GM doesn't really build cars here anyway, that's what Canada and Mexico is for.
In Michigan? No, they're not building all of them here anymore. But, they were building the G6 and Malibu at the Lake Orion plant. Lansing was screwing together the CTS, STS, SRX, Traverse, Outlook, Enclave and Acadia. Flint and Pontiac are still assembling the Silverado and Sierra as well. We'll be adding the Volt at Hamtrack, and there is a moderately good chance that the Viva could be built in Michigan - although it seems more likely that production will go to Ohio or Illinois.
Either way, GM still assembles nearly 70% of their vehicles inside the United States. That's pretty impressive compared to Ford and Chrysler, who assemble most of their vehicles in Canada and Mexico.
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...Anyway, as a fellow Michigan resident, I'm frustrated too. I'm mad as hell its taken this long, but I'm even more angry that it had to come to
this. I've still got a fairly significant portion of my family relying on GM for their pensions and healthcare, and this isn't exactly settling for them. At the same time, I'm frustrated with the fact that the Fed has had to take a 60% share in the company.
Really, its a catch-22 situation of the worst kind. I think Chrysler could have died, and no one would have noticed. But GM? No, this is
HUGE. Thing is, I'm not expecting a big change in the way we work here in West Michigan. We're losing a plant here in Grand Rapids, which is going to put a couple thousand people out of work (losing a lot of income for the city too), but I think we can sustain it with our massive investments in the medical and green technology fields.
I guess what I'm most upset about is that it is
my company, and I'm not feeling a lot of remorse about it. Much less, that I should be buying a GM product. Their product line has some all-stars, but everything that needs to be here is still more than a year away... What good is that?
This should be a good turning point for GM, where they can shed what they've known has been bad for quite some time. GM fans have known for far too long that they've had too many models, too many brands, and too many dealers. This will change that, hopefully, for the better. Until then, we are at the mercy of FIAT, Ford, Honda, Toyota and whatever the "New GM" will decide to do.
* Side Note:
This is going to be crazy come time for the Governor's race. I can't see how the leadership of Granholm, particularly in a situation like this, will be good for state Democrats. But at the same time, I don't see how state Republicans are offering any better of a situation. Really, politically and economically speaking, our state is Effed. Its going to be years before we ever get around to any sort of recovery, and the 10+ year depression we've already had is driving the population out faster than they can find jobs.
...I'm already looking into moving west, into a more friendly social and political climate (not to mention the lack of snow), but I don't want to leave home. I love this state, and I love the companies that built it. But we're running out of options, and more importantly, time.
The line from TDK seems to ring true in this situation:
"They say the night is darkest before the dawn, but the dawn is coming." Thing is, dawn can't come soon enough.
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More News From Today
According to Autoblog,
the sale of HUMMER will be announced tomorrow. No word on what will happen to the brand, only that someone (or a group of buyers) have taken hold of the company. What started as a massive money-maker has become an oversize burden for the company. They could have saved it, and they didn't. Good riddance.
What did Ford Think of the GM Bankruptcy?
FORD STATEMENT ON GM BANKRUPTCY FILING
DEARBORN, Mich., June 1, 2009 – Today's announcement that GM is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is another important development during this unprecedented period for the auto industry and the global economy.
The Ford team continues to monitor the industry environment and plan for all contingencies to ensure our transformation plan remains on track. At this time, we do not expect any major disruptions to our operations as a result of today's news.
We share President Obama's hope that GM's bankruptcy will be controlled and orderly, and we continue to believe it is important that our governmental leaders and the U.S. Automotive Task Force remain focused on the stability of the supply chain and on ensuring that a healthy U.S. auto industry emerges from this difficult economic period. We look forward to working with the Obama administration to ensure that the government's majority ownership of GM will not change the industry's competitive dynamics and that a level playing field will be maintained.
Ford remains absolutely committed to continuing to make progress on our transformation plan without accessing emergency taxpayer assistance from the U.S. government. We have been executing our plan for several years and now gaining market share and new customers with an unprecedented number of new high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles, such the new Ford Fusion, F-150, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKZ. Coming soon are the highly acclaimed Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKT and Transit Connect.
No kidding (in reference to the bold). Ford is still unbelievably in the best shape of the three, despite their burdens that they will need to continue to carry in the future. My guess is that they could shake the UAW and their debtors more easily than the others with GM and Chrysler out of the picture, but who knows. The key is, they have the vehicles that people
want to buy. What a plan for success!
And just because Ford is doing so well,
they're due to increase production by 10% for Q3. A big bunch of winners they are.
And I'm getting really close to buying some stock for the future. My list of wanted stock...
