GM Bailout

[Hammer]

[LGAFF]

Maybe they should look at a revised tarrif.....tax break or sales tax write off on new american vehicle purchases, something consumer driven vs a donation. I think the most difficult thing to overcome is the stigma that american cars carry. The CTS/Malibu/G8 and other vehicles are going in the right direction in terms of countering BMW and other makes, but buying american just isn't "cool" to most people.

However, Americans have mastered high performance cars that get good mileage.....the Corvette/CTS, etc manage some tall power with solid mileage........try to find that in a BMW M3/M5?

LGAFF
92 ZR1
#234

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Truth hurts dont it ????

[ZR1North]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

Maybe they should look at a revised tarrif.....tax break or sales tax write off on new american vehicle purchases, something consumer driven vs a donation. I think the most difficult thing to overcome is the stigma that american cars carry. The CTS/Malibu/G8 and other vehicles are going in the right direction in terms of countering BMW and other makes, but buying american just isn't "cool" to most people.

However, Americans have mastered high performance cars that get good mileage.....the Corvette/CTS, etc manage some tall power with solid mileage........try to find that in a BMW M3/M5?

LGAFF
92 ZR1
#234

Finally, someone else said it - thank you!

We were having a discussion at lunch a few weeks ago and it was clear from several peoples' comments (ladies and gents) who are driving Hondas, Toyotas, and Lexus(es) that they were largely (if not exlcusively) influenced by media and the general sentement "out there" that North American is sub par and you only drive one if you can't afford an import. I don't work in the automotive industry and I don't live in the US, but I think it is sad how improvements in NA automobiles since the late 70s and 80s (when rust was an issue and durability wasn't a hallmark of the Big 3) have not translated into a different mind set re these vehicles. Perhaps that's part of the marketing problem.

Having owned both Hondas and NA vehicles in the last ten years (the NA vehicles more recently), I beleive the shift in preference has a whole lot more to do with perception and a lot less to do with product quality.

[Wild and Blue]

Originally Posted by ZR1North

I believe the shift in preference has a whole lot more to do with perception and a lot less to do with product quality.

Nail on the head.

[Z51JEFF]

There are so many aspects to the issue but it comes down to how many times can you $hit on people that have bought domestic cars in the past and expect them to keep coming back?The U.S. has been building crap for years.As stated G.M. is starting to build some attractive cars but it may be too late.Should WE have bailed them out?Who knows.Look on the bright side,if Toyota buys G.M. then G.M. will start building cars that are worth a $hit.

[LGAFF]

Losing manufacturing jobs is bad. Our Companies are becoming like the Seinfeld show...a show about "nothing". Look at Enron, and many others that followed they didn't have or produce anything tangible they were companies that had nothing, and produced nothing.....same as the recent investment/loan collapse.

Manufacturing is what builds the foundation of an economy, look at the critical role the industry played in WWII.....and I won't even get into the fact that we don't even produce our own steel anymore. Even the housing industry is an economc drain with many companies dependent on illegal workers to build at low cost...and that money is sent back home and not used in the US.

It is a multi-pronged appraoch to fix this issue, unions need to look at their jobs as a competitive market, manufacturers need to build better and more competitive products, and the government needs to create a climate promoting manufacturers in the US along with incentives to level the playing field to "buy american".

OK, off my soapbox...

LGAFF
92 ZR1
#234

[XfireZ51]

My company is a supplier to the automotive OEMs and their dealers globally. Lgaff is on the money with his comments.