February Sales

The problem is that the "sampling pool" is too small for these hi end cars.

 

Looks like FNA will be lucky to move 1,200 cars this year. Not a chance they will sell 3,000 Californias.

On the other hand, my local dealer told me they got an allocation of four F430 (incl. Scuderias) for this year. I'm sure they can find four buyers- can't understand why they wouldn't ship more.

I don't understand Ferrari dealers- the only car dealers in the world that act like they don't want to sell you a car.

 

From the numbers in today's WSJ, it looked like Kia and Subaru were up as well.

 

A friend of mine spent the last 10 years building the company that did the deal with Hyundai to include that insurance for every car into the price. Lose your job, health issues, there are several things covered. I think that business will do well once the other manufaturers clue in to Hyundai's success.

 

Cerberus has it all confused-buy a Chrysler, lose your job, we give you the company!
They could try the buy a car, work a shift in a plant, and it's free....

 

Corvair! The 1965 and newer was one of the cleanest designs out of GM.One of my fav cars!!!

 

Thank you sir!

Corvair Monza was my very first car in 1967 - new off the showroom floor. But they had quit making the Corsa 4 carb and turbo like this one by then. So, now I will have my revenge.

BTW - how many GM cars can you name that came with a factory manifold pressure guage and a cylinder head temperature guage?

BTW2 - Napolis, I am mystified. Are you perhaps saying that your Ford GT has Corvair tail lamps? Yes, I already know that it could probably kick my butt, but one never knows until one tries. Maybe uphill Pikes Peak in the snow?

 

and back to the topic of Napolis thread -

I just read that the GM auditors now think that the company is no longer viable; irregardless of bailout money etc.

What a shame - RIP old soldier.

 

GM is probably quite viable if it could shed its legacy expenses of paying past employees ridiculous amounts of pension money, based on overvalued union negotiated salaries and absurd health care benefits.
GM is the poster child for planned obsolescence, agreeing to ever increasing legacy expenses without regard for the company's ability to meet those expenses, leading to its eventual but inevitable demise.
The best thing that can happen to GM is an orderly bankruptcy with a Newco picking up the assets and starting fresh.
GM has factories, dealers, loyal customers and valuable brands. If it started from scratch it would undoubtedly succeed IMO.

 

i think this is true.

 

Many already knew this. I dont think the comp will stop making cars any time soon, whether B'rupt or not.

 

That is what they get for selling junk for the better part of three decades. Cadillac Cimarron anyone?

I know I'm generalizing (pun intended) but GM has had more misses than they have had hits and they never bothered to correct that.

As for Ferrari's sales; they have a solid business and are positioned well to survive this economic climate.

is not a word. Sorry, that is one of my pet peeves.

 

Building rental car fleets since...

 

+1000000000000

 

Exactly, kind of like the state of California.

 

Remember when they took out a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal, APOLOGIZING for building 30 years of crap cars?

That was awesome!

I agree with the post above, they could be viable if they filed for a bky, with the assets acquired by a Newco and a fresh start.

The US is of course a huge auto market, and there are still a lot of people who greatly favor domestic cars over imports. It's just that even for those people, you can only burn them so many times, and push them so far, before even they say "Screw it" and buy a Toyota.

But with the incredible burdens (union demands, legacy costs, etc.) which are on the company, there is no way in hell they can "stay the course" and survive. It's just impossible. They have collapsed under their own socialist weight.

The problem is a bky is almost impossible, because the unions have GM and the US govt by the nuts. The unions have bought and paid for our current congress and president. They will therefore never allow GM to file for bky, because that of course would allow GM to "start fresh," which is exactly what the unions, Congress and the president do NOT want.

I think they would nationalize GM, and make it a huge, never ending, money losing, de facto welfare project, before allowing a bky.

 

In 1973 I bought a new 74 Corvette. The windshield wiper switch came off in my hand on the first drive. The optional hardtop leaked worse than the ragtop such that the battery well behind the driver's seat would fill up with water. The silver metallic paint seemed to have swirls in it, and there were paint flaws in the crappy plastic bumper covers. The tires were the notorious Firestone 500s. I think I have blocked out many other problems. The whole package was a complete p.o.s. I shortly swapped it for a new Alfa spider and swore I'd never again own a GM product. I've owned dozens of cars since then, but never a GM car. I know they build a much better auto now than then, but I don't care. Screw 'em.

 

I've been in the car business for 27 years and have never seen anything like this. Talk about a perfect storm......... We have maybe 3 viable lenders, one being our captive............ Not only are the banks tightening they are cutting advances... So those great customers that traded every few years are stuck unless the down payment is really substantial..........

Not getting any better either....

The Nissan dealer down the street just folded..........

Crazy times

 

Made the same vow after my 84 Fiero. Haven't broken it yet.

 

From Automotive News:

Feb 08: 135
Feb 09: 90

33% drop

last two months 08: 270
last two months 09: 180

same 33% drop

 

Like for like-total US sales

 

Latest Ferrari Sales figures
From Automotive News: USA Sales

Feb 08: 135
Feb 09: 90

33% drop

last two months 08: 270
last two months 09: 180

same 33% drop

 

Again without pre-existing orders it would have been larger.
In fact isn't it safe to assume that most of that drop consists of canceled orders?
Is a canceled order a negative (as opposed to non-) sale?