What might happen with GM?

[pcarlson]

I was reading the local paper and they were talking about the GM/Chrysler merger and from what tGM was saying is that the Caravan and Jeep would carry over and everything else would drop as they already have trucks and cars. I have to say WOW if that is true, no more Ram CTD. Pray the merger doesn't go thru.



So maybe no 2010 model?

 

[JDiepstra]

What is the point of a merger if you drop 95% of what you take on? I would bet big $ that doesn't happen. Yes, GM has cars and trucks, but that are mostly junk.

 

[pcarlson]

Chrysler has cash on the books and that is what happened with Daimler. They took the cash and ran. That would be the point of the merger is cash and not more product.

 

[Edgemann55]

Nothing would suprise me in this new GREED comes first company climate. But if it did happen we would have to get in a GM shell with the greatest engine in the world-Cummins!! Yea baby.

 

[SmithMark]

Saw on the news this am that GM couldn't come up with the necessary financing to by Chrysler. So for now no cummins with an allison trans in our future.

 

[pcarlson]

The local nightly news just reported tonight that they are in high level (CEO) negotiations and that a deal could be reached in a couple of weeks. GMAC is the sticky point.

 

[rjrkihap]

Economies of Scale!!! I don't think GM would drop any Chrysler product that was successful (ie. Dodge Ram), however I do believe they could merge technologies,facilities,vendors, etc. to reduce costs. As to whether GMAC can pull this off, well that's another story. I've also heard that a foreign auto maker is interested in Chrysler (Japanese I believe).

Ron

 

[AllianceDiesel]

renault and nissan are suppose to be talking, gm is said to have said that they may keep the trucks, charger and challenger, as well as mini-vans and jeep. All gm wants is cash and when they merge they get the chance to cut ties with all the chrysler folk and all the people the want to cut at gm with no strings attached.



I don't know how the government could let this happen with all the job losses that they would see, most people think about the factories but think about all the 3,000+ dealerships and the people they employee, glad I don't work for dodge anymore, god help us if this goes through, and lets hope there won't be a cummins in a chevy, maybe thats in the doomsday countdown.

 

[WOT]

Putting flame suite on... .



I don't see how any of the big 3 can compete until the wake up and realize all their money is going to crazy retirement benefits and unions. Sooner or later one of them will cut benefits & give the union a choice - leave or they will close the doors.

 

[EBung]

Crazy retirment benefits? The employees put their own money into it while working at the company and get it back when they retire. And where does that money go when someone retires at 60 then dies at 65? Yeah I wonder.

 

[Matt400]

My prediction-

GM will do it, keep Jeep and drop the rest, they will incorporate the top selling Chrysler products features into their own GM badged product and you will see the end of Chrysler/Dodge.



Later GM will face even more serious financial trouble at which time the Gov will bail them out. I don't wish it but suspect it.

 

[Missouri Mule]

gm wants Chrysler's money like dalmer did. Chrysler needs to hang on things will pick up.

 

[WOT]

Crazy retirment benefits? The employees put their own money into it while working at the company and get it back when they retire. And where does that money go when someone retires at 60 then dies at 65? Yeah I wonder.

It isn't ALL their own money going into it. There's medical benefits that the company pays for as well as other things. And I'm not necessarily talking about the package people get when they are hired on today, I'm talking about what they used to get. It is widely accepted that you just can't get hired at ANY company with the same benefits the big 3 were pushing to their management 20 years ago. The problem is costs have gone up, they have retired many people and are still paying benefits to all of them at higher costs.

I think the unions are the biggest problems, but some blame needs laid at the doorstep of management for not understanding the full costs of the benefits they were giving out.

 

[EBung]

Unions keep Big Corporate America from paying people minimum wage for making them millions PERIOD. Some unions are corrupt but without them the blue collar guy would be less than middle class. The problems with the Automakers doesnt have anything to do with unions it has to with Oil prices and the EPA ruining the Diesel truck and they are trying to sell something unsellable.

 

[WOT]

Unions keep Big Corporate America from paying people minimum wage for making them millions PERIOD. Some unions are corrupt but without them the blue collar guy would be less than middle class. The problems with the Automakers doesnt have anything to do with unions it has to with Oil prices and the EPA ruining the Diesel truck and they are trying to sell something unsellable.

Please explain how Toyota, Honda, etc are doing ok when they have to deal with the same high oil prices and EPA?

BTY, Abbynorml - hehe, that's funny. Haven't seen that movie in a while

 

[EBung]

Thats easy look at what they sell. Plus they dont sell any diesels. Honda, Toyota etc. dont have that many guzzlers in their line up ever at any given time. When the average American goes shopping for a fuel efficient death box where do they go? Not to their local GM or Chrysler dealership. The EPA has in effect killed the diesel in a light duty truck IMO. Look at Cat they quit building over the road engines altogether because it would basically make them bankrupt if they continued to.

 

[AllianceDiesel]

Unions are great, if I wasn't in one I would be making 8 bucks an hour instead of 24, and I wouldn't have insurance, and I could be fired for no reason.



People get taught the bad things about unions so they get a negative image, if you actually do some research on them, you will see they are a good thing to have.

 

[WOT]

People get taught the bad things about unions so they get a negative image, if you actually do some research on them, you will see they are a good thing to have.

Perhaps the problem is I have had to work with Union folks and the ones I dealt with used the Union to get away with all sorts of things I would have fired them over. I also know several people that are UAW members that are very hard working and deserve what they make.



Please don't get me wrong, people should get fairly paid for the work they do and any company that abuses their employees is asking for trouble. It's just that I think the corruption and support of ineffective employees has become a huge and costly issue in Unions.



Also, the Big 3 have been bleeding for a while and this recent oil prices just accelerated it.

 

[EBung]

Perhaps the problem is I have had to work with Union folks and the ones I dealt with used the Union to get away with all sorts of things I would have fired them over. I also know several people that are UAW members that are very hard working and deserve what they make.



Please don't get me wrong, people should get fairly paid for the work they do and any company that abuses their employees is asking for trouble. It's just that I think the corruption and support of ineffective employees has become a huge and costly issue in Unions.



Also, the Big 3 have been bleeding for a while and this recent oil prices just accelerated it.

You can thank affirmative action for alot of that. I get sick of hearing about the $3M+ in bonuses the CEO pays himself EVERY year on top of his wages and then cries about production woes 3 months later. There is waaaaaay to much greed in this country anymore and their wont be a middle class if these pukes keep it up.

 

[WOT]

You can thank affirmative action for alot of that. I get sick of hearing about the $3M+ in bonuses the CEO pays himself EVERY year on top of his wages and then cries about production woes 3 months later. There is waaaaaay to much greed in this country anymore and their wont be a middle class if these pukes keep it up.

Heck, I would be impressed if the CEO showed enough restraint to ONLY get 3M in bonuses!