GM will be bankrupt again in short order. The company still has a fully unionized workforce with billions of unfunded pension liabilities.
GM will indeed fail (again) in the next five to ten years. As MLP notes above, the unionized workforce in states without right to work laws will, as it has in countless other instances, bury them with high cost, low productivity, low ingenuity labour.
As for Chrysler, there is a chance that it could survive at part of fiat. Fiat arguably builds the most technically advanced and most beautiful cars in the world (Ferrari, maserati, alfa Romeo) and is one of the leading makers of small cars. Their cost issues aren’t as bad as they are with GM either. The big question mark for FIAT and chryco is whether they can overcome the horrible reputation for quality that they have – sometimes deservedly, sometimes not.
For those who doubt that Chrysler hasn’t changed in the last couple if years, I would suggest that they test drive the new grand Cherokee – it has extremely high levels of fit and finish quality – right up there with Mercedes Benz.
(full disclosure – I own a 300c AWD and plan on getting another when the new-designed models come out in early 2011.)
Sorry Gord.
Not with you on the Jeep. They have some of the weakest drive lines around.
Great SUV to take the family to the mountains to go skiing, but don’t even think about offroading.
That’s why I went to the Landcruiser.
You can’t write the book on Chrysler yet until maybe this time NEXT year. They are launching 11 major refreshes this month, and the US consumer reaction to those will key.
All of their post Cerebus cars were absolute crap (mainly interiors, and weak powertrains) Marcione has done an amazing job with the changes so far, but it’s been no secret Chryco would be coming from the back of the pack with it’s dearth of new models for 2009-2010.
These little sewing machines remind me of Hitler’s original “Volkswagen”. Great for hippies and students (the VW van was a hoot), but totally ridiculous for a family and working man, or anybody who likes to go to flea markets or is a handyman.
Reminds me of the time I suffered a seriously bout of mental retardation and went out and bought an AMC Gremlin. I returned it after 4 days and told the salesman “I don’t care if I’m obligated by contract and you’ve already collected on the financing from the bank. Keep the piece of junk, but I will never drive it again”. So I paid it off without ever using it — left it as a gift to the car lot. That’s how shitty the Gremlin was (plus it was coloured snot green, like all the eco vehicles).
Wanna go green? Buy a cool motorcycle instead!
Too bad such handsome buildings are blocked by those ugly vehicles.
Ontario Government invests taxpayers money in GM in a feeble attempt to keep it in Ontario.
GM puts a lot of faith in the Chevy Volt.
Today the Ont. government announces that electricity rates will increase some 46% over the next 5 years.
Any bets on how this “automoble” will sell in Ontario?
Dustoff:
So you have driven a 2011 JEEP GC?
And have seen the Land Rover’s reliability record?
(PS- 99% of all SUV miles are driven on pavement. However Jeeps that are “Rubicon” labeled are as off-road capable as any Land Rover.
sorry dustoff – i read land cruiser as land rover..
the land cruiser is a pain to drive off-road (and on road) because of the horrendous visibility. Nasty fuel economy too.
sorry dustoff – i read land cruiser as land rover..
the land cruiser is a pain to drive off-road (and on road) because of the horrendous visibility. Nasty fuel economy too.
Saw an ad on TV for an Infinity G35, price $36.500.
Chevy Volt is $41.500.
I know which one I’d buy.
I hear the Mafia loves the Volt.
Takes nothing to burn up.
An easy hit.
Volt, the car the mob prefers.
JMO
How do they get the extension cord in that tiny little trunk?
I would never buy one but I hope electric cars take off. I own shares in a lithium mine and I want to be rich. Just in case they don’t I also own shares in a few oil companies. I’ll make money off one or the other. Hopefully both.
Has anyone tossed one of these into a canal to see if it will float?
The new Fiat 500 is a great little car. I had occasion to drive one while in Aus, and had a real blast. It would be a totally acceptable city driver for the downtown confines, where, when I have to, my F150 4×4 pick’em up truck just can’t be parked without some 9 point turns.
The 500 has a bit of a pedigree also, it was renowned as a rally car in the 60’s an 70’s. Not that this one has any relationship to the old 500, it’s a marque revival like Camaro or Challenger.
It has been rumoured that Chrysler wants to re-badge the 500 as a Chrysler rather than a Fiat. *ugh* They will rot on the lot.
For me in the country, I would sooner have the 4wd Fiat Panda. If they change the name to something like Brutus, or Grizzly or whatever….
Looking outside today, at the snow and -20C, I’m glad I drive a Jeep.
Well Volt isn’t 500 is ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpAFi9nIJVQ
GM will be bankrupt again in short order. The company still has a fully unionized workforce with billions of unfunded pension liabilities.
GM will indeed fail (again) in the next five to ten years. As MLP notes above, the unionized workforce in states without right to work laws will, as it has in countless other instances, bury them with high cost, low productivity, low ingenuity labour.
As for Chrysler, there is a chance that it could survive at part of fiat. Fiat arguably builds the most technically advanced and most beautiful cars in the world (Ferrari, maserati, alfa Romeo) and is one of the leading makers of small cars. Their cost issues aren’t as bad as they are with GM either. The big question mark for FIAT and chryco is whether they can overcome the horrible reputation for quality that they have – sometimes deservedly, sometimes not.
For those who doubt that Chrysler hasn’t changed in the last couple if years, I would suggest that they test drive the new grand Cherokee – it has extremely high levels of fit and finish quality – right up there with Mercedes Benz.
(full disclosure – I own a 300c AWD and plan on getting another when the new-designed models come out in early 2011.)
Sorry Gord.
Not with you on the Jeep. They have some of the weakest drive lines around.
Great SUV to take the family to the mountains to go skiing, but don’t even think about offroading.
That’s why I went to the Landcruiser.
You can’t write the book on Chrysler yet until maybe this time NEXT year. They are launching 11 major refreshes this month, and the US consumer reaction to those will key.
All of their post Cerebus cars were absolute crap (mainly interiors, and weak powertrains) Marcione has done an amazing job with the changes so far, but it’s been no secret Chryco would be coming from the back of the pack with it’s dearth of new models for 2009-2010.
These little sewing machines remind me of Hitler’s original “Volkswagen”. Great for hippies and students (the VW van was a hoot), but totally ridiculous for a family and working man, or anybody who likes to go to flea markets or is a handyman.
Reminds me of the time I suffered a seriously bout of mental retardation and went out and bought an AMC Gremlin. I returned it after 4 days and told the salesman “I don’t care if I’m obligated by contract and you’ve already collected on the financing from the bank. Keep the piece of junk, but I will never drive it again”. So I paid it off without ever using it — left it as a gift to the car lot. That’s how shitty the Gremlin was (plus it was coloured snot green, like all the eco vehicles).
Wanna go green? Buy a cool motorcycle instead!
Too bad such handsome buildings are blocked by those ugly vehicles.
Ontario Government invests taxpayers money in GM in a feeble attempt to keep it in Ontario.
GM puts a lot of faith in the Chevy Volt.
Today the Ont. government announces that electricity rates will increase some 46% over the next 5 years.
Any bets on how this “automoble” will sell in Ontario?
Dustoff:
So you have driven a 2011 JEEP GC?
And have seen the Land Rover’s reliability record?
(PS- 99% of all SUV miles are driven on pavement. However Jeeps that are “Rubicon” labeled are as off-road capable as any Land Rover.
sorry dustoff – i read land cruiser as land rover..
the land cruiser is a pain to drive off-road (and on road) because of the horrendous visibility. Nasty fuel economy too.
sorry dustoff – i read land cruiser as land rover..
the land cruiser is a pain to drive off-road (and on road) because of the horrendous visibility. Nasty fuel economy too.
Saw an ad on TV for an Infinity G35, price $36.500.
Chevy Volt is $41.500.
I know which one I’d buy.
I hear the Mafia loves the Volt.
Takes nothing to burn up.
An easy hit.
Volt, the car the mob prefers.
JMO
How do they get the extension cord in that tiny little trunk?
I would never buy one but I hope electric cars take off. I own shares in a lithium mine and I want to be rich. Just in case they don’t I also own shares in a few oil companies. I’ll make money off one or the other. Hopefully both.
Has anyone tossed one of these into a canal to see if it will float?
The new Fiat 500 is a great little car. I had occasion to drive one while in Aus, and had a real blast. It would be a totally acceptable city driver for the downtown confines, where, when I have to, my F150 4×4 pick’em up truck just can’t be parked without some 9 point turns.
The 500 has a bit of a pedigree also, it was renowned as a rally car in the 60’s an 70’s. Not that this one has any relationship to the old 500, it’s a marque revival like Camaro or Challenger.
It has been rumoured that Chrysler wants to re-badge the 500 as a Chrysler rather than a Fiat. *ugh* They will rot on the lot.
For me in the country, I would sooner have the 4wd Fiat Panda. If they change the name to something like Brutus, or Grizzly or whatever….
Looking outside today, at the snow and -20C, I’m glad I drive a Jeep.