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GM Down under news flash

628 views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  GreatEscape2004 
#1 ·
Our australian news media, has reported that GM will close about 14 factories in america. This action will result in the loss of 21,000 jobs.

The ' Holden ' plant in elizabeth , which is a suburb north of adelaide, has declined to make a comment. Doesn't look good to me. People just can't afford new cars, because employers can not gaurantee 100% job security. Everywhere in adelaide and suburbs, the car yards are full of new model holdens. They have been there for months.

The dealers offer incentives, hoping they can deplete their stock. It is not happening. I be aware we are in a crisis. The surface has only been scratched. Can anticipate it will become very severe. I am surprised that the GM american bosses, have not closed down the ' Holden ' factory at elizabeth.

If they choose to keep their sth. australian division going, i will guess it would be for different reasons. I suppose the benefit for our government would be political.
 
#3 ·
It's reported that GM's British division, called Vauxhall, is about to be sold off to a Canadian company, as otherwise both the Luton and Ellesmere Port production plants will be closed down, with the loss of quite a few jobs :doh:

Honda has gone on a 3 day week at it's Swindon factory, as has Nissan in Sunderland.

BMW has really cut back on the Mini production line at Oxford, LDV has been closed down, then bought from the Russians to a Malaysian group.

Even Ford is finding it tough, with both Landrover and Jaguar struggling to survive, and being threatened with closure.

However, it's not all bad news, as my Father has finally completed his construction companies largest project to date, here in Leeds, which is a brand new car factory for Ginetta, whom are about to launch the UK's "version" of the Tesla, only because it's British, it will drive and handle better, and be more economical :lol: :lol:
http://www.ginettacars.com/
 
#4 ·
camusdarrach said:
It's reported that GM's British division, called Vauxhall, is about to be sold off to a Canadian company, as otherwise both the Luton and Ellesmere Port production plants will be closed down, with the loss of quite a few jobs :doh:

Honda has gone on a 3 day week at it's Swindon factory, as has Nissan in Sunderland.

BMW has really cut back on the Mini production line at Oxford, LDV has been closed down, then bought from the Russians to a Malaysian group.

Even Ford is finding it tough, with both Landrover and Jaguar struggling to survive, and being threatened with closure.

However, it's not all bad news, as my Father has finally completed his construction companies largest project to date, here in Leeds, which is a brand new car factory for Ginetta, whom are about to launch the UK's "version" of the Tesla, only because it's British, it will drive and handle better, and be more economical :lol: :lol:
http://www.ginettacars.com/
I thought that Vauxhall was already gone... :shock:

I understood Honda was considering the closure of the Swindon factory, I read it on some other (Honda) blog... :(

I was told by the local Mini dealer that the Mini production and orders are still in arrears. :shrug:

Ford sold Landrover and Jaguar to the Indians (Tata Motor Corp.) last year... :shock: :bill:

I am glad that your Dad is doing well, it's not curtains for everyone here either.

If you think that the 11-14 plants being closed by GM are not necessary to their future, it makes me realize that they were enormously over committed to factories beyond what they needed. It, imo, is the direct result of union contracts requiring that the corporation keep a factory open as part of a contract settlement. Not necessarily bad management. Maybe incredibly poor negotiations, or not knowing what you have in your own portfolio? Sorry state of affairs, in any case.
 
#5 ·
OOPPS, sorry about the Landrover / Jaguar being owned by Ford :doh: , of course it's TATA, but they are still being considered for closure :worry:

Vauxhall is just about hanging on at the moment, but for how long is anybodies guess if this Canadian deal does'nt go through.

BMW have cut back on Mini production, as there is a huge stockpile of the overexpensive things over here, all unsold since customers lines of credit have been cut back...

Yep the Swindon factory could close, but there would be an outcry, as it's one of the most profitable car factory's in the UK, the production rate/ employee is about 3X what GM/Ford USA etc is.....(the same goes for Nissan's Sunderland factory)

Ginetta is doing well though :thumb:
 
#7 ·
camusdarrach said:
Yep the Swindon factory could close, but there would be an outcry, as it's one of the most profitable car factory's in the UK, the production rate/ employee is about 3X what GM/Ford USA etc is.....(the same goes for Nissan's Sunderland factory)
Interestingly enough, Chrysler was one of America's most efficient car companies just a couple years ago. So much for efficiency and production. It'll come back and get you when your not looking... :worry:
 
#8 ·
Not just the most efficient car company - it was the most profitable (per unit) company in the world. Then the Germans came along and ruined everything with their drunken shenanigans. :bang:

Is Vauxhall still around? I thought it only existed presently as just another name for Opel. The Canadian company buying Opel is Magna, parent of Austria's Magna Steyr. They're getting a 20% stake with backing from a Russian company, which gets 35%. GM retains a small minority stake. That is if the deal doesn't fall through, as the CEO of Magna has expressed thoughts of shifting Opel production to Canada. We'll see how the German government likes that.
 
#9 ·
Squishy said:
Not just the most efficient car company - it was the most profitable (per unit) company in the world. Then the Germans came along and ruined everything with their drunken shenanigans. :bang:

Is Vauxhall still around? I thought it only existed presently as just another name for Opel. The Canadian company buying Opel is Magna, parent of Austria's Magna Steyr. They're getting a 20% stake with backing from a Russian company, which gets 35%. GM retains a small minority stake. That is if the deal doesn't fall through, as the CEO of Magna has expressed thoughts of shifting Opel production to Canada. We'll see how the German government likes that.
Must be those Russian petro dollars at work... :shock: :fan:
 
#14 ·
Well, today LDV has been placed into administration, as the Malaysian's can't raise the finance needed to buy LDV from the Russian's..................... :wall:

OK the LDV's were a outdated pile of ****, but still,it's a shame...
 
#15 ·
kkreit01 said:
Even worse, we'll now have a "Chummer". Fox News is reporting Hummer being sold to Chinese company.
Yeah, the Italians have controlling interest in Chrysler, which owns Jeep. Then the Jeeps successor, the Hummer is sold direct to the Chinese. :wall:

There are a number of Hummer wannabes out there. I know of one being built on a Ford one ton chassis, in a garage in Wisconson. It is actually a higher quality job than the original piece from AM General, the manufacturer of record for the H1. Why? you may ask. :shrug: It's a show truck :thumb: . The AM General truck was a crude built thing for crashing around a battlefield. ;)
 
#16 ·
Around Leeds, we have to suffer a "Stretched " Hummer limo, has 4 axles (3 at rear), and is 49' long...................................

Will post a piccie of it when I get one.
Oh, the same company also has a Ford Explorer which has undergone the same conversion :wall:
 
#18 ·
Around here haven't seen a stretched Hummer, but lots of Navigators. I miss the stretched Lincoln TownCars and big Caddies. I used to work part-time as a limo driver (boy, the stories I could tell), and we had the Lincolns. Nothing more exciting than trying to wheel a 30 foot long car through the backstreets of Boston's NorthEnd (the Old Italian section). I got out of the business when they started transitioning to the trucks, vans, and converted party busses.
 
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