xdre

Bernhard says that as if it stops prospective buyers from gettting the technology from the source--which would be Borg-Warner.

Correct. It's so that future advances, let's say for example hydrogen cars and the ancilliary tech that comes with them, can be designed here, instead of only in another country. It's so the Big 3 can afford to pay all those retired Baby Boomers and their parents instead of having them put an even bigger strain on Social Security than there already is. It's so our middle class can even afford to buy cars from import brands. It's also so our dollar doesn't become as worthless as many third-world countries' currency. You say that like it's a good thing. Downward forces on wages are rarely a good thing. Except that Toyota and Honda still don't even have as many plants here in the USA as Chrysler alone. That doesn't explain why Toyota reports profits in yen while GM reports profits in dollars. That was quite a long post for someone who doesn't give a crap. That's the only thing you've said I agree with. But the fact is, stating that it doesn't matter if Toyota is really Japanese just because they invest in the US is just denial.

Not exactly. Although DCX (and previously, Chrysler) owned part of Mitsu they never controlled the company. There was plenty of parts-sharing and so on that went on, but Mitsu's quality problems (to say nothing of their other problems) can't be laid at the feet of Chrysler.

No, it was closer to $43k, but yes I'm aware we got a significant discount. The car cost more than originally planned. In a market where Ford sells $25k Mustang GTs with similar performance, a $33k GTO with a limited option list--even though more luxurious, and thus, not a direct competitor to the 'Stang--is a tough sale. Particularly in the first year when the GTO was also using the 5.7. In the quantities needed to sell, I'd imagine the Commodore at least would need to be assembled Stateside. Besides, the UAW would howl bloody murder and I don't think the Aussies have that much extra capacity. But the GTO was projected to sell around 18,000 copies/year. Agreed. Despite my comments, I'm not a GTO hater, and even priced at $33k I was surprised it didn't sell. Well, hindsight is 20/20. Personally, I don't think the Sport Appearance Package was aggressive enough, although when it came available it certainly didn't hurt. [edit: I take that last part back. I thought the SAP was just the hood flares and a wheel/tire package. Wrong-o!]

Wow. I don't usually "get" cars from the 30's, but that looks amazing. I admit to not knowing GM's current structure, but somewhere on the 'net I read (a dangerous thing, I know ) that the current head of Pontiac has almost no power over what happens to the brand's cars--not even the power to veto/change minor styling cues. If Pontiac is to continue in any form whatsoever, I'd start by changing that. Lutz may be good, but he ain't that good, and he's not getting any younger either. Find somebody with some intelligence and an independent streak, and give him or her the green light to fix it--and get it right the first time--"by any means necessary". Even if it stays a mix of FWD and RWD, Pontiac needs at least one other standout car, and AFAIK, none of GM's truly memorable cars were designed by committee (well, unless you consider a skunkworks a committee, that is :AH-HA_wink: ). BTW, having said all that, I think a carefully-done rebadging of the VE Commodore--especially the hi-po versions--would be a good start. I say "carefully" because I think part of the reason the GTO flopped so badly (besides the currency exchange rate) is because it looked too much like it should have been a midrange Tempest (or even a Grand Prix) instead of the top-of-the-line bad*ss the name suggests. Had a more aggressive bodykit been a factory option it would have looked more like a "true" GTO (see some of the HSV versions if you doubt), and maybe some of this fumbling around in the dark for the direction Pontiac should go wouldn't have been so necessary. Pontiac should be the maverick--yet profitable--perfomance brand it used to be--and I'm coming around to the idea that it doesn't have to be a volume brand to do so.