Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Environmentally responsible GM is pulling the Hummer and may produce electric cars. That mean they may actually have the technology. I am sure it has nothing to do with profit and the fact that they can't sell Hummers. And that electric cars suddenly are able to be manufactured. Has nothing to do with expected profit.

Move along nothing to see here.

God, why is there such little vision and the ability to accept niche markets among US manufacturers of cars!!!! Mazda seems to have done real well with the Miata, then the protege 5, and the orange motorsports version of the Protege and now the Mazda 3 and 6. And please hold back all the arguments that they are a smaller company and can think in smaller terms. GM Oldsmobile (remember them?) used to have its own R&D and was basically GM R&D, except for many of the classic Pontiac designs. GM used to make 3 350 engines--Olds, Chevy and Buick. I can't recall the Pontiac of about that size. They kind of competed with each other. Then, GM combined their R&D budgets and and lowered R&D everywhere. They produced the Cadillac Cimarron (aka Chevy Cavalier with a leather interior) with those efforts. How did they loose market shares? In the late 1970s, they went to a 4-6-8 electronically controlled engine. Then dropped it. No one wanted better mileage while under cruise control at highway speeds. Yet it is now an option. Their small 2.8 L v-6 was a cut down small block. why design a DOHC 3 or 4 valve engine with better combustion characteristics and better power in a smaller engine with better mileage if people will buy crap!!

ooops, where did my market share go?

rojo

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