What might GM become if it gets a lifeline

There’s some questions about whether GM’s even going to survive the next year, if not the next six months. But if it does, it might turn into a smaller, leaner, meaner company, if Joan Muller is right.

It really will be for the best, in my humble opinion. Say goodbye to Hummer for anyone non-military, to say the least.

US Auto Industry Sicker than ever

I wrote earlier today about how the auto industry is going through rough times, and is losing money hand over fist.

It may be worse than we thought.

Now, just in order to survive, the US auto industry is hoping to get an additional $50 billion to cover pensions and shift gears in manufacturing.

Will it work? Will they get it? And – what happens if they don’t?

GM loses big – can’t buy cool toys like Chrysler

So much for GM coming to Chrysler’s rescue, as one of the biggest companies in the world has issued a $2.5 billion loss for last quarter.

That’s one quarter alone. Three months. $2.5 billion lost. I am boggling.

401K’s about to get less money from GM – if you’re non-union

This may be a trend that could spread, but GM is going to stop matching contributions to their non-union employees – at least until business picks back up.

I don’t know if this is a reason why you should be in a union to protect those retirement investments, or if this is a trend we may be seeing among other companies soon.

GM, Chrysler needs $10 billion to make more crappy cars

I think it was John C. Dvorak who once said that the Microsoft/Yahoo merger was a bad idea, because if either company really had an idea that could take on Google, they’d have done it.

So why does GM and Chrysler thinking that if they get $10 billion from the government, they could merge and make better cars? What they’ll do is lay off more employees, and just make more of the big, gas guzzling cars that nobody wanted.

Great thinking, guys.

Chrysler and GM sitting in a tree, M-E-R-G-I-N-G

Are GM and Chrysler about to merge into some strange Akira like merging of machines in an insane orgy of manufacturing lust?

And if they do – how many workers will be laid off to pay for the executive bonuses?