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GM's plan for the future


Say Ocean

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IMO, what would be nice but won't be allowed due to the financial impact on the oil companies and our outdated (and IMO corrupt) car manufacturers as well as more unfortunately so many who work in auto repair (much of their work is on combustion engines) is to prepare our electrical infrastructure for the likes of the Tesla electric cars that actually really and truly are a step in the right direction for clean cars that are very efficient.

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A $40,000 hybrid that can go 40 miles on a charge
:facepalm:


http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/05/chevrolet-volt.html
"General Motors says it's nailed the lithium-ion battery technology at the heart of the Chevrolet Volt and is consistently achieving a range of 40 miles in road tests, thereby clearing a big hurdle to getting the car built by 2010....
According to Auto Observer, GM's engineers are answering such questions as: "When does the engine cut in? How long does it stay on? How will it deal with extreme cold, when the engine will have to warm up the battery? Lutz says answering these questions requires "reams and reams of software" and is key to reaching GM's goal of building an electric vehicle with a range of 640 miles.
:idea:

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Screw GM and all the lazy assed union slugs that build that garbage for $75 an hour. They are a prime example of what is wrong with Detroit.
:thu:



Not entirely fair. That's like saying someone who "makes" 8 bucks an hour actually "makes" 17.

Your figure is how much the company invests in the employees, not how much they make. Two good examples are medical and missed time. Some employees can have a DRASTIC effect on either. Other employees hardly any.

Do they have it good? Most do. DO they make too much?...yeah maybe. But there are some good smart people in that big generalization you just did.


You keep comparing the numbers to Honda or Toyota American workers. Those two companies don't have a 40 year lifer to pension. I know in today's world there isn't any such thing as pension. But the piper gets paid in many forms. GM had a guaranteed pension, modern workers gamble in the market for their future. Which works best?

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They are so screwed. It will be fun to watch this whole thing play out.

 

 

A wise man once said "As goes Detroit, so goes America". Just think of all the supplier jobs that go under, let alone the whole USA manufacturing base as a resource. We put the final nail in the coffin there. Just a final suffocation.

"Fun"?...maybe for you and I....and all our good buds....but does not bode well for the future of this country or the world. I know I am making assumptions there...arguably. I'm saying if "they" are 'screwed", a LOT of people are screwed.....yourself included maybe.

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Screw GM and all the lazy assed union slugs that build that garbage for $75 an hour. They are a prime example of what is wrong with Detroit.
:thu:



Yeah, those execs making 30 million a year flying private planes everywhere and hosting 2 million dollar tax deductible birthday parties aren't the {censored}ing problem.

"Goddamn rape victims, always looking so hot. That's what's wrong with amurika!"

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Yeah, those execs making 30 million a year flying private planes everywhere and hosting 2 million dollar tax deductible birthday parties aren't the {censored}ing problem.

 

 

they might be, but they aren't the only problem. they capitalize on stupid people.

 

lets start blaming them.

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A wise man once said "As goes Detroit, so goes America". Just think of all the supplier jobs that go under, let alone the whole USA manufacturing base as a resource. We put the final nail in the coffin there. Just a final suffocation.

"Fun"?...maybe for you and I....and all our good buds....but does not bode well for the future of this country or the world. I know I am making assumptions there...arguably. I'm saying if "they" are 'screwed", a LOT of people are screwed.....yourself included maybe.

 

 

We are all screwed. I thought that was a given.

 

I am obviously concerned for the loss of jobs, as well as having more of our manufacturing headed outside these borders, and the obvious long-term impact this will have on the economy.

 

Still, I can't help but laugh as I see the corporate assholes being held up to scrutiny.

 

The time for worrying about this has passed. It's either laugh at it, or go insane worrying.

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The country is {censored}ed either way you see it. If GM goes under its just gonna happen sooner. The auto makers arent gettin bailed out therefore they will have to cut back profits and possibly start selling things at closer to costwith effort to break even as the main goal and survive. This will all play out whther or not the greedy execs decide they will take a pay cut

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Screw GM and all the lazy assed union slugs that build that garbage for $75 an hour. They are a prime example of what is wrong with Detroit.
:thu:



the union situation is a problem but it's not what caused GM to be in this situation. It was a case of bad management and a bad business plans.

For the last few years, while the whole industry was moving towards sleeker, cleaner and more fuel efficient cars, GM was pushing the Hummer, the Navigator and the Escalade..:facepalm:
then to spice things up they had another great idea: reissue the Camaro :facepalm: ... then they release the HRH, a "competitor" for the PT Cruiser :facepalm: and who the {censored} is going to want that??

I mean, there only so many stupid business mistakes you can make before your company goes under..

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Bottom line to me:

 

GM makes junk...period. If they didn't they might not be in such bad shape.

 

Not that it means everything, but look at Consumer Reports car guide...any year's edition will do, and see where GM products rate against most anything else. It's unbelievable the junk they put out. And before everyone goes off on the "zomg Consumer Reports is liberal bias" bull{censored}...Consumer Reports does NOT accept advertising from anyone and gets it ratings directly from buyer feedback.

 

I also say this going by what my mechanic, who is well respected as one of the best in my area, tells me.

 

I don't want GM to go under. All they need to do is improve their engineering, put out better products...and yeah like most companies quit paying upper execs 700 million and maybe talk the union into taking a bit of a pay cut.

 

I also don't believe that GM going under means the end of America. There was this company called Saturn that put out reasonably priced and fairly highly rated vehicles. My wife had one that simply would not die. Based on her experience I bought one for myself in 2000. It was a total piece of {censored}. I couldn't understand how the quality had gone downhill so fast.

 

Then I found out...GM had bought them out.

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They build ugly cars nobody wants with poor resale value, and below average efficiency and reliability. Then every year they change the models. How stupid.

Look at MB or BMW. They make 3 basic cars: small like the C Class, mid like the E class, and large like the S class. They keep them the same for about 5 years befor changing the design. It saves tons of money. How inefficient to replace your entire line every year!

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They build ugly cars nobody wants with poor resale value, and below average efficiency and reliability. Then every year they change the models. How stupid.


Look at MB or BMW. They make 3 basic cars: small like the C Class, mid like the E class, and large like the S class. They keep them the same for about 5 years befor changing the design. It saves tons of money. How inefficient to replace your entire line every year!

 

 

Exactly. Which is why I don't see how this is "all the union's fault" as some people would say. I'm sure that plays a part in pricing themselves out of the market, but maybe that wouldn't be as big a problem if their engineers and execs decided to build decent cars.

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"Unlike conventional hybrids, the Volt is designed to operate its propulsion system entirely on electric power. Assuming a full-charge is present, this electric power will initially be sourced exclusively from its on-board Lithium Ion batteries for up to 40 miles (64 km), a distance capable of satisfying the daily commute of 75% of Americans,[10] which averages around 33 miles (53 km).[11]

After 40 miles (64 km), the range of the Volt will need to be extended through the use of a small 4-cyl internal combustion engine which drives a 53 kW generator. This arrangement creates a sustaining charge current to the HV batteries and permits them to continue powering the 111 kW electric drive motor. This effectively extends the Volt's potential range to as much as 640 miles (1,030 km) on a single tank of fuel. [9](and which could be potentially extended for longer trips through conventional refueling).[12][13]

The Volt's 16 kWh Lithium-Ion battery pack can also be fully charged (technically ~85% SOC) by plugging the car into a 120-240VAC residential electrical outlet using the provided SAE J1772[14] compliant charging cord. No external charging station will be required."

Do a little research guys before you just assume that the car only functions for 40 miles then dies. Quit being so damn cynical about everything. The volt has real promise on many levels.

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