Oracle of Delphi

Ride the gerbil, you just got to love Oz ... <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

Welcome back gmpartsgirl ...

Like any new girlfriend, I have to use her for a while ...

Bloomberg News Posted: 11/11/2009 05:21:06 PM PST Updated: 11/11/2009 08:02:55 PM PST Toyota Motor may shoulder almost all the costs to shut the NUMMI joint-venture plant as the owner of the former General Motors' 50 percent stake doesn't plan to fund expenses including severance pay for workers. "Motors Liquidation is not contributing at all to NUMMI's closure costs," said Tim Yost, a spokesman for Detroit-based Motors Liquidation, which took over discarded assets from GM as part of the carmaker's bankruptcy reorganization. "We don't believe there will be a requirement for us to do so." Costs to close New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. may affect the Toyota City, Japan-based carmaker's earnings for the year ending March 31. Toyota, which last week forecast a net loss of $2.2 billion, said it's still in talks with the Fremont venture and Motors Liquidation and that it's too soon to estimate the expenses. The costs are "chiefly an issue for NUMMI to decide," said Paul Nolasco, a Tokyo-based Toyota spokesman. "Although we cannot provide any figures at this time, it is something for which we plan to make allowance in our earnings report." He declined to comment on Motors Liquidation's position. Toyota said Aug. 27 it would stop using NUMMI in March, after GM decided in June to abandon the plant. "Neither GM nor MLC have contributed any funds toward NUMMI's end-of-production costs," said Lance Tomasu, a venture spokesman. "We do not know what the overall cost will be." Toyota took a $110 million yen charge in the fiscal second quarter ended Sept. 30 related to a drop in the value of its stake in the California plant. With about 4,700 employees, severance packages alone may total at least a "few hundred million dollars," said Maryann Keller, president of consulting firm Maryann Keller & Associates in Stamford, Conn. There will also be environmental cleanup expenses at the facility, which operated as a GM plant for 20 years before the Toyota tie-in, she said. "This is an old factory, built when rules were quite different," said Keller, who has covered the auto industry since 1972. "Who knows what kind of environmental issues will have to be resolved?" GM in July estimated that "wind-down" costs for 16 discarded facilities would exceed $1.25 billion because of environmental cleanup and legal fees. Regardless of the bankruptcy filing, it's "improbable from a common-sense point of view" that Motors Liquidation would pay nothing, said Koji Endo, managing director of Advanced Research Japan, a Tokyo-based equity research company. "It was a 50-50 joint venture for 25 years." Toyota's American depositary receipts rose 39 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $76.79 Wednesday. They have climbed 17 percent this year. Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/drive/ci_13765521?nclick_check=1

This is what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you. Don't be surprised if Opel headquarters are moved to the UK in the future. Vauxhall remained loyal, and may reap the benefits of that. Henderson refuses to talk about future of individual plants November 10, 2009 21:46 CET RUESSELSHEIM (Reuters) -- General Motors Co. crushed hopes on Tuesday that Opel would play a greater role within its vast empire. CEO Fritz Henderson also offered vague assurances that Detroit would give its European carmaker more freedom. Speaking to reporters late on Tuesday, Henderson showed little interest in marketing Opels outside the strict confines of Europe or even elevating the unit's status from a limited liability company to an incorporated stock company as proof that the carmaker would gain a greater measure of self-determination. "We have a strategy in Brazil around Chevrolet ... It's a strong brand; the last thing we usually need is another brand," he cited as an example during a news briefing. "Opel is a regional brand and I don't see that changing. That doesn't mean I'm closed to ideas about how it can be used elsewhere; but the measure of the Opel brand's success will be Europe, because if you don't win here all the discussion of exports will be irrelevant," he said. Henderson arrived at Opel's headquarters in Ruesselsheim on Monday to repair relations, but he offered little in the way of incentives to German unions and politicians, who have demanded greater autonomy from Detroit's headquarters in exchange for their support of Opel's restructuring. Berlin has indicated that a key condition of state aid is ensuring that German funds are spent in Europe on Opel. The government also wants GM to provide a water-tight legal separation between it and Opel to prevent any suspicion that German cash is being leaked to Detroit. Cost to fix Opel debated The GM CEO also refuted estimates from the Moody's rating agency that the total funding need for Opel was $8.5 billion, well above the $6.1 billion a study commissioned by GM's board had estimated. "I have absolutely no idea where those numbers came from. That's not what we think is required -- we think what's required is about 3 billion euros (currently about $4.5 billion) in total," Henderson said. Magna's plan required 4.5 billion euros. GM's lower estimate has caused fears in Europe that the U.S. automaker is more interested in the long-term success of core brands such as Chevy at the expense of its European marque. More cash coming The GM CEO said he would not starve Opel of investments, factoring into his plans spending levels of more than 1 billion euros a year to maintain the brand's current model and engine range. But he characterized that figure as a forecast and not a commitment. The GM CEO refused to answer any questions about the future of individual plants or the distribution of job cuts expected to affect about a fifth of the 50,000 European workers ahead of a restructuring plan that should be finished in the next quarter. He also deflected fears that next year's expected sharp slump in the European car market, once government-sponsored scrapping incentives are absent, could prove fatal for GM's Opel plans. Henderson answered that the company would finally now be in a position to build to demand in 2010, since Opel had already slashed production massively to shrink stocks of unsold cars. "Once we are done reducing our inventory, we will be stable -- and we will have that done by the end of this year. So even if the market next year is down, our level of production might very well be up," the GM CEO said. Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...paign_id=alerts

Tiger Woods has touched down in Melbourne and straight into a CAPRICE! Link: http://player.video.news.com.au/adelaideno...rce=AN_email_nl

Seeing that strikes fear into my heart, but congrats to you ...

I went to a wedding there a few years back, I think it was called Washington's chapel, or something like that.

It was 70 degrees in Delaware today, me and the Mrs. snuck over the PA border and had dinner at Carrabba's in Chadds Ford, PA.

It should be clear now why I went to work for GMIO and not GME when I returned to GM in September 9 November 2009 By TERRY MARTIN GENERAL Motors is now searching for an executive to lead its European operations Opel and Vauxhall – two brands it last week decided not to sell to a consortium led by car parts giant Magna International – after Opel Europe president and GM group vice-president Carl-Peter Forster tendered his resignation. Reports out of the US this week suggest GM’s international operations president Nick Reilly will temporarily replace Mr Forster. Mr Reilly is a former plant director at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in England and one-time president of GM Asia-Pacific – a portfolio that included Holden. He oversaw the re-organisation of Korean car-maker GM Daewoo after the GM take-over in 2002. He now effectively manages GM’s entire operations outside North America. In a statement, GM said Mr Forster – who was in favour of the Magna deal – would remain an adviser during the transition to find a new chief executive. Other unconfirmed reports indicate that Bob Lutz will become chairman of Opel’s supervisory board (of which he is already a member) and play a crucial role in a restructuring plan that will soon be announced. Thousands of jobs are expected to be cut. As GoAuto has reported, GM revealed last week that it had decided, after months of negotiations, to abandon plans to sell 55 per cent of its European operations to Magna and partner Sberbank. With Mr Forster’s departure, GM said it will initiate “an immediate external search” for a replacement and that it will “work with Opel leadership, in consultation with representatives of the European Employees Forum, in moving forward with a plan that will build a strong and enduring future for the Opel/Vauxhall brands”. “The Opel brand has made tremendous progress under Carl-Peter’s tenure and leadership over the past several years,” said GM president and CEO Fritz Henderson. “We thank him for his significant accomplishments and wish him only the best in the future. “In the meantime, we’re confident that the key personnel leading Opel will stay focused on running the business during this time of transition.” Mr Henderson said GM expected to finalise its proposals for establishing Opel/Vauxhall’s future this week and “will be engaging all stakeholders to see how we can best work together in achieving our mutual goals”. “We will update on our progress as soon as is possible,” he said, adding that no other management changes to the Opel Europe organisation were being considered “at this time” and that all key management roles will remain as the search for a replacement commences. For his part, Mr Forster said: “The past few years building the Opel brand has been a tremendous personal opportunity. We’ve seen great strides in design, quality and technology and the launch of truly world-class products. “It’s been an honour to be part of the history of Opel, and I wish all the people with the organisation only the best in what I’m certain will be a great future.” In an informal discussion with journalists last week before Mr Forster’s resignation announcement, Mr Henderson refused to be drawn on the number of jobs that GM will now cut in Europe and the extent to which it will downsize its Opel/Vauxhall operations. “In terms of the number of people, basically we’re going to go through this with our people first before we go into it with you,” he said. “All of the plans, again, whether it was ours or whether it was Magna’s, called for a substantial reduction in capacity in the business and the need to right-size the workforce. “I just don't think it’s fair, and not something that I should do this morning, to go into what is the number and where. It’s really something we should do with our people first.” Link: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A257668007D5092

There is still prejudice against people from the former East Germany (DDR), jokes are made about them being slow and stupid, similar to what you hear in the US if you were born in the south. They are called Easties in German. In the west Neo-Nazism (Skin Heads) is on the rise, other than that, it goes well. Well looky here, my 10,000th post and it's with ocnblu talking about Germany ...

GM boss Carl-Peter Forster set to take charge of JLR. - http://bit.ly/3KNm0x

Did you see the part where I said they have already started looking at resumes?

SF? Where's that? Everyone knows there is no life west of the Chesapeake bay!

Fisker will be hiring 2500 people in Delaware by 2012, I think they have already started looking at resumes.

I was in Berlin when the wall fell, I was 20 years old at the time, it is something I will never forget as long as I live. A lot of Americans take freedom for granted, they don't even bother to vote. As a man who has a foot in both North America and Europe, and seeing what I saw there, I have a greater appreciation for what can be lost if it's not held dear. The fall of this wall lead to German reunification of East and West Germany. The beginning of the Wall. The Wall falls in 1989.

If our pic wins, send the car to Sixty Eight, I don't see a B pillar so he should be good with it. Our early Christmas present to him ...

No way to say I got special treatment, if you like the pic use it, that is reward enough. Besides, the difference between men and boys, is the price of their toys !!!

My wife liked this pic, however we are not officially entering this contest. It would be improper to do so from our point of view.

Just popped in to wish you a Happy Birthday, watch out you're catching up to me!

Taking some quality time with the Mrs., it's been a long couple of weeks ... But my teenager is away in college, so just like old times here @ Villa Börger ... Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Later y'all !!!

Which one is you?

Das ist TICK-TOCK! :AH-HA_wink:

Jezz, I wasn't even alive then ...