[QUOTE=Quatermain N/A SS;190365]Am I the only one not seeing something? Must have be an accident....

 

I think the original quote should have been...

 

theres many reasons why GM discontinued the Camaro and Firebird, but probably one of the main reasins was the St Terease plant was just too big for the production of these cars. GM had a contract with the CAW and received money from the Canadian government, and in return GM promised that St Terease would be the only site Camaro/Firebird would be produced. So ultamately, without getting into a leagal battle, GM shut production, and dimantled the plant, thus ending their restrictive contract.

BTW, GM also had, and still has a same type contract with the Monte, GP, and Impala to be built at Oshawa.

 

I would love to agree with you, and you may be right about the contract thing. But I think the ultimate reason the Camaro, Firebird, and Monte got discontinued is because of lack of sales.

All three cars suffered from an aging design that simply wasn't selling anymore. The Monte is was the worst offender of the three. To the everyday average person, the 2007 Monte looked like the 2000 Monte with different headlights and grille.

To a degree, the Camaro had the same image problem. The Camaro and Monte both needed a complete re-design. But in this age of "what have you done for me lately", the powers that be (at GM) decided that sales didn't justify the cost of paying for the re-design of a failing car.

And as I mentioned already, GM priced their cars out of most people's price range. People could get a Mustang GT far cheaper than they could a Camaro.

 

like i said, there were other reasons for the demise of the Camaro, but inorder for GM to bring the pony car back, they needed to kill the car.... if that makes sense lol

and i disagree with the price thing. The camaro was priced just as competative as the Mustang.

 

Is/was the Pontiac G8 a re-badged Holden?

 

yes, as was the GTO and upcoming Caprice Police car

 

I was aware of the GTO. It was the Holden Monaro. I wanted one of the 04-06 GTO's in the worst way. But GM wouldn't sell them in Canada. (gave all kinds of poor excuses why)

I don't like how they got rid of North American assembled vehicles, and moved them to the Holden plants in Australia. But I must admit I do like the more up to date style of the re-badged Holdens.

Now if GM would move production of those cars back to North America, and lower the sticker price a little.

 

In my opinion all of this has been hanging in the wind for some time now. with all the competition within the auto industries having the unions which were needed YEARs ago have simply become a hinderence in many of the fields they continue to exist. I believe last est. of the workforce which is union was below 30 to 25% with the majority of that goverment local state and federal and of course service and the NEA. a spatering of trades which are becoming less and the auto unions....there is so much cost to the manufactures GM / Ford and CHRYSLER in the legacy side that have yet to kick in with toyo hondi and the non american shops in the states....I am non union and my bennies and pay exceed that of my comrads at catapillar who get paid less as well as half to pay thier dues ,get laid, off forced un paid leave and so on..When I have to go on site to either diognose a hydraulic prob or set up a machine and the shop is union it's a completely blown day too many people who can only perform one funtion each, mechanics / material handlers / goephers. only forklift operator can move the lift and so on. pay increases are not given for merit but set increases annually...no motivation to actually achieve or be great...simply punch in and out. Thats why the big three will fail in my opinion.. they should have filed bankrupcy, busted the uaw contrat sold off the legacy debt and renagotiated with a shell shocked union that had been reduced to tears... Only my opinion guys ..I just hate freakin bullys The Jarhead

 

Hey Mod Taz,

I never left MCF, I usually just lurk and read until someone pi##es me off with a comment like the thread starter or this one here:

Quote:

....I am non union and my bennies and pay exceed that of my comrads at catapillar who get paid less as well as half to pay thier dues ,get laid, off forced un paid leave and so on

Cat pays you more so that you won't join the union. It is really pretty simple. No protection for you equals a little more money in your pocket. If you think Cat, or any Fortune 500 company, won't screw you in a half a heartbeat, you are WRONG.

Also, I could tell you all of the things that unions got for average workers, but I'll just name a few: paid vacations, paid health insurance, paid sick days, paid holidays, no children in factories, the 40 hour work week, overtime pay for any time over 40 hours. and the list goes on and on.

But for people who think unions are useless and don't matter, nothing will help. Well, the folks that are salary where I work are getting hosed by the company, no pay raises and they had their health insurance redone, and man did they get hosed. Not me, since my union has an unbreakable contract. Next year, new contract, so we may get some, too.

Also, just so you know, the legacy costs for health care are what really killed the Big 3. Who ever would have thought health insurance companies would screw people over, raising rates at double digits each and every year?

Also, for Duane, just so you and every other conservative/libertarian/whatever know, I am a Democrat, and I don't consider myself liberal whatsover. I probably have harder viewpoints than many so-called conservatives about some things. Also, since you seem to have forgotten, THIS IS THE FIRST POST OF THIS THREAD: