GM: RWD on hold?
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Joined: Dec 2005
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A RWD Chevy sedan called Impala will be accepted by everyone. A RWD Chevy sedan called Chevelle will have the enthusiasts up in arms, like they were when the new Charger came out.
A man was sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper. Suddenly, he gets up, slams the paper down on the bench, and yells "All politicians are assh0les!" The guy sitting next to him says "Hey! I take offense to that!" The first guy says "Why? Are you a politician?" The second guy says "No. I'm an assh0le."
A man was sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper. Suddenly, he gets up, slams the paper down on the bench, and yells "All politicians are assh0les!" The guy sitting next to him says "Hey! I take offense to that!" The first guy says "Why? Are you a politician?" The second guy says "No. I'm an assh0le."
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
I really don't think the "treehuggers" at large are to blame. The real problem is people/organizations with dubious motivations and/or political agendas, who find themselves in positions of power and influence and are presented with an opportunity to manipulate the greater good to push said agendas; even at the expense of the greater good.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 929
I really don't think the "treehuggers" at large are to blame. The real problem is people/organizations with dubious motivations and/or political agendas, who find themselves in positions of power and influence and are presented with an opportunity to manipulate the greater good to push said agendas; even at the expense of the greater good.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Portland, OR
Then there's the continued feeling by just about every American large business that the economy is going to tank big time in the near future, and every large company running on small profit margins (especially the US auto industry) is at risk of going under when that happens.
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Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 10,285
From: Albany, NY
I really don't think the "treehuggers" at large are to blame. The real problem is people/organizations with dubious motivations and/or political agendas, who find themselves in positions of power and influence and are presented with an opportunity to manipulate the greater good to push said agendas; even at the expense of the greater good.
A fuel tax would fix the demand problem with out putting technical limitation on the automaker. But that would be political suicide. It is easier to just blame the automakers for building "gas pigs" and pass laws against them.
We all know that at $1-$2 a gallon no one is going to buy cars like the Aveo. at $4-$5 a gallon thats a different story. So no it comes down to would you rather have the extra fuel cost be tax to build roads and mass transit? or profit for big oil and middle east countries?
Do some research on Japans 1990's economic fall. Then compare it to the USA's current economic situation and ad the fact that Japan actually had a positive savings rate unlike the ~-2% in the USA. We can't just keep on going deeper into debt forever.
Last edited by Z28x; Apr 10, 2007 at 03:08 PM.
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When I was in high school a few years ago, my history teacher (who I considered to be one of the smartest men I've ever met) proposed this idea:
We just take oil from the tankers that are leaving the Middle East. Tell the crew "In the name of the U.S., we are claiming this as our own." And then just take the oil. Who's gonna stop us?
My class was shocked, since the likelihood of this happening would be slim to none. But when you think about it.....who would stop us? We can pretty much ignore anything the U.N. might try to say about it, and there really isn't a country on this planet (except maybe China, since they have a huge military) that could stand up to us militarily. It would be like taking candy from a baby.
We just take oil from the tankers that are leaving the Middle East. Tell the crew "In the name of the U.S., we are claiming this as our own." And then just take the oil. Who's gonna stop us?
My class was shocked, since the likelihood of this happening would be slim to none. But when you think about it.....who would stop us? We can pretty much ignore anything the U.N. might try to say about it, and there really isn't a country on this planet (except maybe China, since they have a huge military) that could stand up to us militarily. It would be like taking candy from a baby.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,646
From: Portland, OR
When I was in high school a few years ago, my history teacher (who I considered to be one of the smartest men I've ever met) proposed this idea:
We just take oil from the tankers that are leaving the Middle East. Tell the crew "In the name of the U.S., we are claiming this as our own." And then just take the oil. Who's gonna stop us?
My class was shocked, since the likelihood of this happening would be slim to none. But when you think about it.....who would stop us? We can pretty much ignore anything the U.N. might try to say about it, and there really isn't a country on this planet (except maybe China, since they have a huge military) that could stand up to us militarily. It would be like taking candy from a baby.
We just take oil from the tankers that are leaving the Middle East. Tell the crew "In the name of the U.S., we are claiming this as our own." And then just take the oil. Who's gonna stop us?
My class was shocked, since the likelihood of this happening would be slim to none. But when you think about it.....who would stop us? We can pretty much ignore anything the U.N. might try to say about it, and there really isn't a country on this planet (except maybe China, since they have a huge military) that could stand up to us militarily. It would be like taking candy from a baby.
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 209
There is a strong contingent at GM who look at the sales numbers of the current FWD Impala and want to keep the formula and name on a FWD platform, while calling the upcoming Chevrolet RWD sedan something else. It's not news, and has been talked about for at least a year if not since the whole program started. It's just now that the program's closer to production, a decision needs to be made. Basing the next Impala on a streched Espilon 2 and having it ready by 2010 or 2011 would be relatively easy. The RWD sedan could also be called Impala, Caprice, even Chevelle or Monte Carlo. All are good names with a bit of history behind it and would likely be equally fitting given the "heritage" design it's said to have. It doesn't have to be called Impala... though it would be nice.
But even if a FWD Impala was brought back, how would this effect sales of the larger, "more upscale" Malibu, and to add to that the RWD full size sedan, can Chevy really sell 3 full size sedans. Unless GM pulls a Ford 500 and call the next Malibu the Impala, but then we are back to the whole legal rights with Oshawa again.
Thread Starter
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Well, I think there's more to it than Lutz blowing smoke.
New vehicle development requires amortization of development costs over the lifecycle of the vehicle. As indicated, the Camaro and probably G8 are too far along to change. Anything else is probably in line.
If you didn't know what the CO2 emissions standards and CAFE standards were going to be (sliding scale of increases every year is being discussed), you'd press the pause button too.
Welcome to the 70's again...
New vehicle development requires amortization of development costs over the lifecycle of the vehicle. As indicated, the Camaro and probably G8 are too far along to change. Anything else is probably in line.
If you didn't know what the CO2 emissions standards and CAFE standards were going to be (sliding scale of increases every year is being discussed), you'd press the pause button too.
Welcome to the 70's again...
Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 131
Lutz should have used his "clothes" analogy - would have resonated better.
To paraphrase, raising CAFE to get people to buy more efficient vehicles is like restricting clothes sizes to help reduce/eliminate obesity...
To paraphrase, raising CAFE to get people to buy more efficient vehicles is like restricting clothes sizes to help reduce/eliminate obesity...
