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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

#61

Post by tonyedgecombe »

sharkweek wrote: post #10
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…

As someone in the market for a truck, why specifically USA and not somewhere else? I’m looking at the Toyota Tacoma as my number one choice, but this is not a strongly held desire if there is something better.

As someone in the market for a truck, why specifically USA and not somewhere else?

I'm always a bit bemused by this. We were urged to buy British in the late seventies and early eighties. My dad lapped it up and the reward for his loyalty was a string of really crap cars.

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

#62

Post by masonic »

jfim wrote: post #11
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…

Out of curiosity, how does one find out the domestic content of vehicles (or other goods)?

In the USA, it's on the (Monroni) window sticker.

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

#63

Post by vinay427 »

MaconBacon wrote: post #16
phjesusthatguy3 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Rouge? The plant in Dearborn? Oh, okay.

This is like saying Brooklyn is not New York City. This is silly shit.

That's a poor comparison because Brooklyn actually is a part of New York City, but I agree with your point.

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

#64

Post by masonic »

froindt wrote: post #42
tastygreenapple wrote: post #6

If GM were grateful for their bailout, how many employees would they have in detroit?

We're a decade past the bailout. How long after paying back the government would be acceptable to outsource production?

They'll never pay it all back:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-gm-treasury-idusbre...

You have to count the losses from the Motors Liquidation Company half of the split.

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

#65

Post by ejanus »

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…

But Fiat doubled headcount, how was that possible if your argument that labour cost is the issue ? Let's not follow garden economics, greedy and laziness may be the root. BTW other auto companies are expanding except GM. The real storm would be when next time they need bailout , would they be bailed out as US company?

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

#66

Post by tbyehl »

Pywarrior wrote: post #53
AmVess wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not a Ridgeline owner, but... the reality of pickup ownership in America is that on average they never get used for things that couldn't be done with a wagon or small SUV. Which makes the Ridgeline the best truck out there for most people who buy pickups -- the in-bed storage is super practical, the flat floor provides more usable space in the bed, towing capacity is reasonable for a U-haul / smaller boat / motorcycles.

It would be at the top of my shopping list for when my '05 RAM finally dies but for the bed being too short for most of my motorcycles. I wish 'utes would make a come-back in America and up-size to be more competitive with pickups, a four-door 'ute w/ a 76-inch bed and 1,000lbs of payload would suit me perfectly.

Probably I'll just buy a trailer and put a receiver on my R-350, it can tow plenty and replaced a lot of trips in the RAM.

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

#67

Post by adventured »

ejanus wrote: post #65
manfredo wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

But Fiat doubled headcount, how was that possible if your argument that labour cost is the issue ? Let's not follow garden economics, greedy and laziness may be the root. BTW other auto companies are expanding except GM. The real storm would be when next time they need bailout , would they be bailed out as US company?

> But Fiat doubled headcount ... BTW other auto companies are expanding except GM

GM's business is shrinking while most automakers have expanded in the last five years. It makes perfect sense that GM would contract their employee count as sales decline backwards by nearly two decades.

GM sales 2014: $155b | 2018: $147b

Their sales in 2005 were $193b by comparison. Automotive sales were $158b that same year.

Fiat sales 2014: €96b | 2018: €110b

Volkswagen sales 2014: €202b | 2018: €235b

Toyota sales 2015: ¥27.2t | ¥30.2t

Ford sales 2014: $144b | 2018: $160b

Honda sales 2015: ¥13.3t | 2019: ¥15.9t

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

#68

Post by TorKlingberg »

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…

Do people in other countries care about the percentage domestic content in this way?

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

#69

Post by lotsofpulp »

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.

I’m in the same boat, so I installed a Sony CarPlay unit in, and accepted that I won’t be able to get a new car for a while.

I don’t think you can go wrong with Tacoma/4Runner/Landcruiser 70 series.

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

#70

Post by lotsofpulp »

track_me_now wrote: post #32
sharkweek wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone in the market for a truck, why specifically USA and not somewhere else? I’m looking at the Toyota Tacoma as my number one choice, but this is not a strongly held desire if there is something better.

Well first a Tacoma is actually a truck; even Honda states the ridgeline is not intended to compete with traditional trucks, is not built for towing and uses a unibody construction. Tacomas are expensive, the dealers don't deal and they hold their resale value. The new (2019) Tacoma trades heavily on it's reputation IMO, without really adding much new over the past 3-4 years. It's a real off-road vehicle though, if t…

I like that Toyota hasn’t touched Tacoma/4Runner. It’s already perfect as is, no additional bells and whistles were needed other than CarPlay.
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