Holden

Earlier today I posted about the imminent demise of Holden.

A reader emailed me this advert from the 70s that may need a re-write.

Any one who thinks Holden is going to survive in the long term is dreamin’.

Rising costs, cut-throat competition, a limited domestic base and similar woes have already made the industry dependent on government subsidies – and even with these the outlook is dark.

While politicians and car bosses exude faith in long-term survival, Holden managing director Mike Devereux this month announced the loss of 500 more jobs – 170 went in December – with no assurances for the future.  Read more »

Greens like to use buzzwords like “cleantech” and other such crap…what they really mean is loss-making ideas that needs massive subsidies to operate.

Quite apart from the fact that a Holden Volt couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding it is also a loss making venture. But hey…it’s “cleantech” right?

If you think NZ$85,000 is too much for the Holden Volt plug-in hybrid electric car – similar in size to the conventional NZ$30,400 Cruze sedan on which it is based – you’re in for another shock.

If General Motors charged the price that the development of the Volt owed them, it would cost customers closer to NZ$127,000.

One of the most advanced cars of the decade might be a technological marvel – but so far General Motors is losing money on every one it sells.

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid – which is due to go on sale in New Zealand as a Holden for NZ$85,000 – is a loss-maker according to expert analysts in Detroit.

Nearly two years after the introduction of the Volt – which has revolutionised the thinking around hybrid power by using petrol to generate electricity for extended range – GM is losing as much as NZ$62,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to the Reuters news agency by industry analysts and manufacturing experts.

While the loss per vehicle will shrink as more are built and sold, GM admits it is still years away from making money on the Volt.

Indeed, GM says it might not reach break even until the next-generation model is launched in about three years.

Electric cars are gay, no one wants them:

19 Chevrolet Volt (Photo credit: kenjonbro)

General Motors has reportedly sent home 1300 employees for five weeks due to a lack of demand for its much-hyped plug-in hybrid car, the Volt.

The Detroit Free Press quotes GM spokesman Chris Lee as saying: “Even with sales up in February over January we are still seeking to align our production with demand.”

The Hamtramck production plant, which builds the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and will also produce the Holden badged Volt, will close its doors from March 19 to April 23, according to Lee.

The Holden Volt is due to go on sale in Australia within months. It’s not yet clear whether the production layoff will impact local supply.

The plant closure is a public relations disaster for GM, which had heralded the car as a breakthrough for the US automotive industry.

The Volt is GM’s first hybrid car that is designed to run primarily on electricity. It uses a small capacity petrol engine as a “range-extender”, allowing it to travel longer distances.

Chevrolet fell embarrassingly short of its initial 10,000 unit sales target for the Volt in the US in 2011, with just 7671 cars sold.

.270 or .308 for red deer?

What would you drive, a Falcon 500 or a HQ Holden?

Short Bursts or Full auto?

If a member of your caucus had a gay ute would would you do?

a.  Tell him to sell it.
b. Give him a big hug and offer him counseling.
c. Send him to counseling with Chopper Read
d. Ask Chopper to include Gay Utes in his next harden the fuck up skit.

Why does wild venison taste so much better than farmed venison?

What is your favourite wine for getting birds pissed?

A pallet of piss or a few kegs?

Would you go pig hunting with Paula Bennett?

When you are making sausages what is your favourite meat:

a. Chamois
b. Fallow
c. Red
d. Pig

What is your preferred method for catching kingfish?

a. Jigging
b. Livebait
c. Poppers
d. Spearfishing

If your hunting dog was not listening would you:

a. Electric collar it
b. Boot it.
c. Send it to time out

If you could personally fire any New Zealand Defence Force Weapon what would it be?

Which of these Shane Jones favourites is better?

a. Debbie Does Dallas
b. Deep Throat
c. Who’s nailin’ Palin?

via the tipline

Stuart Nash seems to be working very late tonight. Long after all the MPs have bolted for the parliamentary recess, his car was seen parke on the forecourt at parliament. It’s along drive back to Napier…is he perhaps running damage control missions?

It appears to be a Holden stationwagon…not as gay as Fossy’s Gay Ute but a “shaggin’ wagon” nonetheless.

Just about set to take off on the Targa, I’m going on the tour with my mate Paul and this is his Holden after it has had its modifications completed.

This car is the ultimate sleeper. It is blown, by Paul Manuel, has a switch to go from normal exhaust to dump pipes straight through and the noise of this roaring V8 is something to be believed. Racing brakes with custom cooling pipes from the front to the disks. The line lockers complete a simply magnificant fuel guzzling beast of a V8 machine.

Holden Grange V8 Monster

Sometimes silly protests go wrong, very wrong. Some Yes vote supporters have made a sign generator where you are supposed to go and make fun of the referendum question. Of course I went there and just fomented happy mischief.

Here are some others;

http://should-a.com/nn6wc5

http://should-a.com/4wmlhr

http://should-a.com/2mw3ke

Make your own and pop the link in the comments.

I was called by TV3 to comment on the Twitter saga engulfing parliament. They didn’t use most of my comments which were about branding and how Labour’s “brand” has just shuffled off to New York. Essentially Labour has been branded for 13 years as Helen Clark and Helen Clark was the Labour Party. Social Media is all about getting your brand recognised and Labour and indeed most MP’s are woeful at this.

It almost serves them right that someone has had a crack at them. Darren Hughes, though and Labour are being overly precious and The Ginga Whinga’s words about wanting takedown for parody, ridicule and denigration is simply pathetic. These are the kind of people who always went running to the kindy teacher when someone called them names. What a diddums.

Labour needs a new strategy – From the Government’s point of view, it might be a good idea to stop talking about the National Party. [3 News Politics]

The mainstream commentariat has noticed as well as the blogosphere that Labour’s single announced policy, that is the “John Key is the anti-christ” policy, isn’t working. Less than 90 days out from the general election and Labour still has no policy for beyond 2008. The electorate are asking themselves what exactly is it that Labour are offering and it seems that Labour doesn’t want to tell us or can’t tell us because they are so bereft of ideas that they have only one platform and that is that John Key eats babies.

Meanwhile National has released its list and shows the good health that the party is in. The contrast with Labours list will be interesting. Right now National looks far more representative of modern New Zealand than does Labour.