Comments on: GM invests $170 million in RWD/AWD six-speed auto

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 31 May 2006 21:25:15 +0000

Yes, Joe I would. And again this is based on the countless other bad decisions. This looks more like a way to spend money to keep the UAW happy than actually improving GM products.

Jon.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:45:37 +0000

Do you think that a company would spend $170 million without using the same simlpe logic some of you here used to conclude its a bad idea?

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 31 May 2006 18:40:06 +0000

That’s really odd. You would think they would also make the manual available in Europe. Anything’s an improvement to the ultra-complicated SMG II gearbox. Its better to just have a 6-Speed and control how fast you want to shift the car on-the-fly.

Jon.

By: M5 Tranny

M5 Tranny — Wed, 31 May 2006 17:03:58 +0000

Jon, In the July Issue of Car Magazine, out today in the UK. Says the option isn’t scheduled for Europe

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:45:46 +0000

M5,

Where did you read this?

Jon.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:44:55 +0000

Of course Mike thinks that any kind of ‘investment’ by GM is a positive thing, as if a 6-speed transmission built by the same people that came out with wonderful cars like the Pontiac Aztec are going to be able to build a world-class transmission. VW buys transmissions from Borg Warner and a lot of other automakers buy transmissions from ZF, but I guess they have no idea what they are doing, right?

But, then again he also thinks that the XLR is just as good as an SL…so what does that tell you?

Jon.

By: M5Tranny

M5Tranny — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:44:21 +0000

Hey guess what. BMW is engineering a manual transmission for the M5 specifically for the US market

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 31 May 2006 15:44:24 +0000

I wasn’t referring to the UAW comment. hell, if I mopped the floow for the UAW I would make 10 times what I do now.

I was referring to the other bashers complaining that GM is investing money into better products.

By: ProudUAWMember

ProudUAWMember — Wed, 31 May 2006 15:09:15 +0000

Mike which GM division do you mop the floor for? I’m with Chevy and its a sign of progress that 94% of all employees can now read.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 31 May 2006 15:04:21 +0000

^^^ SOOOOO many dumbasses in this thread. ^^^^^

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:54:29 +0000

Jon, If you worked at GM, I bet with all the factors considered, you are most probably going to end up making the same decision, even if you know its wrong.

This is how life is in a mamoth corp. Everyone trying to make one decision. I dont think the problem is in the minds. Its in the actual shape of GM as a huge corp who ruled the market for sometime and was able to afford the large work force. But when its share went down, its income reduced but it still consumed the same amount.

That’s why you see GM downsizing and closing down plants. And thank the UAW where a guy mopping the floor gets paid 70K/year and some even over 100K.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:39:21 +0000

Joe,

Seeing as GM’s decisions tend to be wrong, how can you possibly tell me they are right?

Jon.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:35:17 +0000

#10, Jon, wow you were able to know the solution just by reading this article. Only if the world as simple as your world. There are 10000 variables involved in decision making.

To think that you alone outsmart a whole organization is a bit strange.

Trust me, humans don’t make decisions based on nothing. It’s a matter of deciding where to compromise. And unless you have a bird-eye view of the whole GM org, then you can never have find out why they realy made this decision.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2006 12:43:06 +0000

Now dump the weazing pushrod from the midsize vehicle lineup and GM will have caught up to the competiton

From 1995.

By: Seamus McFlaherty

Seamus McFlaherty — Wed, 31 May 2006 09:55:37 +0000

M have you actually bought a G6 or do you just work in the plant that makes it? I bet a Camry V6 would work so much better in a silky smooth lexusy kind of way than a G6

By: Seamus McFlaherty

Seamus McFlaherty — Wed, 31 May 2006 08:00:22 +0000

A basic volkswagen golf comes with a 6 speed in Europe, whats the big deal?

By: M

Wed, 31 May 2006 04:36:05 +0000

I heard the FWD G6 is getting a 6 speed auto so thats a nice step in the right dirrection.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 31 May 2006 04:27:10 +0000

These 6-speeds are slowly being deployed into Cadillacs;
while Toyota puts 4-, uh, 6-2, er, 6-speeds on the Camry.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 31 May 2006 04:04:25 +0000

Borg-Warner doesn’t make DSG transmissions. BW supplies the wet-clutch DuelTronic technology component of the DSG transmission. Other companies still have to assemble the whole transmission.

Who really cares how many gears it has? 6 is good. The point is to get the job done.
If you want pure numbers, 8-speed is crap.
Here’s 18-speed.
http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/products/PS13.asp

By: manny

manny — Wed, 31 May 2006 03:34:46 +0000

wow… people cant handle good news coming from gm…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2006 02:43:51 +0000

Isn’t a six speed auto a bit too sophisticated for a Camaro? Pushrod motor, live rearend and a four speed auto thank you very much.

OOps, it’s 2006… I’ll see you guys later. I have a meeting with my local BMW dealer.

By: M

Wed, 31 May 2006 02:07:44 +0000

IMO rear wheel drive is complete bull****. It handles like crap in bad weather and attacts very few EVERYDAY customers. WHERE IS THE 6-SPEED AUTO FOR FWD!!!!!!!!!

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Wed, 31 May 2006 01:09:14 +0000

Well, Scotty sure has a point, IMHO. Unless you’re disabled and can’t operate a clutch, there’s simply no excuse to choose a craptomatic over a manual.

By: N

Wed, 31 May 2006 00:58:14 +0000

One hit wonders I’m afraid. How is Chrysler ever going to follow them up. You can only do heritage design once. ANd Chrysler happened to have an old mercedes platform lying around that they could use

By: GTX

GTX — Wed, 31 May 2006 00:37:26 +0000

#11, look at what the Magnum, 300, and Charger have done for Chrysler.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2006 00:15:26 +0000

What’s so special about rear wheel drive anyway. It aint gonna save GM, Ford Chrysler et al if the product is rubbish

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 31 May 2006 00:05:18 +0000

“GM hatred spreads like a plague, doesn’t it?”
It sure does.
Where’s the rwd Toyota’s? Oh thats right no Toyota car has rear wheel drive. Honda has 1 rwd car. But lets rip GM. Forget that GM’s hybrids save more fuel THAN all Toyota, Honda, Ford hybrids combined. (search GM hybrid bus).
A six speed automatic is more than enough. 7 and 8 is just overkill.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 30 May 2006 23:29:48 +0000

OOOO, a 6-Speed automatic! I’m so amazed. No, wait not amazed. What’s the right word? Saddened; that’s it. Instead of buying DSG (dual-clutch) transmissions from Borg Warner (an American company), which is the best automatic transmission in the world, they go ahead and build their own transmissions. Brilliant! Now instead of diverting that money into making actual components manufactured by GM better, they are simply going to invest it in something they don’t need to invest. Gee, what a great use of money…I still can’t figure out why they were downgraded to junk bond status…

Jon.

By: Zmaj Strasni

Zmaj Strasni — Tue, 30 May 2006 23:10:41 +0000

Why they just dont buy it from ZF, it would be cheaper, not to mention disputable american engineering….

By: scotty

scotty — Tue, 30 May 2006 22:23:52 +0000

automatic is only understandable if you lost your left leg. other then that, if you dont like a clutch, you dont like driving.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2006 22:23:38 +0000

SHouldn’t GM be leading with technology like it used to? GM will be much better when people stop making excuses for it or criticising the people who dare to suggest that GM might possibly be better than it is. Its not GM bashing, Fords are dire also, its just that this article is about a GM transmission

By: gsh

gsh — Tue, 30 May 2006 22:21:38 +0000

haha finally GM discovers the world of 6 speeds.

By: scotty

scotty — Tue, 30 May 2006 22:18:32 +0000

wtf would you want an auto camaro 6 spd? worst idea. but props to gm for a tranny for luxury rwd sedans.

By: BlaRo

BlaRo — Tue, 30 May 2006 22:12:22 +0000

And it’s GM’s fault for not trying to play their game and stuffing as many gears into a tranny as possible? GM hatred spreads like a plague, doesn’t it?

Good job for them (for now) for slowly going back to RWD.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2006 21:49:59 +0000

mercedes has a 7 speed already and Lexus an 8 speed, too late again GM