Oracle of Delphi

Alpha plans/designs have been moved out of OZ at Cadillac's insistence and moved to North America.

Pussy - as in Cat.

A friend from Detroit sent this to me in an E-Mail today, the title of the E-mail was Dickhead In Pool, I could not stop laughing ...

Did you post from your dealership, if you did, it's easy enough to figure that out.

My understanding is GM will be pulling even more design work from Holden in the weeks and months ahead and sending it to Detroit. If I were Holden, I would be very concerned.

Holden sheds contract jobs as GM abandons global rear-wheel drive vehicle projects By TERRY MARTIN 2 September 2008 GM HOLDEN is shedding an unspecified number of contract design and engineering positions following parent General Motors’ decision to abandon work based on the Australian-developed global rear-wheel drive architecture. After another tumultuous week for Australian vehicle manufacturing, during which 240 fresh job cuts across three automotive component suppliers and Kenworth Trucks were announced – less than a week after Ford declared that 350 jobs would be slashed at its Geelong and Broadmeadows plants – GM Holden has revealed to GoAuto that contract positions were being terminated on an ongoing basis until it reached the “appropriate level to meet the revised workload”. The cutbacks commenced some weeks ago. “There’s been a number of global programs either cancelled or put on hold,” said GM Holden spokesman John Lindsay. “Because we do global work through our global design and engineering (operations), essentially what we’ve been doing is reducing our workforce to the appropriate level to meet the revised workload. “What we’ve been doing is approaching our contracted staff, and those who aren’t required we’ve been letting them go. So that’s an ongoing process at the moment.” Mr Lindsay refused to divulge the exact number of positions being cut but confirmed that no permanent positions had been affected. He said the contract terminations would continue “until we’ve got the right balance and mix of skills that match the workload that we have”. GoAuto sources have indicated that the staff cuts are extensive and have had a dramatic impact on operations. “We haven’t been giving out any numbers on this because basically it’s ongoing,” Mr Lindsay said. “But essentially we scaled up to match the projects we were getting from global (head office) to cope with that – and we did that with contract staff, which is why we do have contract staff – but now with those reductions, we’re scaling down appropriately. “It’s something we’ve done before – and part of our normal business practice … I wouldn’t want to put a specific time (frame) on it, but it’s something that we’re working through at the moment. “We have to make sure that we have the right skills mix. There will be some contractors that have the skills that we still require, even with the reduction in the current workload. So we’re working through that,” he said. The rear-wheel drive centre of excellence for the GM world, Holden was known to have been in the running to develop the replacement for the Buick Lucerne sold in North America, while GM was also understood to have considered building the next-generation Chevrolet Impala on the Holden-developed RWD architecture. Mr Lindsay refused to comment on the global programs that have been canned and/or shelved. However, overseas reports have suggested that stringent fuel consumption standards in the United States have forced GM to abandon plans to create both the Lucerne and Impala using Australian-sourced design and engineering. Furthermore, US industry journal Automotive News this week reported that design work for a number of GM brands outside North America was being transferred to Detroit in response to US vehicle programs being delayed or cancelled, which in turn has freed up US designers for other projects. It cited the Impala and “an unnamed Buick sedan” as examples, and quoted GM design vice-president Ed Welburn, who said: “We have had a couple (of) studios where some projects have been cancelled. We have other studios that are totally overloaded. We just need to level that work around the globe.” Studios believed to be swamped with design work are those working on GM’s new-generation small cars, in particular the Opel R&D centre in Germany and GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in South Korea. “They can’t handle it all,” Mr Welburn said. “So some of that work will be done in North America.” GM spokesperson Mike Albano was also quoted as saying that GM’s design centre in Warren, Michigan, was expected to eventually handle work for two vehicle architectures. He declined to identify those platforms, but said: “We have some work being shifted in process for small, subcompact (vehicles), that kind of category. I certainly could foresee more car programs coming into Warren as the market changes.” Mr Lindsay insisted that design work at Holden was not being channelled into an overseas studio. “The projects that have impacted us are ones that have either been cancelled or delayed – they were not projects being moved from here to elsewhere,” he said. Link: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A2574B800160D68

What fact is that? I don't know if you're angry at me for what's going on at Pontiac or the McCain thread, that I wasn't even involved in or the fact that you had a 10% pay cut, but I had nothing to do with any of that, I'm not your enemy here!

Welcome back WMJ, you were missed.

I know you live a secluded life in Amish land, but these things have gone mainstream. Welcome to the 21st century blu. Do you have cable yet?

Thanks for the offer, but my profile pic is all you get. I go to the gym a lot since I've been in Europe, I work the stress off from my job, which lately I seem to have more of. My body is as my wife says in great shape, which is why she wants to see me with a tat, or nip ring. Kim says I get better as I get older, she seems blind to the few gray hairs I have, and for that I am grateful, so I want to give her, her birthday wish, just for saying that. I will be 40 next year, its nice to think my wife still thinks I'm hot. Don't hate blu, it will give you frown lines!

By the way, what are the dealership demographics for old, is it 50 - 60, 60 -70, 70 - 80, or 80 and over?

Automotive News ran a series of articles with their own reporter after he had spoken to a number of high level GM officials. As far as I know, (and yes I have a subscription there), he spoke to many GM sources. I was not one of them, if that's what you are trying to infer.

Speaking of Senator Clinton, I was very Anti-Hillary in this election, so much so, that I donated heavily to her Democratic political opponent (I gave the legal limit). However after watching her concession speech in D.C., seeing her and Bill Clinton's speeches at the DNC, and also seeing how much she is doing for Obama. I will vote for her for President at some future time, should she decide to run again. She has been nothing but Grace Under Fire, since she ended her campaign. I sent an E-Mail telling her as much today. So see political views can and do change, at least for me they do.

Yeah just a bumper upgrade, I wouldn't even call that a refresh. IMHO, I think what you are witnessing is GM starving Pontiac of product, that would be the perfect legal way to force the brand out of existence, without officially closing it down.

If this helps, I like the 1st one better.

You know my thoughts on that.

I hate to say this, but I'm getting a White Trash vibe from Palin's whole family, coming from Texas I know that vibe well. As for McCains wife Cindy, I agree with moltar, Stepford wife vibe thing going on there, kind of freaky.

Old people like floaty and boatish.

It is very adaptable, it was designed to handle, 4, 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

Ahh, I told you that last week. Old news.

There is also a Hawaiian sovereignty movement, it consists of organizations and individuals seeking some form of sovereignty for Hawaii. Generally, the movement's focus is on self-determination and self-governance for people of whole or part Native Hawaiian ancestry or, in some cases, for "Hawaiian nationals", without regard to race or ancestry. In some instances the focus also includes redress from the United States for the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani, and for what is seen as a prolonged military occupation beginning in 1898 with the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii to the United States, and continuing until the present day. The movement generally views both the overthrow and annexation as illegal, and holds the U.S. government responsible for these actions. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_sovereignty_movement Aloha Y'all!

I didn't miss it, no decision has been made on the G6, it may get pushed back as far as 2013. I only went to 2012.

My wife's birthday is coming up and she asked me if I would either get a tattoo (Symbol of Chaos) on my bicep, or a nipple ring, I'm leaning towards the nipple ring as this will not leave a permanent mark on my body. I know there will be some blood with the piercing but I don't know what kind of pain to expect, can anyone else give some guidance on this aspect of it? The things you do for those you love.

All auto makers do.

I'm not going to comment other than I found this interesting. Members of 'Fringe' Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was a Member in 90s. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/20...rs-of-frin.html