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GMBack in December of 2009 Ed Whitacre was appointed interim CEO of GM.  Whitacre ruffled his features and a major change in upper management took place including the appointment of Mark Reuss President of GM North America & Susan Docherty Chief of US Sales as well as Whitacre removing the “interim” before his name.  Now that musical chairs are finished & everyone knows who’s in what chair let’s see how GM does in 2010.  Stability was the word of the day from Whitacre, stating that that’s what GM needs right now & that “stability” was him!  Since Whitacre’s appointment & ascension to a more permanent title, he marks the last of the 3 Detroit Motor-groups to be run by a “automotive newcomer”.  Ford CEO Alan Mulally is a former Boeing executive & Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne a former lawyer/accountant, and now Whitacre a former AT&T CEO and even had ties to ExxonMobil.


One of GM’s plans has already gone a muck…

GM is trying to push the Cadillac franchise in the larger city/metropolitan areas & pulling from the smaller less populated areas.  GM has been trying to bring it’s struggling luxury brand up to par with other brands like Mercedes, BMW & Lexus which all have this targeted market strategy.  Very soon we could see only about 500 Cadillac Dealerships, down from 1400+.    Dealers who lost their Cadillac brand and new potential homes for the brand have not been taking well to this latest push sending Cadillac into turmoil.

Red is the pick…Blue would have been the win

Sunday January 24th 2010

NY Jets at Indianapolis (17-30)
Minnesota at New Orleans(28-31)


2010 Honda Civic GX

2010 Honda Civic GX

2010 Honda Civic GX
MSRP $25,340
MPG 36HWY / 24City

The Civic GX burns natural gas & has made the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s “Greenest Cars” list.

2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
MSRP $21,400-28-070
MPG 48HWY / 51City

The Prius is a Hybrid with very low emissions @ city speed limits and also having excellent MPG on the highway as well.

2010 Honda Civic Hybrid

2010 Honda Civic Hybrid
MSRP $23,800
MPG 45HWY / 40City

Despite sales of the Civic Hybrid being way down this year it is still one of the most popular hybrids on the market.

Smart ForTwo

Smart ForTwo


2010 Smart ForTwo

MSRP $11,990 – $20,990
MPG 41 Hwy / 33 City

The small ForTwo earns its MPG ratings the old fashioned way. It’s very very small and light. Seating for only two& is powered by a 1.0L 3 cylinder engine.

2010 Honda Insight

2010 Honda Insight

2010 Honda Insight
MSRP $19,800 – $21,300
MPG 43 Hwy / 40 City

The Insights’ direct competitor is the Toyota Prius.  It’s not quite as fuel efficient but it’s still better on gas than most other cars in its’ class.

Red is the pick…Blue is the win

Saturday January 16th:

Arizona at New Orleans (14-45)
Baltimore at Indianapolis (3-20)

Sunday January 17th:

Dallas at Minnesota (3-34)
NY Jets at San Diego (17-14)

Red is the pick…Blue is the win

Wild Card Round

Saturday January 9th, 2010

NY Jets at Cincinnati (24-14)
Philadelphia at Dallas (14-34)

Sunday January 10th, 2010

Baltimore at New England (33-14)
Green Bay at Arizona (45
-51)

GMGM Chairman Whitacre says 100 or more dealerships are to be re-opened due to new legislation signed by President Obama in December.  New law states that dealers who lost their GM franchise have 6 months to appeal.

GM is also trying to push remodels of dealerships across the nation.  They ARE offering to pay but with a few catches & guidelines…one particular being that they will stall payment to the dealership as long as 5-10 years.

Among all these changes GM is having dealers separate brands into their own areas within the building & for larger higher selling dealers move brands into their own building.  If they comply with the changes mucho cash rewards could be in their future & of course if they don’t…

GM’s Basic Remodel Plan:

Chevrolet:
• Blue entryway outside
• Canopy inside to designate reception area
• & More…
Buick-GMC:
• Brushed-metal arch over entry
• Greeter desk inside backed by similar arch
• Tan tile floor
• & More…
Cadillac:
• Indiana limestone exterior
• Black tile and a hotel like reception desk
• & More…
Single stores with multiple GM franchises:
• Chevrolet-style entryways
Sourced from GM Representatives

GMACGMAC has announced more losses on top of the already three government bailout.  The fourth quarter of 2009 brings a whopping  $5 Billion Loss!!  They refuse to sell off portions of the company like ResCap a housing mortgage division despite that market crash.  GMAC is best known for its’ car loans to the auto industry.

The Numbers:

- Lost $2.5 Billion in 3rd & 4th Quarter of 2008
- Received $7.5 Billion from the government @ the end of 2008
- Lost more than $5 Billion in the first 9 months of 2009

Red is the pick…Blue is the win

Sunday December 20th, 2009

Arizona at Detriot (31-24)
Cleveland at Kansas City (41-34)
San Francisco at Philadelphia (13-27)
Chicago at Baltimore (7-31)
New England at Buffalo (17-10)
Miami at Tennessee (24-27)
Houston at St Louis (16-13)
Atlanta at NY Jets (10-7)
Oakland at Denver (20-19)
Cincinnati at San Diego (24-27)
Green Bay at Pittsburgh (36-37)
Tampa Bay at Seattle (24-7)
Minnesota at Carolina (7-26)

Monday December 21st

NY Giants at Washington (45-12)

0 Pecan Balls

Pecan Balls

1/2 Cup Butter
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Flour
Powdered Sugar

Mix all ingredients well & form into 1/2″ – 1 ” balls.  Bake @ 350 for about 10-125 minutes.  While hot out of the oven roll into Powdered Sugar, then do again when cool.

Red is the pick…Blue is the win

December 13th, 2009:

Green Bay at Chicago (21-14)
New Orleans at Atlanta (26-23)
Detriot at Baltimore (3-48)
Denver at Indianapolis (16-28)
Seattle at Houston (7-34)
NY Jets at Tampa Bay (26-3)
Carolina at New England (10-20)
Miami at Jacksonville (14-10)
Buffalo at Kansas City (16-10)
Cincinnati at Minnesota (10-30)
St Louis at Tennessee (7-47)
Washington at Oakland (34-13)
San Diego at Dallas (20-17)
Philadelphia at NY Giants (45-38)

December 14th, 2009

Arizona at San Francisco (9-24)