Sunday, August 04, 2013

GM to Build Electric Cars in China,
Protect Chevy Volt Technology


Who’s kidding whom?

SHANGHAI-- General Motors Co. agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation with its flagship Chinese partner on development of electric vehicle knowhow amid pressure from Beijing to hand over proprietary technology.
Yeah. Hand it over, deadbeats! What year was this written, anyway??

Investments and other details of the plan were not provided, and it was unclear if the agreement was the result of a renewed push by China to acquire advanced technology its own automakers still lack.
Hmmm...that is a possibility, isn’t it?

U.S. lawmakers have complained that China is shaking down GM to get the technology that drives the Chevrolet Volt electric car.
But, isn't China just gonna buy one and take it apart? S**t!

GM plans to start selling the Volt in China by the end of the year, but its prospects are iffy because it doesn't qualify for a Chinese government subsidy that amounts to $19,000 per car.
Does it qualify for a freaken eggroll? 

The government offers the subsidy only to electric cars made in China
There you go, GM...you’re screwed!

Lawmakers contend such requirements are unfair and may violate world trade rules.
Nah...they’re good...get over it!

But GM spokesman Jay Cooney in Detroit said the company has not been pressured by the Chinese government to share the Volt technology and has no plans to share it.
Of course it hasn’t. Hear that Cooney? 
Put the pipe down!

He said GM is working with the Chinese government in an effort to get the subsidy for the Volt because it helps reach a government goal of getting more electric vehicles on the road.
A likely story.

The cooperation agreement was signed during a meeting of the U.S. automaker's board in Shanghai—a visit underscoring China's importance to the company's future.
How does United States of China sound?

It was the GM board's first meeting outside of the U.S.
Get used to it.

"We can accomplish far more by working together than we can by working separately," Tim Lee, president of GM International Operations, said as GM and state-owned partner Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp. signed an agreement on developing a next-generation electric vehicle platform.
Oh Goodie! The United States is making nice.

The agreement "to co-develop electric vehicle architecture is further proof of GM's and SAIC's plan to lead the auto industry in new energy vehicle technology," he said, describing the plan as a "very aggressive and challenging project."
When was this crap written?

Cooney said the companies will work together to develop a new fully electric car.
Do you have any choice, Cooney? If you did, be truthful, wouldn’t you squash them like yesterday’s cold noodles?

The Volt can travel about 35 miles on battery power, and a gas-powered generator kicks in to run the car when the batteries are depleted.
Wow! That sounds exciting! Does it have a catalytic converter? There’s a blast from the past...what the hell is a catalytic converter anyhow? I was absent when it was taught.

The generator technology eliminates anxiety over whether a driver will run out of electricity.
Won’t cause any more anxiety than driving the California freeways...oh yeah...in a crappy little tin can on wheels.

Tuesday's agreement follows an earlier memorandum of understanding on GM-SAIC cooperation signed in November.
Cooperation so thick, it’s gagging!

The choice of China for the board meeting reflects the country's crucial status as the world's biggest market for sales of new vehicles, despite a recent decline from double-digit growth.
It beats the “crucial status” in this country, where we’re sitting on our hands and praying the Chinx be nice to us. 

GM's chairman Dan Akerson met Monday with more than 700 employees at GM's campus in Shanghai's eastern suburbs.
GM has 700 employees? Oh, that’s right...we’re in Shanghai.

Shanghai is the site of GM's international headquarters and its highly successful venture with state-owned SAIC, which on Monday rolled out the 5 millionth vehicle since production began in late 1998.
Let’s face it, China will be rolling out 5 million vehicles every 30 seconds...just wait!

The push for more advanced technology reflects China's frustrations with its continued weakness in automotive technology, analysts say.
No problem, China! We’re poor, we need the work...we’re here to do your bidding...just keep the egg rolls coming!

After 25 years of auto joint ventures that require local partners to hold at least a 50 percent stake, domestic automakers still lag behind their global rivals as they struggle to master the complexities of 21st century automotive engineering.
Have we got a deal for you.

"China is not a technology leader in virtually any industry.

The country has developed around low-cost production," said Bill Russo, president of the consultancy Synergistics Ltd.
Can we still get those adorable umbrellas in our drinks?

"This is the irony, that the largest and biggest growth market has relatively weak domestic manufacturers," he said.
You’re not listening, Russo! They’re gonna be eating our lunch before you get to finish those delicious Chinese noodles.

An explosion in Chinese demand and sluggish sales in the recession-stricken West helped China overtake the U.S. as the largest car market in 2009.
HoHumm. 

Last year, sales of passenger vehicles, excluding large buses, jumped by a third to 13.7 million vehicles.
Okay, that’s impressive.

Although growth in the overall market has slowed in recent months, GM's sales in China still jumped 13.4 percent in August from a year earlier to a record 205,885 vehicles for the month.
Yeah! We are number one! We are number one!

A large share of the company's growth has come from sales of its mini vehicles in another venture, SAIC-GM-Wuling.

But strong demand for foreign-brand sedans and sport-utility vehicles has also helped.
Thank Gawd for foreign-brand sedans and...and...what was the other one?
______

Editor: The salient point in this article illustrates how a society is only as successful as how well it educates its people.

The United States is becoming more and more vulnerable as the Government attempts to destroy the teachers union and educate only those who can afford it.

That’s foolish and short-sighted! The United States may be depriving itself of future talent and undeveloped genius.

The wealthy see no value in the public school system or the teachers union.

Rather, the country is poised to engage Charter Schools as a less expensive way to educate.

At present there are no significant results as to whether the charter schools is a better way to educate the future of America.