Green Giants: Conversations with Global Environmental Leaders
BS Top - Dakotah Electric Cars - Mercedes SLS Not long ago, the electric car was left for dead by greedy special interests. In a new documentary, Chris Paine chronicles its unlikely resurrection.Green Giants: Conversations with Global Environmental Leaders
BS Top - Dakotah... more
With the economy showing modest signs of improvement, a number of companies that shed jobs during the recession are beginning to rehire the very same employees.
(Pisani, J., 2009, October 5, par.1)
Twenty-six percent of employers who had layoffs in the past year reported that their company was planning to bring some of them back, according to a new CareerBuilder/USA Today survey of 2,924 hiring managers. “It’s a good sign, but it doesn’t mean the labor market has turned around,” says Dan Seiver, professor in the finance depart of San Diego State University.
(Pisani, J., 2009, October 5, par.2-3)
Of those rehiring, 23 percent said they have already started extending job offers to former employees in the third quarter of this year. Nineteen percent will begin to do so in the fourth quarter. The majority, however, will wait until 2010 (21 percent in the first quarter, 15 percent in the second and 10 percent in the second half of 2010).
(Pisani, J., 2009, October 5, par.4-5)
[Oshkosh (truck manufacturer), Eaton Corporation (industrial), and GM are listed as rehiring.... More details at the link...]With the economy showing modest signs of improvement, a number of companies that shed... more
The nation's automakers are bracing for quieter showrooms and slower sales this autumn after the Cash for Clunkers program offered a big but unsustainable boost in August.The nation's automakers are bracing for quieter showrooms and slower sales this autumn... more
General Motors is attempting to build hype around their new hybrid, the Chevy Volt (expected to come out in 2011) by claiming that it will achieve 230 mpg. Given that GM needs the Volt to succeed, it's not surprising that they are beginning to market it early. Are you buying into the hype machine? Are you awaiting the arrival of the Volt with cautious anticipation? Are you avoiding hype surrounding the Volt because you're perfectly happy with your Insight or Prius? Or, are you in love with your gas guzzler and run away at the very mention of the word 'hybrid'? Share your thoughts.General Motors is attempting to build hype around their new hybrid, the Chevy Volt... more
After filing for bankruptcy protection and accepting billions of dollars in bailouts from the Canadian and American governments, the Detroit-based automaker now sees a glimmer of hope: the Chevy Camaro, assembled in Oshawa, Ont.
The 2010 re-make of the classic muscle car has been a hit with consumers. GM says more than 15,000 Camaros have been sold this year. Demand is so high that the Oshawa plant is unable to keep up; several thousand cars are on backorder.
Ottawa resident Hylton Jorssen was one of the first people to drive a Camaro off the lot. The owner of five Camaros, one of each generation produced, Jorssen says his love affair with the car started back in high school.
"I've always been a Camaro guy," he said. "It's a mix of the power and the fact that it's a car that moves you from A to B, and does it with style."
The newest Camaro pays homage to the 1960's muscle car that inspired a cult following over four decades, with wide rear wheels and a low-profile when seated in the two-plus-two interior. But GM spent years reworking many components, and as result parts of the vehicle now look more like a spaceship.
"It just makes people smile. They see it as youthful optimism," Tom Peters, the head designer of the Camaro, told CBC News.
Much of the design team's work focused on fuel efficiency and aerodynamics. GM now boasts that, at 9.4 L/100 km, the automatic transmission model of the Camaro is the most fuel efficient V6 engine on the market."
-Continued @ cbc.ca"It hasn't been the best year for General Motors.
After filing for bankruptcy... more
The "new" GM has refused to pay the nearly $1 million owed to the auto industry partnership ELVS, that prevents the leakage of mercury from cars that are crushed. Though this seems like a bad move in the midst of the cash for clunker program, GM stated that since they are a new company whose cars do not contain mercury, they are not responsible for the "old" GM (pre-bankruptcy) cars that are infected with mercury containing parts. Without this money, this program may be forced to shut down.
Lame excuse, GM. You are quite the gem.The "new" GM has refused to pay the nearly $1 million owed to the auto industry... more
General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius.General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should... more
"DETROIT -- In California, where all the people are trendy and all the cars are green--or so it seems--General Motors isn't much of a contender. Its pickups and SUVs sell fairly well, but when it comes to cars, Californians prefer import brands like Toyota and Honda over domestic ones like Chevrolet and Buick. While GM's market share stands at about 19.5% nationwide, it barely musters 13% in California.
GM hopes to boost its sales in California--or at least raise its profile there--by starting a new trend: letting consumers buy new vehicles online through a "virtual showroom" on eBay Motors...""DETROIT -- In California, where all the people are trendy and all the cars are... more
When General Motors Co. emerged from bankruptcy, it was freed of obligations for polluted properties at discarded plant sites that will require millions of dollars to clean up.
GM’s unusual, government-engineered bankruptcy allowed the Detroit automaker to emerge as a new company — and to shed billions in liabilities, including claims that governments had against GM for polluting.
Environmental liabilities estimated at $530 million were left with the old GM, which has only $1.2 billion to wind down.
Administrative fees and other claims will soak up that money, and state and local officials told the Free Press they fear the cleanups will be shortchanged.
In Flint, uncertainty over cleaning up Buick City threatens a three-year redevelopment effort. “We can’t lose this opportunity to create more jobs,” said Tim Herman, chief executive officer of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The State of New York is concerned about 12 GM sites, including a 270-acre site along the St. Lawrence River that possesses a “significant threat to human health.” Sites in Ohio, Delaware, Indiana and Colorado also have raised concerns.
GM said the issue rested with Motors Liquidation Co. — what’s left of the old GM — which declined to comment.
Companies have gone bankrupt before, leaving behind expensive messes, but the size of the environmental liabilities shed by GM is extraordinary, said John Pottow, an expert in bankruptcy law at the University of Michigan.
Who will pay for cleanups?
MASSENA, N.Y. -- The estimated cost of cleaning up years of General Motors' dumping of toxic sludge along the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York goes as high as $225 million -- perhaps the largest environmental liability among the 100 or so factory sites GM jettisoned in its bankruptcy reorganization.
Closer to home, in Flint and surrounding Genesee County, leaders say environmental liabilities the new GM was allowed to shed are threatening their efforts to redevelop Buick City, the site of a large assembly facility that closed in the late 1990s.
end of excerpt.Two words: U N B E L I E V A B L E O U T R A G E.
Excerpt:
When General... more
General Motors Co. says its second-quarter worldwide sales fell 15 percent compared with the same period last year due to economic troubles and North American production cuts.General Motors Co. says its second-quarter worldwide sales fell 15 percent compared... more
"Excitement" is not a word people have associated with General Motors cars in recent years. But the company now has a new model that's actually generating some buzz — the redesigned Camaro.
The sleek, two-door coupe looks like a cross between a '60s muscle car and a spaceship. And even in a terrible economy, dealers have sold more than 15,000 in its first several months on the market."Excitement" is not a word people have associated with General Motors cars in recent... more
"Canada has placed its $14-billion bet on the future of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC. The final piece will come Friday when GM's best assets are expected be sold to a new company owned by the Canadian and U.S. governments, vaulting the carmaker out of bankruptcy protection.
Whether the investment pays off depends on how you measure the returns. Viewed narrowly, success hinges on the ability of two specific companies reversing a decade-long market share decline in North America while boosting sales in emerging markets. As shareholders in both GM and Chrysler, the federal and Ontario governments want to see their money being used to win more car buyers so that Canadian factory workers remain employed.
But the logic of spending the equivalent of the GDP of Iceland on rescuing two ailing manufacturers is just as much about stabilizing their reach into the wider economy, especially the supply base. "
Cont'd....
-FINANCIAL POST
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The most interesting part of the article is that the FP claims that over 60% of citizens in both Canada & the United States don't agree with the idea of bailing out the auto industry during a relatively deep recession such as this."Canada has placed its $14-billion bet on the future of General Motors Corp. and... more
The new General Motors arose on Friday as lawyers finished an all-night paperwork session transferring the automaker's good assets to a brand-new company controlled by the U.S. government.The new General Motors arose on Friday as lawyers finished an all-night paperwork... more
Why did GM decide to build its new, lean, and small car in the state of Michigan over other states? The company said it was pushing politics aside, but when we get down to it, the decision was all about politics.Why did GM decide to build its new, lean, and small car in the state of Michigan over... more
A bankruptcy judge has ruled that General Motors Corp. can sell the bulk of its assets to a new company, potentially clearing the way for the automaker to quickly emerge from bankruptcy protection.A bankruptcy judge has ruled that General Motors Corp. can sell the bulk of its assets... more
The automobile did not come to dominate American transportation by chance or by public choice. It happened as part of a plan by auto makers to buy up and destroy mass transit companies. General Motors led the way. As recently as the 1920s, many American cities and towns were connected by a network of electric railroads and interurban trolleys. Within cities, electric street railways, trolleys, and elevated trains, moved large numbers of people easily and cheaply, with minimal congestion and pollution. But steel-wheeled electric/rail mass transit systems did not serve the needs of the automobile manufacturers and their allies in the steel, rubber, glass, concrete, and oil industries.
More at link...The automobile did not come to dominate American transportation by chance or by public... more
General Motors has recently been running a commercial that aims to put a positive spin on bankruptcy. This version is funnier.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.General Motors has recently been running a commercial that aims to put a positive spin... more
It was my privilege to interview Christopher Barger, Director of Social Media at General Motors, this past Monday morning.
General Motors has been under deep scrutiny lately. The car company’s recent bankruptcy is the largest industrial bankruptcy in American history. This is why the GM Social Media Team plays such an important role.
Please read highlights from the interview and download the first Social Nerdia podcast to listen to it in its entirety at: www.socialnerdia.comIt was my privilege to interview Christopher Barger, Director of Social Media at... more
That statement wouldn't be all that horrible coming from the car babe at an auto show but that's a direct quote from the new Chairman of the Board of GM, Edward Whitacre. “I don’t know anything about cars,” Whitacre, 67 formally of AT&T. Whitacre vows to learn about cars but it doesn't bother him at this point.That statement wouldn't be all that horrible coming from the car babe at an auto show... more
