The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Economics => Topic started by: Evil_Conservative on November 20, 2010, 10:44:18 AM
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It is rumored that the Holden Commodore is coming back to America, but badged as a Chevy. The first Commodore, best known as a Pontiac G8 was discontinued when Pontiac was dropped from the GM brand.
We have a Pontiac GTO (aka Holden Monaro), but we would not buy another Holden based car badged as a GM... for obvious reasons.
The Holden Commodore appears odds-on to return to the US with a Chevrolet badge and it should happen within the lifespan of the current model.
A senior engineer for General Motors, Al Oppenheiser, confirmed to Drive at the Los Angeles motor show this week that negotiations were under way to sell the Commodore in North America as a Chevrolet sports sedan.
Let's see if this move will help Holden. I don't know why Holden even wants anything to do with these ass clowns again.
The axing of the deal cost Holden millions of dollars in lost exports and placed the future of the Elizabeth plant and Holden itself in danger.
http://brisbanetimes.drive.com.au/motor-news/its-still-holden-on-to-the-american-dream-20101119-180dm.html
I'd like to also add that the GM plant in Janesville, WI (my hometown) is still closed, with thousands out of work in that area still. Instead of helping those in America get their jobs back, GM is turning to Australia to build their cars. I don't understand why. It makes me mad.
Maybe someone can explain to me why GM feels the need to ignore their plants that are closed in America, to help a plant in Australia... ??
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The G8 GT was the perfect 3-series/Mustang killer. GM had a hit on its hands and threw it away. Idiots.
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The Unions are the ones bankrupting the automotive industry. I don't know what Australia has for Unions, but I'll bet that they're not near as greedy as the ones here in the US. That and quality......
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I'd like to also add that the GM plant in Janesville, WI (my hometown) is still closed, with thousands out of work in that area still. Instead of helping those in America get their jobs back, GM is turning to Australia to build their cars. I don't understand why. It makes me mad.
Maybe someone can explain to me why GM feels the need to ignore their plants that are closed in America, to help a plant in Australia... ??
The answer is simple......Janesville is an old, antiquated plant, that even with millions in modernization would not be efficient to operate with UAW labor, and state-of-the-art assembly techniques........
I have no idea what the Australian assembly plant looks like, but I would imagine that after evaluation, it is more efficient than a US facility, short of building a new one. You must further couple this with the fact that Wisconsin is second only to Illinois in the midwest as being "anti-business", through local regulation, taxes, and other impediments.
Of further note, shipping from overseas is no longer the cost impediment that it used to be.......using modern "Ro-Ro" (roll on - roll off) vessels and techniques, it only adds about $290 to the cost of a vehicle to build it anywhere in the world. It doesn't take much cost savings in efficiency or labor to make that equation logical.
I further feel that even though the Elizabeth plant is likely union, pay levels, benefits, and work rules are probably far less stringent than in a domestic environment. The outlier in the equation is also currency stability, and right now Australia's looks a hell of a lot better than ours for the short-term. You are aware that Holden, PTY is wholly owned by GM (or at least it used to be).
If GM is to ultimately survive, they will have to outsource more manufacturing, as it simply is no longer a good investment to do it in the US, particularly within the guidlines their political masters (and owners) demand.
If GM had the cash (and the flexibility) to invest in completely new assembly facilities in "right-to-work" states in the south and midwest, as most of the imports do, the picture would look much different, but they simply don't have the capital, or the management flexibility, with members of the Obama administration and the UAW sitting on their board of directors.
If I were a betting man, I'd wager that GM will likely go belly-up again within the next six to eight years, unless two things happen........first (and most important), they have to buy out all government investment, loans, and subsidies (accompanied by tossing the government and union leeches out of their management structure) , and second, find a CEO that really knows something about the auto industry.........neither of these are very likely to happen.
doc
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Didn't GM recently announce building a new plant in Mexico?
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Didn't GM recently announce building a new plant in Mexico?
Quite possible.......I haven't kept track of their activities that closely. However, GM has had plants in Mexico for decades, they have at least two engine plants, an electronics plant (part of what used to be Delco), and at least there used to be one final assembly plant there......back in around the late '70's early '80's the Chevrolet El Camino was built there (I forget exactly when.......I just remember that the quality exceeded everyone's expectations).
doc
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Quite possible.......I haven't kept track of their activities that closely. However, GM has had plants in Mexico for decades, they have at least two engine plants, an electronics plant (part of what used to be Delco), and at least there used to be one final assembly plant there......back in around the late '70's early '80's the Chevrolet El Camino was built there (I forget exactly when.......I just remember that the quality exceeded everyone's expectations).
doc
They're building a new $500M plant (http://www.industryweek.com/articles/gm_to_build_new_vehicle__at_plant_in_mexico_22462.aspx?SectionID=75) that will employ 390 people . GM has been in Mexico since 1935 and employs about 11,000 .
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They're building a new $500M plant (http://www.industryweek.com/articles/gm_to_build_new_vehicle__at_plant_in_mexico_22462.aspx?SectionID=75) that will employ 390 people . GM has been in Mexico since 1935 and employs about 11,000 .
From your link it looks like they are combining two older operations into one more modern facility. It takes a lot more than 390 workers to staff a vehicle assembly plant (unless it's a CKD), so these jobs are likely new ones, and the labor force from older operations are coming in.
doc
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I find it very funny that a brand like GM has to import an Australian car to get back to what Americans want to drive. Idiots run this country now and idiots are borrowing us into the dirt.
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I find it very funny that a brand like GM has to import an Australian car to get back to what Americans want to drive. Idiots run this country now and idiots are borrowing us into the dirt.
However they (all of the American "Big Three") have been doing it for a long time.........
These events happen when the US has a "market shift" that creates a need for a vehicle that would take too long in the US to design, retool and build. It accomplishes two things......allows them to sell into an emerging market segment very quickly, and the time to see if the "shift" is permanent, and second.......it allows time to design, tool and build a vehicle locally to meet the demand over the longer haul.
As mentioned above, GM has imported vehicles from Holden in Australia, Opel in Germany (most recently the Opel "Senator"....sold as a Cadillac), and the "Nova" from GM du Brazil (sold briefly as a Chevrolet subcompact)..
Ford has imported small cars from European operations since the '70's at one time or another, sold under either the Ford or Mercury nameplates.
Even Chrysler built some of their infamous "K" cars in Chile, when the market for the vehicle in a "station wagon" configuration enlarged (it was being built and sold in Chile as a "panel delivery" vehicle......so they just added windows and rear seats), until they could redirect some domestic capacity.
Not to mention all of the joint ventures with Isuzu and Toyota (GM) Mitsubishi (Ford and Chrysler), and Maserati (Chrysler).
The idea is "why reinvent the wheel"........
doc
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The G8 GT was the perfect 3-series/Mustang killer. GM had a hit on its hands and threw it away. Idiots.
I agree Chris. That was a great car. Great looking and great power. Too bad. :banghead: