The Big 3 received a similar size loan from the government not to long ago to help them move towards manufactoring more energy efficient vehicles. Why not use that money to get them through the tough times while they restructure.
That loan was approved but no cash has been distributed to any of the Big 3.
This is a big misconception that the big 3 have already gotten and wasted that $25B....Just not the case.
Cincinnati '03 Flooded venue!
Bridge School '06 Night 1 & 2
Venice '07 pummeled by the sleet!
Nijmegen '07
Werchter '07
April Fools ~ LA1
Crap, if its 45k its going to bomb... If it was 25k to 35k they got a winner..
no offense, but don't you think that if they could build an electric car and sell it for $25,000 they would do so by now?
The problem with the Volt is that the battery company can not produce enough batteries and they are very expensive to produce. The battery is what will make this car 40k, but people don't mind paying over 30k for a Prius which will be blown out of the water with the Volt- so it shouldn't be a big deal
no offense, but don't you think that if they could build an electric car and sell it for $25,000 they would do so by now?
The problem with the Volt is that the battery company can not produce enough batteries and they are very expensive to produce. The battery is what will make this car 40k, but people don't mind paying over 30k for a Prius which will be blown out of the water with the Volt- so it shouldn't be a big deal
Perhaps if they had invested just a little bit more into research and development instead of dumping $200 million into Harly Earl campagins which touted a 5.3 L V8 SUV, that impossible dream of an affordable electric would not be so impossible.
no offense, but don't you think that if they could build an electric car and sell it for $25,000 they would do so by now?
The problem with the Volt is that the battery company can not produce enough batteries and they are very expensive to produce. The battery is what will make this car 40k, but people don't mind paying over 30k for a Prius which will be blown out of the water with the Volt- so it shouldn't be a big deal
No I don't think they would have tried to make "value electric car" until they can get the ones they just created to sell. I don't think the dealers thought they would have been able to sell them a few years ago so the idea was on the back burner. I think it takes at least 10 years to go from concept to showroom for a car.
I don't believe in the enviroment or having to save gas because their won't be any hype. But I do wish that we would get off the combustable engines and evolve into something better. We have been on this type of engine for almost 100 years already. Time to evolve and move on. We really need to get the super conductor research going again. I think once we do, electric will be cheap to produce and transmit. Plus electric engines will have more torque then. Which means better trucks. I would love an electric monster truck.
Perhaps if they had invested just a little bit more into research and development instead of dumping $200 million into Harly Earl campagins which touted a 5.3 L V8 SUV, that impossible dream of an affordable electric would not be so impossible.
they have an electric car that will be mass produced as soon as the company can make enough batteries. Hell if it were so easy don't you think the other companies would have made one by now?
The Volt goes 45 minutes without using any gas...none at all. I know everyone who wants a cheap car wants one of those, but because of the technology you won't be getting it for 20,000 a year- it's simple. You don't walk into Best Buy and expect the latest, greatest LCD TV to be the cheapest. Once they sell enough Volt's they will be more advanced in the technology to build more cars like it and scale the price down.
It would be ideal if someone, whether it be Chinese or otherwise, bought them out. They have been run inefficiently and will continue to fail with thier corporate structure. The reason this would be ideal is the tax payer would have to do nothing, the employees would buy a little time until "china" would move resources home for cheaper labor and some people who currently work for them would keep their jobs for the long haul. Also, Unemployment would not skyrocket and the externalities to other firms who contirbute parts and whatnot would not be hit.... thereby saving more American jobs.... at the very least temporarily.
I think it would be a very very good thing if some firm purchased these companies for the firms, their employees and the U.S. That said, I think it would be stupid to purchase these firms unless you have the resources to completely alter their organization.
they have an electric car that will be mass produced as soon as the company can make enough batteries. Hell if it were so easy don't you think the other companies would have made one by now?
The Volt goes 45 minutes without using any gas...none at all. I know everyone who wants a cheap car wants one of those, but because of the technology you won't be getting it for 20,000 a year- it's simple. You don't walk into Best Buy and expect the latest, greatest LCD TV to be the cheapest. Once they sell enough Volt's they will be more advanced in the technology to build more cars like it and scale the price down.
Whoever said anything about it being easy? My point is that they made a serious misallocation of vast resources, and no one regardless of their industry background can say for certain what could or couldn't have happened. And that's why I say it isn't entirely unreasonable to assume there could be a possibility that if they had made the decision to dedicate themselves to innovation, they would not be facing the situation they're facing today.
But, one thing is for sure, which is that they made the wrong decisions while other car companies didn't.
I have heard that when Lee Iacocca joined the failing Chrysler company he decided to work without taking a penny until the company turned around, (the creation of the Chrysler mini-van basically saved them).
I propose the same idea to the CEOS of the big three. The auto companies get the bail out as long as the CEOs work for free. They can finally start getting a paycheck when their companies turn it around and a percentage of the 25 billion dollar loan has been paid back to Washington. I bet if put in that scenario, those CEOs would work their asses off to insure their companies make a good product.
Comments
That loan was approved but no cash has been distributed to any of the Big 3.
This is a big misconception that the big 3 have already gotten and wasted that $25B....Just not the case.
Bridge School '06 Night 1 & 2
Venice '07 pummeled by the sleet!
Nijmegen '07
Werchter '07
April Fools ~ LA1
Why aren't the executives asking for this cash to be released to them instead of asking for another $25 billion?
They have been. In fact it seems like a compromise has been reached just now on this money and a vote should follow soon...
Bridge School '06 Night 1 & 2
Venice '07 pummeled by the sleet!
Nijmegen '07
Werchter '07
April Fools ~ LA1
no offense, but don't you think that if they could build an electric car and sell it for $25,000 they would do so by now?
The problem with the Volt is that the battery company can not produce enough batteries and they are very expensive to produce. The battery is what will make this car 40k, but people don't mind paying over 30k for a Prius which will be blown out of the water with the Volt- so it shouldn't be a big deal
Perhaps if they had invested just a little bit more into research and development instead of dumping $200 million into Harly Earl campagins which touted a 5.3 L V8 SUV, that impossible dream of an affordable electric would not be so impossible.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
No I don't think they would have tried to make "value electric car" until they can get the ones they just created to sell. I don't think the dealers thought they would have been able to sell them a few years ago so the idea was on the back burner. I think it takes at least 10 years to go from concept to showroom for a car.
I don't believe in the enviroment or having to save gas because their won't be any hype. But I do wish that we would get off the combustable engines and evolve into something better. We have been on this type of engine for almost 100 years already. Time to evolve and move on. We really need to get the super conductor research going again. I think once we do, electric will be cheap to produce and transmit. Plus electric engines will have more torque then. Which means better trucks. I would love an electric monster truck.
they have an electric car that will be mass produced as soon as the company can make enough batteries. Hell if it were so easy don't you think the other companies would have made one by now?
The Volt goes 45 minutes without using any gas...none at all. I know everyone who wants a cheap car wants one of those, but because of the technology you won't be getting it for 20,000 a year- it's simple. You don't walk into Best Buy and expect the latest, greatest LCD TV to be the cheapest. Once they sell enough Volt's they will be more advanced in the technology to build more cars like it and scale the price down.
It would be ideal if someone, whether it be Chinese or otherwise, bought them out. They have been run inefficiently and will continue to fail with thier corporate structure. The reason this would be ideal is the tax payer would have to do nothing, the employees would buy a little time until "china" would move resources home for cheaper labor and some people who currently work for them would keep their jobs for the long haul. Also, Unemployment would not skyrocket and the externalities to other firms who contirbute parts and whatnot would not be hit.... thereby saving more American jobs.... at the very least temporarily.
I think it would be a very very good thing if some firm purchased these companies for the firms, their employees and the U.S. That said, I think it would be stupid to purchase these firms unless you have the resources to completely alter their organization.
Whoever said anything about it being easy? My point is that they made a serious misallocation of vast resources, and no one regardless of their industry background can say for certain what could or couldn't have happened. And that's why I say it isn't entirely unreasonable to assume there could be a possibility that if they had made the decision to dedicate themselves to innovation, they would not be facing the situation they're facing today.
But, one thing is for sure, which is that they made the wrong decisions while other car companies didn't.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
I propose the same idea to the CEOS of the big three. The auto companies get the bail out as long as the CEOs work for free. They can finally start getting a paycheck when their companies turn it around and a percentage of the 25 billion dollar loan has been paid back to Washington. I bet if put in that scenario, those CEOs would work their asses off to insure their companies make a good product.