Oracle of Delphi

We didn't lose, who rebuilt our country? Hmmmm?

Was that Chris Doane's name I saw on that article?

S'il vous plaît ... I knew you were there, did you see the train too?

We are Germans, we love a good fight and a beer or two ...

There was no such thing as GMNA in the 60's, back then it took three separate organizations - a car division (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac), Fisher Body, and GMAD [General Motors Assembly Division] - to build a single car, at least in the United States.

That's true, but they are my in-laws now that my niece married one. Speaking of which, I still can't stand him, even more so now, that I saw him interact with his mother, he is so a mommy's boy ....

Ball of Confusion, that's what the world is today, hey, hey ...

I mean in a European sense, perhaps something like William Wallace yelling Freedom as Longshanks had him drawn and quartered ......

I need a Freedom emoticon ...

I can't make up my mind if I want that or not, the grille doesn't thrill me, but neither do Michigan winters, been there, done that ...

Realist ...

DETROIT--General Motors Chief Executive G. Richard Wagoner, in Washington to plead his case for more government financing, brought fresh evidence Thursday of GM's desperate situation--a $9.6 billion loss in the final three months of 2008. The Presidential Task Force on Autos had summoned Wagoner and several other senior executives to Washington to answer questions about the company's request for up to $16.6 billion more in taxpayer aid, on top of the $13.4 billion it has already received from the U.S. Treasury since Dec. 31. The task force, led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House Economic Advisor Lawrence Summers, wanted a better understanding of GM's (nyse: GM - news - people ) massive restructuring plan submitted to the government on Feb. 17, GM officials said. "It's about rolling up your sleeves and diving into the viability plan," said GM spokesman Greg Martin. A Treasury department spokesman declined to comment. Thursday's dismal fourth-quarter results no doubt underscored the seriousness of GM's plight. The automaker burned through $5.2 billion in cash during the quarter--$19.2 billion during the course of the year--as car sales collapsed around the world. GM ended the year with $14 billion in cash, barely enough to fund day-to-day operations. GM's crisis, once concentrated mostly in North America, has now spread to the rest of the world. GM lost money in all of its operating regions: $2.1 billion in North America, $956 million in Europe, $154 million in Latin America and $879 million in Asia. As the contagion spread, GM was forced to cut production even in once-booming markets like Korea, which hurt cash flow in December, according to GM Chief Financial Officer Ray Young. When the plants were idled, revenue stopped flowing, but GM still owed parts suppliers for previous months' production. Total worldwide production was down 31%, compared with the fourth quarter of last year. GM's net loss for the year was $30.9 billion, as revenues fell 17% to $149 billion. In a statement, Wagoner said, "2008 was an extremely difficult year for the U.S. and global auto markets, especially the second half. These conditions created a very challenging environment for GM and other automakers, and led us to take further aggressive and difficult measures to restructure our business." GM said it would delay filing its 10K annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission. It also said that without additional government financing, its auditors will probably determine there is substantial doubt about GM's ability to continue as a going concern. "GM requires this funding in 2009 to continue operations until global automotive sales recover and its restructuring actions generate benefits, resulting in the company being able to fund its own operating requirements," the company said. Link: http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/26/autos-gm-...mobiles_gm.html

Thousands of workers employed by General Motors in Europe took to the streets Thursday, Feb. 26, to demonstrate against the giant US carmaker's sweeping restructuring plans and to save their jobs. Thousands of workers employed by General Motors in Europe took to the streets Thursday to demonstrate against the giant US carmaker's sweeping restructuring plans and to save their jobs. The protests came as GM's German offshoot Opel prepared to unveil a rescue plan for the German operations and the government in Berlin stepped up its criticism of the US-based auto group amid a deepening crisis in the global car industry. Carrying placards saying "No closures in Europe," "Free Opel" and "Opel cannot be allowed to die," up to 15,000 demonstrators turned up for the rally held at Opel's German headquarters in the western city of Ruesselsheim. Many workers were bussed in from other Opel plants in Eisenach, Bochum and Kaiserslautern to protest planned job cuts and closures. Trade union IG Metall's boss Berthold Huber told the assembled masses that Opel could not be allowed to perish. "We're not going to accept plant closures or layoffs," he said. Steinmeier pledges to keep Opel in business Demonstrators listened intently as Germany's Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier pledged to help keep Opel in business. "This is a fight for jobs and I'm fighting without any reservation for you," Steinmeier said outside the company, which has been making cars in Germany since 1899. "Opel is a part of German history. We've got to defend that history. "This is about more than just Opel. It's about the future of the car industry in Germany. The car sector isn't just any ordinary industry here. It's the backbone of our economy," Steinmeier, the Social Democrat's chancellor candidate chosen to run against Chancellor Angela Merkel in September's federal election, said. Merkel told a news conference in Berlin she had not yet seen the required restructuring plan to decide on any state help for Opel but that if it needed it, the priority would be financing guarantees rather than more direct state aid. "Germany has an interest in strengthening companies which have a strong foundation," she said. Opel, once Germany's biggest carmaker, is just one of General Motors' European brands which are near collapse in the wake of the global crisis. The German firm has been hit by weak demand and its woes have been aggravated by troubles at its US parent. It became the first European carmaker to seek a government bailout since the financial crisis began, asking the German government for backing to guarantee loans of about 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for 2009. Sources close to the company say it needs 3.3 billion euros to keep afloat through to the end of 2011. Economics minister blasts GM At the same time of the demonstrations, German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was lashing out at Detroit-based GM, criticizing the company for failing to provide adequate information about future business plan for Opel. The German Economics Minister said up until now both potential investors and the German Government still did not know what the GM group planned for Opel, which is expected to unveil a rescue plan possibly on Friday which Opel hopes will pave the way for Berlin to provide the struggling carmaker with aid. But the European Commission warned Thursday that it would take action to head off countries providing what it considered to be unfair support to their national car sectors. In addition to Germany, GM has operations in Britain, Spain and Sweden. However, GM's Swedish SAAB company has already filed for bankruptcy protection. As part of the plans under consideration by Opel, the auto group is also weighing up breaking away completely from its troubled US parent that is threatened with insolvency despite $17.4 billion Washington lent GM and rival Chrysler last year. GM's far-reaching restructuring plans include big job cuts worldwide and could result in its hiving off parts of its international operations. German carmakers including Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, the manufacturer of luxury Mercedes-Benz cars have already cut production and placed employees on reduced working hours as they face up to the global economic slowdown. Link: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4058508,00.html

An old boss of mine had a gold one, God that thing was ugly ...

Daimler doesn't have the cash, but I pray for our freedom daily ...

The times they are a changing ...

Was that built in Linden, NJ? IIRC the Oldsmobile Toronado/Trofeo was, it's a bitch to get old ... Ahh never mind that was an earlier model year I think.

A Fleet Vehicle by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet (or Would It?) I dub thee Fleet Queen ...

http://www.gmeurope.tv/index.php?mo=0812_s...nnel=mostrecent P.S. No sound.

Why would it say Men Agitate Moles Response Greek

Lingua - As is Lapsus linguae ...

Yogurt

Recent increase in demand for GM Chevy Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks keeps plant operational. Increased demand for some General Motors trucks has helped General Motors' Powertrain Baltimore Transmission Plant avert a weeklong shutdown that was to have started Monday, a local spokesman for the plant said yesterday. The spokesman, John Raut, had said last month that the plant was planning to shut down and temporarily lay off all of its hourly workers for the week. The plant employs 238 people. But demand for some company vehicles has improved, including the Chevy Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks, for which the Baltimore plant makes six-speed automatic transmissions, Raut said yesterday. "That downtime has been put back into our schedule," he said. "It will be operational next week. That's all market-driven and based on customer demand of our products, and recently we have seen an increase in the demand of the product." Raut said the demand has been fluctuating on a daily basis. White Marsh workers supply GM assembly plants with Pontiac six-speed Allison transmissions and a hybrid two-mode. The president of Local 239 of the United Auto Workers, Fred Swanner, which represents the White Marsh workers, could not be reached yesterday. The pickup in demand emerged as a bright spot in a week of otherwise grim news for financially troubled GM, which has seen its fortunes plummet. Shares in the company at one point reached a 74-year low yesterday. On Tuesday, GM said it would need a total of $30 billion in federal aid in order to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, up from a previous estimate of $18 billion and including $13.4 billion it has already received. It also said it would need to cut 47,000 jobs worldwide and close five more U.S. factories. Raut said those cuts will not affect the White Marsh plant. Seventy-nine employees have been laid off in White Marsh since last year because of a slowdown in production at the plant. Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...0,2722907.story

I agree with this, I also think it's the best thing for Opel too. Now I see GMDAT has gone hat in hand to the Korean government, to me it seems Camino is correct, the Fat Lady is in the wings and is warming up to sing ... Perhaps Saab, Opel, Holden and Daewoo all need to be free of GMNA ...

And if GM survives all that is going on, maybe something else too ...