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http://abcnews.go.com/Business/IndustryInfo/story?id=4986405
GM will conduct a strategic review of the Hummer brand, it said on Tuesday. The Volt and another new small Chevy are in--and Hummer may be out--of General Motors' dramatically revamped product lineup. The automaker on Tuesday announced sweeping product changes as its sales continue to be battered by high gasoline prices.
Perhaps most significantly, the Volt received board approval for production--signaling that the technology behind the car's lithium-ion batteries will be ready for production on schedule by the end of 2010. "The Chevy Volt is a go," GM Chairman Rick Wagoner said in a statement.
GM plans to show a production version of the Volt in the near future, and has called the car its No. 1 priority. Executives said earlier this spring the interior and exterior designs are nearly finalized. The Volt would be built at GM's Hamtramck, Michigan, assembly plant in suburban Detroit.
Hummer, meanwhile, faces a murkier future. The truck brand is undergoing a "strategic assessment." That could include a sale of part or all of Hummer or a complete re-working of its product lineup. No timetable was given for a decision.
The automaker has been sending mixed signals about Hummer's fate. It killed the iconic H1 in 2006, but showed the eye-catching concept, the small (for Hummer) HX at the Detroit auto show this year--a hint at a possible H4 model that could challenge the iconic Jeep Wrangler.
In addition to the Volt, GM is bolstering Chevy's lineup with another global compact built on the Delta platform. The car will replace for the Cobalt, which is scheduled to be built through June 2010. The yet-to-be-named compact would start production in mid-2010 at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant.
Few details have been revealed, but the car would get a version of GM's global turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. When paired with a manual transmission, GM says the powertrain delivers a 9-mpg improvement over the automaker's current engine in that segment. The engine will be built in Flint, Michigan.
The information agrees with a 2007 leak of GM's future product plans by the UAW, which revealed plans to build the Cobalt replacement at the Lordstown
The next-generation Aveo small car, due in the United States in the second half of 2010, also recently got the green light for production, GM confirmed.
Meanwhile, GM is shutting down production of big pickups and SUVs at four plants:
-- Oshawa, Ontario (Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra) will likely cease production in 2009.
-- Moraine, Ohio (Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7x) will end production at the end of the 2010 model year, or sooner if the market demands.
-- Janesville, Wisconsin (Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon) will halt production in 2010, and stop building its medium-duty truck by the end of 2009.
-- Toluca, Mexico (Chevy Kodiak medium-duty truck) will stop at the end of this year.
The moves were announced on Tuesday ahead of GM's annual shareholder meeting. The automaker said the cuts are expected to save it $1 billion by 2010.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
heard it this morning
day late and a few billion short , but better late then never
die hummer, die. and they need to drop GMC too. That's the most redundant company in their line-up.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
i don't understand the point of GMC either. every truck that GMC has is a re badged version of a chevy.
GO PATS!!!
except the acadia, which is just a waste of time. though i do like them.
GMC used to be a better built truck than the chevy , little higher quality and a bit more refined
but now yes they are a exact copy
I love how GM rewards a factory that hits and exceeds every mark the corparation throws at them with. Has one of the Highest Quality / Unit ratio in the company. Yes they reward them with a big sorry we are closing you down because you build SUV's and we just can't build anything else there.
FYI I work at Moraine Assembly. Most of us were aware that building SUV's at Moraine wasn't going to happen anymore. But we were thinking that we would get something because of the high marks that our plant gets. O yeah we are the Lowest Paid Workforce (Assembly) that the Big 3 has in America. We are also the only non UAW plant (IUE-CWA)
I don't feel to bad about it - the union has milked this @!#$ outta GM and ford for that matter. They've had some of the best retirement out there. Yes it sucks to lose a job, but sometimes unions go to far...
Back on topic, agreed its better late than never. I wonder how much GM's corperate average MPG ratings would rise if they dropped the Hummer and GMC lines?
The truck plant was doomed as soon as the dollar hit paridy.
The Camaro price projections are for 50 grand CDN. So the other Oshawa plant is doomed too.
Luckily, GM scooped the Canadian government out of 250 million before the closure. Just like they did with the Camaro in 02.
It seems to me that it's a good time to move the plants to cheaper countries.
The reason for GMC was that until about the mid-80's GM dealearships were seperated into two distinct groups and each would only sell either Cadillac-Oldsmobile-Chevrolet or Buick-Pontiac-GMC (But not both, I think). So GMC was a way for the Buick-Pontiac guys to get trucks. That's also why the El Camino was sold as a GMC, because there was no Buick-Pontiac equivalent.
As for the Manufacturing plant closings, I honestly believe that the Unions should take a pay cut to make them more competitive with other countries. Yes, GM's being greedy but so are the unions and the employees. The economy's gone downhill now, and it's better to get paid five to ten dollars less an hour than not get paid at all because you no longuer have a damn job. Also, to kind of cushion the blow of the pay cut, the Union could ask that every employee receive a free car or a loaner every 2-3 years with full maintenance and warranty. I dunno... something along those lines.
50 grand for a Camaro? Jesus. Ponycars used to be cars that you could afford while working a minimum wage job and living in your parent's basement. Don't car makers know their own markets anymore? Ridiculous. No wonder they're losing money. The only cars that can be afforded by large amounts of people are cars that people don't want. Real smart.
can always rely on your Goodwrench for the most up to date info!
Of course the volt is ready to go! Just like the EV1! Maybe this time they won't take a bribe from gas companies to get rid of it (allegedly).
Knoxfire wrote:
As for the Manufacturing plant closings, I honestly believe that the Unions should take a pay cut to make them more competitive with other countries. Yes, GM's being greedy but so are the unions and the employees. The economy's gone downhill now, and it's better to get paid five to ten dollars less an hour than not get paid at all because you no longuer have a damn job. Also, to kind of cushion the blow of the pay cut, the Union could ask that every employee receive a free car or a loaner every 2-3 years with full maintenance and warranty. I dunno... something along those lines.
That sounds decent. The big 3 make more than enough profit to give at least each worker at a minimum one free 2 year lease on GM cars, with all maintence included. And union member complain that they are not being over paid, it's a fair wage and what's wrong with that. but it's not a fair wage. A guy that bolts in a dash board all day makes more than most teachers. That's not a fair wage and they could stand to make $20 an hour instead of $30.
Quote:
50 grand for a Camaro? Jesus. Ponycars used to be cars that you could afford while working a minimum wage job and living in your parent's basement. Don't car makers know their own markets anymore? Ridiculous. No wonder they're losing money. The only cars that can be afforded by large amounts of people are cars that people don't want. Real smart.
Sadly the white collar guys are over paid too. But they DO know their market, the new pony cars are being sold to the same demographic as before "Baby Boomers". They know these old foggies have nostalgic memories of these cars and are snatching up old Hemi Cuda's at Barret Jackson for millions. So they want some of that big "boomer" money before they all start croaking. Us broke ass young people....they built Cobalts and Aveos for us. That's the reality.
Maybe 30 years from now they'll bring back a new Cobalt for us and charge us $50,000 for it. who knows.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
What they should do with Hummer is what Jeep hasn't yet. Offer Hybrid Hummers. That'll make the tree hugger fascists get off their backs and save the people who do like Hummers some money in gas. GMC should be moved into a luxury truck segment or done away with altogether.
I would like to see hummers more like the original CJ in size and nature. No comfort, no amenities, just a tough 4 by 4. Mayb even a perfect application for the beloved diesel.
Rather than dropping peoples' salaries, why not bring the teachers salaries up. High salaries mean a good economy. Our automotive salaries have supported every segment in our society. That well paid worker hires contractors and buys new toys. The broke worker has to make due with what they have. Nothin.'
The real ones to blame are the shareholders. We whine about the poor sap drilling holes all day long with no future above that and the shareholder does nothing but own a piece of paper, and expect to make profit. Who's the real villian here? In fact, the shareholder is to blame for our current oil situation in the first place.
GM will certainly sell the Camaro right away. But at that price, they will quickly run out of buyers just as before when the Mustang option with relatively the same nastalgia is soo cheap in comparison. I have no idea where the Challengers pricing will be at. I suspect the pricing for the Camaro will always be placed with regard to the Corvette.
My thoughts:
- There hasn't been a REAL Hummer since the demise of the H1.
- GMC is fine, they have the heavy truck segment, Other than that, what they do is no different than most other manufacturers IMO.
- GM would do well to start kicking their hydrogen skateboard chassis/whatever into high gear, and start making it a reality.
- GM also ought to be Hybriding the living hell out of their lineup, offering EVERY car with a hybrid and turbo-charged sport option, or have the cylinder shutoff technology in EVERY vehicle.
- GM NEEDS A TURBO-DIESEL OPTION ON EVERY VEHICLE. Seriously speaking, GM needs to fill the small/med car diesel gap with an engine that will be economical, reliable and can squeeze as much as possible out of every litre of fuel, and be able to run a range of fuels, not just one or two fuels.
- You can't compare pony-cars from yester-year to today, the differences are far too huge to even consider them... Today's pony-cars would out do EVERY Ferrari, Porsche and all other high-water mark brands from 30 years ago. If you also stop to think about it, your money went a hell of a lot further. Minimum wage hasn't gone up 20% in the last 20 years, but cost of living has gone up over 140% in the same time.
- GM is making it possible for people to afford the products they manufacture and have a decent standard of living as well. This is hardly a bad thing.
- GM also has to work on its public image. The initial quality gap is next to nil, the reliability gap is a myth, and if the price is right, people will buy GM again, but they have to want to .
- Asking people to take a $5-10 wage cut for the same work is kinda stupid if you stop and think about it, I mean would YOU willingly get paid less to do something you've been doing all your life? Give that point some thought, because most people you talk to wouldn't, they'd rather get a lay-off and retrain.
- Camaro will sell, but I doubt it'll sell in high numbers. To make it sell like a mustang, GM would need to power it like a mustang, and that's pretty much a joke to begin with. $50K is steep, but if it'll stomp Mustangs (even the higher models), MB's, Nissan GT-R's, etc, it'll be worth the money to gear heads.
- Corvette will sell, there's too many car guys that have fallen in love with them for it not to.
