According to The Detroit News, GM plans to finish the latest round of white collar layoffs by the end of the year, with most coming by October 1. The layoffs are expected to primarily take place in Detroit, Warren, Pontiac and Milford. By year’s end, GM will have shed 6,000 white collar employees.

Workers unlucky enough to receive a pink slip will be eligible for up to six months pay and benefits. Executives can receive up to 12 months of coverage. Employees can also opt for an early retirement package.

GM also indicated that more hourly worker layoffs could be on the way, but no announcement has been made as of yet.

The California factory — opened by GM in 1962 — became the first U.S. auto assembly plant jointly operated by two automakers when it reopened in 1984.

GM and Toyota are holding discussions about future production opportunities at the California plant. The factory also builds the Toyota Matrix.

“We’ve gained a lot from our partnership with Toyota,” Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson said today. “We aren’t going to walk away from it.”

GM previously said Pontiac Solstice output will cease in July, followed by the end of production for the G6 sedan, coupe and convertible at a plant in Orion Township in September. For the 2010 model year, Pontiac plans to market just two models, the Vibe and the G6, which will be sold only to fleet customers.

The site has been under lockdown for more then 2 months, due to disruptions between members and staff. The purchase brings the current member count at FM to just over 183,000 users, which is larger then the population of the city of Oakville.

The forum is expected to prosper and continue to provide historical background information on the Pontiac Bonneville, which is a mid-size vehicle produced by Pontiac between 1957 and 2005.

The previous staff and past troublemakers are most likely not expecting to deal with such a seasoned forum veteran as Mr. Perry in their quest to disrupt the site.

Check out www.BonnevilleForum.com if you own one!

The joke, they call the Tahoe Hybrid is a sad excuse for GM’s attempt to establish anything environmentally friendly. With CAFÉ standards just around the corner and sales slumping at all North American manufacturers, one must wonder, how they will make this all work in the years to come.

In recent news, GM has laid off 900 workers at it’s Oshawa assembly plant. Of course, that’s nothing compared to the thousands it has already laid off in the states. Thankfully Oshawa is supposed to be manufacturing the new Camaro if I recall correctly, so that should save some jobs and local manufacturers. Anyways, enough ranting about the local economy and it’s shortcomings.

The G8 comes to us from the far and foreign land of Australia, where it is marketed as the Holden. Holdens have been around for ages, and they have a proven track record in Australia. A proven track record does not necessarily mean success, as clearly exhibited by the Pontiac GTO and it’s recent failure. They tried to take a vehicle that was a hit in another region, and North Americanize it. They slapped a boring Pontiac front end on it and did some cold weather testing. Add some horsepower and off you go.

Only problem is, that the plan failed and they never sold enough to keep them in the Pontiac lineup. Pontiac, not learning from it’s mistakes, goes out and does it again. The launch of the new G8 has all too familiar characteristics with the GTO. It has high horsepower, comes from Australia and has an ugly Pontiac front end. With this winner combination, it cannot fail. (sarcasm off) I’ve had an opportunity to sit in a G8 at one of the autoshows that I attended and I must say it is a very comfortable car. It is roomy, yet still sporty. From the outside it looks semi decent compared to what else is out there from Pontiac. The main feature that caught my attention was the fact that it’s rear wheel drive. Having had the opportunity to experience the Pontiac Grand Prix with the 5.3 and traction control off, I cannot imagine the night and day difference the new G8 will have during launch control. To transfer the amount of horsepower to the front wheels would just be a waste of time. As seen in head to head tests by Motor Trend against the SRT-8, it seems to hold it’s ground. Not too shabby for the price they’re asking.

The only question that remains is, with CAFÉ around the corner, how will these manufacturers deal with the gas consumption regulations? I’ve seen the testing done by Ford in a Taurus using V6, twin turbo powerplants, but as they say, there is no replacement for displacement.

Recently an acquaintance has sent me a picture of a done up “ute”. A “ute” is a form of the G8, which is being proposed. It’s yet to be named, as I think the wise men at Pontiac didn’t want to name it the El Camino or the Caballero, which it most resembles. It is basically a pickup/car that is a 2 door and has a bed. Pontiac would like to market it towards people who live in the southern states, that own personal watercraft, or quads etc etc… I must ask, would I want to drop my Sea-Doo into the bed of my brand new $35k Ute? I don’t think so. I think the fine folks at Pontiac should explore the opportunities that may arise from using these Utes to replace gas guzzling pick-ups that are driving on our city streets. This could be the answer for small contractors and delivery vehicles to utilize a domestic vehicle, which is durable and dependable to replace their 120-liter tanked Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado. I mean it’s no full size truck, but seems to do the job ok with a payload of 1400lbs.

Until next time,

Peace