Gmc Yukon Reviews

Vehicles Move the shedding of Hummer, Saab and Saturn forward to the end of this year, with Pontiac gone by the end of 2010. Cut production by 190,000 in the second and third quarters. Dealership network Slash dealerships by 40 per cent to 3,605 from 6,246. Workforce Reduce the workforce from 61,000 to 40,000 – 7000 more than suggested in the viability plan put forward in February. Financial Execute a debt-swap and restructure that positions the US Government as a majority owner of about 50 per cent — in exchange for forgiving half the debt of the $US15.4 billion already loaned to GM, and adding another $US11.6 billion to it. The United Auto Workers union pension fund would own 40 per cent in exchange for half of the $US20 billion it’s owed. Holders of GM’s $US27 billion worth of bonds would end up owning 10 per cent, with the carmaker exchange 225 common shares for each $US1000 principal amount of outstanding notes. If the bondholder approval rate falls short of the required 90 per cent, GM will file for bankruptcy protection, with bondholders estimated to get just 5c in the dollar – a far cry from the 33c tipped earlier this year.

The car was sent to death row yesterday as General Motors put the sword to the whole Pontiac brand in its efforts to survive the global economic crisis. Pontiac will be dead by the end of 2010 as GM focusses its revised viability program on four key brands in the USA - Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. There is no clear picture yet of how the G8 decision will affect Holden's factory at Elizabeth in South Australia, although its output had already been slashed in reaction to falling local sales of the Commodore and in anticipation of the Pontiac decision. "We will work with Pontiac to manage the phase-out of the G8 through to the end of next year. The announcement has only just occurred so we don’t know what their expectations might be, as the car is currently selling really well," GM Holden spokesman, Scott Whiffin, said this morning. "Notwithstanding the fact that this has only just been announced, we don’t envisage there will be any job losses at Elizabeth as a result of this decision." The bad news on the G8 was balanced by no news of any potential sale of GM Holden. General Motors has talked recently about selling its Opel and Vauxhall divisions in Europe and Britain - in addition to Saab and Hummer - but there was no mention of GM Holden when GM president Fritz Henderson worked through the latest viability plan in Detroit last night. The end of the G8 means GM Holden will shift its focus very quickly to the export potential of its new small car, the Cruze, which goes into production alongside the Commodore next year. The business plan for the car was originally only based on Australian sales but the car - and particularly the hatchback model - will now be pushed as a potential winner for GM outposts in other countries around Asia and also South Africa. It could also join the Commodore in the Middle East, where a version of the VE is sold with Chevrolet badges.

Lutz, a former fighter pilot and Chrysler engineer, was brought into GM to shake the product tree and did a pivotal job at a crucial time.Much of his real work is still to be seen on the road.But Australians can thank Lutz, a fan of the Commodore from the first time he saw one, for helping to forge the export deals for the Monaro and then the VE Commodore. Both went to the USA with Buick badges and the full support of Lutz.GM says Lutz will become a 'senior advisor' on April 1 and will retire at the end of this year, when he will be 77.He has been with GM since 2001 following time with Ford, BMW and Chrysler.Lutz's duties have been handed to Tom Stephens, currently GM's global head of powertrain development and product quality. He is 60 and picks up the product portfolio from April 1. 

Even with my car – not the transport one, the real one – off the road, my Christmas break was still predominantly about cars, and family, the two most important things in life.Not to say I don't like other things as well. They just need to have an engine... or in this rapidly changing era – a motor. The distinction between the two is driven home on all occasions by my father in-law, an electrical engineer.So what does a car nut do in a motor-deprived break? Sorts his magazine and book collection of course... re-organises the book shelves to better accommodate the year’s new additions while trying to allow room for the next. Not an easy job when you have been collecting for over thirty years. The outcome is inevitably hard decisions on what else to archive to the roof cavity. I worry about the weight up there sometimes.Reading the landmark 1000th issue of Motor Sport while enjoying a number of beers, Paul Newman’s obituary stands out, which reminds me that Phil Hill and Paul Frere also passed in 2008 - that’s three of my all time favourite car guys. Hill and Frere, besides being brilliant drivers were great writers.Flicking though a years worth of Motor Sport, F1 and Autosport re-enforced yet again what a soap opera Formula One is. There were literally hundreds of pages written on the wrap up of Stepneygate and the Mosley affair. It will be a good year when Mosley and Ecclestone finally move on. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it is going to happen in '09.Still on motor sport and here in Australia we saw the terrible situation of Mark Skaife and the inappropriate end to his illustrious career.And the motor industry imploded... In the US, GM sales for December where down 23% from the previous year. Honda down 34% and Toyota 15%.Here in Australia Holden was down 11%, Honda 13% and Toyota up 1%. .. I have asked this before... why do we, here in Australia continue to buy Aurions and Camrys instead of Commodores. Toyota - the builder of the world's most boring cars… why why why do you keep buying them. At least TRD disappeared this year and Toyota can now stop pretending they aren't boring. Honda though seem to be the biggest losers, cancelling their F1 program, the NSX, the S2000 replacement, their V8 development and their rear drive platform. Which makes an already boring car company even more boring.On a brighter note there were some highlights; Ford and Lowndes won Bathurst, the F1 season was actually pretty good and the classic car market faired very well with new record sales. Certainly a lot better than the share market anyway.Will 09 be a good one? No - it will just be a year of sorting things out. A quantum shift in the business model and strategy for car manufacturers, significant changes to F1 and who knows what for other races series - manufacturers are dropping support like hot potatoes.Here's to 2010 everyone should work towards making it a good one.

Ford Australia and GM Holden are waiting to hear the outcome of a last- ditch appeal by their American parents for $15 billion in critical short-term funding to prevent them going into bankruptcy."We don't know how it could play out if they fail. That's not a prospect that anyone wants to contemplate," the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar, said yesterday."The fortunes of all the local manufacturers are intrinsically tied to their global parents. The situation for the American companies is obviously extremely serious. They are not bluffing."There is no direct threat to either Ford Australia or GM Holden, and company chiefs insist there is no crisis at Broadmeadows or Fishermans Bend, but the drama in the American motor industry continues to create ripples of confidence in Australia."It is business as usual. But it is ever-more imperative that we continue to sell our cars and run our business correctly," the spokesperson for Ford Australia, Sinead McAlary, said yesterday."At Holden it's business as usual, just as it has been throughout the entire US process. We are continuing our efforts to address local market conditions," said Jonathan Rose of GM Holden.The 'Big Three' have appealed to President Bush for bridging loans to carry them through the first half of 2009 after the American Senate voted-down their original proposal for a bail-out. New-vehicle sales in the USA have collapsed as a result of the American financial meltdown, with analysts forecasting a 17-million market will drop to around 10 million next year.Chrysler, which is only an importer here, will also be affected by any decision in Washington."I don't know very much," Chrysler Australia's managing director, Gerry Jenkins, admitted yesterday."We all know in our heart of heart that the US economy is going to get better. We just don't know where the bottom is. We are riding the bronco."Everything is unfortunately about the US. The economy will have to turn before any positive comes out." 

No.. but we are closer than we have ever been.Even more than architecture, fashion and aircraft, cars are the most visually represented statement of our possible future. From Rust Heinz’ 1938 Phantom Corsair to Syd Mead's Spinner in Blade Runner, the car has been central to our dreams and the imaginations for our potential.The 1950's saw the emergence of a style of design exemplified by Nuccio Bertone, Virgil Exner and Harley Earl, that while it may be considered visually naive now still has profound influence on our perception of future possibilities. GMs Motorama of 1956 was the major showcase for this style of design that lasted into the early seventies, the over-riding feature being the human interpretation of function as driven by form.. The last truly great examples of this period; the Coke bottle Corvette of 67-73, the Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Muira and E-Type Jag are now revered as works of art by car cognoscenti and their prices reflect their stature in the motoring world.. All of these cars display a human’s perception of the flow of air over metal; the mind as a virtual wind tunnel. Post these cars we saw a period of design that was quite - well...., square.The second coming of car design emerged around ten years ago and has been going from strength to strength. While the Futuristic period of the 50's set the visual benchmarks and boundaries for current designers, the designers of the period did not have the shackles of the oil, financial or environmental crisis to deal with. They also did not have the technology available that allowed them to add the function to the form efficiently. At the very heart of the current design period is the evolution of human possibilities that advancing technology and social dreams and responsibilities allow and dictate.. What we are seeing is art meeting and merging with technology to create form with function. If the 50’s were the golden era of car design we have now reached platinum. The Veyron, the 599, the DBS, 997, Murcielago and yes, still the Corvette – all are incredibly beautiful and also capable of 200 mph in relative safety.As exciting as car design presently is the Futurama period is hard to let go of, hence the number of Retro-future cars we continue to see. From the Mini to the Mustang good design should be celebrated, honored and mimicked. The re-interpretation of a classic design when made relevant to the current situation is not something to scorn as it just adds another variety, another choice - and there is nothing wrong with that.For a lot of current designers the benchmark for futuristic design was set in the 70's by Syd Mead  ...Visually we are there. Technologically we are close.We are at the dawn of the alternate propulsion era. We have broken through the political and financial barriers of the oil era. In many ways we can thank the current financial crisis for that. Electric is on the way, which will be an enthusiasts dream with its full size slot car performance and environmental friendliness.Let’s just not get to the point we ban petrol cars from our roads, let them naturally evolve out.With the future - we are almost there, but our past is continuing to remain with us longer. - Thankfully.The last turn of a V12 on a public road should be put off for as long as possible.Rod Halligan

The big question everyone is asking right now is not whether or not the $6.2 billion of taxpayer's money the Federal Government has stumped up for the local car industry is good value but whether the parent companies of Holden and Ford Australia in the US will be in existence next year.If, as is looking increasingly likely, they go belly up, where does that leave Holden and Ford Australia? And what becomes of our $6.2 billion investment.It's the subject of much speculation and calls into question the massive leg-up provided by us, the Australian taxpayer, to local subsidiaries of GM and Ford. And remember, both US parent companies have been in the poo for longer than a few months - their problems go right back to the start of the century when there was a lack of suitable development and poor forward planning. This resulted in both companies getting in a right pickle with the wrong vehicles at the wrong time, push sales driven by discounting and other ridiculous practices, zero per cent finance and a whole train crash of don'ts.They were too focused on cranking out massive pick-up trucks and not the sort of cars they needed to stay ahead of the game.A little crystal ball gazing is tempting in a situation like this, with a smattering of some hypothetical scenarios.Locally, Toyota stands to benefit hugely in the event of the demise or sell-off of Holden and Ford. And rest assured, GM and Ford wouldn't hesitate to flick their non-core businesses to keep the US parent companies afloat at home.That $6.2 billion earmarked for three companies would neatly go back to one, and Toyota has already moved solidly towards making a “green” hybrid car in Australia for which the funds are ostensibly provided. It's a fair old wad in the back pocket for Toyota.But there are other delicious possibilities.Could it be possible for Ford Australia and Holden to move to nationalised ownership and Australia take advantage of the wealth of talent and experience available there. It could be used to tap into a select market, manufacture cars locally and even start supplying technology and components to other carmakers. What red-blooded Aussie wouldn't buy a good car made here by a fair-dinkum Aussie company and not some quasi-Aussie company. It would be unthinkable, un-Australian.And remember, we are the supplier of most raw materials that go into making a car.Nationalisation has become a dirty word in the runaway capitalistic western world where most things are based on short term planning and the fast buck. Look where that led.And with the current international economic problem unsolved, nationalisation is happening anyway even to the pillars of the capitalist system - they are begging for government money.But I suspect the nationalisation pill would be too bitter for us to swallow so at a local level the second scenario probably has more weight _ foreign ownership for Holden and Ford Australia. And we are talking Tata for Ford (possibly Ford the world including Australia) and a Chinese manufacturer for Holden, possibly SAIC which is in an expansionist mood, has plenty of funds and recently took over SsangYong.Tata has already shown its hand purchasing Land Rover and Jaguar - both formerly part of Ford's Premier Auto Group and the Indian company seems well provisioned with funds.China already has a hand in our “local” cars as suppliers of components like windscreens, brakes, lights, switches, wipers and other bits and pieces. They know what's going on here and no doubt would like a car making foothold in an advanced, western economy like ours.Then again, GM, Ford and Chrysler in the US could just shut up shop, hang up the gun and fade into the past. Vultures would be circling already and despite the worrying international situation, some have plenty of cash for a cheap buy-out - they only have to wait it out.Look no further than Japan or Korea for the wherewithall to pick the prime cuts of GM, Ford and Chrysler. Hyundai probably has eyes for Jeep and some of the Europeans could also be in a buy-out position at the right price - Mercedes Benz for GM Opel for instance. We won't have to wait long to find out..... 

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are arguing for their share of the rescue money provided by the American government as they continue to suffer the biggest losses in motoring history.The Bush administration opposes their call for cash but a bill has been presented by the Democratic party to the country's Congress, which is also in transition following the landslide win by president-elect Barak Obama, to give them some short-term relief.If any deal is approved - which seems a longshot - it will include a provision that none of the money can be used to pay executive bonuses.These have been a multi-million dollar windfall for most senior executives at the Big Three for decades, but look to pass into history - at least until the river of red ink in Detroit is damed.The proposal for the $25 billion assistance package has created a political furore in the USA, where one side of politics says the Big Three only have themselves to blame and the other is trying to protect jobs and even the pension and health insurance entitlements of retired workers.A USA Today-Gallup poll shows the split, as a 47 per cent of adults said they believe loans and other help for carmakers is "not that important".Meanwhile, everything from paperclips to concept cars has been culled as General Motors fights for survival.The one-time world leader, which is now certain to be overtaken by Toyota on the 2008 sales charts, has slashed all non-essential spending and has even withdrawn from the Los Angeles Motor Show later this week.GM was planning to unveil a new Buick concept car and something exciting for Saab, but has pulled both cars and also decided to keep its senior executives away from the California car show.Ford and Chrysler are also expected to go low-key in LA, leaving import brands including Nissan and Mazda - which will reveal their all- new 370Z and Mazda3 - to make the running.But it is the GM cutbacks which are making news in the USA, as the company - which is losing billions each month - reduces spending on everything from stationary to company cars. It has cut all executive bonuses and raised prices for executive lease cars.GM has admitted it will run out of cash reserves by the end of the year.Chrysler has also eliminated bonuses and is pushing e-mail to save on paper costs, while Ford is not having any Christmas parties in 2008 and has slashed all non-essential staff travel. 

Jobs for GM is what Thomas Friedman is calling for in his NYTimes column. And unlike many others I totally agree. Matt Hardigree at Jalopnik thinks Friedman is on crack for the suggestion, because Steve Jobs knows nothing about the car industry.So…. obviously many of the current CEOs don’t know much about their own industry anymore. It has been changing for years, and like everything these days, at a rapid pace. Unfortunately the big manufacturers are full of inertia and there is nowhere near enough torque in the teams driving them to change direction.To quote Friedman; “somebody ought to call Steve Jobs, who doesn’t need to be bribed to do innovation, and ask him if he’d like to do national service and run a car company for a year. I’d bet it wouldn’t take him much longer than that to come up with the G.M. iCar.”While I think Jobs may need just a bit more than a year to turn things around ….. maybe two years. He is the man for the Job.Would he want to do it … who knows. His job at Apple is done. So he can relax. Retirement has been spoken about, as well as his premature demise in a leaked pre-prepared obituary. The analyst’s estimation of the effect on Apple upon his death or retirement is 20 billion dollars. Not bad to know what you are worth.The trouble with current global business model is that there are not enough Steve Jobs and too many Sol Trujillos. One is paid less than his worth and returns a profit. The other is paid virtually more than the company he runs makes. Imagine if Jobs took his traditional $1 salary plus share deal in GM. Also we would get to see Wagoner being shown the door… a CEO made responsible and shown consequences…. That is something we don’t see enough of.The automotive industry has had its fair share of great leaders. But there aren’t many around at the moment…. and it would appear none of them are in America. Germany has the family Piech, France has Ghosn and Italy has Montezemolo. If we look at Ferrari individually it has had far more than its quota of 1000hp individuals and 1000nM teams. Ferrari himself, Montezemolo, Todt, Schumacher…. All amazing team builders and powerful individuals. What has happened to all the great American leaders? There are Jobs and Obama. Who else?So I’ll add to Friedman’s call and raise with – “if he doesn’t take the job, GM is as good as dead.”Here in Australia that will mean Shanghai Motors Holden.

The hybrid-powered GMC Denali XT, a cross between a sports utility vehicle and a more traditional US style pick-up truck, was produced at GM Holden's design centre at Port Melbourne."This was a great program to work on as I was given the opportunity to really stretch the limits of the global rear-wheel-drive architecture and create a truck with unique and bold proportions," said lead designer Warrack Leach."GMC has such a rich heritage of producing great trucks and it was essential we kept that in mind while at the same time exploring how far we could take this concept."The Denali XT features a more efficient 4.9 litre version of GM's small-block V8, which has been combined with the company's two-mode hybrid propulsion system.Capable of running on all electric power at lower speeds, the concept vehicle provides for a 50 per cent fuel economy improvement over comparable small pick-up trucks.Although just a concept at this stage, GMC general manager Jim Bunnell said the Denali XT was perfectly suited to a variety of active lifestyle activities."Like all GMCs, the Denali XT is functional and capable, but it blends those traits with a more efficient, sporty driving experience," Mr Bunnell said."It is a vehicle that exemplifies GMCs engineering excellence, as well as GMs commitment to hybrid and advanced technologies."The vehicle will be on display at the Chicago Auto Show from February 6-17. Has Holden designed a ute that will take off in America?