RE: GM selling Hummer, maybe more
Badge engineering made sense when the domestics owned the car market.
But in a competitive market, badge engineering resulted in domestic car divisions that competed with one another for the same consumer...
Alfred Sloan was the "father" of badge engineering but it was never his intention for Chevy to compete with Pontiac for customers. Blame the bean counters, who mandated fewer and fewer product distinctions amongst the divisions to cut costs and boost shareholder value...which is of little solace now that GM's market cap is $6 billion...which is less than Starbucks.
RE: GM, FORD,CHRYSLER, ......WILL THEY?
Considering how many Americans are directly or indirectly employed by the US auto industry, I think it's "not smart" to wish that they simply "go under".
Here's the problem with BK: all consumer confidence will go out the window, and no one will buy the cars. Do you think Joe Consumer will buy a car from a bankrupt automaker? No way.
Consider that globally, governments support their auto industries with subsidies, with some countries treating them as national treasures of sorts, while in the US we have a population and government officials that wish the auto industry would go away...well, that might just come true. But losing our great manufacturing base will only result in the strengthening of other countries' economies, something that our short-sighted reactions don't take into account.
Yes, they mucked things up for themselves. Bean-counters and "shareholder value" took precedence over "good products". But we were the ones dictating what the market wanted, so we should share some of the blame. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. All the "gas hogs are terrible" voices of today were buying them like there was no tomorrow for the last 20 years. Domestic profits were truck based...and we bought so many trucks, they surpassed cars in total vehicle sales.
I'd rather see the domestic auto industry succeed, versus having this country's great manufacturing base wilt away, further crippling our economy. If it takes government help, then so be it.
Better to have my taxes bail-out an industry that employs millions of people and that produces a tangible, world-class product (potentially), versus bailing-out some financial institution that produces no tangible product and employs FAR fewer working-class Americans.
This is my opinion, yours may differ.
RE: GM selling Hummer, maybe more
Buick will not go anywhere...it's too strong of a brand in China, and China will soon surpass the US as the largest car market in the world.
You may have noticed that Buick, BMW, VW and other concept cars that make their worldwide debut at the Shanghai auto show...
We might see it leave the US (unlikely IMHO). But it won't be completely killed.
RE: Twist throttle on quad .. love it/hate it?
My BIL just put a combo throttle on their quads...my nieces and sister got thumb cramps. You can switch from twist to thumb on the fly without tools, all you do is flick a little lever.
Might be a good solution for you.
RE: California doing it's best to help out the car companies
Problem was, Europe has less stringent emission standards for diesels, and they taxed the fuel a lot less...because they wanted to encourage it's use over gasoline.
CA, in their infinite "wisdom" declared that diesels needed to pass the same emission standards as gasoline vehicles. Which was nearly impossible until particulate traps and NOx-reduction technologies came online.
CA has plenty of windmills that provide up to 10% of the state's electricity by some accounts...but now the greens want to kill windmills because they kill birds.
This state has a lot of positives but it really does stink to high heaven in a lot of ways. You can bet that a carbon tax is on the horizon. In typical socialist fashion, they'll tax the population to a greener environment...because as we all know, throwing money at Mother Nature is precisely the solution.
RE: 2008 jetta diesel fuel mpg !!
You can't go by the EPA ratings for diesels. The EPA has even stated themselves that their tests are not accurate for diesels, and are off by about 20% from what it does in the real world.
Source, please.
Because that's not stated anywhere that I can find, not even the EPA's own website:
http://fueleconomy.gov
Or the page where they talk about diesels:
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/di_diesels.shtml
RE: They're trying to talk me down to a 1/2 ton...
Can't imagine any salesman trying to talk you out of a bigger truck.... dealership must have a huge spiff going on the F-150.
Yup.
There's HUGE inventory of unsold F-150s lying around.
The launch of the all-new 2009 F150 has been delayed because of it...they need to get rid of the old model so that the new model has a chance of success. In this tough market, the best-selling status - and profit center - that was synonymous with the F-150 is no longer a given.
RE: GM selling Hummer, maybe more
From what I have read, the Caddy dealers are none too happy with the proposed sell off(who would buy the rights to build a SUV with the name but really not a true "Hummer" ie. Humvee?). Many Cadillac dealers spent big money to carry the Hummer line alongside their cars now are told the end for the Hummer is near.
Skup, to add to your point...it's not just Caddy dealers. In recent years, GM has encouraged Hummer dealerships - many of them stand-alone - to put a LOT of money into their stores. Some dealerships have invested up to $6 million in their exclusive Quonset hut-style stores.
RE: GM selling Hummer, maybe more
if they had military contracts you wouldnt think they would sell the hummers.
GM bought the rights to the Hummer marketing name only, for consumer vehicles. *Real* Humvees are still a product of AM General.
Totally separate entities. :)
RE: 2010 Duramax - over 700 lbs-ft?
You choose, urea or weed burner.
We already know, from the fords and dodges, that the weed burner uses fuel. Fuel=$ right now maybe that urea thing will just be part of the process.
As I understand it, urea injection is for reducing oxides of nitrogen, while "Weed burners" are to burn off diesel particulates / soot. Low levels of both are required to meet passenger-car emissions.
RE: Holy Horsepower, Batman
BTW - $6K (give or take) is about the going rate for blower kits for domestic trucks. So I don't think this is out of line.
The truck should be a screamer.
But there's more to towing than sheer power alone. Otherwise we'd see Vipers and Vettes with rigs in tow...
RE: Holy Horsepower, Batman
Modern blowers have bypass valves that significantly reduce parasitic losses when the engine is working under vacuum....which is most of the time when running empty.
But when you're towing, you'll be into the boost most of the time. Boost = more air = more fuel is needed.
I got 5mpg when towing with my blown Expedition. And about 14mpg combined while running empty.
I would expect this blown 5.7 to return better MPG than what I got, while towing...but not dramatically better.
RE: Toyota could overtake GM in U.S. sales
Automotive News reported last week that used Civics at auction were fetching more $$$ than new Civics...in some cases, $1,000 more.
The entire auto industry is poised for a huge shift as consumer tastes in the US align more closely with the rest of the world (due to high fuel prices), and the escalating costs of raw materials puts upward pressure on MSRPs.
The cost of a new car is going to increase, by quite a lot, in the next few months to a year.
BTW - Toyota's profits from last year alone was more than GM's entire market cap.
RE: New truck sales?
Just wait to see what the prices for 2009 models will be. I heard the other day that Toyota was hit with a 28% increase in the price of steel.
The rising price of raw materials will hit all carmakers. The steel contracts (negotiated years ago at much lower rates) are coming due in the next year or so for most carmakers. And the price of new vehicles may rise 25% or more because of it.
All carmakers need to significantly raise their prices to cover rising costs (materials and transportation), but none wants to be the first to do it. Once you see GM or Toyota raise their prices, the rest will follow suit.
RE: Ford news
Show me a gasoline powered car in the US that compares to a VW Jetta wagon and gets 50mpg. That is why Euro diesels out sell their gas counter parts. To get 50mpg here on gas you are either in a golfcart sized compact or hybrid and neither has much room for 4 adults
I didn't know we were in disagreement.
Cheaper fuel + better efficiency = way more diesel sales.
RE: Ford news
The previous two posters are basically saying what I am saying. Our 5.3 Chevrolet Crew Cab Truck can get 21 MPG on the highway. A light duty diesel MAY get 25.
That is about 15% better mileage. However, gas here is 3.88 and Diesel is 4.70. So the fuel is nearer 20% more expensive.
So my math has you still losing 5% more money than a gas truck on fuel alone, even though a diesel would get better milage.
Your math and the math used to perform the EPA fuel economy estimates are two entirely different things.
Diesels typically net 25% - 40% better fuel economy on the EPA test cycle.
Some of you guys might want to read up on upcoming CAFE standards. It makes the argument for diesel 1/2 tons very, very clear.
It will be very difficult to achieve relatively high tow ratings/load capacities AND meet fleet CAFE requirements with 1/2 ton conventional gasoline trucks.
Despite conventional wisdom, domestic auto MFRs aren't completely ignorant.
There are lots of regs and loopholes to jump through.
Ask Cerberus...automaking is not an easy industry to understand, let alone excel at.
RE: Ford news
..That would be because Europe doesn't have near as strict emission restrictions for diesels, like we have here. If they did, you would not see so many diesels over there.
Also, diesel fuel has traditionally been less expensive than gas in Europe, because it's taxes a lot less. Combined with the increased efficiency, and it's little wonder that diesel sales surpass gasoline.
Plus, European refineries output more diesel per barrel of oil than we do in the US.
RE: Ford news
I am waiting for the announcement that Ford will drop their half ton diesel engine.
ANYONE with a 5th grade education can see that a diesel engine in a half ton truck, whose buyers are 95% light duty users, do not want an expensive, smelly diesel to transport themselves to the grocery store. Maybe in 1999, this would have been different, but Diesel is $5.00 per gallon now, not .70 cents.
If Ford goes through with putting a diesel into a half ton anyway and the present market for fuel holds, then I cannot feel sorry for them losing millions or billions every quarter, even though I love my Ford.
Any average Joe can see that has FAIL written all over it.
They're stuck with it.
Ford (and the other MFRs planning diesel 1/2 tons) needs the MPG boost to help their CAFE numbers.
