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For those of you that are mad at this decision, remember that, if GM doesn't make these choices once in a while, the next time will be exceedingly drastic (maybe including the Corvette, which is not a volume seller). Mary Barra and her staff understand what they're doing a lot more than the average Joe in the street.
Just to put things into perspective, yes, 15,000 employees cut is a big deal, but GM employs 180,000 people. The cars they are cutting are not exactly best sellers. Most of the cuts are for cars that sell way less than the vette, for example, the CT6.
Buick Envision and Enclave are made in China and imported here. A couple of the plants that are closing could be re tooled to make them here. GM case is special because US Government bailed GM out, so GM owes something back to the US. No issue with them dropping cars that aren't selling, but am concerned about exporting US jobs after bailout. I have a Cadillac SRX, it will be my last GM SUV.
GM marketing department should all be fired. They don't have a clue about how to advertise their products? A few examples: Chevrolet offered a diesel engine in the Cruze? I asked a few of my dealer friends how is the diesel Cruze selling? The public doesn't even know it comes in a Cruze? VW has commercials running about the Jetta TDI. You would think GM would do the same to inform the public they now offer a diesel in the Cruze? The Ford GT a car that the public couldn't go and order, Ford showed it in many of their commercials showing other Ford products? Dodge ran commercials showing the Chargers, Challengers, and the Viper?
GM has this Black Friday sale going on now offering zero percent financing, How hard would it be to say we even offer zero percent on the Corvette and show a Corvette? 99% of the new Corvette buyers are not on Corvette Forum to know what deals GM has on the new Corvette? Right now Chevrolet dealers can get new cargo vans, 3/4 &1 ton trucks? Change over a US plant and build them!!!
As I do feel bad for those people and communities that have lost these jobs....it's progress. I think Mary Barra made it very clear -- they're realignment to adjust to the ever changing car industry and to better position itself in its inevitable evolution to electrification. The trend from passenger cars to compact SUVs has been underway for several years. I'm happy to see that Chevrolet is being proactive, doing so now, while the economy is relatively strong and unemployment is low should help their ability to continue to compete in the future.
Now, if they'd create a new Corvette brand where we could see multiple variants, FE and ME Vettes, SUVs for the enthusiasts... Ok, So I like to dream
thoughts
-I've always been told lexus = toyota and nissan=infinity
so its strange to see them being scored separately in any statistical interface
-I feel that when gas prices rise and oil/fuel (gasoline) finally winds down (it has to eventually as we are sure to use it all up no matter what) the size, weight, and economy aspect of vehicles will be of much higher concern.
Actually, they caught up to them close to two decades ago. The Asian car quality superiority is a myth. All of the surveys show that. GM is cost competitive with the competition and competes well on quality. In fact the whole industry doesn't really have any outliers any more. Even BMW and Mercedes have caught up.
Here is the 2018 Study showing the results on 3 year old cars.
Basically no matter which brand you choose of these three year old cars the number of failures per brand is either 1 or 2 per car.
Investing in Mexico and China while laying off American workers? Yeah, good move, GM. I understand corporations are in business to profit, but greed has crossed way over the boundary of what's necessary. Maybe the folks in their ivory towers could cut back significantly on their obscene wages and restructure with that as their theme.
China is GM's biggest market and has been for six years straight, according to the company. GM has been making parts and cars in Mexico since 1978 - this is hardly a new venture.
This post should be nominated for the Darwin Awards. Fact is GM is closing plants that build sedans that are not selling given the fact consumer demand has turned to CRVs and SUVs. So why should that turn us against GM?
China is GM's biggest market and has been for six years straight, according to the company. GM has been making parts and cars in Mexico since 1978 - this is hardly a new venture.
I'm so glad someone has mentioned this -- much needed perspective for this discussion.
From the quality illustration posted earlier: look how far Kia and Hyundai have come -- they are major players!!
Last edited by Virtual Geezer; 11-28-2018 at 12:55 AM.
Reason: Spelling error
I am quite annoyed at the SUV and Truck popularity trend; I absolutely HATE being behind these big-arsed rolling billboards - I can't see the road ahead,
so I'm a d1ck and zoom past 'em at first opportunity
I was reading that these changes have something to do with Trumpian MAGAnomics, beside trimming unpopular products it could/should lead to manufacturing returning to the U.S. .
I dunno, but whatever our leaders in DC can do about dicks in small cars zooming around me in my normal sized truck, I'm down for.
A for profit business doing what it thinks it needs to in order to survive. GM does not build vehicles for the benefit of humanity. On the flip side, I don't own vehicles for the benefit of humanity either. They are either tools or toys. Nothing more.
Here's what bothers me about this move. I fully understand that you have to adjust to your market and what's selling and what the trends are along with your stockholder's demands for profitability. But after all the incentives and bail outs that we the taxpayers paid for I think GM's management doesn't realize the backlash they'll get. Plus no changes to their factories in China or Mexico is just another slap in the face of their customer and labor base. I for one think they could have thought out this move better and instead of closing down 4 plants consolidated and also cut their foreign ones as well. The whole move stinks and the move for "self driving cars" is absurd. Can you imagine half self driving and half not? What a "cluster #$%k !!" I really think this will hurt them in the long run. Just saying!
Interesting perspective....that after the huge infusion of government money GM still could not make a go of it.
Makes one wonder, who is really making critical decisions within ??
I think GM has been really screwing up lately with all the steering column lock ups, overheating Z-06s and extensive transmission failures on their cars and trucks. Plus, the C-6 Z/06s had head issues that needed to be rebuilt. I just don’t trust the quality of GM anymore and really wonder what they will screw up next. I only own one GM vehicle which is s C-6 Corvette. I truly believe GM May be in trouble over this.
11-27-2018, 08:11 PM
I'm so glad someone has mentioned this -- much needed perspective for this discussion.
I really think this will hurt them in the long run. Just saying! 
