Oracle of Delphi

I wonder what the NHTSA's safety ratings will be or should I say won't be ???

On a side note, I wrecked a Chevy Cruze rental last week on a weekend get a way, $7000.00 damage and the damn airbag never went off, although that may be a blessing in disguise, with all the airbag issues going on today. The Cruze folded up like an accordion, but hey I'm still alive and that's the important thing right? That and the fact I didn't wreck my Porsche company car ...

Das ist gut, ja ???

Hmmmm, what does Cadillac of today mean to me? Well to be honest (NOTHING), the names of their vehicles stand for or mean nothing ... Bring back the legacy names !!! Remember when Pontiac brought you the first ever G8? Where's Pontiac now ???

Danke mein herr ...

Bwahahahahahahahaha !!!

Link: http://goo.gl/9tzxl

BMW is not up at night worried about Cadillac's ATS-V ... Trust me when I say this ... Cadillac may even sell one or two in Europe too, this time ...

+1

BMW has more cash than it knows what to do with, besides unlike Australians, German voters are pretty nationalistic when it comes to purchasing vehicles, they have a German first mindset, too bad Americans don't think that way ...

We are sentimental but no Australian brand is going to survive simply because it is Australian. No Aussie brands are more ingrained in the national consciousness than Qantas or Holden but the flying kangaroo is facing extinction as a long-haul, full-service carrier within 10 years and GM Holden may not even last that long. You don't have to look far to see why. This week, I'm flying to London and needed a one-way fare. Checking the Qantas website was once my benchmark and my habit but I was reminded again why it ceased to be so. Advertisement: Story continues below <iframe id="dcAd-1-3" src="http://ad-apac.doubleclick.net/adi/onl.smh.news/opinion/politics;cat1=politics;cat=opinion;ctype=article;pos=3;sz=300x250;tile=3;ord=2.7652609E7?" width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"> < /iframe> On the Qantas website, I was offered a one-way economy fare of $1558, premium economy for $3278 and business class $7547. The last time I flew Qantas long-haul economy, it was bad and I want this time to get to London without an aching neck and sleep deprivation. So, economy was out. I've also tried the premium economy and won't again. As for Qantas business-class fares, they are out of my range as I pay my own airfares. A few clicks on the internet and a new world of value was available: Emirates was offering a one-way business-class ticket for $3757 with flat-bed seats, five-star service (I've tried it before), a convenient late-evening departure time, business-class lounges, a limo service to the airport and a limo service from the airport to my hotel in London (blessed relief after 26 hours of travel). All this for $479 more than the price of Qantas's glorified economy class and less than half the price of Qantas business class. For almost the same fare, I could have flown business class on China Southern Airlines, which is developing a ''Canton route'' between Australia and London via its hub in Guangzhou - while Qantas cuts back its famed ''kangaroo route'' to London because it is not making money. There was also a competitive business-class fare from Etihad Airways, with which I've enjoyed superb service in the past, but it was more expensive and the timing was less convenient. Etihad and Emirates are booming, taking Australians to Europe via their hubs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Dubai. Abu Dhabi. Guangzhou. It's a new world for Australian travellers. It was no contest. I booked Emirates. So, another Qantas frequent flyer will be going overseas without a backward glance at the flying kangaroo. As I was writing this, a post popped up on my wife's Facebook page and she sent it on. It was from a friend, Ella, who wrote: ''Dear Qantas, do not send me an email promising me a sale when it's not. Your price was $200 above what I can get on Webjet … and travelling when I like, not between May and June. Get a grip, Qantas.'' These structural pressures were the backdrop to the tensions that exploded last year when Qantas was subject to rolling industrial action, furious public abuse from three of its unions and a lockout and fleet grounding by management. The turmoil has since given way to collective agreements but the structural problem remains. My understanding is that in order to buy industrial peace, Qantas has locked itself into restrictions on the number of casual staff it can hire. This may buy industrial peace but it will not buy survival for Qantas international, which is unprofitable, according to management. Qantas may have an indelible brand name, a dominant position in the domestic market and a reliable record of profitability but the profit is coming from the Qantas Group, not the glamorous long-haul Qantas flagships. The company will survive and can expand and prosper but the full-service, long-haul flying kangaroo we grew up with may not be around. Then there is Holden. For that matter, there is the entire Australian car manufacturing industry. Surely its future lies in making specialised parts for global markets, not entire cars for a small and impossibly crowded open marketplace? For decades, Holden enjoyed more than 50 per cent of the market in Australia. Last year, GM Holden's market share was 12.8 per cent. In January, sales of the Holden Commodore were the worst monthly sales yet, down 18 per cent from the previous January and continuing a long-term downward drift. GM Holden also announced it was cutting 100 jobs from its plant in Adelaide. It was not alone. Toyota announced that it was cutting 350 manufacturing jobs at its two plants in Melbourne. Ford reached an agreement with the Gillard government to receive $34 million in subsidies. How much subsidy is a car-making job worth? What all three of these car-makers have in common are generous and unsustainable labour costs, padded by government subsidy. The GM Holden collective agreement is a case in point. Over the past seven years it has delivered a cumulative wage increase of 29 per cent, an average of more than 4 per cent per year - a real increase over inflation. The agreement also obliges GM Holden to pay generous redundancy benefits and is generous in numerous other ways. So, too, are the collective agreements made by Ford and Toyota. Providing generous wages and conditions is intrinsically laudable but not if it compromises the survival of the enterprise. This is exactly what we have with the Australian car manufacturing industry, which wants more and continued government subsidies. The workplace agreements at GM Holden, Ford and Toyota commit to wages and redundancy obligations the companies could not afford under present market conditions were it not for transfer payments from the federal government. What unreality is the Gillard government propping up? It raises the question - why are Australian taxpayers being asked to make sacrifices, via subsidising higher costs, that the local auto-makers and their staff have not themselves been willing to make? Members of the public are already voting, with their wallets. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/aussie-icons-now-species-in-danger-20120205-1qzm1.html#ixzz1lWUOgVJ9

would it really be all that different than losing pontiac or olds...? i know it's a brand with big history and possibly a huge future, but those that work there could still work for GM, and the IP that they hold won't go anywhere. even if the brand disolved, aussies could still have a design place down there if GM thought it needed one....and could afford it. No news here as we already knew the RWD is not going away all together. We knew Holden, Chevy and Cadillac are active here in a RWD sedans and we also know Buick has been active in China with Holden based products and could bring it to the states if they choose. As for the name Holden is just that anymore a name. WIth more and more Chevy product coming in to their line they are just the Chevy of down under. It only goes to reason Chevy here could and should get Police cars and a Sports sedan to offer here. Even if Holdens name would ever vanish [i don't expect it to] that does not mean the people who design and the group building these cars would also vanish. I expect we will see the Zeta replacment and it will be well designed to fit the needs of all of GM's Global divisions. I also expect it will lose a lot of weight too. There is a lot going on and we will see some cool suprises here in the future. Your prognostications make me laugh, I can tell you this, Aussies won't just simply start buying Chevys, and if Holden goes, everything will go. If the AU government doesn't acqiuesce to the GM shakedown, everything that GM owns in Oz will go in 2016. But look on the bright side, at least your spelling has gotten better, spellcheck is a wonderful thing, huh?

Link: http://goo.gl/bWBmF

By RON HAMMERTON GM HOLDEN designers have added at least one Buick model to the line-up of vehicles being crafted at their Port Melbourne studios, alongside those for Chevrolet and Holden. Existence of the confidential Buick design project was revealed to GoAuto at last week’s Detroit motor show by General Motors vice president of global design Ed Welburn, who was typically effusive in his praise of his Australian design team. While Mr Welburn declined to elaborate on the model or nature of the project, he said “some very interesting assignments” were in progress at Holden Design. “They are doing work for Holden, but they are also doing work for other brands as well – some terrific work,” he said. “They are doing some work for Chevrolet, they are doing some work for Buick, and certainly they are doing work for the Holden brand.” Mr Welburn indicated that the Chevrolet and Buick projects were still in their early stages, but that nothing designed by Holden for Chevrolet or Buick was expected to surface this year. Buick is GM’s mid-range brand, aimed at North America and China, with the latter accounting for more Buick sales than the US. Link: http://goo.gl/7BLDO

Link: http://goo.gl/6qSnK

The loss of car manufacturer Holden would be devastating for South Australia, the state government says. Manufacturing Minister Tom Koutsantonis said if the car maker shut up shop it could result in the loss of 8000 jobs across the automotive sector. He said that would have both an economic and social impact. "When you couple those together it would be devastating for the state," he told reporters on Friday. "Could you imagine South Australia tomorrow with 8000 (extra) families without an income." The minister's comments appeared designed to up the ante on the state and federal oppositions, who have been less forthcoming in their support for Holden and the auto industry. The state opposition says it fully supports the car industry but wants to know the details of a financial support package being negotiated with Holden before endorsing the deal that will ensure the car maker's future until at least 2020.And federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott this week reaffirmed the coalition's previous policy of scaling back assistance for the auto industry from 2015, essentially axing $500 million in support. Mr Koutsantonis said South Australia's economy was built on a foundation of manufacturing and agriculture and its future lay with both manufacturing and mining. But he said history showed that once manufacturing capacity moved offshore it never returned. "If you've got mining and manufacturing then you've got high-paying, high-skilled jobs," he said. The minister has also warned against talking down the Holden brand during the current debate and insisted parent company General Motors (GM) had been completely honest in detailing its financial position and the challenges it faced. The state government says a deal on a co-investment package between the state and federal governments and the car maker could be finalised within weeks. No details have been released but it could be worth as much as $200 million. Premier Jay Weatherill said the deal would come with conditions, including a demand for GM to ensure Holden's Australian operations and the state's car component sector were better integrated into its global operations, giving them the ability to tender for contracts around the world. Link: http://goo.gl/33Uul

The sun has unleashed a blast in Earth's direction, and that should cause brighter-than-normal auroral displays this weekend. Skywatchers won't be the only ones monitoring the storm: The folks in charge of power grids and orbiting satellites will also be on guard to make sure the disturbance in the (geomagnetic) force won't be disruptive. Word of today's blast, technically known as a coronal mass ejection or CME, comes via SpaceWeather.com's Tony Phillips. NASA says the outburst sparked an M3.2-class solar flare, as well as a stream of electrically charged particles that is due to interact with Earth's magnetic field on Saturday. "Viewers can be on the lookout for increased aurora," NASA says. M-class flares are capable of causing brief radio blackouts near the poles as well as minor radiation storms, but it's unlikely that this one will disrupt communication or power transmission networks. The forecast would be different if it were an X-class storm heading our way. As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year activity cycle in 2013 or so, we can expect to see more powerful solar outbursts. To keep tabs on the prospects for northern (or southern) lights, check SpaceWeather.com as well as the University of Alaska's Aurora Forecast website. The higher your latitude, the better your chances of seeing the lights. If you miss them, never fear: SpaceWeather.com will surely update its January aurora gallery over the weekend. And if you snag a great picture that you'd like to share, pass it along via the Cosmic Log Facebook page or msnbc.com's FirstPerson in-box. Link: http://goo.gl/cBdza

Oh I think you'll see way sooner than that ...

BMW is not going anywhere, just remember who asked for the alliance, it wasn't BMW, but someone at BMW made BMW see the advantage of making this work ... BMW has enough cash on hand to buy GM, lock, stock and barrel ...

Because Austrailia is closer to China and closer to the Middle East. If I were GM and Holden was going to be closed, I would start ramping up my GM plants in South Africa, way closer to Mid-East, Europe, South America and even China and Oz are really not that far away ... That's what I would do, if I were GM that is ...

You mistake what I was telling you was going to happen with what I thought personally. The 2004 - 2006 GTO was the wrong car at the wrong time, that bodystyle was already 10 years old when it was shipped to the USA as a Pontiac, it was already made into the Cadillac Catera, and an Opel in Germany. It was at the end of its life when it came to the USA again as a Pontiac. A rebadged product at the end of its lifecycle did no favors for keeping Pontiac alive. I think you need to talk to Camino, he can vouch that I was a Holden supporter covertly under Carl-Peter and overtly after Carl-Peter was ousted ...