Big 3 are hurting!
 

Not that this is any big news, but it really hit home today when I drove by the Chevy dealer and TWO of the cars out front on platforms were used Honda Civics! Sad...

That's what happens when you refuse to take the warnings seriously and laugh at the imports when they reached our shores in the 70's,but still continue to build shitty cars and make people think they want them.

i think they have good ideas, but poor execution. I drive new big-3 rentals all the time and GM is ahead in the sub $20k department, but Ford is king with above that. They need to get their shit together, and maybe sell some cars.

everyone is hurting. i am at acura and we are selling half of what where were this time last year. cars, parts, services, everything.

It's what they get IMHO for counting on blind patriotism to sell cars for so long. I've met too many people who tell me the only reason they bought a domestic is because it was American. Not because it had a comfortable ride, or because it was good on gas (ha!) or had good resale value (ha!), just because it was American.

Mercedes SMG has sold more cars this past year than they ever have I believe, so everyone isn't hurting. What I love the most about the big 3 hurting are the commercials trying to sling mud on the imports. I particularly love the one comparing the Chevy Malibu or Impala or whatever it was to the BMW, saying why not buy two of the Chevrolets for the same price. You would need 2 of them after the first one wore out.

Last month,my neighbor got a fucking insane deal on a 2009 top of the line Acura MDX.

imho i feel that the big three (particularly GM) finally has a decent line of cars available. recently there have been huge leaps in fuel efficiency, quality, and fit'n'finish. unfortunately it will take them decades to get their reputations back and earn the trust of most consumers.

That's sure great and all,but it's too late now,they should have started building quality cars again back in the 80's.

GM made very good cars back in the 50's,60's and early 70's,for some reason they just stopped after the 70's.

One thing I can say is,the big three knows how to build trucks,no one can take that away from them.

It’s a combination of things and not all GM’s fault. Their products; they built what fat ass, lazy wanna be baller, Americans wanted. People bitch blaming them for building big SUV’s. Guess what, they built them because people were buying them. The Big 3’s primary market is the US. Yes the sell globally, but they product base starts here with what we want and buy. All companies do the same. They even use decent technology to improve the fuel economy of the big ass SUV’s we want. Look around…SUVs and trucks are all over the place. Half the people that bitch about them not making smaller more fuel efficient vehicles drive a fucking SUV!!... I drive a Miata, a day does not pass when someone ask me how I can drive such a small car. I have plenty of room to sit in the driver set in a perfect driving position and put my shit in the trunk. Why do I need capacity for 7 or 8 people when I don’t even have that many people to ride with me? Look how any people drive big SUVs and don't even have kids or a family. My wife bought an Envoy because she likes to sit high and she likes the space, space that is never utilized, and I here this statement daily from people that primarily ride around by themselves most of the time. “I need space”! For what!? You’re not using it, you just think it’s cool!
German companies: Their product line is based on the needs of their market base or country. They have been building fuel efficient cars for a years now. Although they make big Mercedes for instance, you don’t see a lot of them on a daily bases on the road in Germany. And many of them that are bigger have diesel or 4 cylinder options that are not offered here. When I lived there I was amazed at how many low hp engine options were available in BMWs and Mercs. They buy a lot of small cars over there, and have for many years. When I was there in the early 90’s it was that way…why?, because gas has been high as hell over there for years. Also, the roads in the cities are narrower and more congested. They just don’t do the big SUV thing in large quantities.
Japan: Small people, congested streets, equals small cars. I didn’t drive a lot over there so I’m not all that familiar with gas prices. But the Japanese have been building and selling small, fuel efficient cars for years because that’s what the Japanese want. Hell, up until the 90’s they didn’t even have a V8 car on the market.
Korea: same as above plus up until the last 10-20 years income levels were pretty low so all they could afford is small, cheap, four cylinder Hyundai’s. Hyundai’s have been in Korea long before we ever heard of them. I saw 10-15 year old Hyundai’s when I was stationed there in 1984. Biggest cars they had back then was the Sonata and the Dawoo, which was equivalent to a midsize American car, and they had either a 6 cylinder or a 4, mostly 4’s. They didn’t need a lot of power because the roads didn’t allow for the use of it. They are to practical to own 600 hp cars on roads that only allow for 40-50 mph (we're not). Germans, Koreans, and Japanese as a people are less wasteful, more frugal, and far more practical when it comes to vehicles than we are.
Oh, most of these companies don’t have Unions milking them dry either. But most Americans would rather have the union negotiate high salaries for doing less work, and get benefit packages that make it difficult for their employer to stay competitive. Why, because “I don’t give a fuck, I got mine” is the mentality. They expect the company to figure out how to do everything.
With many foreign companies the workers actually take pride in their companies and are willing to give up something to make sure the company as a whole does well…. Us, we don’t give a fuck… “I just want to get mine,” Fuckem!!
Now, the primary products GM and other US companies built because our greedy, wannabe baller assess wanted them is what they, and we, are left with. But in typical American fashion it’s their fault. It’s our fucking fault. It takes time to develop a new vision and direction for a company, and more to develop that vision into reality with retooling, new ideas etc. But hey, why should we give a fuck, right?

its actually Clinton's fault. Unfortunately Obama is now socializing America.

Yeah bush was just a victim of the times.

Labor Unions = The Problem

next time I'm sitting on my ass after a 5-day work week, enjoying health insurance and retirement, I'm going to piss all-over unions.

This is called Hyundai syndrome.

I read last week that Subaru sales are up 2%. Only manufacturer posting higher sales.

If your good at your job there's not need for unions. They just protect the weak and the union (not the members)

The big three lack focus. How many unique models exist under the GM banner? They should build 6-10 models and drop the rest. Dump Pontiac, Buick and Hummer.

Ford should do the same. Get back to basics and stop trying to be all. Toyota should look at themselves too, I doubt that they will be far behind.

And this opinion is based on your vast experience in the work force? How many years have you been working? How many Unions have you worked for?

Granted Unions aren't with out their problems, but to say that they only protect the weak is utter bullshit.

ford actually is droping mercury. and they recently got rid of there share of mazda.

The only company I see coming out on top of all this is Ford. They are not in as much trouble as the other two, which was shown when they refused the government bail-out money. Plus they have some nice cars coming out. (new taurus, new F-150, Mustang, Fusion hybrid, etc.)