Dammit, I'd much rather see a Solstice, or a DeLorean, than a fucking Fisker. We are going to look back at this era of $100k taxpayer-funded, luxury, electric sports cars and shake our heads in wonder.
@therealmusashi: To my knowledge neither the Tesla Model S nor the Fisker Karma is taxpayer-funded. The loans which arose from this Bush 43-era program are for their supposedly cheaper follow-on Model S and Project NINA sedans.
"Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 establishes an incentive program consisting of both grants and direct loans to support the development of advanced technology vehicles and associated components in the United States." #deloreanmotorcompany
@skierpage: Virtually everything ever handed out by the government, is taxpayer-funded.
It's also interesting that the lawmakers who crafted the bill didn't think to include a "This program should be suspended as unrealistic if we're in a dire economic situation with crazy-high unemployment, failing banks, etc."
@therealmusashi: Most economists would say that a dire economic situation is exactly the time when you need taxpayer-funded stimulus programs. This one should put people to work in the USA getting advanced technology automobiles into production. #deloreanmotorcompany
Yeah, the tooling's paid for, but would signing a whole batch of new OEM and material supply contracts make sense for 2.5 years of production of something that will sell less than 10K per year? I doubt it. Good night, Solstice. #deloreanmotorcompany
Maybe we should be planning to stage an intervention on December 21?
Although killing off a decent platform that's finally been sorted, yet improperly understood and incompetently marketed, is what GM's always been best at. #deloreanmotorcompany
This will fail and here’s why. Viable auto companies are building new production facilities in the south where labor unions are nearly non-existent, a good work ethic still exist and cost of living is lower. To start up new company in a high cost northern state is suicide from the start and reeks of politics. When start up capital comes from the federal government, political favors will be paid and it is no coincidence that this factory is starting up in Delaware, Biden’s home state.
If our country was interested in revitalizing our auto industry here is what would happen:
1. CAFE standards would disappear.
2. Automotive EPA requirements would be reduced to the mid-eighties levels, which are still extremely clean. (I would get rid of them entirely, but that is more than impossible)
3. Get rid of onerous regulations dealing with car safety, let the consumer decide what he wants. The fear of lawsuits will still enforce safe cars.
4. Repeal the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and other restrictive laws which only serve to freeze up capital markets.
The effect of this would be lowered cost for new ideas to enter the automotive market place. Currently the federal regulatory requirements to build an automobile are so stifling, that it is impossible for a new company to get a new start without massive capital infusion. There are few entities which have the ability, or the financial incentive, to provide this kind capital. This is why there has been virtually no new car companies created in this country in the last eighty years. Plants have been built, but only by companies that already exist in foreign lands. If the cost were severely reduced, there would be an explosion of new car technology and design in the auto loving USA.
What I have proposed will never happen, because as a nation we live a life of fear of the unknown. The real men have died. #fisker
@Flathead Smith: At least, make Euro-compliant cars OK for sale in the U.S.. Standardization of regulations across borders is a must in order to foster competition and marketplace choice. #fisker
@Flathead Smith: Lets see: 1) No CAFE standards. Check. 2) No EPA. Check. 3) No unions. Check. 4) No central government forcing safety regulations (stupid seat belts!)... Double check and a happy face! I think we have the perfect spot for our new factory: Afghanistan. Added bonus that everybody gets to carry guns and they all are very religious. It's where all the real men now live! #fisker
@Flathead Smith: That's untrue- if you are talking about starting off as a heavyweight, mainstream manufacturer, you DO have a point; but then you're competing against huge juggernauts anyways.
There have been quite a few smaller, specialized auto makers (Saleen, Tesla), which make high end sports cars. The idea is to start small, and then grow large. Extravagant spending right off the bat is a recipe for a failed business.
That being said, the idea of things like CAFE, EPA, and safety regulations is supposed to be a "step forward". Nobody wants to go back to the 70's where there was acid rain caused by sulphur, and standard safety features means we get them at a low cost (and no matter how good of a driver you are, it won't save you if the teenager texting on her phone decides to smash into you at a stop light), and CAFE standards means that vehicles are making more power with less fuel (just compare older malaise era cars with today's vehicles).
The US is not a nation of fear... or at least, it wasn't back when all these standards were enacted. Back then, the US was a nation of progress, where people used to do things because they had high hopes for the future (just look at all the things that have happened in the 60's). Nowadays the US is a nation of "Get off my lawn" or "The terrorists will attack the local mall". #fisker
@tcotrel: Standardization will be here faster (relatively) than you think . Work has been in progress at full blast at the EPA and the ECE for the last 3 or 4 years to to converge the US and EU regulations. There will be a new set of UN led regulations which will take the best of both the major markets and combine them into a single standard.
Of course there will still be allowances for small and minor variations tailor suited to individual markets but as a whole the process will be much better than now. #fisker
Supposedly Sarbanes-Oxley was passed to keep another Enron from happening, but the hearts of men being what they are, it will and has. After Sarbanes-Oxley was passed many companies that were about to go private, decided not to, and some public companies even reverted back to private because of the onerous regulations. There are some good parts to the bill, but some of its oversight provisions have been very damaging in regards to the cost afflicted on this nation. I used it as an example of a bill which is inhibiting a number of small companies access to capital markets.
They should have called it the Lawyer and Accountant Employment Act. #fisker
@Flathead Smith: Also, (this really bothers me) the EPA says they are trying to reduce greenhouse gases with their emission standards, right? Then why are they tightening restrictions on NOx and SOx, two non-greenhouse gases. Also the way that the EPA rates exhaust emissions is per said volume of exhaust gas, not per mile of exhaust gas, which would be a much more accurate way of measuring actual pollution. For example a Diesel Jetta that burns 1 gallon every 50 miles pollutes more than a Gas Jetta that burns 1 gallon every 30 miles, in the eyes of the EPA. Why are they killing diesels? #fisker
@Flathead Smith: Agreed. Most of the things they changed on my Astra to bring it to the states were just stupid.
Disable the auto-closing feature on the sunroof - check
Disable the auto-closing windows because the pinch protection (which is there) doesn't meet US standards - check
Provide new front and rear bumpers because they don't meet US standards (5-star Euro NCAP vehicle) - check
Change the tail-lights so the turn signals aren't amber - check
Remove the rear fog light - check
Only provide the 138 hp gas engine because people in the country prefer automatic transmissions and don't like diesels (mine is a manual btw)
I guess at least they brought the hatchback instead of the coupe and sedan. #fisker
What makes anyone believe that Fisker is a viable automaker?
They used everyone's tax money to purchase this plant and are using everyone's tax money to come up with a vaporware car with literally no business case.
And if they do come up with a car who exactly is going to buy them in any great number?
This throwing millions at every claimed "green" startup car maker is ridiculous. #fisker
@TriShield:
Listen this isn't about making Fisker into a viable car company, no what this is, is a smart investment by the Gov't to potentially double the manufacturable goods needed to produce cars like the Volt. What that'll end up doing is drive the price down and make the car more affordable for people to get into. I can almost guarantee that theres a provision in the deal with Fisker to purchase electrical components from the same supplyers as GM. #fisker
@vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in: GM produces crap, and if it wasn't for the current president to deny silly turn around plans that Bush ok'd, then they would be bankupt. Vaporware or not, I'd bank with Fisker before any US car manufacturer. And who can be against a new car company actually reusing a former car manufacturer's plant on US soil? #fisker
@Mr_Nowitt: if it wasn't for the current president to deny silly turn around plans that Bush ok'd, then they would be bankupt
It's hard to understand your writing, but GM went bankrupt on June 1 and on July 10, 2009, a new entity, NGMCO Inc purchased the ongoing operations and trademarks from GM with an infusion of $50 billion from the government. An outright liquidation of GM in the depths of the recession would have been utterly ruinous for the economy.
The loans for Fisker and Tesla come from the 2007 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. Time will tell if they're sound loans. I think it's better investment than just paying the big three for research partnerships that didn't produce cars for sale and only created a few jobs. #fisker
When will carmakers understand that $39,000 is not "affordable" in this economy? I know its a plug-in hybrid and all, but for a middle class family, that's out of reach. #fisker
However, if the car delivers...and can retain its value better than traditional ICE vehicles, then it won't be long before 10-year financing is available and depreciation doesn't drop off like a cliff.
I have a dream that one day the cycle of "30% value retention at five years" will be broken, and cars will hold their value more like aircraft--or to a lesser degree, boats. #fisker
@Pibbs: I don't think that Fisker wants to compete with Honda and Toyota at the $20k mark for hybrid sedans that are actually affordable, they want to compete with Lexus, Audi etc. #fisker
@weatherman: That's fine and all, but they still are quoting it as "Affordable", not "Affordable to those who buy Audis, Lexuses (Lexi?) or BMWs".
And yes, I agree that if the car delivers and can retain it's value that it could be affordable to the minions. But that's a big if. With the amount of mileage that the public puts on cars these days, the reliability and service life of these cars will keep the possibility of 10-year financing just that, a possibility. Finance company's will be asking for records from your old car to see how much you drive it just to confirm that your 40k hybrid won't be in a scrap pile with 200k miles on it before the loan is paid off. #fisker
@Pibbs: I don't disagree. They probably should have said "more affordable than our other car which costs $90k" That said, keep in mind that the average new car sale in the US is about $30k, so it's not that far off really, especially when you compare it to all the other plug-in-hybrids... of which there are none. #fisker
I'm all for putting Delawareans back to work at that factory. I really hope GM re-opens the Baltimore plant (though Lord knows what would be built there.) Hopefully whatever product comes out of Wilmington will be a bit more consequential than a two-seat roadster.
It could be argued Fisker is running before it can walk, not having built or sold a single production PHEV yet, but I guess there is something to be said for prudent planning.
One wonders if it would have been a better idea for GM to develop their PHEV as a Cadillac or upper-crust halo model first (like the Karma) instead of trying to compete with the Prius head-on with still outlandishly expensive (and unprofitable) tech.
The Volt will be neither fast and luxurious nor cheap and utilitarian, and the styling already looks a generation behind the rest of Chevy's new product.
10/27/09
10/27/09
"Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 establishes an incentive program consisting of both grants and direct loans to support the development of advanced technology vehicles and associated components in the United States." #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
It's also interesting that the lawmakers who crafted the bill didn't think to include a "This program should be suspended as unrealistic if we're in a dire economic situation with crazy-high unemployment, failing banks, etc."
Quoting law doesn't make it any less stupid. #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
10/28/09
10/27/09
It would be a shame to see that car go to waste. #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
10/27/09
Oh, wait... #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
10/27/09
Maybe we should be planning to stage an intervention on December 21?
Although killing off a decent platform that's finally been sorted, yet improperly understood and incompetently marketed, is what GM's always been best at. #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
10/27/09
Something about the clip-art concept sketch... #deloreanmotorcompany
10/27/09
If our country was interested in revitalizing our auto industry here is what would happen:
1. CAFE standards would disappear.
2. Automotive EPA requirements would be reduced to the mid-eighties levels, which are still extremely clean. (I would get rid of them entirely, but that is more than impossible)
3. Get rid of onerous regulations dealing with car safety, let the consumer decide what he wants. The fear of lawsuits will still enforce safe cars.
4. Repeal the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and other restrictive laws which only serve to freeze up capital markets.
The effect of this would be lowered cost for new ideas to enter the automotive market place. Currently the federal regulatory requirements to build an automobile are so stifling, that it is impossible for a new company to get a new start without massive capital infusion. There are few entities which have the ability, or the financial incentive, to provide this kind capital. This is why there has been virtually no new car companies created in this country in the last eighty years. Plants have been built, but only by companies that already exist in foreign lands. If the cost were severely reduced, there would be an explosion of new car technology and design in the auto loving USA.
What I have proposed will never happen, because as a nation we live a life of fear of the unknown. The real men have died. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
and a heart click
10/27/09
There have been quite a few smaller, specialized auto makers (Saleen, Tesla), which make high end sports cars. The idea is to start small, and then grow large. Extravagant spending right off the bat is a recipe for a failed business.
That being said, the idea of things like CAFE, EPA, and safety regulations is supposed to be a "step forward". Nobody wants to go back to the 70's where there was acid rain caused by sulphur, and standard safety features means we get them at a low cost (and no matter how good of a driver you are, it won't save you if the teenager texting on her phone decides to smash into you at a stop light), and CAFE standards means that vehicles are making more power with less fuel (just compare older malaise era cars with today's vehicles).
The US is not a nation of fear... or at least, it wasn't back when all these standards were enacted. Back then, the US was a nation of progress, where people used to do things because they had high hopes for the future (just look at all the things that have happened in the 60's). Nowadays the US is a nation of "Get off my lawn" or "The terrorists will attack the local mall". #fisker
10/27/09
Of course there will still be allowances for small and minor variations tailor suited to individual markets but as a whole the process will be much better than now. #fisker
10/27/09
Supposedly Sarbanes-Oxley was passed to keep another Enron from happening, but the hearts of men being what they are, it will and has. After Sarbanes-Oxley was passed many companies that were about to go private, decided not to, and some public companies even reverted back to private because of the onerous regulations. There are some good parts to the bill, but some of its oversight provisions have been very damaging in regards to the cost afflicted on this nation. I used it as an example of a bill which is inhibiting a number of small companies access to capital markets.
They should have called it the Lawyer and Accountant Employment Act. #fisker
10/27/09
By the way, acid rain is caused primarily by the burning of coal. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Disable the auto-closing feature on the sunroof - check
Disable the auto-closing windows because the pinch protection (which is there) doesn't meet US standards - check
Provide new front and rear bumpers because they don't meet US standards (5-star Euro NCAP vehicle) - check
Change the tail-lights so the turn signals aren't amber - check
Remove the rear fog light - check
Only provide the 138 hp gas engine because people in the country prefer automatic transmissions and don't like diesels (mine is a manual btw)
I guess at least they brought the hatchback instead of the coupe and sedan. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
They used everyone's tax money to purchase this plant and are using everyone's tax money to come up with a vaporware car with literally no business case.
And if they do come up with a car who exactly is going to buy them in any great number?
This throwing millions at every claimed "green" startup car maker is ridiculous. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
@TriShield:
Listen this isn't about making Fisker into a viable car company, no what this is, is a smart investment by the Gov't to potentially double the manufacturable goods needed to produce cars like the Volt. What that'll end up doing is drive the price down and make the car more affordable for people to get into. I can almost guarantee that theres a provision in the deal with Fisker to purchase electrical components from the same supplyers as GM. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
It's hard to understand your writing, but GM went bankrupt on June 1 and on July 10, 2009, a new entity, NGMCO Inc purchased the ongoing operations and trademarks from GM with an infusion of $50 billion from the government. An outright liquidation of GM in the depths of the recession would have been utterly ruinous for the economy.
The loans for Fisker and Tesla come from the 2007 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. Time will tell if they're sound loans. I think it's better investment than just paying the big three for research partnerships that didn't produce cars for sale and only created a few jobs. #fisker
10/27/09
Darn. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
However, if the car delivers...and can retain its value better than traditional ICE vehicles, then it won't be long before 10-year financing is available and depreciation doesn't drop off like a cliff.
I have a dream that one day the cycle of "30% value retention at five years" will be broken, and cars will hold their value more like aircraft--or to a lesser degree, boats. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
And yes, I agree that if the car delivers and can retain it's value that it could be affordable to the minions. But that's a big if. With the amount of mileage that the public puts on cars these days, the reliability and service life of these cars will keep the possibility of 10-year financing just that, a possibility. Finance company's will be asking for records from your old car to see how much you drive it just to confirm that your 40k hybrid won't be in a scrap pile with 200k miles on it before the loan is paid off. #fisker
10/27/09
10/27/09
It could be argued Fisker is running before it can walk, not having built or sold a single production PHEV yet, but I guess there is something to be said for prudent planning.
One wonders if it would have been a better idea for GM to develop their PHEV as a Cadillac or upper-crust halo model first (like the Karma) instead of trying to compete with the Prius head-on with still outlandishly expensive (and unprofitable) tech.
The Volt will be neither fast and luxurious nor cheap and utilitarian, and the styling already looks a generation behind the rest of Chevy's new product.
Oh well, hindsight's always 20/20. #fisker
10/27/09