Yesterday the New GM announced its sixth consecutive profitable quarter, a $2.5 billion profit, increase in U.S. market share, and that it was financially in the black in all markets, including Europe which posted its first profitable quarter in many years.
“It was a good quarter and another step in our journey of sustained, profitable growth,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson to analysts during a conference call of the company’s success since exiting bankruptcy in mid 2009.
In North America, the company’s net income was $2.2 billion, up 41 percent compared to the second quarter of 2010.
The Volt is not a sales leader yet, but GM is heavily invested in it, and indicators remain that it will be in due time.
Its Opel division was up too, allowing GM of Europe to post a $102 million quarterly profit.
GM’s net income for the first half year was $5.4 billion, although Chief Financial Officer, Dan Ammann said he expects second-half profits to be “modestly lower.”
In order to exceed expectations this past quarter, GM said it was operating it plants at 103 percent of capacity on a two-shift, annualized basis. A year ago production was at 93 percent.
The company also gained market share aided by the unfortunate March calamity in Japan which set its rivals back. For example Toyota saw its profits plummet by 99 percent for the quarter of April through June.
GM’s market share in its home country is now 20.4 percent up from 19.4 percent a year ago, according to the Automotive Data Center.
“Our U.S. launch product cadence over the next couple of years is further reason for optimism that we can continue to stabilize, if not grow, our U.S. market share,” Akerson said.
Although earning news had surpassed analysts’ expectations, GM stock shares mirrored the fall of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by sinking 4.3 percent yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange. This was a $1.18 per share decline to $25.99 and GM’s shares are now priced about 21 percent below their initial public offering price of $33.
Things however were not just bad for GM’s stock, but the entire market. As mentioned, the Dow fell 4.3 percent and the NASDAQ also withered by over 5 percent. In the past 10 trading days, there has been a market correction of 10 percent.
As is the case with many corporations in America, GM is sitting on lots of cash, not willing even to buy back its own stock.
Still government owned
Even though it could pay its way out of the “Government Motors” moniker, GM is taking a different route than did Chrysler, which chose to refinance its debt in May by paying back $7.6 billion to the U.S. Treasury.
Instead GM said it has no immediate plans to spend some of its cash on stock buyback or toward dividends, preferring, Amman said, to build a “fortress balance sheet.”
GM president of North America, Mark Reuss further said he would not speculate when the Treasury might divest its remaining GM equity, something it has expressed the desire to do.
It is a dilemma the government is in at the moment, as it would prefer not to have bought high and sell low.
In the mean time, as GM waits for the government to sell off its shares, Reuss said direct influence of share price is out of his control, and all GM can do is keep on moving on, doing as it has by growing the business.
“We want to drive returns for our investors. The only way I know how to do that is with results,” Reuss said.
ABCDE
To possibly get more results, and at least round out its U.S. portfolio, GM said it would introduce the Chevrolet Spark minicar as a 2013 model some time between January and June of 2012.
The subcompact Sonic which we wrote about recently is going into production this month, but Chevrolet is not done catering to consumers wanting expedient solutions for rising gas prices.
Like a sub-sized Sonic, the Spark’s rear door handles are in the black section, aft of the window glass.
The five-door Spark has been a leader in other growing markets around the world and is the smallest car ever sold as a Chevrolet. Its engine options start with a four-cylinder 1.0 liter.
Yesterday Jason Laird, executive director of North American product communications, tweeted from a Management Briefing Seminar conference in Michigan that Reuss said the “Spark minicar will give Chevrolet A-B-C-D-E segment coverage for first time in [the] U.S.”
In auto industry parlance, an “A” size car is a minicar. The subcompact Sonic is a “B.” The compact Cruze or Volt is a “C,” the midsize Malibu a “D,”and the full-size Impala is an “E.”
Automotive News, Edmunds Auto Observer, GM Inside News.
This entry was posted on Friday, August 5th, 2011 at 5:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+12
Aug 5th, 2011 (7:17 am)I like the good news about GM. But I also hope that GM will spread some of its profits back to its workers, who really did a superb job in quality manufacturing and assembly. Some accepted pay cuts and reduced benefits to keep their jobs. We all know that a pay raise is a great incentive to continue to do a good job.
The rest should be wisely invested in research and development. GM spent plenty to develop the Volt. Now it must continue to develop an improved “eAssist” system across its entire line, from the “A” sized Spark to the “E” sized Impala, and to all the trucks. Then they should all be converted to EREVs and to BEVs by 2020.
As we read about the “A-B-C-D-E” sizes, the present Impala is smaller than the older models. Some of the older Impalas and Caprice were road yachts! Would they be in the “F” (Fullest) class? Or all the way up to the “H” (Humongous) class??
Raymond
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (8:37 am)Great to see Chevy fill out the line but still no mini/micro van. If marketing is so adverse to those classifications, then design one that looks a little more like a cuv but has the desirable features of a van and call it a CUV. Something say…like the Orlando.
+14
Aug 5th, 2011 (9:06 am)Timely news, Jeff! In the wake of the last 9 days of the drastic drop in the equity markets, good news from GM is genuinely encouraging! Although off topic, here’s a little more Friday breaking news that’s almost counter-intuitive as well as somewhat unexpected:
“Breaking News: U.S. economy adds 117,000 jobs; unemployment drops to 9.1 percent” –Washington Post, August 5, 2011 8:41:43 AM
+7
Aug 5th, 2011 (10:26 am)With a name like Spark, when is it going electric?
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (10:28 am)A friend of mine has a 1935 Chevrolet coupe. That car is not very big other than being tall.
Some of Raymondjram’s new classifications could apply to some cars I have had in the past. I had a 1972 El Dorado convertible 500cid (about 8.6 liters!) that was in the ‘H’ class. It was over 21 feet long! Longer than my dad’s Winnebago.
Who is selling mini (‘A’ class) cars in the US right now? I don’t see a lot of volume in the US for this small of a car unless it is specialized (like a Mini Cooper). Smart is down over 40% y/y, for example.
-9
Aug 5th, 2011 (10:48 am)“We want to drive returns for our investors. The only way I know how to do that is with results,”
He means drive investors into bankruptcy…They should not have IPO’d until they had those results.
I just can’t see buying shares in a company that takes care of their issues with bankruptcy. Ford had issues and didn’t opt for bankruptcy. If GM would have given previous stock holders at least one new share for every hundred old they would have been seen as a company that is considerate to its investors. Where’s MCI?
Business is business, stepping on a few on the way to profitability if fine, right????
NPNS!
Volt#671
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (10:53 am)GO GM Go! You are coming back with a vengeance.
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:11 am)nasaman,
Thanks nasaman!
Good news about unemployment. It’s a step in the right direction. Although I’ve not researched it fully, my understanding of how the federal government accounts unemployment is they do not count people who have quit actively looking for work, so the true number of those without a job is higher.
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:19 am)A B C D E …so what letter is a Chevy Equinox or Traverse… an F?
(and what about the PUMA… is it a lowercase “a”)
Today these are my favorite letters. TGIF
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:31 am)More like following a failed vision for decades and then collapsing upon the backs of everyone who depended on your eventual success and tried to carry you, even through your ongoing failures. A lot of folks believed in the Old GM and were crushed under the weight of it’s failure.
After such an abject failure, everyone lost. The old management lost jobs by the thousands from the CEO down. Engineers were laid off or retired, investors were wiped out.
Stock ultimately represents the discounted future value of the company’s earnings. Who remained at GM to go to to create shares from the mess that was left? What were it’s future earnings? Where would those resources come from.The bankruptcy judge?
A new GM was formed with new investors. Hopefully the old one, which lead to such horrible results, will never be repeated again.
+5
Aug 5th, 2011 (12:29 pm)I’m disappointed that GM has wasted the name “Spark” on a car that is not electric.
Aug 5th, 2011 (12:43 pm)I thought the GM electric concept car for the India market was also named ‘Spark’. Or maybe it was e-Spark.
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (12:46 pm)They also don’t count the under-employed. When you go from $80k to $20k, you’re still counted as ‘employed’. Been there.
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (1:08 pm)My Dad’s 1967 Olds Cutlass Supreme had a 400 CID V8 in a 17-foot long body. That was also an “H” class, but according to the true ratings, the interior volume is what classifies the size, not the exterior. So a Cutlass Cruiser is in a bigger class than a same year Cutlass Supreme. And your Dad’s Winnebago is still bigger than your El Dorado.
Raymond
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (2:38 pm)The 1976 Buick Century I used to drive was like an aircraft carrier on the roads of the late ’90s;* yet when new it was sold as an “Intermediate.”
“I”?
What a difference 25 years makes! Perhaps in another 25 years, “A” will refer to a pair of roller skates.
* Yes, it lasted more than 20 years, and still ran when I traded it in on my first Saturn.
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (4:13 pm)The Spark won’t ignite much here in the ‘States. A Daewoo product from S. Korea formerly shown in the USA and abroad as the Beat prototype, it will successfully keep S. Korean factory workers employed and give GM a replacement for the tired Daewoo Matiz sold on other shores. That said, there’s no real room in a very small niche market here in America that is already filled with too many competitors fighting over a very tiny slice of buyers.
Consider the Spark sold in Europe and Asia, having a 1.0 liter inline four or DOHC 1.2 option. Those cars are buzzy and too lazy in acceleration for American buyers. Thus, GM’s U.S. version Spark sports a Daewoo-produced 1.4 liter inline four – still, at 12.5 seconds to 60mph, it won’t win many drag races against old ladies in Hoverrounds. Micro citycars are great for overpopulated, no parking space Asia, and Europe with many tiny villages of old having narrow roads with cobblestones and character. Euros are used to tiny cars and many feel it’s step up from riding a scooter to work in the rain.
Americans now have Minis, Fiat 500s, Honda Fits and Ford Fiestas combating for their minicar dollar. A minicar or microcar in the USA still makes most of us shudder as we know driving one we’d be jousting for lanes with lunking SUVs and full-sized pickup trucks, not to mention 18 wheelers looking to swat us off the road in our Sparky Spark like a fly at the end of a swatter. Minicars are obviously best as a city commuter option to taking a bus or light rail, a college kid machine that’s economical, new and reliable, a choice of some women for the “cute” factor – and/or as a third or fourth vehicle in some homes as a spare car-grocery getter. As this – the market leader Mini, Fiesta, Fiat and slightly larger Fit or smaller and declining-in-trendiness-at-light-speed Smart make this one uber-crowded segment.
Gas hovering at $3.50 per gallon isn’t helping the situation. Plus, one can purchase larger cars for not much more dough that get better mileage. The Asian and Euro versions of Spark pull 44-47 mpg HIGHWAY. U.S. versions with the larger mill – only bout 40. Spark looks a bit like some angry alien single occupant transporter. It has some interesting lines, especially from the rear quarter. From other angles ( fr. or front qtr. ) it looks like a small crossover with default Chevy grille that’s been squeezed in a trash compactor! It’ll be doing battle directly with the Fiat 500. The little Fiat has the cute factor baked in, which goes big with buyers in minicardom. I’ve heard it said that Americans don’t look upon these cars as transportation, as much as a bauble or piece of jewelry or accessory. In that case, Spark flops. It’s plasticky interior and motorcycle-inspired gauges and switchgear don’t translate here as they do in Europe.
All said, the little A segment ride better go EV pretty quickly before it’s R.I.P. for the Korean alien go kart.
PUMP OUT THE VOLTECS! ,
James
Aug 5th, 2011 (4:15 pm)And what about when you are self employed, and your income drops by half over the five years since the recession set in to SW FL?
I hate this economy and I can’t believe that our elected representatives are at an all time low of productivity. The depression-era jobs programs put people to work building infrastructure we are still enjoying today (dams/highways). We could have started something like that with renewable energy and power grid upgrades a couple years ago. Instead, we watched Obama spend all his political capital on health care reform and watched tea party ‘reformers’ cripple an anemic recovery with this debt ceiling holdout. May God have mercy on their souls.
Sorry to rant, but it was a slow comment day anyway.
Aug 5th, 2011 (4:30 pm)Jeff,
Top AMA Superbike racer finds out what Volt owners already know:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com -Article Kilowatt-Conversion–Riding-Electric
he-he.
I’ve been too nice. I never called a full gasser an “ass-dragger”, though the performance compared to e-drive fits.
Two wheelers are the dominant form of vehicles on this planet. A and B segment cars with motorcycle gauges is one clever place to grow the market. Three wheel tadpoles with tilting cabins is a segment between them.
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (4:45 pm)You mean like this?:
“The GM Lean Machine was developed by Frank Winchell of General Motors (USA) in the early 1980’s as a concept car. The single seater vehicle is a “lean” machine in the true sense of the word as it leans into corners like a motorcycle whilst keeping the stability of a normal car. The original model was powered by a 15 hp 2-cylinder engine that produced a maximum speed of 80 mph with a fuel economy of 80 mpg at 40 mph. Shortly afterwards a second model was produced that was powered by a larger 38 hp engine. With a total body weight of 159kg this gave the vehicle outstanding performance and the Lean Machine was able to reach 60 mph in just 6.8 seconds with a fuel economy of over 200 mpg.”
http://thenewcaferacersociety.blogspot.com/2008/03/vintage-1980-gm-lean-machine.html
Here’s your future “aa” car, GM …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngn7Io4HtdU
+5
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:07 pm)It may be a rant but I’m with you. There are two rules of fiscal policy you never want to break. If you do you will suffer. Those two rules are:
1. Never cut taxes and go to war
2. Never cut spending during a Recession
So what do the idiots in Washington do? They enact tax cuts and then go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then they enact spending cuts with the jobless rate above 9%.
You’ve got to laugh or cry. The focus on cutting spending has been badly misplaced. It’s like facing a hurricane and knowing you have termites. The hurricane is joblessness. The deficit is the termites. Yes you have to deal with both, but you worry about the termites AFTER the hurricane is past. You don’t open all the doors and windows to your house and start drilling and treating and replacing bits when you’re in the middle of a hurricane. Or put another way, we can probably all stand to lose weight, but you don’t go on a strict diet right after surgery.
-4
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:08 pm)Jackson,
I’m talking OEM consumer retail wheels on the road now, not concepts from the 80′s.
umm, with respect, are you new to the world of vehicles?
Who said future?
No, I meant like this, already on the roads with e-drive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_MP3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdrXS8NoGxg
http://www.motorcycle.com/forum/motorcycle-news/17307-piaggio-mp3-hybrid-coming-us-late-2011-a.html
It was already trialed by NYPD years ago.
or much more retro:
Can Am Spyder
There are quite a few choices in three wheelers, titlers and cabin cycles now with various drivetrains. Back to two wheels, Honda and Vespa already have hybrid scooters and Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda all have full e-drive delivery scooters selling now.
Things are happening FAST in the e-world. Hop on or get run over by it?
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:31 pm)#5
Wait until gas spikes up again. At least this time they won’t get caught flat footed with nothing to sell but pickups and SUVs that nobody wants.
I think that the Sonic is a quite a bit different animal from the Smart. It’s substantially
bigger, with 4 doors and a back seat, however cramped. I bet that they sell a few.
I would love to see at least the “mild” hybrid system offered on the Sonic. I bet that they could give the prius a run for mileage bragging rights at a usefully lower price point.
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:40 pm)EVO,
Thanks for the heads up, EVO.
-2
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:51 pm)I heard from a GM employee who retired a few years ago that GM has given some of the profits to their employees and is one of the reasons they are able to go on vacation this summer.
I agree … GM employees gave back pay and benefits to keep the company running something that is never mentioned in our Biased media. While GM employees took pay cuts and benefit cuts our school teachers are still getting 6% raises (UP TO $94k+/yr ) and are on strike… but not one bad word about them in our press… if there were auto workers on strike it would be all over the biased media.
Jeff …you mention that GM is profiting from Japanese troubles… well my take on it is that we are seeing a little glimpse of what a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD would be like. While we measure GM’s “market share” in the US the Japanese companies have NO COMPETITION in the Japanese markets because we are kept out with huge tariffs… why is this FACT not ever mentioned when you talk about market share?
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:54 pm)Got your @$$ on your shoulders again, I see. Well, it hasn’t been there in awhile, perhaps I’ll give you a pass. Yes, I am aware that there are now, and have been other vehicles of this general kind.
Now pay attention, since you haven’t already:
The point of my comment was GM ALREADY DID IT, not that others haven’t. No, it didn’t go anywhere, but this wasn’t my point. GM has done it once, and could do so again (EV1/Volt, anyone?). Most of the wheels-on-the-road vehicles you cite came “up” from the world of motorcycles, not “down” from the world of cars. Since we were talking about small automobiles, and GM, I found even this concept to be both interesting and germane.
You’re free to disagree any day of the week, but try to do it without so much asinine pique.
+6
Aug 5th, 2011 (5:57 pm)Do you realize right now GM is building the fastest production car CTS V and the highest MPG car on the road .. Chevy Volt… which is rated as the best engineered car also… this has to be record… I can’t remember anything close to this.
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (6:13 pm)That’s the only point. Otherwise, I’d ride a pink flying unicorn concept to work every day instead of the real high performance e-drive motorcycle I actually ride.
Sorry for my a$$ on shoulders.
/asinine pique off
Aug 5th, 2011 (6:28 pm)1) You need to understand something. There is a fundamental difference between motorcycles and cars. Nothing that happens in one category proves or disproves anything for the other. The majority of people don’t want the exposure and danger of an open motorcycle. Motorcycle elitists such as yourself have never been mainstream and never will be. It would be unfair to make generalizations about all vehicles based on this reality.
2) There have been many false starts and prophetic designs which never “made it” according to your lights, but they weren’t wasted or useless: What about the Aptera? It did actually get wheels on the road, and people bought them (but only a few; also, try finding a new one now). Was the EV1 a pink flying unicorn? It also got wheels on the ground, and lead directly to the Volt.
3) Just because something isn’t an electric motorcycle is no reason to diss it: You sound like the 1701 guy when you make a statement like that. He also will not accept the future as a viable concept (when comparing electric or hybrid anything to his favorite ride). I don’t know if a future electric Lean Machine (or Puma, or Envi, or who-knows-what) will ever get wheels on the ground, but they never will if people dismiss them out of hand while they are mere concepts.
BTW, have there always been E-bikes?
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (6:31 pm)In my best Jerry Seinfeld imitation -…”What’s the deal with—”…. No wait, how about I sit here at my desk sounding like that infamous 60 Minutes carmudgeon Andy Rooney and say,
-”Why do all these auto manufacturers have to display their new minicar in toxic-splurge, hyper-flourescent Lime Slurpee green?!” Does it intend to convey a fun factor feel? Does it say to the world – “Look this new econocar isn’t really a steel box with a tiny engine trying it’s best to get you from point A to B for the lowest output of greenBACKS” and make it out alive?!. OK – end of rant…
I decided not to buy GM stock because I don’t see enough change – fast enough. Sure, there’s change, and a lot of talk about change. We hear about management shakeups, technology purchases and the like, so I feel there’s a big upside eventually, I just want to see Voltec platforms multiply.
Some of the key people responsible for Volt are long gone and that concerns me. I hear a lot about GM being serious about Volt, but I still believe the Volt in and of itself is no mass market game changer in the midsize-compact segment. No ONE MODEL can turn any automaker around. To have mass appeal, it has to have that center seat utility that Prius, Fusion and Camry Hybrid have. The Amp/Orlando/MPV5 crossover would go a long way to show GM really means PHEV business.
Toyota will spin off Prius as a subbrand and I believe that is a great idea, and would work wonders for Volt as well. Scion was born of intense study of what youth want. They want individuality and set-apart styling. Younger buyers don’t have as much money as more established citizens yet they slant towards buying into trends, technology and sportiness. They spend more of their available income. To this end GM could birth a new Chevrolet sub brand attuned to the younger buyer – perhaps with “SS” Supersport cred. Of course we all want to be/appear youthful. I see many Scion Xb boxes in my area being driven by old-timers! I’ve casually interviewed a couple of those guys – I wondered why they bought that vehicle when so many others offered more sensibility or reliable track record. Each said, “I thought it was sporty and unique looking and would hold a lot of stuff”.
As a potential stockholder, I watched and waited for the Malibu to appear, as lots depends upon it. GM showed it in it’s 99% complete form one year before it intended to ship them to dealers. How smart is that when existing Malibus still sit on dealer’s lots? Add to this the ’12-’13 Malibu when viewed from it’s side has a very short wheelbase with long overhangs. This is the formula they tried all through the seventies, eighties and nineties to no real success. By not pushing the wheels to the far corners as other carmakers have done Malibu suffers in interior space – as when a tall person sits in the front seat of the upcominng Malibu, the rear seat passenger is cramped! Was this the result of platform sharing or just poor planning? Americans want a midsize with roominess.
GM needs trucks that are more fuel efficient. Rumors abound from Japan about new turbo diesels and diesel-electric hybrids. Shouldn’t GM have some buzz about a plug in pickup truck and delivery van? One new space that could be explored is a midsized SUV with sliding rear doors. Ask any parent why they bought a minivan ( a segment abandoned by Ford and GM ) and they’ll tell you how handy it is to deal with small kids and not worry about banging the car next to you in tight parking spaces. Renault has made some smaller vehicles with sliding passenger doors in Europe and I think this should be explored for the popular American SUV/Crossover crowd.
GM has shown me something with it’s persistence to develop Volt. I am already an investor in the company as are you — and you and you… I’m not complaining about this due to Volt and the advances I’ve seen thus far. Even though you and I cannot see where our “stimulous” money went, and rich banks who were at fault for the collapse and also recieved our money are not handing out loans at any pace reminiscent of pre-2009 either. So I won’t complain about GM’s performance – nor will I invest in it – yet.
As they’ve said much to us — I say to GM – as for my investment: “STAY TUNED”.
RECHARGE! ,
James
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (6:46 pm)chuckle…
1. ummm… there are more two wheeled vehicles on the planet than any other type of vehicle. They are, in fact and by numbers, the mainstream vehicle and have been since the days of horses.
2. Motorcyclists, then, by definition of worldwide commonness, are the opposite of elitists. See Harley rider.
3. Only since 1728, as far as I know. But now they’re getting quite good at fairly reasonable prices.
4. You have valid points. BTW, I also drive a converted plug in hybrid car for local hauling and use a turbo (domestic bio)diesel for long high speed trips.
5. The reason I am here is because I am a Volt fan and plan to buy one as soon as GM allows me to.
+1
Aug 5th, 2011 (6:57 pm)Jackson,
I’m the one who noted with pride that Harley put electric reverse on their trikes in a prior thread. I’m much more open minded than you give me credit for and I’m not “only for electric motorcycles”. I’m looking forward to the 8 speed DSG turbo diesel Cruze, for example, especially if there’s a plug in version.
Aug 5th, 2011 (7:04 pm)Last, thanks to Jackson for helping me get the comment count up!
Aug 5th, 2011 (7:08 pm)#29
GM was well into development of a new, smaller, diesel engine for 1500 sized pickups and, I would imagine, Tahoes and Suburbans. Alas, the budget got cut during the bankruptcy. Maybe they can bring that back.
Aug 5th, 2011 (7:24 pm)I guess I’m being remiss for not mentioning China. China’s the big playing field right now, as it should be. I have to admit being N. America-sighted when it comes to global auto sales. This isn’t good as I know China has the world’s largest population. GM is doing wonderfully in that sector – and to that end I’ll admit I need to focus more attention on what automakers decide to do in that market. It’s the Wild Wild West as we were to Japan in the sixties and seventies.
Kudos to GM for what they’ve achieved so far in China. If they want Buicks – let them have Buicks! LOL. In fact, to mimic the Japanese’ success in our auto market – fine tune your research in China and find out just what Chinese love about Buicks and do it more! LOL. Chinese manufacturers have been making lots of mistakes – but they cannot be criticized for not trying. Even the Taiwanese are building an EV SUV in a Chinese factory which is said to be “pretty nice”.
We’ll have to overlook some GM boo boos over there for now. Did you all hear about Cadillac sponsoring a Chinese propaganda film celebrating the Communist Party? ————————————–Google THAT ONE Jeff, LOL – An article on that subject should bring forth one mighty interesting and possibly heated debate! As for me – I have to say “OOPS – WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!!” GM need not sell their soul to win over the Chinese car buyer, no?
RECHARGE! ,
James
+2
Aug 5th, 2011 (7:27 pm)Perhaps GM will use the name “Sparky” for the electric model.. B-)
Love my Volt
WVhybrid
Aug 5th, 2011 (8:43 pm)The world car and truck market growth for the next century is all in prying high growth emerging economy folks (not US and Europe) off of efficient and inexpensive bicycles and motorcycles. A and B segments are directed at that. Until you convince those “motorcycle elitists” to try cars with things like motorcycle gauges and excellent efficiency and light weight handling, they won’t be impressed. I think GM realizes this, is developing product accordingly and I applaud their efforts. US folks want these because they are insanely fun to drive when designed to impress motorcyclists and practical for every day use.
Physics is unyielding. Here are the cold hard global personal land personal (not mass transit) transportation facts:
Eating meat is inefficient, like gasoline, but rich in energy density, also like gasoline. Veggie human intake is more efficient, as are biofuels when scaled up and done right.
Walking is somewhat efficient personal transportation, as much of the underlying effort is sunk costs in merely living.
Bicycles are more energy efficient than walking and 4 times faster, but are limited in terrain (no one has bicycled to the top of Everest, yet).
Electric motorcycles are more energy efficient than bicycling and 4 times faster, but have only made it up to the top of Pike’s Peak with no loss in power so far (thanks, Chip).
Nothing else for personal transportation is more efficient than walking.
That’s the challenge that cars and trucks face to get a truly global reach (6 billion per year and growing) and nonrenewable liquid fuels, unneeded vehicle bloat due to unequal classification standards and negtive externalities of having more vehicle than you need won’t cut it to get there.
Folks who think otherwise are living in the mythology of a past century of dirt cheap oil that’s gone forever.
If that all sounds overly harsh, please realize that there is a way forward, thanks to Jeremy Clarkson and James May. Yes. you can charge your Volt there:
http://www.egmcartech.com/2011/08/05/nissan-charging-station-lincoln-top-gear/
/condesending, preachy rant off – off to go beat some full gasser Vipers off the line…
+4
Aug 5th, 2011 (9:28 pm)If I understand the tariff issue, I’d say “a little glimpse of what a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD would be like” would not be hobbling the Japanese with a natural disaster, but imposing a reciprocal tariff on their products same as on GM products, or removing all tariffs. That would be a level playing field I could understand, not a mish-mash of untold calamity on the Japanese auto industry.
What happened in Japan was a shame, and I’d not wish that on an enemy. Many ordinary people lost their lives, homes, family, and property and as far as I can see they deserved that no more than anyone else.
As for my reporting, in which you say I omit facts, I deny I was negligent in adequately covering this brief writeup.
I am not filtering news through a bias here pjkPA, nor will I.
What I wrote was: “The company also gained market share aided by the unfortunate March calamity in Japan which set its rivals back. For example Toyota saw its profits plummet by 99 percent for the quarter of April through June.”
If you read any implications into it such as “GM is profiting from Japanese troubles” in which I am decrying an inequity here, that is not what I said, nor meant.
Fact is, this was straight news, and the topic was U.S. market share, and GM’s increase of it. It was not relevant to the topic to mention that GM’s market share is weak in Japan because of Japanese tariffs.
With all due respect, you consistently come back around to the unfair trade issue. I think the readers of this forum have heard of alleged Japanese inequities plenty without me much needing to go out of my way to mention it as you have suggested I should.
Fact is, there are many inequities in this world, not just that alleged one. I could just as well hone in on them too, but I am writing within bounds here.
Further, I must admit I do not know the entirety of the macroeconomic situation, nor all facts in U.S. trade relations and many other nuances that would be required for a professional writer to speak with authority and maintain his respectability.
Haven’t other readers answered you that part of the allowance of tariffs is a quid pro quo exchange for letting U.S. military base in Japan? Do the Japanese have soldiers and hardware stationed on U.S. soil as we do in force on their soil? I do not know if this is the case, but there are numerous variables in this political-economic situation that would need to be dealt with.
To cover the topic right would require the research that goes into a much broader piece.
I’d have to document assertions made to a higher degree of scrutiny, and I cannot do that all the time, nor should I, as again, this is not a screed or politically oriented site. I do what I can within a limited word count. Even so, I often transcend the word limit and try to give as much editorial quality and pack in more photos and videos as possible.
You seem to have deep feelings on this topic of trade imbalance, and I respect that. I would suggest if you really think you have news that can make a difference, you could start a blog on it. I am not being snippy in saying that.
You are free to do that, and maybe you could serve a niche in that, if you feel so called. I’ll even let you link posts here from time to time as a favor, if you want.
You are also welcome to contact me with ideas for a guest post on this site.
In the mean time, I’ll leave it to you to offer your opinions just as everyone else has their angle and feelings on issues that I also did not cover.
Thanks for reading.
Best Regards,
Jeff
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:03 pm)You’re very welcome.
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:07 pm)For some reason I keep seeing a lot of Maza 2′s, and my friend also just bought one. Too bad he couldn’t wait for the Sonic. I think they are similiar cars, but the Sonic will be made in Michigan.
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:12 pm)Here’s the Wiki on car classifications. Looks like the letter classifications is a Euro thing, and no mention of “H”?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_classification
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:18 pm)James,
Interesting opinion. I disagree with it. I hear more buzz (good buzz) about these small cars every day.
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:34 pm)I’m looking forward to Zero’s response to Brammo’s Empluse. That’s a nice bike but the price is too high for me. I’m hoping some competition will drive the prices down.
Aug 5th, 2011 (11:40 pm)Sailing/kyaking is more efficient
Aug 6th, 2011 (8:35 am)Loboc,
just for the record ..1971-1976 eldorado convertibles measured 220″ to 224.1″
or 18.333 to18.675 feet
just saying
Aug 6th, 2011 (12:02 pm)kdawg,
Personal land transportation. Water and air are big, other discussions…
Aug 6th, 2011 (1:57 pm)The world is hungry for an electric CR-V. Which ever major manufacture gets this out first will rack up over 1/2 EV sales worldwide.
Second is a vehicle to compete with the Karma and the Model S. A Converj-like vehicle will do this. Needs a name change. How bout’ “Silencio”?
The Cadillac Converj was a plug-in hybrid concept car to be manufactured by the Cadillac division of General Motors.It was first shown at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and made its West Coast debut at the 2009 Orange County Auto Show.
Incorporating the propulsion system from the Chevy Volt—the battery pack, the 120-kilowatt electric motor, and the four-cylinder engine-generator, collectively dubbed the “Voltec” electric propulsion system—the Converj has an all-electric range of 40 miles (64 km) and a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h). The two-door, front-wheel-drive coupe recharges in only three hours using a 240-volt outlet, the type commonly used for large electric appliances.
In April 2009 Motor Trend reported General Motors had approved the production version of Cadillac Converj in 2011 as 2012 model year vehicle. However, GM refuted this report and stated that the Converj was “a concept vehicle undergoing a review”.
An August 2009 BusinessWeek report stated that GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz wants to see the Converj go to production, possibly as early as 2014, and it was reported that while delivering the keynote speech at the 46th annual Northwood Auto Show Lutz “hinted that an announcement on production for the well-received Cadillac Converj concept car may be forthcoming.” At the 2010 Detroit auto show, Lutz told the Society of Automotive Analysts “The Cadillac Converj is cleared for production,” but that “It won’t be next year or the year after that.”
According to a Bloomberg report, GM had in fact decided in late January to end work on the Converj, due to inability to create an acceptable balance of luxury appointments and battery range.
No Plug, No Sale.
Aug 6th, 2011 (2:46 pm)I just petitioned the local golf course to install 5 or 6 plug-in parking spaces. This was done through customer satisfaction survey.
Don’t let up. The World is switching to EV.
=D-Volt
Aug 6th, 2011 (3:51 pm)Small cars in this class are quite popular in Canada. In the past 12 months, the sales of compacts is about flat, while the sales of subcompacts is up over 5%. The Fiesta is taking over the category, with the fit and Yaris down quite a bit.
From having driven a rental Fiesta 1000 miles throughout Arizona over 4 days, I can say it’s a competent and economical small car. As a 1-car household, I would not consider one because of its minuscule cargo space, but it would make a good commute-only vehicle. I don’t like the Sonic interior and layout; I’d certainly get the Ford over a sonic.
Aug 6th, 2011 (8:35 pm)Competition? All the startups are still working on beefing up their fundamentals of production, distribution, marketing, sales and ongoing funding and the OEMs are crapping in their pants because they’re hamstrung by own full gasser product legacy.
You are probably calculating the price wrong, as the upfront price of an electric vehicle is pretty close to its total lifetime vehicle cost, while with a gasser the upfront price is basically giving you the gasser for free to get the chance to delve back into your wallet frequently and repeatedly over its lifetime.
You already know that I think anyone that doesn’t get as much electric drive into their lives as possible as quick as they can has rocks in their head. What do they have against fun? If you do get something, please take a MSF traning course and gear up like a Power Ranger. These things are not toys with all that torque and responsiveness. Be safe.
-2
Aug 7th, 2011 (8:55 am)Jeff Cobb,
Jeff,
Your darn right I have strong feelings about UNFAIR TRADE.
You certainly do not understand that millions of us lost our jobs because of unfair trade.
I’m here to get information about the CHEVY VOLT and I feel you are doing a good job when presenting information about the VOLT. On the other had when you talk about “Global Markets” and “Market share” there is no way we should only talk about market share in the US alone and ignore how we are kept out of other major markets.
And just because you refuse to do any research into the matter of unfair trade does not mean that I will just go along with your apathy. I’ve lived it. I’ve seen Japanese companies get hundreds of millions of dollars from the Japanese government… not loans just free cash to undercut our bids and buy jobs we rightfully won.. I was there .. I saw my coworkers come out of meetings and say “your not going to believe what just happened” I’ve witnessed many very good companies go unfairly out of business…. no I will not be apathetic.
I get very little free time … I work full time and I am a caretaker..
I’m here at GM-VOLT.com to get info on the Chevy Volt.
Aug 7th, 2011 (1:18 pm)http://www.climatechangedispatch.com/home/9274-blockbuster-planetary-temperature-controls-co2-levels-not-humans
Link for eco2-freaks; read it if you dare!
Aug 7th, 2011 (3:26 pm)I hope we are getting our fair share of dividends from all the stock still owned by us via the Federal Government.
Aug 7th, 2011 (4:14 pm)Shawn Marshall,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxaxJNs15s
+1
Aug 7th, 2011 (4:27 pm)May be if you aren’t into name calling, people will take you seriously.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/07/misdiagnosis-of-surface-temperature-feedback/
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/07/29/282656/climate-scientists-blow-gaping-hole-in-nasa-data-paper-by-ideologue-roy-spencer/
Aug 7th, 2011 (4:31 pm)Wouldn’t that be the upcoming Rav4-EV ?
If you meant a PHEV, Ford Energi should do the trick.
Still nothing AWD, though.
Aug 7th, 2011 (4:40 pm)Yes – but executives made their money and not a penny would they have to give back. So, why would the executives in other companies (or even the current GM) care ? It is all a question of meeting the next quarter’s expectations. Who cares about the long term anymore ?
Aug 8th, 2011 (4:46 am)Finally were going to get the Spark but I hope we get the electric version too plus the diesel as well not just the gas version who agrees with me?