General Motors Considering Absorbing Chrysler, Eliminating Brands.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by coupex

When GM is eventualy restructured they will most likely make Chevrolet/Cadillac it's global brand.

Makes good sense to me...some people prefer to put Chev badges on their Holden anyway.

Holden have proven that re-badging works with some cars.

Will GM opt for a global platform?

[ebxr8240]

Aha Daewoo Chevy has nice ring to it !!!
Mad and caviar ???

[EgoFG]

Looking like GM cant raise the neddies to by Chrysler - I would rather Nissan did anyway

[Steve]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

Looking like GM cant raise the neddies to by Chrysler - I would rather Nissan did anyway

Me too, as long as they keep it intact.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Makes good sense to me...some people prefer to put Chev badges on their Holden anyway.

Holden have proven that re-badging works with some cars.

Will GM opt for a global platform?

I've even seen one moron have Chev badges on his VS V6 Ecotec :

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I've even seen one moron have Chev badges on his VS V6 Ecotec :

Yeah...I see it all the time.
I've seen it on rusted out VNs driven by P-Platers who walk around with big chests and little brains.

Nothing surprises me anymore...or at least, very little.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I've even seen one moron have Chev badges on his VS V6 Ecotec :

How about a 70's stato??

[mr smith]

Like this?

[vztrt]

Actually just checked models on car sales, and I saw it on a 84 WB (the other day at the servo near my place).

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by vztrt

How about a 70's stato??

Could have had a small block Chev though.

The VS had a Holden made V6, which was derived from a Buick engine, nothing to do with Chev really.

[IDT]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

This is actually quite funny!~


Anyhow;-
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...iahxQD93V4A3O0

Ford Share price:- as of 04:03 PM EDT on 10/22/2008 in USD (NYSE Delay: 20 mins.).
B]2.10 - [/B] 0.07 -3.23%
http://finance.aol.com/quotes/ford-motor-company/f/nys
Notes 52 week low was 1.88, so its been lower...


Ford stands alone:-
While GM and Chrysler continue their flirtation - with Renault-Nissan watching from afar - the No. 2 automaker remains a wallflower.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/22/news...tune/index.htm

Exactly my point, money is being lost everywhere, yet people can still be seen moving billions and billions around.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Could have had a small block Chev though.

The VS had a Holden made V6, which was derived from a Buick engine, nothing to do with Chev really.

Wow - Crazy
Buick and Chev are two GM brands centred (or centered) in the USA, so you are saying that GM had two unrelated V6s in the same market ?

No wonder they are having trouble

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Could have had a small block Chev though.

The VS had a Holden made V6, which was derived from a Buick engine, nothing to do with Chev really.

Actually it's all the same. The engines are considered to be GM engines. Chevrolet as it's own entity does not make engines, just a branding for a line of GM's cars. It's why they should just consolidate all the brands in to just Chevrolet and Cadillac. And Buick - questionable, MAYBE if they are serious about re-inventing the brand, and positioning it as above Chevrolet, and below Cadillac. But they should sell Saab, and kill off Holden, Vauxhall, Opel, Saturn, GMC, Pontiac. Globalize the cars under the brands, and stop making different cars for different countries.
I would keep: (but maybe change some of the names)
CHEVROLET: Corsa, Astra, Malibu/Cruze?, Commodore, Camaro, Corvette, Colorado, Silverado, true competitor to Ford Edge, Traverse, Tahoe
BUICK: Malibu-based mid car, Calais, Statesman, Enclave
CADILLAC: CTS, STS, Caprice (but higher spec), Escalade, and high-end Lambda crossover, and Lincoln MKX competitor.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Actually it's all the same.

I was pretty sure of that - thanks

[Bud Bud]

I just got this off the wire this morning. It maybe that they are a long way down the track of a possible merger between GM and Chrysler because they are in private talks with the White House or so it would seem. The White House is worried about picking up the continuous tab for the pensions in the future.

Reading between the lines I think it would be cheaper for the White House to have GM/Chrysler survive by means of a merger style bailout now then to simply just let them fold.


US automakers seeking govt help beyond bailout,loans

30/10/2008 - Beleaguered US automakers are seeking federal help beyond the money that Congress has made available for them as part of a financial industry bailout and a measure to retool their assembly plants for more fuel-efficient cars, the White House said Tuesday.


White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the auto industry has talked to the Bush administration about funding on a much broader scale than the two programs approved by Congress earlier this fall.

"No doubt that the automakers are big important companies, important to a lot of families and important to a lot of regions in this country," Perino said. "We are capable of competing at a level where these companies can succeed, they might just need a little help. And that's what Congress asked us to help provide them."

General Motors Corp. is pursuing about $US5 ($A8.31) to $US10 billion ($A16.61 billion) in aid from the government, said an industry official, who declined to be identified because the discussions were private. GM officials declined comment on the talks.

The requests have come as General Motors and Chrysler LLC are discussing a potential merger amid an economic downturn, weak auto sales and hardships for the companies.

GM has approached members of Congress and the administration about a number of ways that government funding could be used to help the company, including playing a part in a Chrysler deal, said a person briefed on the negotiations. The person asked not to be identified because no deal has been completed.

Perino said the "decisions about their futures - and potential mergers - will be decided by them." Analysts have said government funding might be necessary to seal a deal because of the difficult economic conditions and frozen credit markets.

The Bush administration would have an interest in the automakers' survival because of the magnitude of the pension obligations it would face in a bankruptcy and the potential for massive job losses.

Chrysler employs about 49,000 in the US and has about 125,000 pensioners. GM has 177,000 US workers and around 500,000 people receiving pensions.

The Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, estimates that for each auto manufacturing job, there are 7.5 jobs with parts makers and other companies, projections that helps the auto industry account for millions of jobs.

But any role by the government in facilitating a merger between GM and Chrysler would face scrutiny from Congress because it would likely lead to significant job losses as the two companies combine operations.

The White House is focused on two major options at its disposal to aid the industry, Perino said. They include the $US25 billion ($A41.53 billion) in loans approved by Congress for fuel-saving technology or money to free up auto credit through the $US700 billion ($A1.16 trillion) Wall Street bailout.

Perino said the White House is trying to help automakers avoid bankruptcy by accessing a portion of the $US25 billion ($A41.53 billion) in low-interest loans, which were meant to help companies retool plants to build fuel-efficient vehicles. GM has been seeking about $US5 billion ($A8.31 billion) in funding from the program.

Both Barack Obama and John McCain, along with Michigan lawmakers, have urged the Bush administration to expedite the money after early estimates that it could take six to 18 months to fund the loans.

If $US5 billion ($A8.31 billion) from the Energy Department loan program could be released, GM could use it for fuel efficiency projects already in the works, freeing up money for other areas, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

"There are a lot of currently funded programs that could qualify for that money which would then free up money to do other things, keep the lights on among them," Nerad said.

The financing arms of the automakers may also be eligible for federal help under the bank stock-purchasing portion of the $US700 billion ($A1.16 trillion) financial rescue package. It would be up to Treasury to determine whether any of the automaker financing arms could qualify.

GM sold 51 per cent of GMAC Financial Services in 2006 to Cerberus Capital Management LP, the majority owner of Chrysler, but still owns the rest. Chrysler Financial is Chrysler's lending arm.

When Congress approved the bailout legislation, Rep John Dingell and Sens Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow entered language into the congressional record that made clear the bailout provisions would apply to auto financing companies.

The funding could affect whether GM and Chrysler can agree on a merger.

Industry analysts have estimated that Chrysler is in the most dire condition of the Detroit Three automakers. Chrysler's owner, Cerberus, is holding talks with GM, the combined Nissan Motor Co and Renault SA, and others about selling the company.

Cash-starved GM is said to be interested in Chrysler's roughly $US11 billion ($A18.27 billion) stockpile of money. But government funding may be needed for GM to acquire Chrysler, which has few top-selling products and has dealt with a 25 per cent sales drop through the first three quarters of the year.

A person briefed on the talks said a deal for the sale of Chrysler is at least two weeks away and likely would not be finalised until after the Nov. 4 election.

The person, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private, also said Cerberus is not lobbying for federal aid to foster the sale of Chrysler and is not seeking aid beyond what's already been approved by Congress.

Source: AAP NewsWire

[outback_ute]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

Wow - Crazy
Buick and Chev are two GM brands centred (or centered) in the USA, so you are saying that GM had two unrelated V6s in the same market ?

No wonder they are having trouble

They actually had 4 different V8s (Chev, Buick, Oldsmobile & Pontiac) which all had a 350ci version - yep crazy. The GM V6 was based on the Buick V8, while obviously the Chev V8 outlasted the others. I remember reading about a Pontiac customer who refused to accept his car because it had a Chev V8 not a Pontiac one when they were first dropped.