Cdub100 3,366 Posted July 10, 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31826205/ns/business-autos/ One thing that bothers me about this article and I read on boreds like these. Maybe someone can explain this to me. "Yet despite massive cost reductions, experts say GM must produce vehicles that people want to buy" The article goes on to say, "The company sold nearly 8.4 million cars and trucks around the world in 2008, falling short of Toyota’s nearly 9 million." Seems to me not only do people want to by GM cars and trucks they are selling just short of what some people feel is the vastly superior product. Also I wonder why so many people are out of work and we are falling deeper and deeper into a depression. "The company still employs 88,000 people in the U.S. and 235,000 worldwide." Sure it's great for the bottom line, but it's not good for your base when nobody can find a job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pimptastic69 0 Posted July 10, 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31826205/ns/business-autos/ One thing that bothers me about this article and I read on boreds like these. Maybe someone can explain this to me. "Yet despite massive cost reductions, experts say GM must produce vehicles that people want to buy" The article goes on to say, "The company sold nearly 8.4 million cars and trucks around the world in 2008, falling short of Toyota’s nearly 9 million." Seems to me not only do people want to by GM cars and trucks they are selling just short of what some people feel is the vastly superior product. Also I wonder why so many people are out of work and we are falling deeper and deeper into a depression. "The company still employs 88,000 people in the U.S. and 235,000 worldwide." Sure it's great for the bottom line, but it's not good for your base when nobody can find a job. Unions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strike 3,949 Posted July 10, 2009 I wouldn't be asking whether they can sell 8.4 million cars but are they making a PROFIT on those cars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yer mom 2 Posted July 10, 2009 I wouldn't be asking whether they can sell 8.4 million cars but are they making a PROFIT on those cars. What do you do? I push buttons on the assembly line Ouch! You must be struggling! Nah, I make $75k a year with a crazy pension and medical benefits Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saint Elistan 106 Posted July 10, 2009 "The company still employs 88,000 people in the U.S. and 235,000 worldwide." That line pisses me off the most. How is this the "American Car" advertised on the tube? Why the hell are we giving taxpayer money to a company that's base is over 50% foreign? Heaven forbid that Congress truly protect American jobs by putting in some sort of stipulation to prioritize American jobs over foreign ones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted July 10, 2009 See, GM's problems are this... 1. Yes, they sell cars. But they generally sell cheap cars. Cheaper than the Japs anyway. And they pay more than the Japs do. Not real good for the profit margin. 2. Because of this profit margin problem, the design ugly cars, and build unreliable cars, that's why people pay more for a honda or toyota. Because everyone thinks they are better. GM will be back in ch 11 soon if they don't fix their underlying problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Recliner Pilot 61 Posted July 10, 2009 That line pisses me off the most. How is this the "American Car" advertised on the tube? Why the hell are we giving taxpayer money to a company that's base is over 50% foreign? Heaven forbid that Congress truly protect American jobs by putting in some sort of stipulation to prioritize American jobs over foreign ones. You do realize "the rest of the world" is larger than the US, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flipya4real 0 Posted July 10, 2009 What do you do? I push buttons on the assembly line Ouch! You must be struggling! Nah, I make $75k a year with a crazy pension and medical benefits Chapter 11 will let them dump a significant portion of their pension/retirement obligations owed to former workers. This is how a lot of the airlines shaved expenses so they could be competitive again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
surferskin 30 Posted July 10, 2009 See, GM's problems are this... 1. Yes, they sell cars. But they generally sell cheap cars. Cheaper than the Japs anyway. And they pay more than the Japs do. Not real good for the profit margin. 2. Because of this profit margin problem, the design ugly cars, and build unreliable cars, that's why people pay more for a honda or toyota. Because everyone thinks they are better. GM will be back in ch 11 soon if they don't fix their underlying problems. I think this is mostly just perception. I think GM makes many good looking, nice cars and trucks. Their overhead is just so high with the unions that they can't sell them cheap enough to make a profit on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saint Elistan 106 Posted July 10, 2009 You do realize "the rest of the world" is larger than the US, right? Wtf does that have to do with anything? Does this change the fact that a company RUN BY OUR GOVERNMENT employs more people overseas than in our own damned country? Stick to posting in threads you create. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Recliner Pilot 61 Posted July 10, 2009 Wtf does that have to do with anything? I figured it was an elementary way of pointing out to you that since the US is just a small part of the overall Global economy it's not unusual for them to have more employees outside the US, seeing as how they are a global company. I guess it was still to complicated for you, sorry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saint Elistan 106 Posted July 10, 2009 I guess it was still to complicated for you, sorry. No, that's not difficult to grasp at all, pr!ck. The b!tch is the fact that our tax dollars are sustaining more jobs abroad than they are at home...which stems from the fact that we never should have "bailed out" companies in the first place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pimptastic69 0 Posted July 10, 2009 No, that's not difficult to grasp at all, pr!ck. The b!tch is the fact that our tax dollars are sustaining more jobs abroad than they are at home...which stems from the fact that we never should have "bailed out" companies in the first place. Maybe that's because Buick is the best selling car brand in China. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted July 10, 2009 Maybe that's because Buick is the best selling car brand in China. what does buick mean in mandarin? huge pemusmobile? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shake_a_leg 0 Posted July 11, 2009 What do you do? I push buttons on the assembly line Ouch! You must be struggling! Nah, I make $75k a year with a crazy pension and medical benefits I'm sure you know and were just making a point...but the guys out on the lines don't make $75k a year. It's closer to $40k for the guys on the high end of the seniority scale. After the last contract, which was well before the collapse of the American Empire, it was re-negotiated that new hires would make significantly less which is why GM bought out a lot of the guys working there with 20+ years of service. I'm not exactly sure what the crazy pension and benefits are that you talk about, given the pension is only a supplement to social security and 401k benefits and in the end doesn't amount to much. And I would bet that GM benefits are in line with most other companies around the US. I work in a non-union, non-GM supplier factory and it pisses me off when people lump everything in to the "let 'em go under" mentality. It seems like there was a huge backlash against GM and the rest of the auto industry because we all got hosed by AIG. If GM, Ford or the rest of the auto industry goes under it would affect even factories like the one I work in, any number of other businesses like hospitals and pharmacies that are supported by GM and it's crazy benefits. But hey. Fock em, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
