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Everything posted by akirby
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How GM's Ultium Electric Car Revolution Went Off The Rails
akirby replied to silvrsvt's topic in Competing Products
That’s fair but there is a difference between educated opinions that have some common sense, facts and history behind them If your opinion is people want to buy station wagons with manual transmissions, history and common sense says you’re wrong. -
Ford to Rethink Where It Builds Its Vehicles.
akirby replied to mackinaw's topic in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
It’s not bureaucracy that’s how the union contracts are written (that I’ve experienced or heard of) and a lot of union members follow them to the letter and file grievances as a sport. Because of that, management is forced to do the same so it just becomes an adversarial non productive relationship. The biggest problem I experienced when my wife was a union member is the union says all my people do good work all the time and no member is better than another. Therefore there is no reward for doing a better job than someone else and when it comes time for a transfer or promotion it’s all seniority based. Performance has no bearing. My wife was doing work 2 or 3 levels higher but it didn’t matter. No reward at all. It literally takes away every incentive to be a better employee. -
Ford to Rethink Where It Builds Its Vehicles.
akirby replied to mackinaw's topic in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
I can’t speak for Mexican unions but here the obsession with restricted job duties and time really kill productivity. I witnessed my buddy have a grievance filed against him by other union members because he stopped to turn on the printer as he was getting coffee because it took 5 minutes to warm up (this was in the early 80s). So by the time he started working it was ready to go. They said he was doing work outside scheduled hours. I’ve so had several occasions where I was supposed to put in a ticket and wait hours or days for someone to do something I can do myself in 2 minutes such as move a monitor. Training and skills are necessary for some tasks but when it prevents even the simplest things from being done efficiently it’s a problem. -
How GM's Ultium Electric Car Revolution Went Off The Rails
akirby replied to silvrsvt's topic in Competing Products
His opinions weren’t interesting they were downright irritating because he continually ignored facts. He was just as bad as the anti-EV zealots you mention although there are only a couple of those. The rest of us are just realists and it turns out we were right all along about EV adoption taking longer and reaching a plateau and about autonomous cars not being viable. -
Ford to Rethink Where It Builds Its Vehicles.
akirby replied to mackinaw's topic in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
The article said the UAW was helping to unionize Mexican plants. Theyre already unionized. -
Ford to Rethink Where It Builds Its Vehicles.
akirby replied to mackinaw's topic in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
Mexican plants have been unionized for decades -
Affordable EVs obviously require next gen batteries.
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Many times focus groups are wrong. It’s a very small sample size. You only need to appeal to 100k - 200k buyers a year so you can find a niche. Especially if it’s something unique. Not saying that’s the case here but I’m sure that’s the thinking if they’re continuing. Then again that’s probably what Pontiac said about the Aztec…. ?
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How GM's Ultium Electric Car Revolution Went Off The Rails
akirby replied to silvrsvt's topic in Competing Products
But but but…. Ultium was going to rule the automotive world and we’ll have 100% BEVs in 5 years and autonomous cars and mfrs who don’t go 100% Bev will be out of business…… -
The greenhouse is fine if it was shortened and sloped a little more in the rear but it’s really the front end I don’t like. It’s too upright. Edge was successful because of its sporty styling and perfect size. Now if you want to go RWD then just bring Everest and keep the truck styling. Won’t replace edge styling wise but should garner enough sales and would support Raptor and off road versions. Problem is where do you build it.
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The Chinese Edge is not a good looking vehicle to me nor do I think Edge buyers would like it. It needs an entirely new greenhouse and shorter wheelbase to sell here IMO.
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Because what you have to do to support ICE (fuel tanks, cooling, drive shafts, heavy engine) compromises a BEV only design. Unless they’re really making 2 different STLA large platforms and just calling them the same.