Oracle of Delphi

Ahh as usual for you evok, Nero fiddles as Rome burns .... Fear not, I have a feeling GMNA is going to implode from within, even CPF supports a spinoff of Opel, and I have to say, I agree with him, the EU unions and the German government ... The best thing for Saab and Opel is to be free once and for all of GM ...

The only ones who are wandering around in the desert for 40 years are the boys at the RenCen, and the North Americans haven't liked them in a long, long time ...

Think about this, instead of the Kappas moving to BG, perhaps the Corvette will come to Wilmington ...

and bears oh my ...

Plans announced last year to move 2,000 General Motors jobs from Wilmington, Del., to Bowling Green appear to be on hold, United Auto Workers Local 2164 President Eldon Renaud said yesterday. "The future does not look good for that right now," Renaud said in an interview of the plan to add the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky to the Corvette factory by 2012. "The talk we are hearing is those vehicles will not be built here." Renaud's comments came as GM announced plans to shave 10,000 from its global white collar staff of 73,000. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said it was too soon to discuss how those personnel cuts could affect individual plants like Bowling Green. "We are just starting to roll this out," Wilkinson said in an interview yesterday. Wilkinson did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the company's plans for production of the Solstice and Sky. Debuted in 2004 to acclaim, the sleek Solstice was one of the vehicles championed by Bob Lutz, who announced his retirement Monday as GM's vice chairman. Shut down since before Christmas, the Corvette plant resumes production Feb. 23, Renaud said. Making only 11 Corvettes and Cadillac XLR vehicles per hour, the factory will run at the slowest pace Renaud said he has observed in 41 years with GM. In better times, the Corvette plant would produce up to 3,000 sports cars a month, or 18 vehicles per hour. The Bowling Green plant now employs about 800 blue collar workers, Renaud said. Layoffs will reduce those ranks to about 575 people by the end of April on one production shift, he added. "At what point are we in jeopardy of losing our plant and moving it?" Renaud said. "People are very worried." The salaried job cuts include about 3,400 in the U.S. Most of the company's remaining salaried employees will have their pay cut. In its plan to Congress submitted late last year, GM said it would have to reduce both salaried and hourly positions so that the company could become viable for the long term. The company said it plans to reduce its total U.S. work force from 96,537 people in 2008 to between 65,000 and 75,000 in 2012, but it did not specify how many of the surviving jobs would be salaried or hourly. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner, who was meeting with congressional leaders in Washington about global warming legislation, said yesterday's announcement was "indicative of the kind of things we need to do to get this viability plan in shape and respond to these tough market conditions." Most of the cuts announced yesterday are expected to take place by May 1. GM said the cuts will vary by global regions depending on staffing levels and market conditions. The company's statement said there would be no buyout or early retirement packages as GM had offered in the past, but laid-off employees will get severance pay, benefit contributions and other assistance. GM also said it will cut the pay of most of its salaried U.S. workers effective May 1. The pay cuts will be reevaluated at the end of the year, GM said. The pay of U.S. executive employees will be cut by 10 percent, while other salaried workers will see cuts of 3 percent to 7 percent, GM said. GM faces a Feb. 17 deadline to present a plan to the government showing the wounded automaker can become viable. GM has received $9.4 billion from the Treasury Department and expects to get $4 billion more, but the government can demand repayment March 31 if it determines the company can't become viable. Link: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/200...NESS/902110367/

Yeah, sure it does Jill... I'm sure it feels a little bit more like Oldsmobile in the year 2000. :rotflmao:

Just be thankful it wasn't your Ford dealership ...

You should add a model of the Volt too, so your Chevy collection would be complete ...

Looks like the oil slicks of the Gulf near Houston ...

False Teeth

That wasn't Jesus, that was me ...

Click the link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/184361

Kathy Roberts, a paralegal from Plymouth, Mich., was skeptical of a recent postcard she received from her local car dealer. It offered to put her in a new vehicle for $26,000, the same price she paid for her one-year-old Dodge Journey that she'd already driven 14,000 miles. Despite her doubts, Roberts's husband called the dealer and was told that they would offer her a brand new version of the same model, in the same color, with only 29 miles—all for the same monthly payment. With incentives and rebates, she actually came out $700 ahead. "I was thrilled. A new car without any more money!" Customers like Roberts are finding that their high-quality used cars are a coveted and rare commodity these days. While GM and Chrysler hit the federal government up for bailout money and new car sales have been notoriously slow in the last few months, the demand for used vehicles is up. According to Auto Data Corp., sales of certified pre-owned cars in January 2009 were up 10 percent from the same time last year. The average consumer trades in a vehicle after two or three years, providing steady supply of low-mileage used cars. But as household budgets and credit remain tight, drivers are hanging onto their cars longer and returning them to dealers when they're essentially junk. That's why Roberts's dealer, Michael Schwab of Dick Scott Dodge in Plymouth, Mich., is sending out those cards—to give car owners more incentives to get their high-quality vehicles back into dealer showrooms. The mailing effort has brought "a lot of success" from buyers eager to get a new car for the price of a used one, he said. It also helps move new cars, as buyers trade up when they bring in those used cars. Quantcast Dick Scott isn't the only dealership to employ that trade-in tactic. Adam Simms, general manager of ToyotaSunnyvale in Sunnyvale, Calif., has had up to three members of his staff focused exclusively on calling owners of high-quality used cars, often visiting them at their home or office. "We got 15 to 30 cars a month in that way," he said. Norm Olson, sales operations manager for Toyota Certified Used Vehicles, said dealers go to great lengths, contacting sellers from Web sites like craigslist and AutoTrader.com, even visiting them at home and writing them a check on the spot for their car. Once the cars get to the lot, they don't stay there long, often selling within two weeks, Olson said. While new car sales for Toyota fell 50,000 from last year, it saw its best-ever January for certified used vehicles, up 4,000 from last January. Mike Jackson, director of North American Vehicle Forecasts for CSM Worldwide in Northville, Mich., said economic uncertainty has "caused a flight to quality," with consumers looking to purchase reliable, slightly used cars instead of new. That situation will undoubtedly lead to hikes in the prices of premium used cars, at least in the near term. They'll "pay a little more for a fair vehicle when they expected to pay more for a higher quality vehicle," said Jon Linkov, managing editor of autos for Consumer Reports. Geoff Pohanka, president of Pohanka Automotive Group in Marlow Heights, Md., says dealers are paying as much as $2,000 more for used cars at the wholesale level, an increase that undoubtedly will be passed onto consumers. In his dealership, he saw a 20 percent increase in used car sales between Christmas and mid-January. Steve Jardine, vice president of Johnstons Toyota in New Hampton, N.Y., is offering to pay over book value for used cars. And the growing demand is reflected in his price, too. A Toyota 2006 4Runner SUV that sold for $14,000 last November is now going for $19,000, he said. If that sounds like a lot, he notes that it's still well under the $30,000 price for a comparable new 4Runner. And, as auto companies curb production, new cars will be even harder to come by in the spring. With fewer new cars to sell, the market for premium used cars "will go even higher" within the next six months, he said. And others, like Kathy Roberts, who have high-quality used cars to trade, will continue to benefit from this situation. "Sometimes," she said, "things really are what they seem." Link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/185461

My beagle is named Baby.

Ahhh, just eat some yogurt, you'll be fine ... That's what Mrs. PCS said ....

I've been preaching this for months now, as Moses said to Pharaoh, "Let my People go". Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. said it’s determined to keep its Opel unit, Europe’s third-biggest carmaker, even as politicians clamor for a spinoff from the U.S. company to safeguard 55,000 jobs in the region. GM would contemplate selling a stake in the division or allowing it to seek a partner, but still regards it as the company’s “core business in Europe,” regional president Carl-Peter Forster said in a statement today. Detroit-based GM said it aims to cut $1.2 billion from European labor costs and is considering options that include plant closures. European solvency issues must be resolved by March 31, GM said last night in a report to the U.S. Treasury. While the company resolved to end financial support for Swedish brand Saab by Jan. 1 and warned that the unit may be put into bankruptcy this month, it says Ruesselsheim, Germany-based Opel and U.K. brand Vauxhall are integral to operations. “Our agenda is to make sure that Opel in Europe is viable for the long term,” said Denis Chick, a spokesman for GM at Vauxhall’s headquarters in Luton, England. “There are no spinoff discussions.” GM shares in Germany were trading up 5 percent at the equivalent of $2.29 as of 1:28 p.m. local time. They fell 13 percent to $2.18 in the U.S. prior to the company’s filing, which undertakes to eliminate 47,000 jobs worldwide while seeking $16.6 billion in new Treasury loans. Talks are under way with governments in Germany, the U.K., Spain and Sweden about aid for European operations, according to GM, which said last night it’s seeking $6 billion in grants from overseas governments by 2010. Opel plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and Bochum, Germany, have been earmarked for closure and another in Eisenach, Germany, may be sold, a person familiar with the company’s plans said yesterday. Spinoff Push Germany’s federal government and four states are willing to invest as much as 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in Opel if GM decides on a spinoff, Christian Weisbrich, deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Union party in the North Rhine- Westphalia state parliament, said yesterday. GM’s European Employee Forum had said on Feb. 16 that the envisaged restructuring plan would “finish off” Opel within two years and that a sale was the only feasible option for preserving jobs. Unions modified their position today, with works council chairman Klaus Franz signing up to a joint statement with Forster that listed partnerships, alliances and equity stakes as options for Opel while stressing its status as integral to GM. ‘Bright Future’ “Employee representatives and GM-Opel management are fully convinced that Opel/Vauxhall has a bright future due to its successful product portfolio, provided that the financial framework can be successfully set up,” the statement said. Forster said he’s optimistic that Opel will revive once markets recover. Including Vauxhall and ranking Peugeot and Citroen as separate brands, the unit trails only Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. in Europe. Car sales in the region fell 27 percent in January to the lowest in two decades after the economy contracted the most in 13 years in the fourth quarter. “GM Europe has one of the strongest product lineups it’s ever had,” Forster said, with Opel and Vauxhall recently introducing the Insignia mid-sized sedan and the U.S.-based Chevrolet unit due to role out the Cruze compact and Spark minicar there over the next 18 months. ‘Same Boat’ “It’s very difficult to separate Opel and GM,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “They’re in the same boat.” Labeling the restructuring plan “very disappointing,” Dudenhoeffer said there is “no evidence in GM’s concept that they’re serious about breaking with their sins of the past.” Kris Peeters, leader of Belgium’s Flemish region, where the Antwerp plant is located, said he can envisage contributing capital to a purely European Opel, news agency Belga quoted him as saying today. He indicated that there had been contacts with German leaders regarding a possible Opel project, Belga said. The German government is waiting for GM to provide details of its plans for Europe before commenting on what public funds may be made available for a rescue, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck told journalists in Berlin today. He said he’d be skeptical about buying a stake. Germany needs to see a “business concept for the future” before making any commitments, Thomas Steg, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, said today in a Berlin news conference. Talks are under way and the government expects to receive more detailed plans in the next couple of weeks, he said, reiterating that loan guarantees remain state’s preferred instrument for giving assistance. Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...p;refer=germany

Utt Ohh, sounds like Thrush - Candidiasis ... http://www.gmhc.org/health/treatment/factsheets/thrush.html Oh those large white toilet seats are not large Livesavers ...

By Maria Panaritis INQUIRER STAFF WRITER The e-mail video that General Motors Corp. sent to its Saturn dealers last night was an odd mix of apology and pep rally. The automaker had just told Congress it would do away with Saturn as part of a drastic restructuring plan to qualify GM for billions more in emergency taxpayer loans. For 209 Saturn franchises across the country - a dozen of which are in the Philadelphia area - the news was potentially devastating. "I know you've been dealing with the emotion of it, the frustration of it, maybe even the anger of it," Jill Lajdziak, general manager of Saturn, said as dealers Tom Zimbrick and Todd Ingersoll sat by her side in the video. But the company did not want dealers to panic. Rather, Lajdziak explained, officials were scurrying to sell the name and dealership network that had once been GM's great hope for winning back market share from the foreign competition. They asked dealers to hold on for at least two more months. The company, and a task force of dealer-advisers, was exploring what could be done to get Saturn sold. The news intensified anxiety among dealers already in turmoil as GM, Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler L.L.C. have been pushing to reduce the number of showrooms overall to cope with a sharp decline in sales in this recession. In announcing yesterday that it would need up to $30 billion in federal aid, GM said it planned to eliminate 1,650 dealerships by 2014. GM may sell the Saturn subsidiary it created two decades ago to private investors that could include a consortium of Saturn dealers themselves. It also might sell Saturn to foreign automakers who would love a ready-made network of U.S. showrooms in which to introduce their cars to U.S. consumers. The idea is to find a way for GM to spin off Saturn so that it lives beyond 2012, when the automaker said it would cease producing the brand. All options remained in early stages today, said Saturn spokesman Steve Janisse. "We're at the point where we're starting to put the package together and meeting with different types of folks that might be interested in investing," Janisse said. He said that Japanese and European carmakers were among those that had expressed interest and that the company had not ruled out that Chinese or Indian manufacturers might join discussions in the coming weeks. Dealers, meanwhile, who had invested millions to launch retail sites for GM's Saturn line, remained on edge. "I think they're circling the wagons to see what options they have," said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia. "The only thing we're sure that's going to happen is that GM is not going to manufacture Saturn vehicles three years from now," said Harrisburg lawyer Stephen A. Moore, an automotive law expert. "And that has not made any of the dealers happy." Moore said the owners of Saturn dealerships in the region - including eight in Southeastern Pennsylvania and three in South Jersey - were on pins and needles. They invested millions of their own dollars to buy land, build dealerships, and train employees to help GM launch Saturn. "Just the land and facilities, you're talking $2 [million] to $3 million or more," said Moore. "In Southeastern Pennsylvania, it's probably significantly more than that." Fortunately, he said, because Saturn was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of GM, it can be sold in a "nice, neat package." "Right now there's a number of Chinese manufacturers trying to break into the United States," Moore said. The same is true of Indian automakers. They might view Saturn as a way to saturate the market with their cars. A foreign buyer could acquire Saturn and then work out a separate deal with GM, for example, to use its U.S. factories to produce the cars. Those cars might be sold as Saturns or they might be sold under a foreign moniker. But with businesses finding it hard to secure the loans needed to make large acquisitions, finding a buyer might be harder than it looks. Plus, all automakers are in a tough spot these days, and they are the most likely buyers. "Give us 60 days to work through this," said Zimbrick, one of the dealers on the video, who is serving on a task force to spin off the company. "We've got to move fast," Lajdziak said. Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/bu...ealerships.html

When in the USA I listen to XM channel 202 Opie and Anthony then Ron and Fez. Ron and Fez really make me laugh. When outside the USA I stream them to my PC ...

Well I'm, buying a CTS for my next car, it will either be the coupe or wagon ... I do love the the last generation Eldorado too, might be nice to get one of those too just to have it ...

My blonde, blue eyed wife, doesn't agree with your ASSessment.

Actually the worst thing to happen to GM , was Roger Smith. The second was Bob Stemple.

Jamie LaReau Automotive News February 18, 2009 - 5:05 pm ET DETROIT -- General Motors, focusing on mainstream products in a battle to survive, has scrapped a unit that produced high-performance vehicles. GM today disbanded High Performance Vehicle Operations, which is based at the company's suburban Detroit technical center, and redeployed its engineers, said spokesman Vince Muniga. "All high-performance projects are on indefinite hold," Muniga said. "The engineers are moving into different areas of the organization, and they will work on Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets and Pontiacs." The unit created low-volume vehicles for GM's divisions designed to appeal to enthusiasts and bolster the company's image. Products included V-series Cadillacs and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, HHR SS and a V-8 version of the Colorado. Muniga said there are no plans for high-performance versions of upcoming cars.The move is in the spirit of GM's viability plan delivered to the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday. In the plan, GM said its future-product focus is on fuel- efficient cars and crossovers. It also pledged to increase its current offering of six hybrids to 14 by 2012 and to 26 by 2014. GM also boosted its request for federal aid by as much as $16.6 billion. The High Performance Vehicle Operations unit could be reinstated once GM regains its financial health, GM's Muniga said. "These guys are pretty good at what they do," Muniga said, "They are moving into different areas to work on core products." Link: http://www.autonews.com/article/20090218/A...paign_id=alerts

I defer to your collectors knowledge. I only have the 1969 Pontiac Custom-S because we are the same age, and it was my 1st car. Ahhh the memories that car and I share ...