Looks liek fords goin to close more than 8 assembly and parts plants here in north america. GM's not the only one, they all are. One thing i did notice was Ford wouldnt say how many people are going to be layed off because of this or how logn it will take all the plants to close.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051205/...ford_plants_dc

 

to bad everyone buys forign cars now!

 

Alright! The UAW does it again! Come on union auto workers, keep going mabey they can push for $300 an hour, 11 weeks a year off, and fully paid benefits for their entire extended family!

While we're at it, perhaps the problem is the CEOs of the US OEM's aren't making enough money, they should give themselves raises. After all, 20+ million a year just isn't enough, how do they survive?

 

Yup, and their children/grandchildren will now have to pay the price for it...SO glad that I don't have kids growing up in a nation where citizens actually REFUSE to support their own manufacturing/futures.

<--- GM and Ford for LIFE!

 

Keep posting up. You are showing everyone just how clueless you really are... WJ

 

Face the facts.

We're in a global economy, like it or not. We have to compete with companies from Japan and Korea, for example, that are making as good or better cars for less cost. And they're making a good profit in the process. Why? Less fat. No greedy unions demanding two and three times the salary and benefits than what is fair market value for that type of work. No union mentality of thinking, "I just have to do the bare minimum because they can't fire me". No CEO's taking home such princely annual salaries. And not only the CEO's, but all of the high level exec's under them taking home seven and eight figure salaries.

This isn't the 1960's. You can go buy a Honda Accord for $25,000 fully loaded with a 3.5L V6 that will run for 200,000 miles with minimal maintenance. Or you can get a similarly priced Impala with a 20+ year old motor design that gets less mileage, makes less power, and probably won't last as long. The interior on the Honda will still look like new at 100k, it won't clunk or rattle, and it will keep a resale value much better. Other than brand loyalty, what is to keep people coming to the Chevy dealer? Exactly what they are doing now, cutting off their ***** by selling cars at stupid low prices just to keep volume up. But that's a short term band aid to a long term problem.

I do have to give credit where credit is due, GM has taken great strides in the last few years to bring the quality of their cars up. Having worked at both Honda AND Chevrolet dealers in the last several years, I have a pretty good perspective on the quality of both lines, but GM is still not at the level that a Honda or Toyota is at.

It's time for US manufactures to do what every other business in the world has done for as long as there has been business, adapt or die. They have to trim the fat, learn to run lean. Lean manufacturing is the de facto standard for a successful manufacturing operation, particularly in the US where overhead is high. You cannot waste anything, that includes labor, R&D, advertising, and yes, executive salaries. I've been to domestic auto plants before, and honestly, I was far less than impressed by a significant number of the workers. If they were anywhere else, they would be getting paid half of what they are making there, and if they kept the same "do the minimum" and "that's not my job" attitude, they would be out the door. When choices for Americans were simply GM, Ford, or Chrysler, that may have been OK. But with everyone from Kia and Hyundai making affordable, reliable cars with huge warranties, to even BMW and Mercedes stuffing cars into the mid class domestic price range, the domestic companies have to change their ways, from top to bottom.

Believe me, I'm a strong supporter of the good old General, but domestic OEM's are a perfect example of why manufacturing is leaving the country. The entire business model of US automakers is antiquated and completely ineffective. The consumer simply has too much choice in the marketplace, and they're voting with their wallets, there is no arguing with that.

So by all means, please explain why domestic cars, and their business models, are so superior to the competition. Explain why inferior parts, manufactured at unnecissarely inflated prices, with less than desirable styling should result in great sales numbers. The fact is, it doesn't. Explain how companies like Honda, Mitsubishi, BMW, Toyota, and other foreign companies can build cars in this country and post a significant profit, yet domestic companies can't. I think it's pretty obvious.

 

Shame on America for letting too many foreign cars and foreign people into the U.S. Pretty soon the foreigners will be running our country. Take your Kias, Hondas and the rest and put them you know where. And while you're at it, why don't you pack up and move to Korea? WJ

 

Come 2007 the UAW will be something of a past tense phrase.

 

You're missing the point entirely.

I never said that I would prefer to own a Honda, Kia, Toyota, etc.

But I am not the MAJORITY OF THE MARKETPLACE. Be realistic here. Consumers are voting with their wallets, Toyota is about to take the #1 spot in America in sales. Not because I own one, because I don't, and not because you own one, because you don't, but because a f'ing *** load of people DO one one.

Mabey you're right, shame on America for letting in so many foreign cars. But if US auto makers had stepped up to the plate 15 or 20 years ago and cut the fat, updated manufacturing facilities with more modern and efficient equipment, and started building equal quality cars with styling that people actually liked, then mabey it wouldn't matter how many foreign cars the government let in, people would still buy American.

All I'm saying here is the US Automakers are digging their own grave. The marketplace isn't what it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Competition is high. US OEM's have stuck to their old ways of high priced labor, high priced managment, and sub standard products. It just ain't gonna work anymore, end of story.

 

To all these people screaming BUY AMERICAN, let me know what TV's or computers your using. I have a feeling they aren't American made. Why, because foreign made electronics are less expensive and usually higher quality.

So when your in the market for a big screen tv, are you going to limit yourself to RCA and Sharp because they are an American company or are you going to be looking at Sony, Mitsu, Toshiba etc?

Fact is, we live in an open market and the best bang for the buck gets my hard earned dollars. I'm not wealthy enough to over pay for under valued items.

With that said, I own a Pontiac, Ford, and Saab (technically a GM company). Why, because they all served their purpose well for the money spent.

The big three need to wake up (which we are seeing) if they expect to be competitive in the next 5-15 years.

 

Q: what two countries tried to blow us off the face of the planet in WWII?
A: Japan and Germany

Q: what two countries does the US buy the most automobiles who's companies are based in those countries?
A: Japan and Germany!

wow... what a coinsidence... what a way to thank those countries for what they did to us by boosting their economy at the same time as destroying our own! they took american lives, now they take american jobs!

yeah yeah, global economy... i understand that a lot of those companies have factories in the US, but the real profits go to the corporations themselves, which are located in germany and japan.

who wants to go on a secret mission to blow up their factories and assasinate their CEOs and engineers? oh ****... did i just say that in a public forum?

 

only in new england!!!

down here in tejas, you still see a lot more 'american' cars, which are mostly trucks and suvs and also a shitload more sports cars than you see in new england

 

Hopefully it stays that was after they open the Toyota plant in San Antonio

 

Exactly. The world is a changing place. Change with it or be left behind. It's always been that way.

 

I agree with the union bit, but 20million for a CEO of a multi BILLION dollar company isn't out of line.

 

I have to agree with Pete2k_Z28, my family historically has always owned GM or atleast american products, but that has changed in the last 10 years... My mom now owns an Audi and a Volvo, My brother bought an Infinity, my sister owns an Audi and a saab(gm). My grandfather even bought a Toyota pickup. My father and I are the only hold outs, I own three chevys, he owns two, and our 10 buisness trucks are all GMC or Chevy... But the rest of the family just bought as much car as they could get for their dollar.... and that happened to come from oversea's.

 

it is if its losing money.



DCX is considering closing plants too.


ford and GM are going through rough times right now for several reasons and sadly jobs are going to be gone forever.




changes in leadership and cost need to happen for them to get back to financial health.


ill always buy domestic cars but some people simply resfuse to no matter what.

UAW gone in 2007?



you keep believing that.

 

 

You're kidding right? People are still this ignorant?

 

ya and u must be one of those liberal college kids arent ya?