Trump 'very disappointed' with General Motors after plant closures

[Renae]

Why can't we make electric vehicles and crossovers in this country?

People don't want to buy them... I guess you could mandate people have to buy them...

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Why can't we make electric vehicles and crossovers in this country?

We will be, watch this space.

 

[phattonez]

Jobs get lost, it happens. Trump's tweet is asinine

Yes, job losses do happen and it sucks. Where is your sympathy for those Americans who lost their jobs? Why do you think it's a good thing that those jobs are going overseas? Why shouldn't the president do all that he can to keep those jobs here?

 

[Mr Person]

I don't think he understands that people owe loyalty to the country, and that the presidency is merely an office representing power over the country. He thinks people, corporations - anything really - owe loyalty to him personally.



Then again, as to the tax cuts: we told you so. Nobody invests in building more widgets because of a tax cut.

Well, nobody except someone who is soon out of business. Investment only happens if demand is forecast.

How is GM exhibiting loyalty to the country here?

You missed the point with flying colors.

 

[phattonez]

People don't want to buy them... I guess you could mandate people have to buy them...

People don't want to buy crossovers?

You might want to reconsider your post.

 

[ElChupacabra]

Jobs get lost, it happens. Trump's tweet is asinine

Not really when compared to his tweets since they're generally to pander to his base.

 

[phattonez]

You missed the point with flying colors.

Did I? GM is ditching these jobs because there's not enough demand for sedans. Fine, I can understand that. So instead, they're moving production into electric vehicles and crossovers. Fine. So why can't they hire Americans to do this?

Give me a break, this is just an excuse to ship more jobs overseas to lower labor costs and fatten the returns for idle shareholders. American workers get screwed yet again.

 

[Mr Person]

Did I? GM is ditching these jobs because there's not enough demand for sedans. Fine, I can understand that. So instead, they're moving production into electric vehicles and crossovers. Fine. So why can't they hire Americans to do this?

Give me a break, this is just an excuse to ship more jobs overseas to lower labor costs and fatten the returns for idle shareholders. American workers get screwed yet again.

^
Can someone help him understand what I said? I have no idea where he got the idea that I said whatever it is he thinks I said.




PS: take another look. I criticized Trump's narcissism and I criticized the idea that his tax cuts would accomplish much of anything.

 

[Renae]

People don't want to buy crossovers?

You might want to reconsider your post.

Sorry I thought you were talking about the Volt, Gosh, you got me. Go put a star on your fridge.

 

[Renae]

Yes, job losses do happen and it sucks. Where is your sympathy for those Americans who lost their jobs? Why do you think it's a good thing that those jobs are going overseas? Why shouldn't the president do all that he can to keep those jobs here?

Oh, I'm sorry, do I need to have a big cry fest because some people lost their jobs? that will make a big difference in their lives! Why it will really mattter too!

 

[JMR]

It has an impact, but the fact they are moving so hard away from sedans and low sale vehicles says that is the real reason, while yes the Tariff's impact their profitability as a whole, I have serious doubts they would not have made this move were there no tariff's. Companies make changes based on what's profitable... Sedans aren't the future right now, so it makes sense to move away from them. Trump made a fool of himself wading in like that.

I will never disagree with statements that Trump is an asshat. That's a given. Why aren't sedans the future now? Because people believe gas prices are low enough that everyone needs their own personal tank to drive about in. Everyone loses here.

 

[Renae]

I will never disagree with statements that Trump is an asshat. That's a given. Why aren't sedans the future now? Because people believe gas prices are low enough that everyone needs their own personal tank to drive about in. Everyone loses here.

How do people lose? Sedans suck. We got a Trax, it's a smaller crossover but far superior to drive than the sedan that we replaced. I love it.

 

[JMR]

How do people lose? Sedans suck. We got a Trax, it's a smaller crossover but far superior to drive than the sedan that we replaced. I love it.

I don't disagree that GM has been making lousy sedans. For years they have put out a sad product. I've been driving a European sedan of one type or another for 25 years and they have been fun to drive, long lived, and extremely dependable in all traffic situations. Of course I don't have a movie screen in the back seat to keep the kids quiet, or a truck bed to throw my crap in. American auto makers have never seriously tried to make a fine performing car. Now GM will try to stay alive selling more gas guzzlers to people who are convinced they need to drive with all the comforts of their living room, store half of Costco in the rear and take that baby off road for kicks. Personal pet peeve.

Most of this country is not "wide open roads."

GM is making a business decision, which happens to make Trump look foolish, so he ups the ante with foolish tweets.

Same **** Different day.

Trax is excluded from my above rant. Small crossovers serve a good purpose.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Sorry I thought you were talking about the Volt, Gosh, you got me. Go put a star on your fridge.

The Volt sold well, considering the market for hybrids is small to begin with, and it has consistently received high ratings.
As I said, watch this space because the technology will be sticking around and it will be applied to more models.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I don't disagree that GM has been making lousy sedans. For years they have put out a sad product. I've been driving a European sedan of one type or another for 25 years and they have been fun to drive, long lived, and extremely dependable in all traffic situations. Of course I don't have a movie screen in the back seat to keep the kids quiet, or a truck bed to throw my crap in. American auto makers have never seriously tried to make a fine performing car. Now GM will try to stay alive selling more gas guzzlers to people who are convinced they need to drive with all the comforts of their living room, store half of Costco in the rear and take that baby off road for kicks. Personal pet peeve.

Most of this country is not "wide open roads."

GM is making a business decision, which happens to make Trump look foolish, so he ups the ante with foolish tweets.

Same **** Different day.

No, it's more like they will be making crossovers and small SUV's with hybrid technology or BEV technology in the near future.
The Chevy BOLT was their test bed for pure BEV and it was also a success, given the smaller market, the car works.

All that remains is building the charging infrastructure, which isn't that difficult.

 

[JMR]

No, it's more like they will be making crossovers and small SUV's with hybrid technology or BEV technology in the near future.
The Chevy BOLT was their test bed for pure BEV and it was also a success, given the smaller market, the car works.

All that remains is building the charging infrastructure, which isn't that difficult.

I hope you're right. GM hasn't been impressive for quite some time.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I hope you're right. GM hasn't been impressive for quite some time.

Sorry but unless I know how many GM cars you've driven in the last few years, there's no way to have a rational discussion.
I don't intend to try to change your mind, because you said that you've owned Euro sedans that you enjoy for twenty-five years.
That means it's doubtful that you've tried out any of GM's offerings in twenty-five years.

By the way, for the record, I've always been a MoPar guy, pretty much my entire life.
But while GM isn't my absolute favorite I've had plenty of opportunities to try out a lot of their cars.

 

[Lursa]

Trump is tweeting because he wants to look tough and strong, and he also doesn't want to take any blame in the situation. It's about himself. This is what egomaniacs do.

Exactly...he's been bragging and bragging about creating jobs. And his steel tariffs have not helped GM with this decision.

 

[Renae]

The Volt sold well, considering the market for hybrids is small to begin with, and it has consistently received high ratings.
As I said, watch this space because the technology will be sticking around and it will be applied to more models.

IT's being canceled because it sold poorly

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

IT's being canceled because it sold poorly

When GM product chief Bob Lutz was asked how long it would take before the Volt would be profitable, he said, “About as long as it took Toyota to make money with the Prius."

It took Toyota about a decade to make money on the Prius. Now, 15 years since the Prius’s debut in Japan in 1997, the hybrid has become its own successful line of profitable models. For at least four or five years after its introduction, the Prius was ridiculed as a costly science experiment that would never make money.

You're ready to declare the Volt a financial loser—not quite seven years after its introduction.
Have you ever driven or even ridden in a Volt? Do you know anybody who owns one?
I sincerely doubt it.

You just don't think electric or hybrid cars of any kind can be successful.
That's fine, a lot of buggy whip makers yelled "Get a HORSE!" for about a decade after the first Model T cars started clattering down American roads in the turn of the century, too.

And I'm telling you that while American sedan sales are generally too poor to be profitable enough, the technology in the Chevy Volt is an unparalleled success because dollar for dollar and pound for pound, Voltec technology delivers a lower overall cost of ownership than almost ANY car on the planet.

Example 1 – Gasoline: You drive 1,000 miles per month, your car gets 25 Miles Per Gallon, and you pay $3.00 for a gallon of gasoline. That means:

1000 miles / 25 Miles Per Gallon = 40 gallons of gasoline

And

40 gallons of gasoline @ $3.00 a gallon = $120 per month in Gas Costs.

Example 2 – Electricity: You drive 1,000 miles per month, your car (The Chevy Volt) gets 2.7 miles per kilowatt hour used (EPA estimated average), and you pay $0.12 per kilowatt-hour (national average) That means:

1000 miles / 2.7 miles per kilowatt-hour = 370 Kilowatt-Hours

And

370 Kilowatt-Hours @ * $0.12 Per Kilowatt Hour = $44.44 in Electricity per month.

*12 cents per kWh doesn't take "off peak discounts" into account, where you might be paying as little as 6 cents per kWh.

 

[Tanngrisnir]

I hope you're right. GM hasn't been impressive for quite some time.

Oh, but it's quite a profitable company now.

 

[Renae]

When GM product chief Bob Lutz was asked how long it would take before the Volt would be profitable, he said, “About as long as it took Toyota to make money with the Prius."

It took Toyota about a decade to make money on the Prius. Now, 15 years since the Prius’s debut in Japan in 1997, the hybrid has become its own successful line of profitable models. For at least four or five years after its introduction, the Prius was ridiculed as a costly science experiment that would never make money.

You're ready to declare the Volt a financial loser—not quite seven years after its introduction.
Have you ever driven or even ridden in a Volt? Do you know anybody who owns one?
I sincerely doubt it.

You just don't think electric or hybrid cars of any kind can be successful.
That's fine, a lot of buggy whip makers yelled "Get a HORSE!" for about a decade after the first Model T cars started clattering down American roads in the turn of the century, too.

And I'm telling you that while American sedan sales are generally too poor to be profitable enough, the technology in the Chevy Volt is an unparalleled success because dollar for dollar and pound for pound, Voltec technology delivers a lower overall cost of ownership than almost ANY car on the planet.

Example 1 – Gasoline: You drive 1,000 miles per month, your car gets 25 Miles Per Gallon, and you pay $3.00 for a gallon of gasoline. That means:

1000 miles / 25 Miles Per Gallon = 40 gallons of gasoline

And

40 gallons of gasoline @ $3.00 a gallon = $120 per month in Gas Costs.

Example 2 – Electricity: You drive 1,000 miles per month, your car (The Chevy Volt) gets 2.7 miles per kilowatt hour used (EPA estimated average), and you pay $0.12 per kilowatt-hour (national average) That means:

1000 miles / 2.7 miles per kilowatt-hour = 370 Kilowatt-Hours

And

370 Kilowatt-Hours @ * $0.12 Per Kilowatt Hour = $44.44 in Electricity per month.

*12 cents per kWh doesn't take "off peak discounts" into account, where you might be paying as little as 6 cents per kWh.

Example 1, I was recently looking at both the Prius and Volt, Volt is over priced and the Prius was just not what we wanted to pay. For 16k I got a Crossover SUV with 30-35mpg vs paying 24k+ for a Hybrid or a pure lectrical

 

[SoCal]

I think this is a fair post.

Though I doubt the 25% steel tariffs are helping, either.

I think it's fair to point out how unfair life an be, but it unfairly absolves Numnuts from yet another of his broken promises. Haven't you seen all the footage of him at his rallies shouting over and over about all the jobs he's bringing back to middle America?

I heard on the news that GM warned him beforehand that his tariffs would result in this. In the end tariffs makes everyone pay more, but Trumpettes hear the word 'tariff' and they get all a'twitter. Results are nice, but for Numnuts, it's a secondary concern. His goal is to keep them revved up and their minds off all his broken promises and he's very good at it. They don't even notice.

Those heavy industry jobs Numnuts promised will arrive about the same time Mexico pays for his wall, he repeals Obamacare and keeps Muslims from entering the America. Yet many Trumpettes say they only put up with a scumbag like him because he's doing so much...

 

[JMR]

Sorry but unless I know how many GM cars you've driven in the last few years, there's no way to have a rational discussion.
I don't intend to try to change your mind, because you said that you've owned Euro sedans that you enjoy for twenty-five years.
That means it's doubtful that you've tried out any of GM's offerings in twenty-five years.

By the way, for the record, I've always been a MoPar guy, pretty much my entire life.
But while GM isn't my absolute favorite I've had plenty of opportunities to try out a lot of their cars.

The absolute worst car I have ever owned was a Pontiac Firebird, I believe those were made by GM. It was literally unfit for the road, and no longer running at 50,000. I pretty much swore off GM at that time. A while later I had a Ford Merkur, which was fast as hell, but handled terribly. It was declared a death trap by Consumers. I drove a Saab for years, Toyota SUV for a bit, then an Infiniti, a Subaru and then settled in Germany.
I haven't driven a GM car in quite some time, but have a family member who is an avid read of Car and Driver, and have not heard any good news from that quarter, nor has he ever mentioned the slightest interest in owning one. I have a good friend who drives a Suburban, and would never give it up...for whatever reason. I've been in it and it feels like riding in a truck, and it ain't even pretty.

To each his own. Hope GM finds a way to save the jobs.

 

[eohrnberger]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politic...nted-with-general-motors-after-plant-closures

Trump, shut the **** up. It's a business decision to get out of unprofitable products, and move to get ahead of the market trends. There are times you really are an asshat.

Agreed. GM is reducing production on cars that are in a sales slump. Everyone has some extra money in their pockets, gas prices are significantly lower than what they have been these last few years, and the market wants to buy SUVs, which net GM more profit per vehicle than smaller cars. Ford has already done the same, and if Chrysler-Fiat hasn't already they will soon as well.

You have to make what sells in the market. Presidential threats aren't going to change that, ever.

A carbon tax that doubles or triples the price of gas will, for a short time, until that party which passed it is voted out of office.