Mister Jimmy

Former GM Board Member: 'I Told You So'

This author "experienced the inner workings of capitalism at various asset managers and advisors"....in other words the same New York criminals that put this economy where it is today. Yet, they're full of advice about Detroit and the auto industry.

Why I'd Avoid Toyota, The #1 Automaker in the U.S.

So, U.S. government ownership of GM and Chrysler will ensure their success, to the disadvantage of Toyota? Seems fair. The JAPANESE government has partnered with Toyota for decades.

William Holstein on Why GM Matters

This piece is by far the most intelligent and balanced assessment of GM and the domestic auto industry I've ever seen on Seeking Alpha, perhaps anywhere. Thanks.

Geithner to Put Chrysler in Bankruptcy Next Week

"Too bad there is no Chrysler public stock that can be short squeezed to oblivion". Ah, the American way! What angle can we use to profit on some else's misery THIS time!?!? The laughter in Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai must be positively deafening by now.

Some Facts in the GM Propaganda Race

OK, the Aztek was a horror. But, this is the same company that also produces the popular Impala, hugely exciting new Camaro, market-share growing new Malibu, two (2) pick-up trucks that are tradesman favorites (Silverado and Sierra), the immensely popular Chevy Tahoe, the Suburban, and legendary Corvette. It's so typically one sided, and SO typically Seeking Alpha, to throw a failed product out there and imply that it defines the entire company.

A Ford Turnaround?

"Only in Detroit", states the author? Get your facts straight. Virtually every auto maker in the world is losing money right now, with Toyota in particular suffering huge losses due to aggressive over-expansion.

GM Execs Fill Up on the Taxpayer's Dime

This article uses a classic technique...namely, telling part of a story. Gasoline is furnished for managers and executives driving company-owned vehicles used for product evaluation.

Six Reasons Why GM Should Declare Bankruptcy

"I remember studying cases in business school in the 80s"....and that's where your understanding and perception of the U.S. auto industry is stuck.

Sick of Hyperbolic Rubish

The article states that "Wall St. mismanaged a model that works once you take out the stupidity and bad risk management, whilst Detroit was asking the taxpayer to subsidize a completely broken model that needs to be revamped from the ground up". An utterly baseless statement, typical of Seeking Alpha authors, and evidence of the class bias evident in all of this.

The GM Meltdown

Sorry, Felix, but there will be no GM bankruptcy. The Feds will assist GM in working it out., without a BK filing. Lots of reasons for it: 1) the Obama team owes the UAW, 2) it would be counter-productive to the new stimulus plan, and 3) it would be far more costly to the taxpayer and everyone else involved to formally declare any form of BK. The BK card is really being used as leverage, at this point, to get concessions from stakeholders, and today's audit comments are for the conditions at the close of 2008. No surprises to GM or the Obama team there.

Is a Car Produced in Alabama Really an Import?

The Detroit News should know better? Perhaps you could know a little better, too, Dr. Perry. Where a vehicle is "assembled" is quite a different issue than where it is produced. Where are each of these vehicles designed? Developed? Prototyped? Tested? Validated? Component-sourced? Yes, all of those elements go into producing a car and, believe me, the Japanese and Germans are not performing all of those functions here. They assemble here to satisfy trade regulations....and to fool professional academics like you.

Why Won't GM Just Go Away?

This fellow looks like a nerd, and sounds even more like one. Congress did not give GM a "gift". It was a loan with many tough conditions, and a loan that can be called-in if those conditions are not met. Also, GM sells 6 of the top 20 vehicles sold in the U.S. That does not look like "cars that nobody wants" to me. A typical one-sided, GM-bashing Seeking Alpha piece, and one that further reduces this blogs credibility.

UAW: It Should Be Giving Up More

In 2008, with GM already buckling at the knees, the UAW chose to strike both the Malibu plant in Fairfax KS and the Buick Enclave plant in Lansing MI. Both were GM's most popular models at the time. It was stated to be over "local issues", but was obviously in sympathy for UAW brothers at American Axle's Detroit plant. The UAW-represented industry is less than 50% of the American market. Toyota and Honda dominate most American cities. Yet, this union acts as though it's 1965. Yes, management has made many strategic mistakes over the years, but one of those mistakes was allowing the UAW to help hand the industry to Asia. Oh, and that American Axle plant in Detroit. AA just announced its closure because of a chronic 25 to 30% absentee rate, far worse than any of its other North American plants.

The GM Bankruptcy Debate

A GM bankruptcy might well completely negate Obama's stimulus plan. The resulting wave of OEM and supplier bankruptcies, and job loss, would send private and public entities in many midwest states into a crisis like we've never seen. The lack of understanding regarding this industry, the direct and indirect employment created by it, and its effect on the nation's economy in general is best demonstrated by the comments made above.

Recent Policy Decisions and a Greater Depression

"This may be the worst mistake in the history of the United States." Bigger than the invasion of Iraq?