Time to Wake Up......H3 will get a turbo I5

[funpilot]

http://forums.gminsidenews.com/showthread.php?t=12348

[funpilot]

$35,000. Have lots of pics. Where do you want me to send them?

It has 42,000 miles and is very well maintained. As far as I know, it is the lowest price on the net for this vehicle.

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<DIV class=headline>Local GM plant to stop production again</DIV>
<DIV class=subheadline>Workers received week of downtime in January.</DIV>
<DIV class=publicationdate>February 17, 2005</DIV>
<DIV class=story>By
Michelle Mahfoufi

mmahfoufi@gannett.com

Starting
next week, production of the midsize pickups at Shreveport's General Motors
plant will come to a two-week halt to absorb excess inventory.

The
majority of the plant's 3,000 hourly employees, who just came off a one-week
stoppage in January for the same reason, won't report to work from Feb. 21 to
March 7.

"It's still an issue of supply and demand," plant spokeswoman
Donna McLallen said. "We have great products, but we are facing incredible
competition. ... Every other vehicle manufacturer has a new midsize truck that
competes against ours."

Affected employees receive about 75 percent of
their regular paycheck under GM's contract with United Auto Workers Local
2166.

McLallen said sales of the Chevy Colorado and GMC are increasing
but production is surpassing market demand. She would not comment on the number
of trucks produced at the local plant each month. Sales figures released by
General Motors show that 10,176 Colorados were sold in January compared to 3,016
at the same time last year. The number of Canyons sold also increased from 775
in January 2004 to 2,686 this year.

"We can't speculate on the future but
as we always do, we will continue to monitor the marketplace," McLallen said.
"The main thing is we're very lucky we have a new product coming on that's
already generating a lot of excitement."

The local plant will build the
Hummer H3 on the same line used to produce the Colorado and Canyon. Production
will begin in the second quarter of 2005, with the first H3s arriving in
dealerships in the summer. Some employees will work through the stoppage to
prepare for the H3 launch.

"This temporary downtime has absolutely
nothing to do with the launch of the Hummer H3, which is still on schedule to be
launched later this spring," McLallen said.</DIV></Table>

[PARAGON]

First, never believe anything you read or hear regarding the auto industry these days, especially if it is from some guy who knows a guy who knows a guy, etc. etc. You can't even count on the information put in print that is directly from the auto manufacturer. Those of us that ordered H2s before they were built found this out (albeit on a smaller scale).

Second, some guy that works at the assembly plant in Shreveport is not going to be privy to the information on future options, designs until they alert the plant that those changes or options are coming. Auto manufacturing is a BIG BIG business and is the prime example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. This day and age it has to be that way so that when they do bring something to market it is fresh and information containment is extremely important.

More importantly, GM does not want to publicly announce that there will be some better change or option later in the year or for the next year on a brand new product like this. This would kill the initial sales because buyers would wait until those others arrived. That's not to say that an optional V-8 won't arrive next year as an H3 Alpha model or something.

Changes will probably even occur between now and when they start shipping that might contradict the brochures and other information. It is just the way things are and have to be.

[funpilot]

http://forums.gminsidenews.com/showthread.php?t=12348

[KenP]

funpilot, are you getting excited? Is yours coming in June?

[funpilot]

Reading further I found:

I work at the Colorado/H3 plant. We've been building about 40 H3's a week. We start building sellable H3's on 4/18. They said the turbo I5 is dead. From what I understand, it isn't holding up very good to the Turbo. I was also told (by this VERY high up person) that the H3 will get a V8 in the next model year. This option will also be added to the Colorado/Canyon. This guy is a very reliable source. Never been wrong in the 10 yrs. I've know him.

[funpilot]

I need to sell my RV first.....my original buyer just backed out because of illness....so back trying to sell it. Anyone want a nice Born Free RV?

[ratesguy]

How much?