This boggles my mind. I really don't know what to say. GM Sees Value in Unprofitable Hybrids USA: September 30, 2005 MILFORD, Michigan - General Motors Corp. sees value in unprofitable hybrid vehicles and is boosting efforts in their development, the automaker's vice chairman said on Thursday. Robert Lutz acknowledged the world's largest automaker has lagged in the development of hybrids, which twin a gasoline engine to an electric motor and batteries to boost fuel economy. "That will change very quickly as we roll out our various categories of hybrids, but right now we're not where we ought to be," he told reporters at a GM event here. Chief Executive Rick Wagoner has said in the past GM will not make unprofitable vehicles. However, Lutz said there is now an appreciation at GM for hybrids as a form of corporate advertising to show a company is technologically and environmentally advanced. "If you have to do some and lose money on them, we have to consider it as another form of communications expense and I think Rick accepts that and the board of directors accepts it," Lutz said. Ford said last week it was planning to boost global production of hybrid vehicles tenfold to 250,000 annually by 2010. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. , seen as a leader in hybrid technology along with Honda Motor Co. Ltd. , plans to boost hybrid sales to 1 million units by the early part of next decade. Lutz declined to address GM's US auto sales in September, but said the automaker will no longer offer employee pricing plans and instead shift to value pricing as a way to emphasize a vehicle and its attributes as opposed to the deal itself. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ------------------------ The GM Business Plan - Lose More Money on purpose and blame it on someone else? My brain hurts.
"Another form of communications expense"??? Can't wait to see these high-tech babies. Undoubtedly will bury Toyota with 'em.
What do you mean? GM has already begun the First Hybrid Truck campaign... the best in the industry!!!! :lol:
Personally, I think they blew there big-bang chance with the EV1 Fiasco. Then, these bozo's will turn their marketing campaign around to take credit for all the hybrids. They want instant gratification - money profits...now. Hopefully, the quality will follow - because it's a few years, and a few miles behind.
You mean the 'hybrid' (and I use that word lightly) trucks that get just a few more miles to the gallon than their gasoline only counterparts? LOL...yes, quite impressive already. :lol:
How does Toyota build hybrid cars in Japan, ship them all the way over to the us and then make money on them if GM can't build them here and make money on them?
They've been making them since 98? or right around there. That's a lot of time for them to recoupe some of their R&D. GM is way behind the ball.
Because GM still needs to do design for their hybrid system for cars, and the relevant engineering, all phases that Toyota has the basic framework for years now. Why aren't you blasting GM for very transparently what you are accusing Toyota is doing? Using hybrid technology to improve their image and distract from GM's horrible and polluting truck business? the truck business that is bigger than Toyota's and contributes much more to pollution because of the # of vehicles?
It must be because GM is an American company. They could build a 20 passenger SUV that gets 2mpg and it would be ok with Malorn.
He is sitting on his "Smoke and Mirrors" thread and oblivious to this one because he's not subscribed to it. Notice, every time someone replys he get's his 2 cents in? If we were to flood that thread (like we kinda are) his email box will be swamped.
