ellives

You're kidding, right? On what basis are you saying consumer decisions would draw different responses? Hell even with all the bad media, GM and Ford still sell a $h!load of vehicles. If your statement was true, why would anybody buy anything but Toyota or Honda?

Strangely I didn't think much of "Crest" because it didn't even show a car. Interestingly somebody over the weekend mentioned to me they had seen a "new" Cadillac on TV and it "looked a lot like a Mustang." I'm quite sure they were talking about the "Heart" ad. I couldn't stop laughing. To me this is the eternal challenge for Cadillac, i.e. getting the masses out of still thinking of them as the "De Ville" company. Having said this however, the person I was talking to is not a luxury car buyer so one might say "who cares" but the problem is a reputation becomes a reputation when EVERYONE knows the reputation. Hopefully these ads help convey what Cadillac is all about.

GM is forced to fight fire with fire. I don't blame them.

It would be especially stupid not to print it in its entirety. This article is the epitome of media today. It rehashes the same old information that everyone has heard already and they don't indicate and author of the article. Can't take the heat I'm sure. Nothing new is added and no suggestions on how THEY (being all knowing media types) would fix things. Toilet paper is a good ultimate destination for this paper.

Well people have to wipe their asses with SOMEthing.

Without the source, those numbers are garbage. No source means no credibility.

Agreed. With Corolla boasting 41 mpg highway (with the stick) it's a big seller. I wonder if they'll really get that. I've never understood how they can get Corolla to 41 and the Cobalt only gets 35. That's a big jump.

I seriously doubt the N* can get a displacement increase. It was DECREASED to 4.4L for the supercharged version in the V-car to provide for thicker cylinder walls. This fact would put any major displacement increase in doubt. I think they should just completely dump the 2.8. Who needs it? Cadillac is supposed to be the "Standard of the World" and they should stop putting together stuff in their models that make the product perform less than would be expected for a product this lofty. I also think they need to increase the basic N* horsepower output or simply abandon in favor of the SC version. Lots of engines get 300+ horsepower these days. Again, the "Standard" should dominate in this area.

The impala has "always" been hot? Not. At least not since the last major design change when they introduced those 4 huge round tail lights. Fugly. The current design is actually attractive and I'm sure is one of the reasons for the sales bump (plus the move back from SUV's to autos.) Go GM!

They look fake (the boobs I mean.)

LMAO!

Because most are sheep and lemmings who can not think independently.

I haven't read any releases yet but if I had to make an educated guess I'd say these items are related to the sale of GMAC.

I believe the whole point of this thread is the ADR's were intentionally set up as the 2-for-1 ratio to artificially make TM's stock price appear to be a higher valuation stock when in fact it's really half the price. To me the whole discussion is moot. Any company can make their stock price to be anything. GM could double their price by doing a reverse stock split. What does this prove? Fools and their money are soon parted?

Huh? Of COURSE the share price has a direct correlation. You just pointed out the formula. What you MEAN to say is stock price ALONE is not indicative of valuation so comparing companies based on stock price alone is useless.

It's not a "merger" that is being discussed. Let's get this term out of the dialog. It just adds to the misconception and misinformation that's being bandied about.

I agree - this "alliance" talk is pure bull$h!. There won't be any benefit for GM. They need to focus on building great cars at reasonable prices and they clearly know how to do it - they just need to be given the opportunity and resources to do it. My brother-in-law just bought a Corvette Z06 and picked it up AT the factory. I think it's in Kentucky? (I'm sure others here know where.) They have a museum there and the car was delivered to them at the museum PLUS they got a plant tour while they were there. He was absolutely impressed with what the factory was doing and how it all comes together. The bottom line is he loves the car and the overall delivery experience was top notch. If only GM could take what they know and do with the Corvette and apply it to the rest of the product line we wouldn't even be having these discussions about "alliances" and so forth. He also commented about the fact there was clearly pride on the part of the factory workers he met and saw. Pride in the Corvettes they are building and the job they do. They (the workers) also took the opportunity to thank him for buying a Corvette when they got the opportunity. The experience tells you a lot about what can be done when there's focus.

There is probably some truth in what you've said below however both GM and Lexus own the responsibility to come up with a workable plan. I can't personally go back to the supplier and throttle them to fix the problem. I'm not their customer. GM et al are their customer. I am not describing a "new" product either. The car is a 2002 and I would expect they've have plenty of repair stock now. Unfortunately it *is* a challenge to be knowledgeable about NAV systems. They're all different and take some time and effort to learn each one. On your Intrigue topic below, there are customers out there trying to get everything they possibly can for as little as possible and on somebody else's dime if it could be worked. These may not be the best customers to have and may have to be "fired." We do it once in a while when customers get ridiculous - (not the car business thankfully.)

In the end, the rule "figures lie and liars figure" comes to mind. I've found dealers in general are filled with mediocre people. This is the way of the world unfortunately. I also wonder about how the "service" perception is impacted by things out of the dealer's control. Currently I'm waiting for a replacement NAV unit for my GM vehicle and I've been waiting since the end of May. This unit is a replacement for one they installed at the end of March which was defective. They buy this from the vendor that originally supplied the unit to GM. Needless to say I'm not happy with having a broken NAV unit for 4+ months. Even though it's a 3rd party vendor supplying the product, I still blame GM for this lousy service. They engaged the vendor so they own the responsibility. Another thing that pissed my off about this experience is how sleazy the whole experience was. When they originally diagnosed the problem (pretty obvious - the NAV unit was dead) they quoted me a NEW replacement to the tune of $1800. When it turned out to be under warranty all of a sudden I have to wait for a "refurbished" unit which in the end was defective because the vendor didn't actually fix it when it was returned as a failed unit from another customer. I shouldn't have to wait 4 months to get something covered under warranty. If they didn't have an available refurbished unit, they should have replaced it with new. That's good customer service. After this experience I know GM doesn't want me as a customer so I'll spend my $60K with Lexus the next time around.

Remember this measurement is the service relationship with dealers and the experience therein. It has nothing to do with product other than it's being serviced. It's a good think but it doesn't speak to the product which has always been one of the key problems. In fact I would expect the numbers across the board to be similar since the "Toyota Way" does not apply in this area. There are dealer aspects of the "Toyota Way" but it's more about managing the sales process and establishing forecast, etc.

The one advantage Ghosn has over Wagoner has nothing to do with being with Ghosn and has everything to do with being an outsider. GM needs to hack and slash and Wagoner will be loathe to do it to people he's known for decades. Ghosn has no such allegiances. This all being said, anyone who believes this little publicity stunt around the idea of an alliance between Nissan, Renault and GM is just a ploy to get Wagoner out. No relationship of this type is ever publicized before the deal is done.

For this guy to have said he hadn't really thought about it really shows how incompetent he is. In his position he should have thought of every possibility. Moron.

This is why having some debt is a good thing. Otherwise people like Kirk would be striking every time a company stumbled. I have real disdain for people who make money without actually building anything. Ya think?

Of course not. He meant "economic" and not "economical." At the end of the day, economic interests ARE political interests.

Profits will keep them at bay too. In fact part of their turn around plan needs to be to get rid of the bloodsuckers.