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GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

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Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#51

Post by devoply »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #50
AmVess wrote: post #8

They are pushing production and engineering to anywhere not the USA, so this trend of having fewer workers isn't going to stop until all that's left of GM is the headquarters. I'm not Chicken-Littling either. This trend has been many decades in the making, and it only has one logical endpoint. I was looking at their trucks, and left the showroom when I saw one that had 45% domestic content. I bought a truck that had…

When Henry Ford built cars, he knew that the people making his cars were also buying his cars. That mantra was thrown out in the 80s. The new mantra was "make sure the people making the stuff are poorer than the people buying the stuff, and you [shareholders and executives] can pocket the extra profit margin." The flaw in this theory is obvious: Eventually you run out of poor people willing to build things they thems…

Just goes to show that the poor need their own power structure, Trump or Fascism (not saying Trump is fascism, just saying Fascism is another option which appealed to poor people in WWII) is not a replacement for that.

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#52

Post by nolok »

wcunning wrote: post #18
AmVess wrote: post #8

They are pushing production and engineering to anywhere not the USA, so this trend of having fewer workers isn't going to stop until all that's left of GM is the headquarters. I'm not Chicken-Littling either. This trend has been many decades in the making, and it only has one logical endpoint. I was looking at their trucks, and left the showroom when I saw one that had 45% domestic content. I bought a truck that had…

Oooph, as someone in the automotive industry, I would avoid that thing like the plague. Have you checked the recall for going through the car wash causing that truck to light on fire[0]? One burned down at my neighborhood convenience store a couple of weeks ago... I would much much much more readily trust the engineering of GM on trucks, but that's probably only meaningful if you actually intend to tow something. I h…

There is literally a war named after the Hilux because it was such a combination of cheap and super reliable despite the terrible conditions that it’s what all the local warlords used. There is a top gear episode where they roll over one with a monster truck several times and it refuses to stop working. Toyota doesn’t need any lessons from us manufacturers about reliability.

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#53

Post by Pywarrior »

AmVess wrote: post #31
wcunning wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oooph, as someone in the automotive industry, I would avoid that thing like the plague. Have you checked the recall for going through the car wash causing that truck to light on fire[0]? One burned down at my neighborhood convenience store a couple of weeks ago... I would much much much more readily trust the engineering of GM on trucks, but that's probably only meaningful if you actually intend to tow something. I h…

50,000 miles, no fires. No problems of any kind.

Except you didn't buy a truck, you bought a tall unibody car with a bed. It has vastly less utility than a frame based truck/suv. If you are happy that's great and ultimately that is all that matters, but to compare ridgeline to silverado or f-150 is just plain wrong, apples and oranges.

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#56

Post by fordworker234 »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #50
AmVess wrote: post #8

They are pushing production and engineering to anywhere not the USA, so this trend of having fewer workers isn't going to stop until all that's left of GM is the headquarters. I'm not Chicken-Littling either. This trend has been many decades in the making, and it only has one logical endpoint. I was looking at their trucks, and left the showroom when I saw one that had 45% domestic content. I bought a truck that had…

When Henry Ford built cars, he knew that the people making his cars were also buying his cars. That mantra was thrown out in the 80s. The new mantra was "make sure the people making the stuff are poorer than the people buying the stuff, and you [shareholders and executives] can pocket the extra profit margin." The flaw in this theory is obvious: Eventually you run out of poor people willing to build things they thems…

This is ridiculous. Ford pays very high salaries compared to the rest of Detroit and most of America. The interns are paid $23 per hour for instance.

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Ford-Motor-Company-Detroit-...

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#57

Post by dreamcompiler »

fordworker234 wrote: post #56
dreamcompiler wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When Henry Ford built cars, he knew that the people making his cars were also buying his cars. That mantra was thrown out in the 80s. The new mantra was "make sure the people making the stuff are poorer than the people buying the stuff, and you [shareholders and executives] can pocket the extra profit margin." The flaw in this theory is obvious: Eventually you run out of poor people willing to build things they thems…

This is ridiculous. Ford pays very high salaries compared to the rest of Detroit and most of America. The interns are paid $23 per hour for instance. https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Ford-Motor-Company-Detroit-...

I should have made clear I was describing how all (or at least most) American industry threw out Henry Ford's mantra. Ford Inc might still be living Henry's values.

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#58

Post by manfredo »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #50
AmVess wrote: post #8

They are pushing production and engineering to anywhere not the USA, so this trend of having fewer workers isn't going to stop until all that's left of GM is the headquarters. I'm not Chicken-Littling either. This trend has been many decades in the making, and it only has one logical endpoint. I was looking at their trucks, and left the showroom when I saw one that had 45% domestic content. I bought a truck that had…

When Henry Ford built cars, he knew that the people making his cars were also buying his cars. That mantra was thrown out in the 80s. The new mantra was "make sure the people making the stuff are poorer than the people buying the stuff, and you [shareholders and executives] can pocket the extra profit margin." The flaw in this theory is obvious: Eventually you run out of poor people willing to build things they thems…

Were that the case, we'd see a prevalence of people unable to afford cars. This is not the case. The cost of an automobile is an even smaller fraction of an average person's disposable income than it was during Henry Ford's day. And this isn't considering the fact that a modern car is far safer, more comfortable, more fuel efficient, and just broadly way better than a model T.

American workers are too highly paid to make many manufacturing jobs viable in the US. If GM et al. were to pay American workers more they would either not be making enough money to stay afloat, or the cost of their cars would rise considerably (and likely lose sales and not be profitable anyway).

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#59

Post by frankharv »

sharkweek wrote: post #48
sh-run wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely love my Tacoma. It's a 2009 4dr TRD Sport with 164,000 miles. I have no desire to 'upgrade' to something newer. My only regret is getting the short bed, I sleep in the back a few times a year and it'd be nice to not need to sleep in the diagonal. The people I know who own the 3rd gen Tacomas seem to like them just as much as I like mine.

I’ve got a 2000 4Runner that is still running great, but looking to switch to a truck in the next couple of years. My thought, years ago, was to wait for the 4Runner to break down then upgrade, but I’m now starting to wonder if that’s still a few years (decades?!) off.

Wow I have the 2000 RAV4 and the same opinion. 5 years ago I started thinking of buying something new but the RAV4 keeps purring. 240,xxx miles and you would never know it.

Re: GM Is Now Detroit’s Smallest Auto-Making Employer

#60

Post by chillwaves »

manfredo wrote: post #58
dreamcompiler wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When Henry Ford built cars, he knew that the people making his cars were also buying his cars. That mantra was thrown out in the 80s. The new mantra was "make sure the people making the stuff are poorer than the people buying the stuff, and you [shareholders and executives] can pocket the extra profit margin." The flaw in this theory is obvious: Eventually you run out of poor people willing to build things they thems…

Were that the case, we'd see a prevalence of people unable to afford cars. This is not the case. The cost of an automobile is an even smaller fraction of an average person's disposable income than it was during Henry Ford's day. And this isn't considering the fact that a modern car is far safer, more comfortable, more fuel efficient, and just broadly way better than a model T. American workers are too highly paid to…

Financing is a thing.
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