How General Motors Plans to Muddle Through

"I ran a spreadsheet based on $4.00 a gallon gas and 1,000 miles per month. A 12 mpg eight cylinder burns 1,000 gallons or $4,000 worth of gas per year or $76.92 per week. A 30 mpg four cylinder uses 400 gallons per year($1,600)or $30.77 per week.There is a difference of $2,400 per year (or $46.15 per week) in fuel costs between an eight sylinder and 4 cylinder. All this is based on 1000 miles per month or about 33 miles per day.

The gentleman for General Motors says there is about $17 per week difference ($884 per year) in costs between a 8 cylinder and 4 cylinder. The mileage per month to achieve the $17 per day difference betwen the eight sylinder and four cylinder is 375 miles or 12.5 miles per day. Does anyone drive only 12.5 miles per day? Maybe only the little old lady from Pasadena.

Run all the spread sheets you want to, but I drive a 2008 Avalance and it gets on average 19.5 miles to a gallon. If you avg 12 then maybe you shouldn't let it idle so much..

GM will not fold - It is a mainstay in our economy, not to mention what it does in other (foreign) markets.

If it were not for the strong arm of unions-GM would not have to pay for medical benifits of all retired people and the pensions are a different story....

Wake up America - work hard for yourself, put your own money to work and don't rely on Corporate America to take care of you.

jasonk of TX 10:33AM September 25, 2008

"the auto execs voted him into office because they were afraid the Democrats would force them into performing on their promises and actually achieving better mileage standards"

Yeah... Because the auto execs of 3 bankrupt companies that sell mostly to the middle class single handedly elected Bush president.

"our technology, factories and workers are way behind the competitive car companies"

Wrong again... The ***PERCEPTION of our companies is way behind the competitive car companies. GM & Ford R&D is just as good, if not better, than the Asian companies.

"Mark LaNeve might start to understand the ripple effect their lazy and corrupt decisions have caused the past thirty years"

So you're going to punish LaNeve & Co. for decisions they had no part in?

"Maybe $17 per week fuel cost difference between a guzzler Silverado and a Camry is "not that much" to a highly-paid executive like Mark LaNeve. To the average Joe, close to $900 per year"

Not really... I'm willing to bet that the average Joe pays WAY more than that for alcohol and cigarettes each year. Gas is STILL cheap. If you bought enough 20 oz sodas to equal a gallon, gas would STILL be cheaper.

"Only geezers drive the Escalade."

Oh really? Maybe you should check the demographics for the Escalade again.

"GM's brands are tired. Ford at least has finally and belatedly, bitten the bullet and opted for smaller, fuel-efficient cars. I wish it well. Despite Mr. LaNeve's coy comment that GM, too, is "considering" hybrids and smaller engines for certain GM models (wink-wink -- he won't say which ones!), I for one am not holding my breath."

And GM hasn't opted for more efficient cars? New Chevy Cruze, new Chevy Equinox, new Chevy Aveo, HHR replacement, new Pontiac G3 & G5, new Pontiac G6, New GMC small SUV (Not yet named), Possible Delta (Cobalt-sized) Buicks, new Saturn Astra, downsizing of both the Saab 9-3 and 9-5, new Saab 9-1 and 9-4X, possible Chevy Beat and smaller Saturns... The entire ALPHA program.

Nah... GM hasn't thought about efficiency at all. Especially when you consider the hybrid truck program and the Chevy VOLT/Saturn FLEXTREME.

And, FWIW, the models they are refering to about (never put a 4 cylinder in before) are cars like Camaro, G8, Cadillacs and Corvette.... You know, cars that DON'T NEED IT.

"America is a big country of big ideas and big vistas, and many of us love our big vehicles for very good reasons, despite what eco-trendy, city-dwelling writers for the New York Times and others might think we *should* want."

Amen... And as soon as battery technology gets better, you'd better believe that SUVs will be back in a big way!

"While GM presses forward to enhance fuel efficiency, the press seems to generally forget that GM already makes a full range of passenger cars and crossovers that are very competitive in their segments, in some cases class-leading. Heck, my Corvette easily does 30 MPG on the highway! The more the press characterizes GM predominantly as a peddler of big, guzzling trucks, the worse things get for their image and their sales. And the irony is that GM's full size trucks and SUVs are usually the most efficient in their respective classes, and that's not even counting their new full size 2-mode hybrids."

Exactly... It's the same anti-GM media spin that has been happening for decades. It's just too bad that MOST people aren't informed enough to see through the ignorance.

TheFOG of NC 12:45AM August 03, 2008

While Mark LaNeve's $17 comments may have seemed insensitive to those on a tight budget, I think he does have a point. In my opinion, many people are in a panic over gas prices far out of proportion to the real impact to their lives. As the pendulum swings, I think a lot of overeacting people are going to rue they day they traded in their SUV when they take their first family vacation in a Civic or Camry, not to mention those weekly trips to the warehouse club or home depot. America is a big country of big ideas and big vistas, and many of us love our big vehicles for very good reasons, despite what eco-trendy, city-dwelling writers for the New York Times and others might think we *should* want.

While GM presses forward to enhance fuel efficiency, the press seems to generally forget that GM already makes a full range of passenger cars and crossovers that are very competitive in their segments, in some cases class-leading. Heck, my Corvette easily does 30 MPG on the highway! The more the press characterizes GM predominantly as a peddler of big, guzzling trucks, the worse things get for their image and their sales. And the irony is that GM's full size trucks and SUVs are usually the most efficient in their respective classes, and that's not even counting their new full size 2-mode hybrids.

B Larson of NJ 11:01AM August 02, 2008