Corvette possibly in danger?
11-26-2018, 05:23 PM
#21
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Anyone who doesn't think people in different groups inside GM aren't lobbying to cut some other group instead of their group is naive. Cutting 25% of their white collar jobs is huge. That's 1/4 of their engineers, marketeers, designers, etc. Everyone is trying to point to the other guy as a way to save their own skins. 30K Vettes a year is less way less than the Cruze is making, which is being axed completely, along with it's plants. Just 3 years ago the Cruze was one of GM's star products. Today, people want mini- Suv's. GM was too slow to react.
Don't think about the plants. Think about the brains that make the products that go into those plants. Anyone at GM not working on new cross overs and electric vehicles now is subject to reassignment or the ax. Reassign their priorities and find out how slowly the wheel grinds.
Don't think about the plants. Think about the brains that make the products that go into those plants. Anyone at GM not working on new cross overs and electric vehicles now is subject to reassignment or the ax. Reassign their priorities and find out how slowly the wheel grinds.
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bebezote (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 05:25 PM
#22
Drifting
So I was reading on multiple News Outlets that GM is closing multiple factories, and killing off multiple vehicles like XTS, IMPALA, LACROSSE, VOLT, CT6, CRUZE and some others as well. with this happening and there not being any more sightings of the ME mules running around( other than the ones we cant see at the GM proving grounds in AZ & MI) Could GM possibly put a halt to the ME car? I know GM is cutting sedans in favor for crossovers and SUV's but it is something to think about.
It's prudent to trim underperforming lines, even though job cuts are hard...
Only thing to me that could derail the ME at this point is another global credit meltdown, leading to another GM bankruptcy.
GM improving its operating margins is actually a good thing, which is why investors bid it up. As long as credit markets are good (so far, not 2008), it has cashflow (it does), and it can execute on a plan (prob good idea to keep Vette and ramp up on EV), it's ok.
It'd be one thing to bet against Aston Martin, which has had seven bankrupcies and is operating alone, trying to raise cash through IPO...
Last edited by Parcival; 11-26-2018 at 05:35 PM.
11-26-2018, 06:29 PM
#23
Autoline Daily reports that GM is shuttering business in India, South Africa, Russia, and a few other countries. The fact that they are killing off sedans leads me to believe they are following Ford's lead and concentrating on the SUV/CUV market. What that means for the Corvette is still unknown. But I'm concerned that there's been absolutely no marketing of the C8 to date. By this time in 2013, teaser commercials were appearing. If GM has a master plan for the C8/Cadillac variant, this is the best-kept secret in the industry. No one is talking.
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bebezote (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 07:00 PM
#25
Melting Slicks
11-26-2018, 07:20 PM
#27
Team Owner
Obviously GM could build a Corvette SUV and probably will because Corvette is their strongest nameplate. Electrification is coming too. Genovation has already electrified the Corvette with 800 hp. https://www.carscoops.com/2018/11/st...nds-la-800-hp/
Yeah, and Genovation also stuck an electric motor and a huge battery in a C6 Z06 and "proudly" acclaimed that it would do 200 MPH, and only cost $300,000.
Hell, GM said , back in 2005, that the new 2006 C6 Z06 could hit 198 MPH in 100% pure stock form, straight from the factory, for just $65,000.
I bet my C6 Z06, with it's CAI and high flow heads and a tune will get that additional 2 MPH so I can claim that my Z06 will do 200 MPH, and I did it for way less that the additional $235,000 that the EV C6 Z06 cost.
Even a 100% pure stock 2009 C6 ZR1 at $120,000 with a measly 638 HP will do 205 MPH.
Gee, I wonder what would happen if I spend an additional $10,000 for an 80 pound Edelbrock supercharger, and have 657+HP and still have a measly 3250 pounds of weight to accelerate to 200+ MPH.
Do you know what the top speed of a 2019 C7 ZR1 is, with it's 755 HP ICE?
Last edited by JoesC5; 11-26-2018 at 07:24 PM.
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11-26-2018, 07:44 PM
#29
Team Owner
Plus I don't have to send clothes ahead to motels along the way via FedEx when I want to do a two week road trip, and I can find a gas station anywhere to get another 450 miles of driving pleasure. Adding a supercharger under the hood does not eliminate any of the 22 cubic feet of cargo space in the rear of my Z06 as does adding a huge battery to an EV Corvette.
Have you ever considered how much money will have to be spent building additional electrical powerplants, transmission lines, and local sub-stations etc if all the present 17 million vehicles sold each year in the US were charging their batteries? Currently, we have all the infrastructure in place and paid for to supply the gasoline to fuel those 17 million vehicles that Americans purchase each year.
All that money to supply that additional electricity will show up in your increased utility bill each month, beyond what you are paying today.
My local utility is city owned and back in 2010 added a new 300MW generating plant costing $697,100,000 for the construction and a total of $1,200,000,000 when including financing cost. That was based on our increased needs for electricity without proving electricity for all those wonderful EV's that you believe can be operated on the "cheap".
Now multiply that $1.2 billion times the numfber of additional plants that would be needed nationwide.
Last edited by JoesC5; 11-26-2018 at 08:18 PM.
11-26-2018, 07:44 PM
#30
Le Mans Master
Corvette survives w a sub brand doing SUVs and Crossovers. That’s why u use a skillet assembly line because there is no line.
Last edited by Dominic Sorresso; 11-26-2018 at 07:45 PM.
11-26-2018, 07:45 PM
#31
Le Mans Master
It would appear that a primary issue for the auto makers is what to do with sedans, sales are sharply down as crossovers fill the need. GM has been holding onto the prospect of continuing to build sedans but to what degree? I live not far from the Lordstown plant that makes the Cruze, they are working a single shift and its looking like they will not survive long term. They are trying to get another model to build but will GM Corp spend all that investment to re-fit, time will tell. So with people not buying sedans and factories employing thousands of people to build em the outlook is poor for those models and workers.
PC
PC
Anyway to the original question. This was coming for a while, the global market as a whole is down somewhat for automakers at the moment. Delay it perhaps but there is no impending doom or bankruptcy or anything like that lurking around the corner. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
11-26-2018, 08:04 PM
#32
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Bill
11-26-2018, 08:19 PM
#33
I don't think the Corvette is in any danger NOW, however should GM cost cutting they just announced not be enough to keep the company headed in the right direction, then all bets are off.
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ArmchairArchitect (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 08:58 PM
#35
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
Remember Oldsmobile and Pontiac? Who predicted they would disappear? Nothing is forever.
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bebezote (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 09:03 PM
#36
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I see cut backs coming in Vette programs and also higher prices to justify making a low production vehicle. This CEO doesn't impress me much in caring about anything but making GM more profitable.
More profitable means resources are better spent making things a lot of people want to buy. She's already cutting white collar jobs, not just factory jobs and factories themselves.
It would not surprise me if Vette production is stopped if the C8 is not meeting expectations.
"Its just business".
More profitable means resources are better spent making things a lot of people want to buy. She's already cutting white collar jobs, not just factory jobs and factories themselves.
It would not surprise me if Vette production is stopped if the C8 is not meeting expectations.
"Its just business".
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bebezote (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 09:08 PM
#37
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GM isn't trying to sell a specific car. They are trying to get people to believe something different than they believe about their products. That's why they do these.
11-26-2018, 09:27 PM
#38
Burning Brakes
Corvette is fine. Chevy is fine. Buick, GMC, and Cadillac are fine. GM is fine.
They’re cutting slow-selling cars to shift more revenue towards Autonomy and EVs and to take precaution in the event of a national economic downfall. The same goes for cutting executive positions, but reducing the number of executives at GM will allow the company and its brands to make decisions and respond to market trends much quicker and much better than what is possible today. Parts sharing and platform sharing are making old parts and platforms useless, so the old production plants aren’t needed either.
GM will not only invest heavily in AVs and EVs, but the shift towards parts sharing(as done by Ford, VW group, and Daimler) will allow the quality and reliability of all GM products to improve while reducing production costs.
The C8 has received more funding than almost anything else GM has ever made, and it was already cancelled before the bankruptcy, and it WILL be built for its full life cycle as intended. It will introduce a new beginning for GM, with new materials like magnesium alloy and 3D-printed composites, as well as new tech features such as digital instrument clusters, adaptive engine mounts, and (possibly) high-performance hybrid-AWD. Of course, these things are new to GM and not the industry itself.
They’re cutting slow-selling cars to shift more revenue towards Autonomy and EVs and to take precaution in the event of a national economic downfall. The same goes for cutting executive positions, but reducing the number of executives at GM will allow the company and its brands to make decisions and respond to market trends much quicker and much better than what is possible today. Parts sharing and platform sharing are making old parts and platforms useless, so the old production plants aren’t needed either.
GM will not only invest heavily in AVs and EVs, but the shift towards parts sharing(as done by Ford, VW group, and Daimler) will allow the quality and reliability of all GM products to improve while reducing production costs.
The C8 has received more funding than almost anything else GM has ever made, and it was already cancelled before the bankruptcy, and it WILL be built for its full life cycle as intended. It will introduce a new beginning for GM, with new materials like magnesium alloy and 3D-printed composites, as well as new tech features such as digital instrument clusters, adaptive engine mounts, and (possibly) high-performance hybrid-AWD. Of course, these things are new to GM and not the industry itself.
Last edited by Quinten33; 11-26-2018 at 09:28 PM.
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ArmchairArchitect (11-27-2018)
11-26-2018, 09:34 PM
#39
Burning Brakes
Wrong. Cruising down the highway at 70 MPH I now get 30+ MPG in my C6 Z06. adding a Edelbrock supercharger will not alter that as it only has 1/3 HP parasitic draw when not in boost(like what happens when just cruising down the highway and not racing Camry's).
Plus I don't have to send clothes ahead to motels along the way via FedEx when I want to do a two week road trip, and I can find a gas station anywhere to get another 450 miles of driving pleasure. Adding a supercharger under the hood does not eliminate any of the 22 cubic feet of cargo space in the rear of my Z06 as does adding a huge battery to an EV Corvette.
Have you ever considered how much money will have to be spent building additional electrical powerplants, transmission lines, and local sub-stations etc if all the present 17 million vehicles sold each year in the US were charging their batteries? Currently, we have all the infrastructure in place and paid for to supply the gasoline to fuel those 17 million vehicles that Americans purchase each year.
All that money to supply that additional electricity will show up in your increased utility bill each month, beyond what you are paying today.
My local utility is city owned and back in 2010 added a new 300MW generating plant costing $697,100,000 for the construction and a total of $1,200,000,000 when including financing cost. That was based on our increased needs for electricity without proving electricity for all those wonderful EV's that you believe can be operated on the "cheap".
Now multiply that $1.2 billion times the numfber of additional plants that would be needed nationwide.
Plus I don't have to send clothes ahead to motels along the way via FedEx when I want to do a two week road trip, and I can find a gas station anywhere to get another 450 miles of driving pleasure. Adding a supercharger under the hood does not eliminate any of the 22 cubic feet of cargo space in the rear of my Z06 as does adding a huge battery to an EV Corvette.
Have you ever considered how much money will have to be spent building additional electrical powerplants, transmission lines, and local sub-stations etc if all the present 17 million vehicles sold each year in the US were charging their batteries? Currently, we have all the infrastructure in place and paid for to supply the gasoline to fuel those 17 million vehicles that Americans purchase each year.
All that money to supply that additional electricity will show up in your increased utility bill each month, beyond what you are paying today.
My local utility is city owned and back in 2010 added a new 300MW generating plant costing $697,100,000 for the construction and a total of $1,200,000,000 when including financing cost. That was based on our increased needs for electricity without proving electricity for all those wonderful EV's that you believe can be operated on the "cheap".
Now multiply that $1.2 billion times the numfber of additional plants that would be needed nationwide.
Long live the V8
Last edited by Quinten33; 11-26-2018 at 09:37 PM.
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CorvettoBrando (11-26-2018)
