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GM needs to go out of business totally then "re-open" under different "rules".
The faster this happens the better, we as Americans can't go on giving them Billion$ of our tax Dollar$ every second.
GM is already dead. Its just a matter of how long we intend to pump blood into the corspe. They have for years made cars no one wants and it would be foolish to think GM could suddenly transform itself. We have 11? car manufacturers in the US, all using American labor. All but two (GM and Chrysler) are hanging on. Basic economics would suggest five to eight manufacturers would be enough to 1) service the population, 2) provide sufficient competition/product selection, 3) provide for growth opportunities and 4) survive economic swings. Chrysler is privately owned and should not receive any taxpayer dollars. The US car buyers have voted that GM and Chrysler need to go.
You still don't get it. You complain about billions in subsidizing a firm with union labor when you STILL unwillingly give the at-will firms billions in subsidies via government safety nets to their underemployed at-will workers trying to make due on McWages.
Can you provide some data to back this up, that at-will autoworkers in other parts of the country are consuming billions in "safety net dollars" ?
GM is already dead. Its just a matter of how long we intend to pump blood into the corspe. They have for years made cars no one wants and it would be foolish to think GM could suddenly transform itself. We have 11? car manufacturers in the US, all using American labor. All but two (GM and Chrysler) are hanging on. Basic economics would suggest five to eight manufacturers would be enough to 1) service the population, 2) provide sufficient competition/product selection, 3) provide for growth opportunities and 4) survive economic swings. Chrysler is privately owned and should not receive any taxpayer dollars. The US car buyers have voted that GM and Chrysler need to go.
I agree that the blood donations that goes down the drain has to stop - it's costing way too much of our money.
I'm curious why some people believe that Chrysler's private ownership makes it ineligible for government help, compared to GM and Ford's public ownership. What's the difference?
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,695,446 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhlcomp
News item this morning from CNN.
For the longest time I thought it imperative, above all else, that we had to save our auto industry because it was the backbone of all that the United States was about. This is the short answer. After reexamining the auto industry, I have drawn a totally different conclusion. Yes, we can live without a GM, Ford, etc. Maybe it's time to regroup and start afresh.
I don't believe the US auto industry is all that concerned with innovation or producing vehicles that are environmentally friendly. Moreover, the greater concern is the top tier securing their "golden parachutes."
I am not an expert, but would appreciate your views on the US auto industry and what needs to happen. Remember, they have had numerous bailouts and not just in this current administration.
Thank you.
The best thing GM can do is hit the reset button and go bankrupt. Then they can get rid of much of what makes them non competitive including the absolutely ridicules union contracts that they signed (and BTW I am a UNION member and pro union) that pay laid off workers 95% of what they were paid on the job! Another thing it would allow is for GM to scrap dealership contracts that they should have never signed to begin with.
Secondly they need to start making cars that people want to buy. Quality cars that are not as ugly as a dead stump or drink gasoline like an alligator in a desert swamp! And they need to stand behind their cars like Kia does with 10 year 100,000 mile warranties.
Once they make good cars they need to let the cars sell themselves and quit spending so much money on stupid TV commercials. That formula does not work these days. You cannot sell a bad product with good ads and you don't need a gob of ads to sell a good product. Let Consumer Reports and Car And Driver sell your cars for you.
Then they need to quit giving their product away through huge rebates and zero percent financing. You cannot make any money like that. It pushs product but where is the profit?
Next, continue cutting the divisions down. Dump Hummer, dump GMC since it duplicates Chevy anyway. Pontiac and Olds were good riddances. Get it down to Chevy, Buick and Cadillac. Then do some classic car programs where we actually make a model of a model people once loved. Make a modern model of the 1957 Chevy! Make it look almost like it did in 1957 but put all the modern things in it (a 350 EFI engine, dual exhaust, CD player, air bags, ect). It will sell!
And finally- and most controversial- they need to dump their fleet programs. Yes, fleet programs sell alot of cheap vehicles but they also cheapen the product in the eyes of the public. Make fleets pay the full price or close to it as Toyota and Honda do- or make separate "fleet only" cars that are sold only to fleet buyers and not to individuals.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,695,446 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsnellen
GM is already dead. Its just a matter of how long we intend to pump blood into the corspe. They have for years made cars no one wants and it would be foolish to think GM could suddenly transform itself. We have 11? car manufacturers in the US, all using American labor. All but two (GM and Chrysler) are hanging on. Basic economics would suggest five to eight manufacturers would be enough to 1) service the population, 2) provide sufficient competition/product selection, 3) provide for growth opportunities and 4) survive economic swings. Chrysler is privately owned and should not receive any taxpayer dollars. The US car buyers have voted that GM and Chrysler need to go.
I believe that this company can be saved with the right moves. But I also believe it will take a bankruptcy to save it. But it can be done. I would love to be put in as CEO of this company. I will turn it around in a year and it will be profitable within 2 years.
Please keep in mind that Ford didn't get any bailouts.
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