Nissan, Renault, and.....GM?

[pablo180]

Pretty much, Nissan and Renault want a big share of GM

details here.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060630/ap_on_bi_ge/tracinda_gm_alliance;_ylt=AibrRqmwspN8ck62HabKZsCs 0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

[exitspeed]

Wow, this is big news.

I'm very interested to see how this turns out.

Think about a second gen GTR being on the same platform the C7. Interesante...

[SilentSamurai8]

Interesting. Not sure what to think about that though. Dont think it will effect any of use SOON, but got some good info out of it I did not know before.

[TheSquidd]

wow.

IMHO, 3 things could happen.

A. GM takes this, but they lose their credibility to the American market for being sell-outs. Their cars quality and price will drastically improve, and heck they might even have some STYLE and mileage gains as a benefit of their alliance. The redneck, flag waving community abandons them for having partial ownership from a Japanese company.

B. GM doesn't take this, and continues to flop. Eventually all GM plants in America will close and GM vehicles will continue to be made in Mexico and other countries. They will always have their share of the market in the Pro-American buyers but it won't be enough to support them as the Japanese continue to dominate the market with innovation and affordability. The company will either need to reinvent itself or die.

C. GM doesn't take this, because they have some crazy plan for the future to turn the company around. They redesign their vehicles from the ground up, take hints from the successes (and failures) of the Japanese manufacturerers.

Rank of likelyhood:
1. B
2. A
3. C

American companies pride themselves on being the same, big displacement, big as can be, conservatively designed machines. I just don't see GM turning themselves around and becoming the hip, cool and innovative company they need to be. The Corvette? cool car, great performance for the price. Their car and truck lineup? The bulk of their sales? Blech! They've tried over and over to imitate the designs of the import market, and everytime they failed.

Eventually the domestic auto market will dwindle to the point the companies will need to reinvent themselves (and I'm not talking about coming out with another retro-remake car. The charger? Give me a break!). It is then, and only then I believe the Americans will once again be able to hold a confident share of the market.

[exitspeed]

^
Good insite there Squidd.

I agree qith 99% of what you said.

[S13Eye]

Sometimes when i get my Volvos serviced, i will get a rental vehicle from Hertz. They always give me a brand new, or almost new mid-range American car, and i have to say they are absolute garbage. The last two cars i had were a fully loaded Pontiac Grand Prix GT? and a Ford Taurus, also fully loaded. Both cars felt unfit to be driven on public roads and the build quality was horrid. Something has to change, or else Ford and GM will go under. Its no wonder Toyota is doing so well, when they actually put some time and effort into their cars.

One one hand, i would like nothing more than to walk into a domestic dealership and feel like i'm looking at the best vehicles available. On the other, i hope GM and Ford go under completely for the garbage they spew out into the market. Its not like their cars are that cheap either, and their service sucks ass. We had a brand new Ford pickup in the family and just based on customer service, i would never again buy a Ford. When i called Nissan of North America about the key code for my 1993 S13, they did everything they possibly could to help me out, called me back on time, and actually put a good amount of research into my car. Its this kind of customer appreciation, and product quality that will keep my money going to foreign manufacturers.