Loan or Bailout: Detroit Strikes Back - Garage419

American cars are not as refined as German ones BUT they do have a better look then Japans...

Thanks Matt I now know what you think of the Chrysler 300! lol I happen to like it, I think it really looks cool, so much so it's going to be one of cars for my wedding soon. Keep on doing what you guys do so well! Thank you!

How about we let Chrysler fail so all of their marketshare can be taken by existing manufacturers that make halfway decent cars and fire all the execs that don't understand that cars are more than A to B, I mean we do spend over 500 hours a year in a car so it should be more than a plastic box on wheels.

Another good vid guys....but after all the chatter, you hit the nail on the head about halfway thru....There are no car guys running these companies anymore! Politicians/accountants etc. only see a mode of transportation.

American cars have always had a cheap, use it till it dies and get a new one stigma. I think people are looking for more now, good initial quality and long-term quality -- something that is not going to have squeaks and rattles after a couple of years. As a couple of people pointed out, they need to stop making the same car with different names/brands on it. GM is the worst on this one. It just dilutes the brand, and I imagine increases production costs overall. They need to focus on making fewer cars, but making them great and better quality. Unlike most people it here it seems, I don't want GM and Chrysler to go under. That is just too many American jobs lost in an already bad economy. I would like to see that "bail-out" money go towards either *big* rebates or *big* tax breaks for American's buying American cars. American's need an incitive to buy American made cars.

American cars have always had a cheap, use it till it dies and get a new one stigma. I think people are looking for more now, good initial quality and long-term quality -- something that is not going to have squeaks and rattles after a couple of years. As a couple of people pointed out, they need to stop making the same car with different names/brands on it. GM is the worst on this one. It just dilutes the brand, and I imagine increases production costs overall. They need to focus on making fewer cars, but making them great and better quality. Unlike most people it here it seems, I don't want GM and Chrysler to go under. That is just too many American jobs lost in an already bad economy. I would like to see that "bail-out" money go towards either *big* rebates or *big* tax breaks for American's buying American cars. American's need an incitive to buy American made cars.

I like what Ford is doing as far as bringing over its euro design language and vehicle lineup. I just hope the quality stays on par as well. My question is how can you run an American Car company and produce better products in another country while getting beat in your own backyard!

GM sucks as much as Paris Hilton when she downed a couple of vodkas at a casio nightclub.

Gm and Chrysler should be more like AUDI. make 6 good cars 2 suvs and 1 Supercar

My version of a better American car is one that matches the long term reliability of Honda, Toyota and Lexus. If they did that, then maybe more people would consider buying one over the Japanese competition.

When it's all said and done even if GM and Chrysler go bankrupt it won't be a Chapter 7 it will be a Chapter 11. The divisions that are working like Cadillac and Jeep will be bought or allowed to operate independtly. A lot of jobs will be lost but some holding company will get the property, plants, equipment and intellectual property for pennies on the dollar. If they keep the management of the divisions in place then it might work but my money is on whatever company that aqcuires the healthy part of GM and Chrysler will run them into the ground (JAGUAR in Fords Hands).

First, I've got to say, it's funny you've all wore black. The thing is though, I suppose that GM could survive this with the loans. Beacause GM does have a good line-up to return the loans in the future. I also think that the Cruze, if it was as good as let's say a Civc, could actually change of how the people think of GM. Chrysler is in such a mess I don't know if they'll survive. The problem with Chrysler is that they build cars that they think will sell just beacause they look good. Classic casing point, the Dodge Challenger is a very beatuiful car, but beacause it's too heavy, it doesn't drive as it looks. And you can say that to all Chrysler/Dodge cars from the Caliber to the 300C. I think cars should present the people who bulid them. Japanese cars, in general, are weird looking and funky but they're so reliable. European cars are pretty much stuffed with technology and feel sort of clean and ethical. So what we want from an American car, is to look loud and be sexy, but it should also drive as it looks from the outside. I don't think American cars should be a copy to what Japan and Europe are doing. I think what should American automakers do is a distinctive American muscle car, that is also convienient for the 21rst century, and could actully compete with Japanese and European rivals. And with the low prices of gasoline nowadys, being so green like the Volt or the EV cars from Chrysler, they seem a bit useless right now. I think both companies do have a small chance to bring the trust to the consumers. And guys, great effort on doing this show.

Why don't the car manufactures watch discussions like this to improve their companies?

I understand how important of a topic this has been but I first started watching these vlogs because they were about interesting cars or events in the automotive world. This is depressing. Please get back to the reason the site started and show us motorheads something we really love. A show on aftermarket parts would be nice, there are many new cars out with an aftermarket just catching up to them.

For too long the big 3 have had the misguided notion that cars you "want" to buy and cars you "have" to buy are mutually exclusive concepts. How about this idea? Instead of slapping together a pile of surplus stock and selling it for 15 grand, try building the best, most well thought out and appealling $15,000.00 car on the market. Say your customer trades in their vehicle in 4-6 years. If they DON'T miss it at all, you haven't done a good job building the vehicle and you're probably going to lose the customer.

ok group discussion was good but a room that doesn't echo so bad wouldn't hurt you. also holly s**t nearly a trillion dolars in bail out they want more than the banking indistry, and as much as i am against goverment bailouts they realy did have a gun to our heads wile gm and chrisler have a gun pointed at our feet and if we give them the money they will wate a few years and then shoot us anyway. so to answer the question, no giveing money to company's wont help anything its like paying for a preschooler to have a second chance on the SATs their still going to fail.

I agree with a couple of people here; ford is the only company with a decent looking future. ford is doing what they should do, bringing over and marketing their euro cars like the focus, because those cars were successful in Europe and are what the people want. as for GM and Chrysler, at this point i just say F*ck it and liquidate them both. The bailout plans present are basically just political ploys, offering no means of solution but appealing the the DC reps who dont even drive. Also, i think that these companies are srt of milking the state of the economy; ford is doing fine, yet chrysler and GM ask for huge amounts of money twice? sure, GM and Chrysler are in much worse shape than ford, but as for that much money, it seems like they are just asking for it to see if they can get it. Besides GM's now dead performance department, there are no cars present or future from GM and chrysler that dont cause me disgust. It'd be one thing if they were restructuring their businesses and needed the money to start production of sick as hell cars that people would buy and had a viable plan of paying it back, but they dont, and they are most likely going to be asking for more soon. At first i supported the bailout because of all the jobs the American people would lose, but now i will side with the Darwinists in saying the weakest shall parish.

With all four of them sitting there it looked like The View. But instead, I didn't have to gouge my eyes out. First off, SCREW CHRYSLER. They make crap cars. GM has potential. The money wont help them make better cars, but it will help them stay around so that they can make better cars in the future.

Screw GM and Chrysler! Ford seems to know what they are doing. They don't need money. If GM and Chrysler can't put their sh*t together, let them drown. I feel sorry for all the people who are going to to loose their jobs but those 80 billion saved from being wasted on Gm and Chrysler are going to help them.

I am going to talk about all 3 companies. Ford is ok because they are at least trying to do something about it. Chrysler is dead. GM is the big one here. They can make good cars the CTS,CTS-v, G8gt, corvette. They can make a good interior, the cts is an example. But most the stuff they make is not getting me going. Anohter thing is that all american cars have a stigma of beeing crap even if it is a good car. I still think that people would take the BMW or audi or honda ect even if the american car is better or just has good. I think that Ford and Gm are always going to run into that problem.

GM should move everyone running Cadillac to the top. They have shown that they can go from bland poorly built cars 80s 90s to a brand that is respected everywhere. Chevy and Buick need are much better built than they were but no one really wants to drive them if given an option. A little forward thinking and some risk taking in the design arena can pay off big as i Cadillacs case. It took them a while to change perception but GM needs to start now.

FORD seems to be to only one of the DETROIT 3 that is doing anything to move forward. CHRYSLER, the company not CERBERUS, wants to but can't. Gm can but won't. As much as I want to say save them, unless GM gets new management, and CHRYSLER, which has been proven to be good for a loan before, gets some new product on the radar, I can't side with them. The smart money is on FORD here. QOD(?) What would a better American car look like? I'll get back to you when I build it. Seriously, though... Performance that is affordable and up to date, The Camaro and Mustang are good but could rely more on handling than raw horsepower. FORD has their ECOBOOST TT V6 and GM can revive and Update their Supercharger 3800 V6. Build cars that are what people recall of the best DETROIT had to offer in the past. Exciting and cool yet practical and just as effective as foreign equivalents but for a fraction of the price. No competing point for point with Foreign makes. Make cars that are decided alternatives with clear differences, like making a mid-sized sedan with RWD. Bring back RWD Compacts. Build more niche cars but at well less than the Niche price. Just build the cool, fast, desirable car, build to last for as long as you want to keep it and then some, and stop talking about building it!

smacking them in the face with a shovel may help. Ideas like brining the Ford Mondeo here are great. teh thing that would turn all of this around is to lay off the managers and and accountants.

The Cadillac Escalade is hybrid now. Built on the GMT900 platform, it could help the following vehicles to sell better : GMC Yukon Chevrolet Tahoe Chevrolet Silverado GMC Sierra Hummer H2 Chevrolet Avalanche Chevrolet Suburban Europeans taxi drivers drive them. I am sure if they become hybrid they'll sell even better. Not bailing out the big three will leave the US without a major car companies. Making the States vulnerable during war time(in WWII ford made military gear). A country needs to be able to feed its people(reason they helped farmers), same applies to clothing, utilities, transportation.

i don't think we need a bail out for gm and chrysler. ford is managing to get by with out one, and they are doing some awesome stuff for 2010, the new mustang, the taurus sho, the fusion and the new fiesta, all look pretty damn spiffy. not to mention the svt raptor's on bad mamba jamba. you want to know why? becuase ford listened to their customers! imagine that. every one said their interiors tended to suck (especially in the mustang), so they improved it! we wanted a small car for the u.s market, they are bringing in the fiesta from europe. and have you seen the new dash in the fusion? it will be one of the coolest on the market when it gets here, and it will get 41 mpg in the city. so why is it ford can get it's act together but gm and chrysler can't? i'd love to see gm pull though, mainly becuase i really want a solstice gxp coupe, but on top of that they can make a good car when they want to the vett has always been a bright spot in their line up, and the camaro looks promising, so does the volt. Throw in the slostice and g8 gxp's as well as the caddy cts-v and you are starting to build a pretty good line up of cars. i think their main problem is they have to many off shoots of the same car. Cobalt/G5 Solstice/Sky/Opel GT ect. ect. they need to streamline their line up, and get rid of stuff like the hhr. not their hpvo division which actually takes sub par cars and makes them fun to drive. chrysler, they just plain suck. i'm quite fond of the challenger and the viper, but after that, they don't have anything worth looking at. i really don't think they will exist in the same way they do now after 12 months. so my solution, screw the bail out. the gov't should just send them a copy of ford's plan, and say here do this, and you may just survive.

I think Ford and also GM will make it but if Chrysler has o further new inventions I think they won't be here next year. Ford is making good products and improved their line up ( here in europe) even I'm no fan of their design. GM has also great new products the CTS is a great looking and good driving car also the Z06 or ZR1. But the problems are the cheaper cars for people with not so much money. I think a cheaper Volt would be good or a car like the VW Golf with the quality of it would save them.

If i lived in America i would want the United States cars to be like the European cars, it's the only way. The only reason why Ford are not in as deep **** is because it sells cars in Europe and Crysler do not at all!! GM have Saab, Opel and Vauxhall but still most of their market is aimed at America. Ford made 1 BILLION US dollars for sales in Europe, it made nothing in the US alone, which tells a BIG story. But i'm not going to go on about that because i'll still be tying tomorrow morning. All i can say is i wish i was in that discussion to tell a few stories but never mind. Great episode as always keep everything up.

let the car companies die! The new way of thinking will emerge from the panic of not having a beloved American car company. As Americans, we have a god given sense of ingenuity, and we have always set the bar for every car company ever created. Sell the stock and build a new car company. 25 years worth of crap cars is intolerable at this point. DO NOT BAIL OUT THE COMPANIES. Its like when I bailed my buddy out of jail, he still had to go back to court, to get sentenced, to go back to jail. Sorry GM, you haven't been a buddy since the Stingray of the 70s, now that was a cool car. wait, thats it, remake the entire 1969 GM car lineup (which also had plans for a 2 cylinder gas electric hybrid) for 2011.

I agree with everything said. I hate almost every car made in America... I love the trucks and the minivan made some money. I don't see anything changing with the big 3. I think that we should let them sink. Sorry.