Ford’s electric F-150 pickup truck

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by JSH

GM handed over responsibility for retiree healthcare to the UAW in the bankruptcy.

The responsibility meaning the cost or the management? Why or even how would a union have the ability to cover over a billion in health insurance premiums? I think they are just creating a pool so all the automakers can save some money. Then the UAW can also take their cut for doing all that work of now being a health insurance company. So GM, Ford, and Chrysler still pay the bulk of the premiums, and UAW makes more money and gets to hire a bunch of workers allowing top officials to command even higher salaries.

Who loses is the workers. Now they have conflicting interests representing them.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Who loses is the workers. Now they have conflicting interests representing them.

US industry and consumers wanting domestically made products also lose.

I suspect we will see a decline of GM, Ford, and Chrysler until they go bankrupt (again) and are not bailed out.

Tesla's future is very much in question, but they might be the only major US manufacturer to survive. Lack of UAW liabilities would play a large factor in that.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

The responsibility meaning the cost or the management? Why or even how would a union have the ability to cover over a billion in health insurance premiums? I think they are just creating a pool so all the automakers can save some money. Then the UAW can also take their cut for doing all that work of now being a health insurance company. So GM, Ford, and Chrysler still pay the bulk of the premiums, and UAW makes more money and gets to hire a bunch of workers allowing top officials to command even higher salaries.

Who loses is the workers. Now they have conflicting interests representing them.

Responsibility as in it is now entirely on the UAW - cost and management. I was wrong on the timing. It came out of the 2007 UAW contract and involves GM, Ford, and Chrysler. The UAW got a lump sum payment and took over financial responsibility for paying out retirement benefits as of 2010

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I suspect we will see a decline of GM, Ford, and Chrysler until they go bankrupt (again) and are not bailed out.

Not so sure about Ford and GM, yet Stellantis may still be OK with at least the Jeep and Ram brands as the SUV trend goes strong worldwide. GM now relies too much on SAIC and Wuling for its overseas range, and its recent retreats from Europe and some RHD markets such as India and Australia was not really so good as it only provided more room for the Chinese dumping, while Ford has been constantly making mistakes to the point it's quite surprising to not have gone bankrupt (yet).

[freebeard]

Now this is an electric F-150: www.cnbc.com/2021/11/02/ford-unveils-a-custom-electric-pickup-ahead-of-f-150-lightning-.html

• The Ford F-100 Eluminator concept truck features the retro-styling of a 1978 F-100 pickup with electric motors and batteries from the Mustang Mach-E GT.
• Ford and its partners built the vehicle to showcase its new e-crate motor that’s on sale through its aftermarket and performance division.

Oops! F-100.

[redpoint5]

I'm heartened that we still live in a society that allows crate motors to be dropped into just about anything one can imagine. At least the "save just 1 life" crowd hasn't ruined that yet.

[aerohead]

Lipstick on a pig.

[freebeard]

SEMA is going on right now.

arstechnica.com/cars/2021/11/custom-electric-cars-take-charge-at-sema-2021/

'Take charge'

Chevrolet actually showed off its own electric crate motor already at last year's online-only SEMA. This year, the bow-tie brand teamed up with Motortrend to electrify Project X, a 1957 Chevy that's been used over the years as a test bed for various different new technologies.

A half dozen or more examples. I remember Project X.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

SEMA is going on right now.

arstechnica.com/cars/2021/11/custom-electric-cars-take-charge-at-sema-2021/

'Take charge'


A half dozen or more examples. I remember Project X.

All of them, including the Mach-e are lipstick on a pig, and will stand in the way of transitioning off carbon.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by aerohead

All of them, including the Mach-e are lipstick on a pig, and will stand in the way of transitioning off carbon.

I think you are wrong, the solution isn't a "one size fits all" solution. You have to win the hearts of the people, you have to work with their emotions. Tesla does it with 0-60 times. By your logic that is unnecessary and not economy driven and therefore a hindrance to the switch from ICE vehicles. I would argue these kinds of things make the transition faster.