c2vette

Looks like it might be worth watching. On CNBC at 9:00pm eastern time.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/25349480/site/14081545/

ChevyMgr

They sent us the video links in an email this morning and watched as much of it as I could today. I agree this is good stuff!

hhrcrafty

It was a good show. Even better than the Camaro was the peek under the cover on the Volt prototype. If GM could bring those chinese Buicks over here, I think they'd make a fortune on that brand again.

c2vette

This show was very well produced. Thoroughly enjoyed the full lock Cadi and Camaro powerslides. (I also want a 1960 Cadillac). Great old TV ads. Can't help but get a bit emotional wanting GM to triumph. Very good insights as to past problems (The Cimarron, what a POS, and how far they have come since those dismal days!). Excellent show! 5 stars. My theory: Chrysler goes BK amd GM and Ford survive and come back. Biggest downside to me was talk of new $14/hr workers, how can anyone survive on that for heck's sake? Trust me this is worth watching, get the DVD.

hhrcrafty

That's my biggest worry. Start dropping wages and the quality is probably going to suffer. If you don't give people a reason to show up and put their best work out there, how are you going to compete?

Having said that, paying people $28 an hour isn't working anyway, especially when the imports and transplants are getting less than that. I think the key is to simplify the assembly process more and more and depending less on the assembly plant workers to assemble complicated systems.

GM also better figure out how to get the Volt down to a price point below $30k or it's just going to be another case of window dressing like the EV1.

Old Lar

The show was informative, but the culture of the CEOs GM has had will always be the same. Cut costs (labor is the first to go, quality is the second) and get the car out the door. The only cars they seem to be pushing is the Malibu, Corvette and Cadillac. What if you don't want a four door sedan or a $40,000+ dollar car?

The Volt with its 40 mile cruising range on battery, before a gas powered generator kicks in is suspect.

When Pontiac was building the Fiero, they were to follow the Deming proceedures to build a quality product. Deming's plan is effective once implimented, but can be costly to impliment and US companies will not make that initial investment. Management will talk the talk, but not walk the walk. The bottom line, if you can cut costs, do it.

orlandomon

$14/hour is alot of money in my part of texas.... heck, give me 10$ an hr and ill go work for gm...

now that i think about it, thats what GM needs to do to cut costs, get people that will work for under 11/hour, (like myself, and theres alot of us here) and increase profits.

If they were to open up a plant in my area, they could get americans working for around 10 bucks an hour, without having to give us any benefits... 50% of the people in my city have no benefits anyway.

as an example, I work for under 7/hour, and do not get any type of insurance, do not get a single paid day off, or sick days. if i dont work, i dont get paid pretty much. So if GM was to come down here and offer 10/hr jobs, they would have thousands of people lined up.

btw, i have an AA degree and i still cant make more than 7-8, people with only a HS diploma are still making 6/hr...

hhrcrafty

That's why most import and even domestic manufacturers are opening plants everywhere there hasn't been one built. They don't want to deal with people who've been paid a successful wage in the past and will fight to keep it. They also want to deal with local governments that will sign on the dotted line for tax breaks and incentives to get the plants built for free after taxes and land use fees are waived.

$14 an hour IS a lot of money in TX, but any house built north of Tulsa is going to cost twice as much as TX.

orlandomon

while the fact that housing costs easily multiply the higher north you go..... you also need to realize that everything else pretty much costs the same: Gas, food, cars, entertainment (movies/etc..) so for poor college students like me, a 10$/hr job would be god-sent, especially when we only make around 800$ a month, and 50% of that is a car payment. (btw, yes I know a brand new car is not essential, but id rather drive a safe/reliable car then something that could potentially break down on the interstate causing an accident)