[Delacon]

#1 Is the fault of our government and us(for not demanding one) going back to Nixon.

#2 is flat out our government's fault...and us. They control the money but we sure as hell let them throw it at us.

#3 and #4 are GM's own damn fault. Nobody else.

#5 Not GM's fault that it happened but sure as hell their fault how they were unprepaired for it.

Do we really want the government and the automakers in bed together to solve this with a bailout?

[April Lexington]

SAVE THE UAW, uh, uh, um, ah, um, I mean, um uh, GM!
- The One!

[ari-freedom]

GM has 7,000 dealers. toyota has around 1,500. That’s another area of overhead that will be hard to reverse

[2banana]

1. Unions
2. Unions
3. Unions
4. Unions
5. Piss Poor Cars

[ladyjane]

Companies don’t want to take responsibility for their own failures.

Individuals don’t want to take responsibility for their own failures.

What else is new.

[STONEWALLS]

“3. Legacy Costs”
...when the Japanese started building plants here they could hire young workers who were healthy...some of them are getting older now....others will be eligible to retire in a decade or so...eventually they’re going to encounter the legacy costs of an aging workforce themselves.

[Cicero]

The arrogant executives who ran the Big Three were always fighting with the unions, but at the same time they were in bed with them. Like the old steel mills, they thought they could just keep raising prices forever. They were wrong.

[4Speed]

GM is hurt by Congress all the time . . .CAFE standards . . Energy Policy on drilling . . self imposed Oil Supply Crisis.
If Congress BAILS OUT GM . . . will Congress Pass laws anymore that negatively Impact the Auto Industry ?
Tis an interesting Confliction for Congressional Greenies and Corporate Ownership of GM by Congress.

[4Speed]

GM is hurt by Congress all the time . . .CAFE standards . . Energy Policy on drilling . . self imposed Oil Supply Crisis.
If Congress BAILS OUT GM . . . will Congress Pass laws anymore that negatively Impact the Auto Industry ?
Tis an interesting Confliction for Congressional Greenies and Corporate Ownership of GM by Congress.

[K-oneTexas]

Sounds like a perfect candidate for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to me.

[Proud2BeRight]

6. The myth that ricegrinders are better than American cars. The same media, marketing, disparagement, and myth generation techniques used to brainwash America to buy the Obama crappola has been used for years to promote riceburners.

[hinckley buzzard]

#1 Is the fault of our government and us(for not demanding one) going back to Nixon.

#1 is an instant replay of the seventies after the first oil shocks. Only it wasn't SUV's it was big gas-guzzling sedans and overpowered muscle cars. Don't blame the government, the Japanese saw this coming. The big three were too arrogant to see that slick marketing and brand loyalty wouldn't save them.

When Americans voted with their pocketbooks Detroit, the einsteins of the car business, were caught flatfooted. They fought back, with garbage. Remember Chrysler's K-Car anyone? How about the Pacer? Gremlin?Yeccch. As bad as the Aztec.

Meanwhile Datsun gave us the 240-Z, ushering in the era of dominance by Japan.

[roadcat]

Am I imagining the following, or is it factual. The automakers showcase these fancy concept cars at auto shows. People say “ooh” and “wow” and want them. Then crappy production cars are made, and look nothing like the concept cars. If any make it to production, only a few are made and only the dealers get them and they’re uber-expensive. GM should listen to the people, and actually make cars that the people want.

[meyer]

5 Reasons Why America's Largest Car Company Teeters on the Edge

And they are...

1 - government
2 - government
3 - government
4 - UAW (with government backing)
5 - government

[Parley Baer]

Reason #1. UAW

[truthguy]

CAFE stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy. The key word is AVERAGE. The American Car companies fought against this because they sold more large (or larger) cars, SUV's, and Trucks than did the Foreign Manufacturers. Therefore it was easier for the Foreign Car Companies to meet the CAFE standards. What the Car Companies were arguring for is to make adjustments for the types of vehicles they sold. I wish some people on this site would do some research before posting

There are a number of idiots posting here tonight mentioning the notion that GM, Ford, and Chrysler should have made more small cars. WRONG! They lost money on small cars because they have legacy costs of about $2000-$2300 per car. It's extremely difficult if not altogether impossible to make a profit on a small car for an American Car Company. If you look at equivalent cars the gas mileage is nearly identical. If you don't believe it then look it up.

Lots of really dumb posters here on the Auto Industry. More of these posters should do some research before posting so that they will know what they are talking about.

[ncfool]

I am against any bailout unless the UAW and its members take about a 40% haircut on Wages and fringes. The same applies to the AutoMakers.

Why should AMERICANS pay for the corrupt unions bailout if they won’t take a haircut too. Enough is enough.