Drew Dowdell

He's a troll.

Eat it SMK.

18 Billion is nothing compared to what DC has passed out to AIG, Citi, and the rest. 18 Billion is 1.8 months of Iraq war. Edit: And in the case of GM, the government ACTUALLY HAS A CHANCE TO GET THE MONEY BACK!

But we don't know entirely what is in the pipeline. It seems to me that Buick has far more growth potential with a chance at higher profits than Pontiac does.

A large reason they needed to protect market share so vigorously was because the unions hog tied them. I believe in the Sigma plant not a human hand touches the car until the end of the line, yet I am SURE GM had to keep people in the jobs bank despite this new higher level of automation. The union, preventing workforce flexibility, is what started the market share snowball. Whoever came up with that Jobs bank idea should be tied to the back of Wagoneer's Malibu Hybrid and dragged to DC. Whoever agreed to it should be tied to the front bumper.

If the Prius only exists because of the Pruis, does that mean the Prius only exists because of the Insight and the Insight only exists because of the EV-1?

It's global, Tata was also down some 40%, Spain's entire market was down 50%.

What part of "range extender" do you not understand?

Which market forces? The ones in Japan preventing the sale of imported goods? Or the market forces that gave massive *read complete* tax breaks to the foreign companies to build factories here. Maybe it's the market force of socialized medicine in Japan...how nice of a force it must be for Toyota to have it's healthcare tab picked up by the Emperor.

Because if GM even imagined about closing a production line, the UAW would have a fit. Workers displaced by robots got to go to the job bank for nearly full salary. The Camaro can only be built in Canada. GM has to pay for UAW member's "member" medication (viagra). As such, GM and the others were forced to keep vehicles in production simply to keep revenue flowing to pay people they no longer actually needed. Simply put, they had to have the volume to support workers that would have been otherwise laid off due to technological advances or other improvements in efficiency. Think of the big blotches on GM's record. They come, not from skimping, but from GM trying to change and innovate but being raked over the coals when they failed. Cadillac 8-6-4 : I'm sure this cost GM a TON of money to develop. The idea was a sound one, however the technology wasn't up to the task. The idea failed and Cadillac yanked the engine after just one year on the market.... yet in 2008, I still read CTS reviews that mention this engine. Vega: was one of the first automobiles that GM produced that made extensive use of robotic welding equipment. Aztek: was one of the first mid-sized non-truck based crossovers. Again, here was GM trying to innovate. The concept has proven sound yet the product failed due to something as fickle as styling. Quad-4: Look at this. GM fielding DOHC 4-cylinder engines in 1987. Starting in 1989 output was available up to 180hp. 2008 Honda Accord base engine? 177hp. Saturn Ion: A compact car that could come with either a 5-speed, 5-speed automatic, or one of those new fangled CVTs. Failed for styling. I don't want to hear that GM doesn't know how or doesn't want to innovate.

Ya know... I missed that first line about The Onion and got all the way down to the part about FEMA before I flipped over to CNN to try and figure out what I had missed.

What was the 9% that you missed? "Do not splooge in the special sauce"? I'm kidding of course. Congrats on such a high score!

I think you should have pointed also.

First from Autoblog: BMW switching to turbocharged M cars After two decades of normally-aspirated high-revving engines shoehorned under the hoods of its M cars, BMW is changing direction and will begin to offer direct-injection turbocharged powerplants in its future high-performance flagships. The German automaker is blaming tough environmental emission standards and the soaring manufacturing costs of the specialty-built V8 and V10 engines found in today's M3, M5, and M6 models for its decision. We also suspect the fact that both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have successfully offered torque-laden forced-induction powerplants for years on their performance models may have something to do with it (also keep in mind that an aftermarket-tuned version of BMW's own twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 can easily match the power output of the M3's normally-aspirated 4.0-liter V8). The first new M model to carry the turbocharged honor will be the X6 xDrive M, with a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 reportedly making 500 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. That same engine is reportedly going into the next F10-chassis M5 due in late 2010. ------ The 2010 M5 will have less horsepower and less torque than the 2009 CTS-V? Second from Autoblog: Mercedes will begin phasing out V12 engines Mercedes-Benz, longtime stalwarts of the V12 engine, is considering lowering its preferred cylinder count by a third. While our first inclination is to assume that this change is being made to increase the fuel efficiency and lower the emissions of the overall Daimler line, the real reason that the bent-12 engine program is being dropped is simply because the block is too long. A V12 is, for all intents and purposes, the same length as an inline-six, and the German automaker's latest line of mainstream engines are all in a V-design, so its cars are no longer being designed with an engine compartment large enough to house such a lengthy engine. Fear not, power fans, as the company isn't abandoning high horsepower in general. The V12 program is apparently being shifted towards twin-turbo V8s, and the magic of forced-induction means there's no reason to assume that fewer cylinders will equal fewer ponies. Expect the moratorium on V12s to begin the next few years.

We're well past the point of "the private enterprise deal with its problems with private enterprise funds". Citibank's primary purpose is to move paper around and they've shown they aren't even any good at that, yet they got $30 billion and federal backing for another $300 billion in assets. They broke basic rules of accounting and basic rules of lending due to unbridled greed. GM's biggest offence is skimping on the interior plastics that automotive magazine editors wipe their hemeroids on and trying to fulfill the contractual labor obligations they agreed to in a different business climate.

At least it seems that they can be taught.

I'm on call for a week every 4 weeks, but for certain things at work, it's implied that I'm on call 24/7 since I don't have a backup. Fortunately, I get paid hourly. I can: Check my email from my work account, personal account, and personal business account. Surf/Moderate C&G Manage my work calendar, personal business calendar. Catch up on my blog reading via RSS feeds during my bus ride. Restart server processes remotely when they fail. Txt people with a full keyboard. Synchronise all of my contacts between work computer(s), home computer, and the google email account that I use for my personal business. Make a change to one and it will update all of the others.

Actually, I hate my blackberry.... but at the same time it allows me to get things done without needing to be tied to an office.

I'm not quite this bad, but close. But if you saw my schedule and the number of things I am involved in, you might be sympathetic. I have full on here from my blackberry.

happy birthday man

There is nothing special about their interiors either. They don't have a clear advantage over a G8

You're smartassing a cop in a situation where they are asking everyone the same canned questions. A simple "No officer" would have sent you on your way. Don't like the term dumbass even though in this case it qualifies? How about asshat? What you did was stupid, do you want me to sugar coat it for you?

PA still does it.

Pumpkin pie and pecan pies are in the oven. Me and the BF are going over to another couple's house.

Can you cite the law that is being proposed in the legislature? Do we need to have an "I'm just a Bill" singalong?