Of course we all know that GMs going to hell in a hand basket, but really what is going to save GM? I seen a couple people post about this “Volt” and truthfully it might help but, I can’t see that car alone bring them out of the hole.
Saab is trying to save themselves by getting away from GM and be a seperate company once again, the way it should have been originally.
I don’t think one model will save the company, either.
Well maybe the bigger question here is “Whats makes a successful car company?” One thing that has been brought up in previous threads would be quality. Now im not positive but don’t you think that employees in Detroit get payed… I dunno more then every other auto manufacture in the world? To me it seems, that pride in your company along with laziness has destroyed a once giant in the auto business. Not to mention, being spoiled, and or greedy. .02
i say line veto. cut costs and run it like any other business would.
they are banking alot on the Cruize aswell. on my SS forum they were talking about how stopping the Performance Division is gonna help them focus on the cruize at Lordstown. i dont know what the answer is, really.
I think they need to change the way that they pay their workforce. It seems like the UAW guys all feel so entitled and that if they make any concessions that they will be sent to the poor house. These guys are getting paid insane amounts of money and getting full healthcare of the rest of their lives to make mediocre cars. I think they should pay them based on quality and output like the rest of the world. Would you expect to be paid the same amount as the guy in the cublicle next to you if his reports were always immaculate and yours were full of errors? No, he would get promoted and get rasies and you wouldn’t. They need to be paid based upon performance and quality just like “normal” people.
You don’t save it.
Chapter 7. Go.
i think they need to make some concessions, but you cant pay them what other auto makers out of the country pay. do you think doctors should make the same here as India? it is a totally different market here.
No, but Honda has plenty of plants in the US and they still are doing just fine. We went to the Marysville, OH plant this summer for a Honda Element meet and got to talk to a lot of the employees who build the cars. They seem to take care of their employees without ruining the bottom line on their profits. Why can’t GM do it?
I agree, but when someone produces a better product for less money, something doesn’t seem right.
Its usually “You get what you pay for.” in this instance not so much.
the union is going to sink this ship just like the steel industry…You can’t do nothing and put out mediocre products and get paid like they do. I saw a number on the news a couple of months ago that if you add up all a GM employees pay, health care, 401k, etc it comes out to be $70+/an hour. That is ridiculous! I went to the manufacturers auto show at the convention center and even sitting in a brand new z06 I was very let down by the interior, not going into the performance part of that vehicle because we all know it pulls its weight on that end but for 70k on the sticker I expected a lot more. Its just the union, they think they deserve more and more and more and they keep doing less and less and less. Unions are out of control. I get in this argument with my family all the time because my grandfather was a steel worker and a union president for god knows how many years but i watched for years as he just kept getting more and more and now the industry is gone and its all because the unions destroyed it.
i totally agree that the uaw has to make some cuts on their benifits and maybe a few less an hour, they make about 28 an hour which is a little high. you really cant blame them for shitty design of the cars and interiors. In fairness to assembly workers, aren’t they to a large extent dependent on the design specs and tolerances of the manufactured parts that come from suppliers that GM, Ford, Honda, etc engineers specify and the precision of the suppliers of parts and sub-assemblies?
Sorry to the people I offend here.
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Throw away current union contract or Fire every overpaid slug that works there.
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Keep current employees that are prepared to take a pay cut in order to save their jobs and Hire new blood at a competitive wage, but not insanity like $28 an hour ecspecially for an unskilled position.
3)Make workers pay something for benefits ( I pay like $12 a week for mine, boo hoo medical is expensive and companies shouldnt have to take care of it all)
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offer profit sharing/bonuses for better quality of products or more units sold. Or some sort of postive recognition to do a better job.
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Stop giving raises for no reason, other than a union contract says employees are entitled to one no matter how shitty their performance is. A raise should be given for better performance/production or quality.
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Also make work place safety a huge issue, most companies get their lunch eaten by bullshit injuries/comp.
i agree with you especially with 3,4,5. but this isn’t going to sell cars. they also have to make cuts at the management level and get some new designers to make a car that someone wants to buy.
x2 on hire a designer that makes a car someone wants to buy.
Case in point: The Chevy Traverse vs. Toyota Venza.
I’m not a big fan of crossovers at all, but I really like the styling of the Venza… the Traverse on the other hand, looks like it was thrown together, no edgy styling, nothing out of the ordinary.
The Malibu is the only decent looking car that Chevrolet has out, and the G8 is the only one Pontiac has out.
Can’t fix a product unless you fix the employee, Can’t fix the employee, unless you fix management. Can’t fix the management, unless fix the Unions getting in the way.
Starts with solid leadership.
pay cuts need to be made everywhere, not just the plant workers. CEO’s and higher up’s need to take cuts as well. your all complaining that the plant workers get paid 28 bucks an hour, look at what management makes, its insane.
also GM already has said that they think for every volt they sell they will take a loss for at least the first 2 years of production. ION batteries are not cheap.
doctors don’t make what they charge here. If you have any healthcare insurance, goto the doctor and then read the statment that the insurance providers sens you. Most doctors, hospitals, ect. have negotiated standard fees for standard procedures. Even though your doctor may charge $120.00 for an office visit, he is is only getting $35.00 from the insurance plus co-pay, in my case another $10.00, for a total of $45.00 for a bill ge thought was worth $120.00.
The unions only stay because of the dead beats. A guy that goes to work everyday, does his job, and causes no trouble will never need a union. They only protect the workers that want to blow off every other day, thats wants to come to work drunk and high, and that wants to cause more hassles for the boss than getting work done. If most of these types of employees were gone, you would be paying less for the final product, and would have no need for a union. The unions love them, and they love the unions.
Number 6 is a huge expense any way you look at it. Either you pay out the ass for training, or you pay out the ass for bullshit injuries/comp. claims. Either way your gonna pay. If you really want to lower yor work place bullshit claims, give everyone an incentive. An extra $.10 an hour for every year of no lost time accidents. Something like that, at least in the end your getting something for your money.
And back to the subject at hand, you cant fix a broken wheel by replaceing it with a broken wheel. If the goverment wants to fix the auto industry, they need to step in, remove any and all mangement, remove any and all unions, and start over fresh. But as soon as you let the unions back in, your just working yourself back into the black hole they are currently in.
Hell look at steel, if any of you all remember the '80s and the fall of steel, it’s starting to look like arepeat again to me.
GM’s design is lacking. Though some of thier new cars show promise, they have on big problem: Old technology. How many sucessful car companies are still using 30+ year old pushrod motors? Though they have some good ideas, like the 3.9L in the Impala with VVT, it’s still old technlogy with a bandaid. Most of thier cars feel and look clunky. They use cheap materials and make little attempt to hide that fact. Thier whole line up has improved over the past 5 years, but it seems thier part suppliers, whether outsourced or not, are still not making the grade. They should use Saab (dare I say it) and learn about how they have relieable engines. I’m told the Ecotec is a Saab motor and it seems to do better than the old 2.2L that was in the Cavalier. Point is they need to be more cutting edge, or they will never stand a chance against the likes of Toyota and Honda.