hoffman23

Why American Car Manufacturers Fail

I am in GM dealerships every day due to my occupation. The author has never spent one day in an American dealership within the last month. If he had done REAL research, he would see a new desire by Americans to buy "American" again. How do I know? They say so to the salespersons. The only reason Toyota outsold the other brands had to do to an inventory "backlog". Their numbers this year were way down and they had their highest dealership inventories in years. GM ran out of cars and trucks otherwise we would have led the market. Leave your "ivory castle" once in a while.

Time to Look at Auto Stocks?

Don't be so quick to jump on the Ford bandwagon. Take a look at the Ford Credit lease portfolio. Lots of markdowns there that are not reaching to anyone's ears. So far, they have been lucky, not smart. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. It's your dice, not mine.

Time to Look at Auto Stocks?

As a veteran of the auto industry and as an investor, the only logic one could attribute to investing in auto stocks is that YOU CAN'T LOSE MORE THAN YOUR INVESTMENT !!!!! This industry is in freefall and NO ONE knows the answer. If they think they do, have I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Try CD's until this settles out. There will be plenty of time to buy in when the dust settles.

GM Gets Some Good News, Chrysler - Not So Much

Ah, one shining light in a sea of darkness. Someone who actually gets it. GM is welll on the way back to being the great auto manufacturer it once was, More models over 30 MPG, outstanding trucks, well built and beautiful cars. the JD Power survery is a lagging one, showing a 3 year history. GM has gotten the message and wait until you see this survey in the future. GM will rise even higher in the standings. Only if the media opens their eyes and stops discussing the past will GM get their proper due. Congrats to the author.

The 12 Most Important Cars of 2009

Maybe I'm biased, but the most exciting car in years, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is going into production in March. And you think the Flex, Fusion hybrid, and Jetta deserve a higher place on the list? The word "Clueless" comes to mind.

Automaker Rebadging Revisited

The premise is soooooo stupid !!! Haven't you heard of the "Internet"? Every car website shows badge engineering within a company and badge engineering between companies ( see Matrix and Vibe). Have your people run out of ideas? Subaru is a Northeast US brand. It has little traction in the marketplace other than quirky 4x4's. At GM, it is a process getting the buyers back. Probably slower than desired, but check the Malibu's sales. They selling everything they can produce.

Solar Cells on Electric Cars Make Cents

There is a LOT of IF's in that scenario. Drivers don't drive slow enough to take advantage of better gas mileage. Over 65 MPH, the economies of good MPG get thrown out the window. Think about that the next time you are on the highway.

General Motors: General Malaise

When does this stupidity end? GM has a very bright future. First look at the overseas business. It's booming!!!! Next, look at how quickly this company is reacting to the current dramatic change in the market. As a veteran of 30 years in this industry, GM used to take YEARS to react. Now they can change within weeks. And PLEASE stop lumping GM and Ford together. The situations are completely different. FORD has put up the entire company including the Blue Oval as collateral on its loans!!!! GM will survive and eventually prosper. Ford and Chrysler are quite a different story. Why don't you write about Toyota and their
Tundra-Texas factory fiasco. How about how much the Europeans are losing money on their American sales due to the crappy dollar? If you went out into the marketplace and compared the quality of the various vehicles, you would have a very different tune. Try the Peter Lynch theory of actually getting out of the ivory tower and going among the masses. It will open your eyes!!!