andy82471

I just hope GM doesn't resort to remain No.1 at any cost by overproducing cars and then having to have EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT PLAN and/or RED TAG SALE to move bloated inventories. That would be a disaster.

I wonder how much volume GM is losing as a result of the 30,000 layoffs and shutting down 12 plants. Will that be offset by production increase elsewhere ?

Unfortunately, yes. GM's day as the top dog is coming to an end. Could happen by this time next year.

Name one 4 cylinder engine that is known for its torque? 4 cylinder and torque don't go hand in hand.

C'mon Reg give credit where credit is due. A 268 HP Camry with a six speed automatic is way better than anything GM has in its stable. The Saturn Aura should have been in the showroom right about now. Once again GM is late to the party.

Expect somewhere between 450 to 500 Hp so it would be less than the Z06 but more than the regular Vette. I remember that Nissan actually produced a very limited run of Skyline GTR with nearly 630 stock horses. The price was close to $200,000. But that was the previous version. I hope they produce a souped up GTR with 600+ ponies.

I think Nissan Skyline sounds nicer than Infiniti Skyline just like Chevrolet Corvette sounds way cooler than Cadillac Corvette. Either way modders are gonna have a field day dialing up the horspower to 600+. This is one of the easiest car to modify.

I know two Jewish doctors whose parents were concentration camp survivors drive German cars. One drives a 97 S600 and the other drives a 04 Audi A6. So at some point you have to move on and bury your grudge. Besides there aren't many people alive who remember the 1930s anyway. The world is a very different place in 2005. The point I was trying to make is that most people look for a dependable, fuel efficient, refined cars and are less concerned about the car's country of origin. ( Just like in this country)

I think it is safe to say that the Camry will keep its best selling title for quite some time to come. I don't see the Accord, Altima, Fusion, Malibu or the Impala posing much of a challenge. Toyota decided to play it safe and it generally pays off.

Actually most people I see driving Vetts and Vipers are 40+ year old. I even saw one guy who must be in his 70s driving a new 06 Vette. Most young people dont have the cash to buy Vetts anyway. And most of the older people I see driving these cars really take it easy on the gas pedal. Most people don't like to abuse a 50 grand car. The people who I see driving like maniacs are people driving their souped up Acuras and Hondas.

Don't these so called experts have anything better to do than speculate on GM's imminent demise ? This is getting so tiring.

I don't think politics has anything to do with car buying decisions. The Chinese are smart people. Like most Americans they will want something that is dependable, refined, and fuel efficient. So it isnt entirely surprising that TOYOTA would do as well in China as they are doing here. Besides, TOYOTA has all the money in the world to build new plants all over the world unlike GM.

Because the government is broke too.

The problem is GM's production is geared toward a 30% NA market share, when it reality its share is actually closer to 20%. The end result is that GM has to resort to gimmicks like "employee pricing progam", "Red Tag Sale" to clear surpluss inventory. GM really needs to come to an agreement with the UAW regarding plant closure soon. If an agreement cannot be reached quickly, then pull the trigger and declare bankruptcy. There will be short term pain but in the end a smaller more competitive GM that can actually sell cars at a profit would be better for the workers and the country.

That being said, General Motors has a very healthy, and very secure line up coming towards the end of the dacade I hate to say this but the way things are unfolding, GM cannot wait another 4 to 5 years for a turnaround. They have at best maybe another two years. If things don't change by then, they are pretty much screwed.

I don't think any one company will be big enough to absorb all of GM's legacy costs. I think the carcass will be split up between several different companies. Here is my prediction: Toyota -----> Chevy and Cadillac Honda------->Saturn Nissan------->Pontiac DC----------->Buick HUMMER and GMC -----------------> RIP

Both of you are completely out of touch with reality. We live in a free market society hence foreign competition is not going anywhere. Why post utter nonsense that will never become reality. The only way GM will survive is to cut cost ( reduce UAW influence ) and build better quality and more desirable products. Unfortunately GM has been lagging on both counts. The generous benefits have got to go. The money saved from reduced benefits should go to building more modern plants and newer more desirable cars.

looks pretty good i think.

Agreed. Will be better within a year or two when they get all the bugs worked out. I am sure CR reliability will improve also. Rule of thumb says never buy a first year production car.

Why ?

Well police departments have been using FWD Chevy Impalas with the 3800 motor for a couple of years now. That car only has 200 HP. If the Impala can be a police interceptor I can't see why the 268 HP Avalon can't. It actually produces more Hp than the Crown Vic Police Interceptor which I believe only produces 239 HP from its rather antiquated V8 engine.

My guess is HP would be somewhere between 320 to 340 and torque close to 380. Speaking of the Titan I think Nissan is being conservative with their HP figure. Most test shows the Titan is quicker than the 340 HP Hemi powered Dodge. So go figure.

The problem with the RIDGELINE is that Honda wanted to build a car that rides like a truck without all of the positive attributes like high towing capacity, doing some serious off-roading etc. Did they really expect an ODYSSESY with a truck bed will light up the sales chart ? :lol:

The fact is GM and FORD are fighting TOY, HONDA, NISSAN with one hand tied behind their back. Japan is the second largest auto market. GM and FORD are virtually non existent there. The Japanese govt. put all kinds of road blocks for American corporations. That is a fact. So when the second largest market for cars is closed to American car companies and the largest market (ours) also happens to be the freeest market where anyone can dump their product with little or no restrictions, how can GM and FORD compete effectively ? Add to that the leagacy costs, which is crippling GM and Ford and you get an idea how bad the situation is. I think the US govt. really really needs to step up to the plate pretty soon before it is too late.

You are right. Business Online uses terrible fonts. Too small. Their web developer sucks.