react to markets. They employ analysts to study investments and make recommendations on the many aspects of these investments. Stocks just happen to be one of them. Any layperson can watch the market and react to it by buying and selling. If Merrill Lynch was doing their job, they would be issuing "buy" recommendations BEFORE the market changed since, in theory, the market has the same information Merrill Lynch has. Some would argue they should be driving the market and not simply reacting to it.

Imagine that...a *Financial Institution* being compared to bean counters. I sure as hell hope they are bean counters....it's their job to be. As for this recent upgrade, all they are doing is reacting to the market. Again, their job.

I would imagine you will see some of the other large institutions following suit now that the stock is trending upward.