GM to boost Hummer H3, truck production (good move guys)

Good news my new one was on a waiting list for forever and will continue to be so



THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SHREVEPORT, La. -- General Motors Corp. said Thursday that it will invest about $20 million at its Shreveport assembly plant to increase production of the Hummer H3 and Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks.

The company also said the increased production will require the addition of a third shift to its paint department during the first quarter of 2006.

The assembly plant currently has about 3,200 employees.

The H3 was released to the market in mid-May. GM has said it hopes to sell 20,000 to 30,000 of the vehicles by the end of the year.>>>>snip

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_GM_Shreveport.html

They're a good size for the average person who likes the convenience of having a pick-up without having a giant gas hog.

and got fairly good gas mileage for a truck.
Also it might help workers and the economy in that area



But the Hummer?

it underperforms in its class.

small pick-up and was looking forward to the new Colorado. After comparing the Colorado with the Ranger and the Dakota it doesn't fair too bad. But when you compare any of them with the Toyota Tacoma or the Nissan Frontier they aren't even in the same ballpark. The only thing they have going for them is you can get one a couple thousand cheaper but you will more than lose it on the resale value.

The only thing they have going for them is you can get one a couple thousand cheaper but you will more than lose it on the resale value.

Prove you will "more than lose it on the resale value". Too broad of a statement, and the Colorado has not developed a sufficient track record against either the Toyota or Nissan. And one last item the Nissan is built in the same plant that has stymied Nissan with horrible quality control for the past two years. Look it up. Nissan and Toyota don't even have their North American plants in the latest JD Powers top 5, and I know GM has three now. One is a truck plant.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051028/BIZ/510280368/1005

Consumer Reports' listing of four of five models built at the Canton Nissan plant as among the least reliable cars and trucks sold doesn't hurt the plant's reputation, a company official said

I have the dealer licensed versions of all of the blue purple green or whatever version price book you can find, and you give me a model with options and actual list for the year and I'll give you today's value.

I am so tired of people outside of the industry with ZERO first hand knowledge making statements like this.

value isn't higher. I own a 1996 Ranger and it was a great vehicle a few years ago but Ford hasn't updated it for years, it just isn't competitive any longer. The Colorado is a cheaply made piece of crap, try this, you can actually bend the front fender above the headlights if you push on it with your thumb. The Doge is butt ugly and is a gas hog. The Tacoma and the Frontier both have better fit and finish than any of the three. The Tacoma was rated truck of the year by Motor Trend and both the Tacoma and Frontier have better ratings in Consumer reports than the other three. No I can't prove the Tacoma and Frontier will have a better resale value than the others because they are new models and have no history. But Toyota has an excellent track record for reliability and resale values on their vehicles. I have driven them all and the Toyota and Nissan
outclass them by far. Myself being a steelworker thought I would never buy a car with a Japanese name but remember a couple years ago when the steel industry was in trouble and wanted tariffs put on imported steel. Who fought against them GM, Ford and Chrysler! So now the American auto industry is in trouble because they can't compete with the Japanese car makers and they want me to spend my money on an inferior product. We lost a lost a lot of jobs and the active employees and retirees lost their pensions and health insurance to keep the steel industry alive.

For front end crush to protect the owner in a crash. it's called safety now, frontal crush zones.

Second, the Japanese factories aren't unionized, and the UAW can't get in to Toyota or Nissan so there's another value of ours down the toilet.

Sorry. I bought my last foreign car 21 years ago, and if I'm going to scream and yell at the Corrupt Conservatives, my plate is clean and I do everything to support our workforce.

and the American auto companies were happy use illegally traded steel in their vehicles while us USWA members lost our jobs, pensions and health insurance. If you wanted our help you should have refused to use Chinese steel in your vehicles. You know there was actually a time when we couldn't park a foreign car in our lots.

It's like dealing with Bill O'Reily. Again, prove it. I know for a fact that North Korea produces as much steel for world consumption as China, and China is our number one customer for scrap steel for their own use.

Show me where you get this information from and I'll concede, but until then, I'm buying American till the day I die. I know maybe 55% of the product is produced in the US, but I'm still keeping my money in jobs here.

(Sigh)

countries at the time the Asian economy was in a slump and they were illegally dumping steel in this country. How can I prove where the steel came from in a car? The problem was someone was buying it and it may not have even been the auto industry but they were benefiting from the prices being driven down by the imports. Did them or the UAW back us up? NOOOOO! We were selling steel that cost $350 a ton to produce for $250 a ton. So now the US auto industry has been forced to sell their cars at a loss in order to get rid of them and I am supposed to be a loyal American. I know what the dealers are asking for used Toyotas don't BS me.

NO DEALER MAKES A FORTUNE ON NEW CARS, none. It's the used car that keeps the dealer in business. Simple economics. What they ASK and what they GET at the time of sale are again two different prices. it's what commerce is all about.

And with an hour's help on Google, we'd have a decent debate about steel and the tariffs placed to protect the US steel industry.

Remember one thing. ALL of the car manufacturers have assembly plants in Europe and Asia and South America OTHER than here. We are not the center of Autoworld. They buy their steel from the closest supplier, period. Regarding American made steel, none finer, and I am positive US pressed car panels are made from US steel, as are Canadian pressed body panels made from Canadian pressed steel, etc etc etc.

My bottom line, buy American, no excuses. You want to be a Progressive or a Liberal, we have to buy here or we are no better than the Cons.

assembled in California.

And Japan and China are carrying our debt right now NOT including the insane trade imbalance. Buy Japanese. No problem, send more mon-union jobs and the profit to Japan. It's the American way.

And fully assembled in the US, is a Japanese car?

The Chevy Aveo is made in South Korea, is it a Korean-made car since it's made overseas or an American-made car since it's owned by an American company?

he would drive his caddy to work and keep his benz parked in the garage. He said that he was driving on the highway one night and this car pulled up on his side. he looks over and it was one of his shift supervisors. Work was never the same from that night on.

With the software the dealers use to determine actual trade in value from the DEALER AUCTIONS and what the vehicles bring there.


2004 TOYOTA TACOMA XTRACAB
Engine Type: 2.4L 4 CYL
Body Style: P/UP
Standard Features: ABS STD
DUAL FRONT AIR BAGS STD

Base Price: @ 36,000 miles 10,750
Mileage: 30,000

..:: ADDS & DEDUCTS

ADD: 3.4L V6 + 1,100
ADD: 4 WHEEL DRIVE + 2,800
ADD: LIMITED (POWER PKG+) + 900
As Equipped Price 15,550
Mileage Adjustment 300

GALVES VALUE 15,850

2004 NISSAN FRONTIER KING CAB SE 4WD

Engine Type: 3.3L V6
Body Style: P/UP

Standard Features: ABS STD
AC STD
ALLOY WHEELS STD
DUAL FRONT AIR BAGS STD
POWER PKG (POWER WINDOWS+) STD

Base Price: @ 36,000 miles 12,650
Mileage: 30,000

..:: ADDS & DEDUCTS

As Equipped Price 12,650
Mileage Adjustment 375

GALVES VALUE 13,025

2004 CHEVROLET COLORADO CREW CAB LS
Engine Type: 3.5L 5 CYL
Body Style: 4 DOOR P/UP

Standard Features: ABS STD
AC STD
ALLOY WHEELS STD
DUAL FRONT AIR BAGS STD

Base Price: @ 24,000 miles 13,000
Mileage: 30,000
..:: ADDS & DEDUCTS

ADD: 4 WHEEL DRIVE + 2,900
ADD: POWER WINDOWS + 400
ADD: SPORT SUSPENSION (INCL'S 17" WHEELS) + 500
As Equipped Price 16,800
Mileage Adjustment -775

GALVES VALUE 16,025

Someone said thousands of dollars lost?

Facts is facts

against the base model Toyota with 4 cyl and a base model Nissan. Also the 2004 Toyota and Frontier are the old models. Apples and Oranges.

Here was your previous quote:

No I can't prove the Tacoma and Frontier will have a better resale value than the others because they are new models and have no history.

Those are the comparable vehicles I listed, with average millage when purchased by dealers at factory lease auctions 2 year old 2004 models, now you say the Frontier is Old model???

Doh!

This is sheer idiocy. Anyone who wants an apartment building that thinks it's a car can pick one up for a dime on the dollar; resale of FUVs is ridiculously low.

It's mind-boggling; is this some kind of joke?

Somehow the right wing and corporate establishments are nothing but one-trick ponies: tax cuts and whopper products.

Dream on.

MPG (city) 16
MPG (highway) 19
MPG (combined) 17

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/22513.shtml

And that doesn't even begin to talk about the environment, or the fact that GM is going to lay off 25,000 employees.

Why not lay of these idiot execs? The workers do their job WELL. It's the executives who are screwing up.

Yet the incompotent execs stay, and rake in money til the company's about to go belly up.

The workers either lose their jobs or their pensions.

THAT is what is wrong with this picture.

And thats when the Hummer is running at it's top performance.

on edit: EPA's rating for the H3 is a #2 out of a possible 10.

Check out the Ford Escape Hybrid.

EPA estimated mpg:
FWD 36 City / 31 Hwy

The Escape get's better milege in the city which is where most repukes keep their SUVs.

An Escape Hybrid is a "compact" SUV; an H3 is a "midsize" SUV.

The H3 is getting about what a midsize SUV should get. It still burns way too much gas, but it's not like the overweight H2 and the "in a class of its own" H1.

The Highlander Hybrid is rated around 27 mpg.
It is a little bigger than the Escape Hybrid.
It seats 7 (but the last 2 better be really small).
I haven't driven one.

We have an Escape Hybrid, which gets around 29 mpg (which is the EPA highway figure for the 4WD version that we have. We don't do a lot of
city driving with it, mostly highway and mountains). It is considered
a "compact" SUV, but it is at the big end of that category. It is
considerably larger and more comfortable than the RAV4 we used to own
and it burns much less gas.

Why have an SUV at all? Because cars have insufficient ground clearance
for some of the mountain "roads" we drive on. 4 wheel drive is a good
thing to have on those roads too. The only vehicles that meet these
requirements are SUVs and pickup trucks. The Ford Escape Hybrid is
the most fuel-efficient truck of either kind available here.

For day-to-day stuff, we use the Prius.

Gas may be (marginally) affordable now, but what about 2 years from now? 5 years from now?

Unless you probably live with your parents and have access to a Friends truck, you better have an option when you want to get ANYTHING except groceries with a mega-millage car. Load 3 bags of Quick Crete in the trunk of your hybrid to make that little walk between the koi pond and the herb garden. As it's ass drags on the road and the sparks fly off the bumper I'll be there laughing. Gas gas gas, no other consideration. Keep thinking like that. And I'll give up a few miles a gallon for a bit more iron between me and the next guy.

Haven't lived with my parents since I was 18 and have never needed a truck. Sure every few years when I move I need one but then that's what rental places are for. I rent one for a day or 2 and take it back, job finished. Proud owner of 30+ mpg Nissan sedan.

yeah, like your average joe is always draggin bags of quikcrete around every week.

besides, you do know you can rent trucks at home depot, don't you? you don't have to have a huge truck to get your lumber home.

for in May.

I carry it in my 250# aluminum trailer. With a 600# load, well within the capability of a Civic, Prius or Jetta for towing.

I used to think I needed a truck around for the occasional heavy/oversize load. The trailer provides that duty now, without the added expense of pushing around an extra 2000# of steel/plastic for the occasional run to the lumber yard.



Plan B would be to keep an older truck around for the occasional haul. I decided to go the trailer route because I didn't want the hassle/cost of maintaining a second vehicle.

I've put myself, my girlfriend, my sister, her husband, and my mom in my car (Scion xA) at one time for a combined weight of 800 lbs. No ass dragging on the ground, no problem driving around the city, and we even went on the highway for a while. Admittedly, acceleration suffered, but I didn't have a problem cruising at 55-60mph.

http://www.scion.com/showroom/xa/gallery/

My Scion does 30 city/40 highway, which I consider pretty decent mileage. It's also a hatchback, meaning I can fold down the rear seats to haul more cargo if I need to.

And in the rare cases where I need to haul really large items, I can either a) have it delivered, such as the bed we just bought, or b) rent a truck or van for the day. I was able to rent a cargo van for less than $100 for a full day's worth of driving when I moved my girlfriend's stuff into my apartment. $50 to have something delivered or rent a truck for a day beats the hell out of paying a couple thousand extra in gas every year driving a gas-guzzler. There are cheaper options than driving a truck or SUV that counter the "I need to haul some Quick-Crete once a year" argument you put forth.

has plenty of cargo space for 1-2 people.

veh's. Some get as much as 40 pct less mpg. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/maintenance-accessories/surprising-facts-about-gas-mileage-405/overview.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1 On every new vehicle, manufacturers are required to list how many miles you can expect to get per gallon of gas. Carmakers are allowed to make these claims based on a government test at the Environmental Protection Agency in which vehicles are put on a treadmill-like device called a dynamometer. The tester watches a computer screen to determine how much to accelerate and when to brake so each vehicle is tested in exactly the same way.

But just how accurately does a test on a dynamometer reflect the mileage you get on the road? Not very, says David Champion, Senior Director of the Auto Test Department at Consumer Reports. According to Champion, manufacturers optimize their cars in order to get the best results they can on EPA tests. "That isn't always what you're going to get in real life," says Champion.

Yes. For the typical pickup-truck usage of commuting to work that's
appallingly poor fuel economy.

Or do all those guys wearing suits in their pickup trucks change
into coveralls and workboots when they get to the job site? And
put down their attache cases and pick up Sawzalls?

Tesha

this year. Dump your GM stock when the gas prices soar again this summer these ten mile a gallon gas hogs will be sitting on the lot. Smooth move ASSHATS.

who gets the multi-million dollar parachute?

I wonder how much money they'll lose next quarter?

WTF would anyone buy a Hummer with gas prices so high anyway?


fuckin morons

Yet you'll pony up and buy foreign iron and send your money overseas because you have no first hand knowledge of the current crop of American cars. This isn't the eighties, and anyone who claims any foreign brand is better than an American brand WITHOUT owning an American brand of the last three years is blowing smoke out their ass.

Nissan Titans are one of the single worst gas hogs on the planet. The entire Toyota line barely BARELY gets TO 30MPG highway, and only because of the little bitties, not the mainstream Camray, the best selling car in America with decent MPG with the FOUR CYLINDER not the V6.

Right from the Nissan web site, Titan milage:
4x2 (city/hwy) 14/19 14/19 14/19
4x4 (city/hwy) 14/18 14/18 14/18


Wow bow down to thee Nissan, can't even get 20MPG on the highway with their equivelent to a Ford F150 or Chevy Silverado TRUCK.

Truck truck truck do we make ourselves clear?

My wife's uncle recently rented a 2006 Toyota Corolla for a week's vacation driving around Arizona and New Mexico. He averaged 38 mpg, and he was doing a lot of in-town driving and when he hit the freeway he averaged 80 mph.

A Corolla is the equivalent to a Chevy Cavalier/Cobalt 4cyl. small car, no smoke here. Get the model straight and them blow smoke.

I know what a Corolla is - I own one. You apparently don't, as you can't even spell it properly. It's probably the best value for the buck out there as it costs only $14-$15K, depending on the model - CE or LE.

Why would anyone complain about a company like Toyota that their entire line gets 30 mpg? They only have a couple of cars smaller than the Camry, yet they have 3 or 4 SUV models and a number of truck models (to remain competitive - eventually you'll see less SUVs and trucks from Toyota) in addition to the best selling minivan on the market. To average "barely" 30 mpg across their entire line is therefore quite an amazing feat!

I see no cause for complaint in those figures.

The also have one of the best selling hybrid electric cars.

Name one American car manufacturer that can boast those stats. The fact is, Detroit has been behind the curve on durability, reliability, and gas mileage for decades (compared to the foreign market). Their specialty has always been oversized gas hogs in constant need of repair which is what this thread critizing GM for their Hummer is all about.

Were it not for this kind of criticism followed up by action in the marketplace (refusal of Americans to buy substandard American automotive products), Detroit would be even farther behind the curve.

You want to take a shot at my spelling, bullshit on you, I did it on purpose, that's why we have spell check.

Why would anyone complain about a company like Toyota that their entire line gets 30 mpg? your quote.

The entire line isn't even close to 30MPG, and they boast it because the more little econoboxes they sell offset the larger less fuel efficient vehicles. It's the EPA loophole. Chevrolet alone has 11 vehicles now that average over 30MPG on the highway, and the high-line 303hp Impala gets 28. Decent gas millage and 5 passengers in comfort, for under $29K.

in addition to the best selling minivan on the market your quote.

You're dead wrong, facts are facts, the same thing we tell the Cons about the F-Word network. The Best selling minivan for the last decade has been the Dodge and Chrysler separate or together your choice, by a WIDE margin. Even the Honda Odyssey has outsold your Toyota Sienna for 2 years running month to month year to year.

It's probably the best value for the buck out there as it costs only $14-$15K your quote.

How would you even know this? Your other facts are wrong, how would you know what value is? Is value just gas mileage? Is value safety? Is value comfort? Is value passenger capacity? Is value all of these? Just what is value?

If American cars have been behind the curve it's simply because it's your opinion, you have no facts except hearsay and the words of a few here or in your small circle of friends who have had the cars in the past.

And that's the theme here, "my 10 year old or Parent's or blah blah blah" American car are clueless to the latest generation (except Chrysler, and I am aware of their continuing quality problems and lack of cars that get decent gas mileage in spite of their purchase by MB). Go buy a Cobalt or C6 or Cadillac or Equinox or Ford Mustang, (that's the devil in a new car, oooohhh a car with a fun factor, oh my god, fun, something our commuting should be but isn't allowed because we are Liberals), and after a couple of years you can tell me what you think. Until then, you're simply clueless, not me.

You ALL think that you can support Liberal causes but you have no problem buying Foreign. And those of you who have never owned an American car have no room to talk, none. You love your Toyota, Nissan or other foreign car assembled on these shores, fine, keep loving it.

Don't call yourself a Liberal unless you're willing to support ALL Liberal causes, including Unions and buying in your own country where the money stays. You can't claim the podium if you don't embrace the issues. And buying foreign is what the Cons do, and laugh at us in their BMW's and AUDI's and Mercedes Benz's and expensive high line Japanese cars while claiming to be patriots.

One last item, join my ignore list. This is about cars, and obviously I touched a few sensitive nerves here. I'll defend my position with facts, something most of you have yet to do.

"The entire line isn't even close to 30MPG, and they boast it because the more little econoboxes they sell offset the larger less fuel efficient vehicles. It's the EPA loophole. Chevrolet alone has 11 vehicles now that average over 30MPG on the highway, and the high-line 303hp Impala gets 28. Decent gas millage and 5 passengers in comfort, for under $29K."

Interesting that you only look at one side of the picture. You say Toyota only gets the "little econoboxes they sell offset the larger less fuel efficient vehicles". First a they do not sell "econoboxes". They sell cars. Second, why can't you admit that their entire line of fuel efficient, over-30-mpg *cars* is offset by the more numerous models of low-efficiency SUVs, trucks and minivan? You display a silly, irrational bias putting it the way you do.

Finally, what is the gas mileage of Chevrolet's entire line of vehicles, including SUVs, trucks and minivans? I'll wager its well below 30 mpg. So what if they make more cars? They also make more SUVs, and trucks. And paying $29K to get a car which gets only 28mpg is a ripoff, *not* something to brag about. You sound like you are enamored of large vehicles.

And no, I'm not wrong about the Toyota Sienna being the best selling minivan on the market now. Your figures are dated. The Sienna is #1 and the Honda Odyssey is #2.

As for value, I mean value across the board - you get quality all around plus good gas mileage at a low price. Name one car in the world that even begins to compare to a Toyota Corolla at it selling price. You can't. I know this because I've been a Toyota owner since 1976 - and have followed the models I've been interested in, such as the Corolla I now own.

As for American cars being behind the curve on the issues I mentioned, you'd have to be living under a rock for the past 50 years not to know that's a FACT, not an opinion.

You want to bash DUers for "supporting Liberal causes". Fine, go right ahead and show your true colors.

"I'm not wrong about the Toyota Sienna being the best selling minivan on the market now" is what you had stated in your reply in this thread.

http://www.carbuyersnotebook.com/archives/2005/07/top_ten_best_se_2.htm

As of June, which means that both Honda and Toyota will have to produce double their production to catch up to the Dodge and Chrysler by year end.



Just for reference.

Chevy has 11 car models that get 30mpg+, while Toyota has 9 car models. That's a pretty close margin. Yet you compare apples to oranges when you complain about Toyota's OVERALL fuel economy yet exclude all the gas guzzlers Chevy produces.

BTW, one of Chevy's best sellers this past year was one of those econoboxes you seem to look down upon. It's called the Aveo, and is a POS compared to virtually any other small car I drove before I bought my xA. The only virtue it has going for it is that it's dirt-cheap. Even it's gas mileage is only so-so; a car like that should do waaaaay better than 26/34 city/highway.

BTW, enjoy that 303HP Impala as you sit in a traffic jam like most Americans do on a weekly basis commuting to and from work. I'm sure all those extra horses will help out a lot.

In my family, we own two American cars and two German cars, all circa 1995 +/- 1 year.

There is no comparison between the two groups.

The Dodge Caravan is the *LEAST RELIABLE CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED,
BAR NONE*. Through its entire life, it has spent far more time
in the shop than any of my other cars, probably combined.
*EVERYTHING* on that car was designed to wear out young.
Brake friction elements, wheel cylinders, struts, anti-sway
bars, air conditioning compressors, receiver-dryers, power
steering pumps, steel water cooling lines, radiators, ventilating
blower resistors, differential cases, half-shafts, sliding door
power contacts, power window lifts, *EVERYTHING*.

The Ford Taurus isn't bad, but it's no great shakes either. It's
competent but not "fun". It has at least been pretty reliable so
far. Well, except for breaking 3 out of 4 springs on the Macpherson
struts. And the anti-sway bar. And the engine mount. And the funny
clunk in the transmission when it upshifts (in the replacement
transmission from years ago). And the speedometer. Come to think
of it, its reliability ain't so hot either.

The German cars live up to their reputations for performance and
durability with the Audi soon to turn 200K miles. The only major
expenses so far have been a hydraulic pump and, very recently, a
new radiator. And yes, two water pumps changed prophilactically
at the same times that I've replaced the timing belt at the end
of its scheduled wear life. But it's still on its original struts
and is only on its second set of brakes.

Sorry, but Chrysler has sold me its last car *EVER*. And unless
Ford or GM have undergone a miraculous transformation in the last
few years, they're unlikely to sell me anything either. As it is,
I'd worry about buying a Volvo or Saab (because they're now owned
by Ford and GM, respectively) and Mercedes (because it is now allied
with the devil-spawn Chrysler and never had such a hot reputation
for reliability to begin with).

Tesha

I have a post a bit further down about my problem with the PT Cruiser I owned. In a span of 18 months:

Cruise Control broke twice
Radio Knobs fell off constantly
Air conditioning replaced three times
Two recalls

Before that I owned a Chrysler Cirrus Lxi. I owned it for 2 years before I traded it in on a Cruiser. It was a bit more solid but it had a really cheap paint job. I think it had a recall during the time I owned it. My mom had an LHS at the time and her car suffered from a dodgy paint job. Best way I can describe it is "thin". It scratched really really easy. And when I washed the car the black section around the windows would get a "rainbow effect" on it that would NOT go away.

When I wrote to Chrysler to complain about my problems with the PT Cruiser I received a generic form letter thanking me for sharing my concerns.

It's a shame because Chrysler has some nice styling to their vehicles but I do not trust their quality.

My former piece of junk Chrsyler PT Cruiser was built in Mexico. (Literally something fell off of it every week, had several recalls, cruise control broke twice, and the air conditioner was replaced three times within 18 months...JUNK!)

And Volkswagen produces several models in Mexico, too. So what nationality is the car really? What matters more? The Brand of the car or where it's made and which economy it's supporting?

My personal feeling on the matter is this: when I heard that Chrysler moved a lot of its production to Mexico, it really put me off the brand. When I hear companies like Hyundai and Toyota expanding their factories in the US it makes me want to support their efforts of giving Americans decent paying manufacturing jobs. (In fact, just the other day Toyota announced it's expanding one of their truck parts manufacturing plants in the impoverished area of East Arkansas.)

But at the end of the day, it's also about quality of the product. I could provide an extensive laundry list of problems that my family and I have had with our American cars in the past 5 years (Ford, Buick, Chryslers) but I'll refrain. I love my Toyota and will probably buy one outright next year when my current lease expires.

By the way, here is the George Bush of hybrid vehicles:

http://trucks.about.com/od/2005gmctrucks/ss/hybrid_sierra.htm

"The 2005 GMC Sierra Hybrid is really just a regular old Sierra 1500 pick up, but with integrated starter and generator (ISG) and regenerative braking. With the ISG, the engine shuts off at stoplights and instantly starts when you step on the gas. The regenerative braking means you never have to plug it in. This vehicle was a valuable learning tool for GM; it learned it must go deep into hybrid technology or go home."

I know, I know. It has a utilitarian use as a worksite generator. But it ain't no hybrid, neither.

And they're deluded enough to think they'll sell 20-30K in the next 2 months???

Hell, haven't they heard that people are trading in their SUV's and Hummers for subcompacts and hybrids? Hadn't they noticed the price gouging by the oil companies?

It's bad enough GM has no social conscience - these turkeys have absolutely no business sense either.

Keep the trade imbalance high, keep whining about how bad US cars are without having owned one or owned one in the last decade. Take hearsay and innuendo from your friends as truth. Believe every ad and gas millage statement the Japanese make. Believe all the Honda's made in Marrysville Ohio are American cars. Believe that the Japanese and Korean and German plants are good for business as they lock out the unions just like Waly-Mart does.

Believe that it's ok to boycott Waly-Mart but not foreign car manufacturers.

I'm done here, talk amongst yourselves.

look, if a japanese car is made here, its made here. does the profit go overseas? yes. but profit from a GM or ford car might as well, with the crazy tax loopholes those companies are probably paying zip into america's system, so who cares whether or not the CEO that gets rich is american or not?

besides, you act like GM cars are 100% made in america. they aren't. many of em are about as american as the ohio-built honda i drive. some are 90% MIA. some have mexican engines. or you can buy a korean-made chevy aveo. whatever you want to do.

And in the end, I think that's what most people will base their opinions on.

The globalization of car manufacturing means that most cars are produced in a foreign countries and made with parts that come from around the world. But I'd rather support a company that is supporting American workers instead of closing factories here and opening them in Mexico.

I owned two saturns...the first traded in because it had frame problems and saturn gave me a great deal to get rid of it. Second saturn lasted a long time and I traded it in only because we needed a bigger car so we got a Toyota minivan.

My minivan is 6 years old, has 104K miles on it and it was the best deal for the money at the time...we test drove every American minivan...

AND...my TOYOTA was ASSEMBLED in THE USA.

I also owned a Ford Escort wagon...which I donated to Goodwill this year...it had 140K on it and was quite a trooper..no complaints.

> Take hearsay and innuendo from your friends as truth.

Sorry, friend, but my *CARAVAN SUCKS* and that's no hearsay or
innuendo; I have a thick, thick pile of repair tickets and
parts receipts to back that one up.

You apparently work for one of the major "American" car companies.
Here's a hint:

"Stop producing crappy, defective junk that is timed exactly
wrong for the market" and maybe you won't need to post here
urging us to buy your products over what our own good sense
is telling us.

Tesha

and then take a ride on it. Ugh.

Bankruptcy court.

Bankruptcy the new pension buster.

didi GM just lose a whole lot of money just the past week when their sales went down 9and I mean WAY down)? :eyes: I honestly think that any company with this ass backwards logic should go out of business!

The link in this thread will show you where someone will practically PAY YOU to take some Hummers off their hands:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5262762

http://themessthatgreenspanmade.blogspot.com/2005/11/hummer-overfloweth.html

We were skeptical at first. Sources can be unreliable, but the scuttlebutt was that inventory had been building for months now and the local Hummer dealer had panicked. He had begun storing his Hummer inventory at an undisclosed location, far from the dealer showroom so as not to spook jittery, prospective buyers with the mounting number of unsold H2s and H3s.

When an anonymous caller phoned in with the location, we were off. "The rear parking lot of the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel", he said, just before the line went dead.

TMTGM investigative sleuths Erik Ustin and Ray Pizzuti grabbed your still somewhat skeptical editor, and after stopping at Human Resources to pick up a few "half-off at Togo's" coupons we scurried past security, through the main entrance, and out to the parking lot.

:eyes:

during the gas "shortage", the best sellers were Corollas, VW bugs and any compact car with good gas mileage, and the American auto makers were still behind. I thought then, what's up with American car manufacturers? They should be ahead of the curve, not behind it!!!! By the way, my hubby has a S-10 pick up and gets good gas mileage.

take control of oil fields to enrich themselves while giving us and other nations death and destruction (also, US bankruptcy).