At last! Good news for the Auto Industry

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**chaplaingrabthar**

First of all, Ford has made a 2.7 BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT for the first time since 2005, and they did it all without taking a dime of bailout money.
http://www.freep.com/article/20100128/BUSINESS01/100128014/1318/Ford-reports-2.7B-profit-in-09----first-since-05

Yay for Ford!

Secondly, General Motors found a buyer for Saab. Spyker (a Dutch sports car maker) paid $400M for the company
http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/26/autos/saab_spyker_deal/index.htm
So, Yay for the now Saab-less GM!

**Tyyr**

I knew hoping the UAW had imploded was asking for too much.

**chaplaingrabthar**

I'm hoping that's next. While I'm generally fairly liberal in my political views, I do believe that most unions (and UAW in particular) are scumbags.

**Wrexasaur**

Third...

Toyota is in pretty big trouble...

**chaplaingrabthar**

Yeah, floor mats that lead to fiery crashes are great news...

**Wrexasaur**

Well... let's be entirely fair here, none of what you posted, was good for the industry as a whole, instead, it was specifically good for Ford, and GM.

Since this is the YAY! for Ford and GM thread, I figured it was quite appropriate.

**JohnHwangDD**

That's the best you can come up with for Toyota?

Try this for recalls:
- 3.8 million US cars (floormats)
- 2.3 million US cars (accelerator)
- 1.1 million US cars (floormats)
- 2 million European cars (accelerator)
- 99,000 Pontiac Vibes (accelerator)
- 75,00 Chinese cars recalled (accelerator)

Toyota can't sell any of the following models:
- Corolla
- Matrix
- Camry
- Avalon
- RAV4
- Highlander
- Tundra
- Sequoia

Naturally, rental agencies (Avis, Hertz, Budget, etc.) won't rent them for liability risks.

"Oh, what a feeling"
____

and it gets better...

Toyota (and NHTSA) have been summoned to testify before the House of Representatives.

Awesome.

**sexiest_hero**

There was way more help for the auto nizzz than the bail outs. Unions are no less scummy than the corpate head who dug themselves into this hole, don't give them a free pass.

**aka_tizz**

I'm a huge Ford fan, so congratulations to them! I personally think they're one of the few car companies who successfully kept themselves straight during the crysis

**Cane**

Ford ftw although I still prefer Government Motors' performance vehicles like the Corvette and Camaro as opposed to Mustangs.

Ford's reputation has come a long way since the Ford Explorer Firestone days:

If only there was some hope for Chrysler

**JohnHwangDD**

If Chrysler were a horse, I've have taken her out behind the barn with a 30-06...

**metallifan**

chaplaingrabthar wrote:So, Yay for the now Saab-less GM!

And Pontiac-less
And Saturn-Less
And Hummer-less
And...

Ah well. Less parts I have to keep track of

It must've been tough for Auto Industry Execs, not being able to go to those Company Golf Tournaments, having to give up their Corporate jets... Yep. Life suuure is rough. Good thing they'll be able to start looking into that stuff again.

**Waaagh_Gonads**

If Corvette went back and made a new car (i.e. aircon, MP3 player) with this body work (1969 Corvette Stingray) on it as their sports model... GM would be making a smaller loss as people would actually buy it

**Fateweaver**

Ford does have the best selling pickup in America so it's no wonder they did well.

Loving that car btw.

**chaplaingrabthar**

The greatest Ford ever:

**Mattlov**

I'll happily own a Pontiac for as long as I can. And God willing, never drive a Toyota, Honda, or Hyundai.

**Waaagh_Gonads**

We bought a Hyundai Tuscon SUV and it has been great.

Was (relatively) cheap.
Great service
Reliable so far

The only thing it needs is rubber near the ignition as the keys hanging down off the key ring are rubbing on the moulded plastic, scratching it.

**chaplaingrabthar**

Family car is a Mazda 5, but they're 13.4% Ford-owned, so they're almost American. (And they were 30%+ FoMoCo when we bought it)

**ender502**

Yep..all Ford had to do was put how many dealers and techs and salesman out of work? Who pays for that? Us..thank you unemployment. Ford didn't TAKE any fed money but they sure did stick taxpayers with the bill for their profit.

Of course...what's the problem with unemployment? Depressed income = depressed spending = depressed economy.

Thanks Ford.

When are you people going to realize...what's good for corporate America isn't necesarily good for America.

ender502

**JEB_Stuart**

ender502 wrote:Yep..all Ford had to do was put how many dealers and techs and salesman out of work? Who pays for that? Us..thank you unemployment. Ford didn't TAKE any fed money but they sure did stick taxpayers with the bill for their profit.

Of course...what's the problem with unemployment? Depressed income = depressed spending = depressed economy.

Thanks Ford.

When are you people going to realize...what's good for corporate America isn't necessarily good for America.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Buzz Killington has just made his entrance! Thank you for that useless diatribe...

**Orkeosaurus**

Misallocation of resources is what got us into this mess. We're not going to recover by continuing to misallocate them.

**JEB_Stuart**

Orkeosaurus wrote:Misallocation of resources is what got us into this mess. We're not going to recover by continuing to misallocate them.

Are you referring to the auto industry or the US economy as a whole?

**Orkeosaurus**

The economy as a whole; I don't know much about the auto industry's problems in particular.

**Tyyr**

The auto industry's problem: The UAW.

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If Corvette went back and made a new car (i.e. aircon, MP3 player) with this body work (1969 Corvette Stingray) on it as their sports model... GM would be making a smaller loss as people would actually buy it

They never would. They'd have to "modernize" the look first.

**Frazzled**

Tyyr wrote:The auto industry's problem: The UAW.

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If Corvette went back and made a new car (i.e. aircon, MP3 player) with this body work (1969 Corvette Stingray) on it as their sports model... GM would be making a smaller loss as people would actually buy it

They never would. They'd have to "modernize" the look first.

1. UAW
2. Corporate management

Both deserve each other meanwhile Honda pwons all. My Honda had a higher domestic content then "American" cars and the recent transplants are all in the South. There's a giant toyota plant in San Antonio. Government Motors OWES me a car now.

**Kilkrazy**

Anyone remember the Ford Pinto?

**metallifan**

Kilkrazy wrote:Anyone remember the Ford Pinto?

Back in highschool, my buddy's bro just had the most rusted out piece of s

t Capri. It actually made the comical "Pop-BANG" backfire on startup. There was a hole in the rear floor and we'd spraypaint lines on the road behind us, shoot off fire extinguishers through it, squirt ketchup out of it, drop party hats on the road, all sorts of stuff. I miss that P.O.S. car. One of the rad hoses blew up and the Engine overheated. Never revived it. We did build it a memorial though

**Gornall**

I think my Honda was made in America and my Ford made in Mexico. Good on Ford for getting it's crap together, though. I'm sorry, but in business... survival of the fittest... it encourages competition and innovation. Bailouts encourage laziness.

**JohnHwangDD**

Nope, just the Edsel and the Explorer.

**generalgrog**

Always been a Ford man. Took a lot abuse over the years.

But now I can hold my up high!

Proud owner of:
74 Mustang
89 Escort GT
96 Mustang GT
03 Expedition

GG