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Good evening Netizens…
In this file photo taken Jan. 11, 2009, Chevrolet Beat concept car, which will be introduced as a production car Spark, is shown at at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. General Motors Corp. said Friday, May 29, 2009, that it plans to reopen a shuttered U.S. factory to build compact cars that will likely be the smallest vehicles GM has ever produced here. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
However, with only 8 inches of front ground clearance, the question remains unanswered how well this vehicle will fare among residents in the Northern United States snow zones where such ground clearances would probably make such a low-cut vehicle unable to get around in winter snow.
However, as of 7:00 PM tonight, the Associated Press has announced that General Motors will file for bankruptcy protection Monday morning, which perhaps comes as no surprise to most readers. The deal between GM and the Federal Government will give the American taxpayers more than a 70% ownership of the GM product lines. The Feds will pump another $30 billion dollars into GM as it weaves its way through the bankruptcy process, above and beyond the $20 billion they have already loaned them thus far. Even the bondholders have indicated they will give their blessings to the deal.
Still, when GM emerges from bankruptcy, it will not closely resemble the auto giant we have known for over 100 years. There will be four product lines left: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The Hummer brand, which at least could navigate through snow, will perhaps be sold to the highest bidder, and the venerable Oldsmobile will simply cease to exist.
I can easily recall over 40 years of American automobiles and trucks, including many technical specifications for various models I have either owned and/or driven in that time. Some of my favorites are the Oldsmobile Super 98 (which I hopped up to over 375 horsepower, good for more than a few tickets), my infamously long-lived 52 Chevrolet pickup truck which originally had a 6-cylinder engine with babbitted main and rod bearings, but eventually became a vintage 283 V-8 when I could no longer obtain the engine parts.
The 57 Chevy Bel-Air, the 50-something split-window GMC pickup, the 56 Pontiac straight-8 cylinder— my goodness when I stop to think of all the various GM vehicles I have owned over the years, I realize I could be quite well-to-do today if I had kept them all. But I’ll always have the memories.
Dave
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George_Sands on May 31 at 9:56 p.m.
I well remember the Arab Oil embargo of 74. It was a retributive response from the Oil Producing group for us supporting Isreal in the 73 Yom Kippur war.
I had to fill my VW tank with gas and siphon it out so that my g/f folks could get back to Seattle in their Land Cruiser Oldsmobile. They were a bit embarrassed to depend upon their long haired goofy daughters boyfriend for 10 gallons of gas.
The U.S. Automobile manufacturers have had over 35 years to figure it out. Honda and the other Asian producers back doored in QUALITY and efficiency while our manufacturers were asleep at the wheel (pun intended). Deming and his quality mantra was ignored by our manufactures in the early 60’s so he took his theory to the Japanese and they listened to him. The honda built engines when inspected confused the testing equipment because every engine gave the same exact readings. They thought the testing equipment was broken. The same U.S. built engines had about 10% very expensive rework. Proving building it right the FIRST time saves money.
An applaud to GM for the Northstar engine. It saved Cadillac from extinction and gave Cadillac the Malcom Baldridge award a few years back. Now if we could just have kept them on a roll.
I know “give the customer what he wants” is good policy,but what the “customer wants” can change with a few dollars per gallon and more than what the customer wants is what GM marketed to people.
When the Big 3 car makers fly their private jets into D.C. to ask for a big dollup ($30 BILLION) of tax payer bail out, there is more than just the sales of vehicles. Its an attitude problem of CEO’s whom have hidden their debt ridden companies from us and their shareholders. It is the CEO’s with Tens of Millons of dollars pay and golden parachutes and perks whom are out of touch with the rest the world. They complain of Union greed when they and their executives are as guilty of it.
Do we prop up the Big 3, allowing them to do business as usual? or do we let them fall on their swords, having to re-build them selves from scratch. As sadly as it feels, its got to be the latter. We wont have the car companies we used to have, but hopefully we will see the ones that they should and could have been with good leadership. Lee Iacocco.. I bow to you.
lewis8457 on May 31 at 11:32 p.m.
with only 8 inches of clearance this new chevy wouldn’t even be able to be driven in the summer in Spokane heck most of the pot holes are at least 8 inches deep.
I remember a 56 chevy i had once the back tail light swung open to reveal the gas cap.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 01 at 5:52 a.m.
GM dug it’s own grave over a long long period of time… and in my view deserves to die… over the years they lied and were deceitful in offering up repairs after the fact for their crummy engines ( a four cylinder Iron Mike from Pontiac stuffed into a Celebrity after making the heads paper thin so’s to leak to reduce weight ) a front end that goes/went out at 45,000 miles because of a plastic rather than a brash bushing.. ( saving 1.25 per vehicle and costing the company if you caught them $ 800 per repair) brakes that squeaked and discs that warped at 25,000 … ( reducing front end weight again)… and on and on…
good by General Motors…. i’ve ranted against your company for years…. john
lewis8457 on June 01 at 12:15 p.m.
I had one chevy in my car ownership history so far. I am more of a MOPAR guy I have owned many dodges and chryslers in fact on Huckleberries there is a thread about farmers markets. In the back ground of the picture is a dodge cornet that I think is one I sold back in the late 80’s when I moved my family to Portland. That was a nice car. But dodges do have faulty electrical systems. Up until 2004 I never owned a foreign car always drove built in USA, never anything newer then 1988 to this day (USA). I do have a 91 Isuzu my father gave me, it has 236,000 miles on it and still going strong..
Although I hate to say this in print but last year when my mechanic replaced my old knocking lifters and rods in my 87 dodge, he used Chevy parts. He said they were better and cheaper. It sure is quiet now.
I wont miss the chevy, they finally pull this little car out of a hat that the consumers have been begging for since the 70’s. The minute the japenese cars started selling in this country the big three should have got on the stick. But they didn’t and now it is judgement day.