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(Some Guy) Fail GM Europe still losing money by the metric ton, may cut several car brands   (blogs.detroitnews.com) divider line 26
More: Fail, GM Europe, Opel, Vauxhall, Europe, IHS Automotive, metric tons, Bochum  
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1473 clicks; posted to Business » on 08 Feb 2012 at 5:21 PM   |  Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook   more»   |    Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends! shirt it!



26 Comments   (+0 »)
   
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SurfaceTension [TotalFark]
2012-02-08 02:27:19 PM
IHS Automotive said that an unmanned GM executive had described European losses as "horrendous", and said U.S. management is running out of patience.

Well, maybe if they weren't using robot drones to run the company, they might be doing better.
 
Elandriel [TotalFark]
2012-02-08 02:43:32 PM
Mo' like corporate drones.
 
H31N0US
2012-02-08 05:32:29 PM
Fare thee well, Opel, we hardly knew ye (here in the States)

My first car was an Opel Manta. Yellow. Looked like a mini Ford Maverick only cooler. The gearheads at school wanted to jam a 350 in there but I said no thanks. Would have had to reinforce the frame and replace the whole drive train.
 
H31N0US
2012-02-08 05:35:53 PM
Here it is, but mine didn't have the black hood.

en.club-opel.com
 
fatalvenom
2012-02-08 05:58:57 PM
H31N0US: Here it is, but mine didn't have the black hood.

shiat, just a nicely warmed over 302 with a 5 speed would be killer in that thing.
 
bhcompy
2012-02-08 06:46:16 PM
H31N0US: Fare thee well, Opel, we hardly knew ye (here in the States)

My first car was an Opel Manta. Yellow. Looked like a mini Ford Maverick only cooler. The gearheads at school wanted to jam a 350 in there but I said no thanks. Would have had to reinforce the frame and replace the whole drive train.

Opel was the only division of GM making cool looking cars in the US when GM nuked Saturn from orbit. Now similar highly modern designs dominate the road from the likes of Kia, Hyundai, Scion, etc
 
Dwight_Yeast
2012-02-08 07:53:49 PM
GM US has always had it in for GM Europe. Back in the 1970s, the American went out of their way to sabotage the Opels imported here.

And GM just successfully crushed Saab after twenty years of trying by refusing to let the Chinese buy-out deal Saab arranged go through.

Mark my word, this isn't about cutting losses, this is about attempting to destroy subsidiaries seen as competition.
 
Kurmudgeon
2012-02-08 08:04:37 PM
H31N0US: The gearheads at school wanted to jam a 350 in there but I said no thanks. Would have had to reinforce the frame and replace the whole drive train.

www-scf.usc.edu
 
itwasabright
2012-02-08 08:10:03 PM
On 'also on fark' at the bottom of the page I saw detroitnews.com and read the headline as "GM Europe still losing money by the metric ton, may cut several car breaks."
 
operatorJzigworthy [TotalFark]
2012-02-08 10:15:54 PM
SurfaceTension: IHS Automotive said that an unmanned GM executive had described European losses as "horrendous", and said U.S. management is running out of patience.

Well, maybe if they weren't using robot drones to run the company, they might be doing better.

No surprise here, management at my company is on autopilot too.
 
fatalvenom
2012-02-08 10:44:12 PM
Kurmudgeon: H31N0US: The gearheads at school wanted to jam a 350 in there but I said no thanks. Would have had to reinforce the frame and replace the whole drive train.

By keeping a crappy 350 Chevy motor out of it, then I'd agree.
 
Macular Degenerate
2012-02-08 10:45:01 PM
I think the technical term is metric assload, subby
 
Goodfella
2012-02-09 12:13:38 AM
Then bring back the G8, god dammit.

Best car they've produced in decades and what do they do? They kill it.

You fools!
 
Lupine Chemist
2012-02-09 01:07:37 AM
Dammit, it's already hard to find replacement parts for my old Corsa on the cheap.
 
Saiga410
2012-02-09 01:30:02 AM
This reminds me, I really need to start my search fo a GT. And then my search for an AL 400 block.
 
Kurmudgeon
2012-02-09 02:33:46 AM
fatalvenom: By keeping a crappy 350 Chevy motor out of it, then I'd agree.

That too! Mind programming from the old Petersen Publishing Co (Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc, etc) has had a wide effect.
 
sethstorm
2012-02-09 06:05:36 AM
Where will GM get their Buicks? Opel has been doing all their design work, and poorly.

That, and world cars are just another way for saying "shiatty European golf cart". Better to make a car for the US market and throw that around the world.
 
sethstorm
2012-02-09 06:06:42 AM
fatalvenom: By keeping a crappy 350 Chevy motor out of it, then I'd agree.

As opposed to a lawnmower engine?
 
dumbobruni
2012-02-09 06:56:10 AM
sethstorm:

That, and world cars are just another way for saying "shiatty European golf cart". Better to make a car for the US market and throw that around the world.

cdn.pimpmyspace.org
 
fatalvenom
2012-02-09 08:18:12 AM
Small. Blicksethstorm: fatalvenom: By keeping a crappy 350 Chevy motor out of it, then I'd agree.

As opposed to a lawnmower engine?

Small. Block. Ford.
 
dumbobruni
2012-02-09 09:24:04 AM
fatalvenom: Small. Blicksethstorm: fatalvenom: By keeping a crappy 350 Chevy motor out of it, then I'd agree.

As opposed to a lawnmower engine?

Small. Block. Ford.

you would love the Sunbeam Tiger.

/small British sportscar modified by Carroll Shelby in the 1960s
 
Caelistis [TotalFark]
2012-02-09 09:57:32 AM
dumbobruni:

you would love the Sunbeam Tiger.

/small British sportscar modified by Carroll Shelby in the 1960s



..sort of. While the work was contracted out to CSA, the actual work was done by George Boskoff and Ken Miles. It was Miles who shoved the SBF in to the frame in very little time and sealed the deal for what became a Tiger.

I loved my Tiger when I had it. We removed the 260 (and kept it) and dropped in a spare 302 FE we had lying around the garage. With a moderate 325 hp at the flywheel connected up to an FMX, it was hellaciously fun to drive.

I wish we'd get cars like that. I could see a small, midengined two seater roadster (like the recent Vauxhall 220) from Ford rebirthing the Thunderbird name. Put the Ecoboost engine in it and price it below the Mustang line. It would sell like gothcakes and be zippy as Hell.
 
Kurmudgeon
2012-02-09 03:12:42 PM
Caelistis: Put the Ecoboost engine in it and price it below the Mustang line. It would sell like gothcakes and be zippy as Hell.

Great idea, but I bet Ford wouldn't think kindly on that whole pricing it below the Mustang thing.
 
Caelistis [TotalFark]
2012-02-09 09:12:37 PM
Kurmudgeon: Great idea, but I bet Ford wouldn't think kindly on that whole pricing it below the Mustang thing.

I don't know what the fark is going on with Ford Motorsports at the moment. Ever since John Coletti left and Ford disbanded SVT, they seem to be spinning around without a rudder. The Mustang is an overpriced has-been who is getting spanked in sales by the Camaro because it is a near 10 year old design that BADLY needs a redesign since the nostalgia craze has worn, or is wearing, off. The "Shelby" Mustang (as built by Roush) is laughably priced at 50K with dealer markups around here pushing them up closer to 70K. 70K for a MUSTANG? Ridiculous. The Raptor is pathetic and nowhere near the equal of the Lightning that it was meant to replace. We were promised a quicker Focus based on the Euro RS model but what they're releasing is weak sauce in compared to the RS.

Ford's gotta do something and they have to do something quick. There is absolutely no reason why Ford can't take the Mustang back to its roots as a light, nimble pony car with a small block in it that was inexpensive. There will always be a market for the "classic American muscle car". However, the Miata, Sky and Solstice has shown there is a market in the US for small, two seater roadsters. They have the engine, they have the name and they already have the chassis with the Fiesta.
 
sethstorm
2012-02-10 08:21:57 PM
dumbobruni: sethstorm:

That, and world cars are just another way for saying "shiatty European golf cart". Better to make a car for the US market and throw that around the world.


Suit yourself. But a thunderous engine note from a US-side turboless 6 or a decent 8 will drown out whatever you had to say.


Caelistis: I wish we'd get cars like that. I could see a small, midengined two seater roadster (like the recent Vauxhall 220) from Ford rebirthing the Thunderbird name. Put the Ecoboost engine in it and price it below the Mustang line. It would sell like gothcakes and be zippy as Hell.

Fark no. If Ford had any sense, it would send all the greenies packing for Europe or fire them, while retiring the Ecoboost line. Ford should be pushing the larger lines (Panther/E Platform vans/etc.) out to the world, not importing all the shiatty Eurotrash that is only fit to be used as a carbomb.

A mid-engined T-bird would be against all sense of Ford.

Caelistis: Ford's gotta do something and they have to do something quick. There is absolutely no reason why Ford can't take the Mustang back to its roots as a light, nimble pony car with a small block in it that was inexpensive. There will always be a market for the "classic American muscle car". However, the Miata, Sky and Solstice has shown there is a market in the US for small, two seater roadsters. They have the engine, they have the name and they already have the chassis with the Fiesta.

That was tried once, it was called the Mustang II. It failed horribly.

How about taking a page from Chrysler and put V6/V8 engines at the $15-20k and $20-25k levels respectively?
 
sethstorm
2012-02-10 08:22:50 PM
Caelistis: They have the engine, they have the name and they already have the chassis with the Fiesta.

That's not a car, that's a golfcart that should have remained dead.
 
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