GM-Isuzu Joint Venture at Risk?

[More Power]

"Could General Motors go it alone building Duramax diesel engines for its Heavy Duty pickups instead of with manufacturing partner Isuzu Motors, Ltd?" See story at Bloomberg online (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aFS8VLyDSyuQ).

[WyoDutch]

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer... but with the bleak future facing the average American... I can't see how there can continue to be a chicken in every pot and a Duramax in every driveway.

I would be hard-pressed to do without a powerful hauler... but I *could* do it if forced to. The urban commuter on the other hand... will have much less resistance to selling-off that driveway queen just like he got rid of his Harley.

As The Boss said in 'My Hometown'...

"They’re closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks...
Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they aint coming back...
To your hometown, your hometown, your hometown, your hometown”

[Mark Rinker]

“It would be best for Isuzu to end its partnership with GM,” said Koichi Ogawa (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Koichi+Ogawa&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. in Tokyo. “The U.S. market will likely recover next year, but I don’t think demand for large vehicles like SUVs will recover.”

Interesting comment, considering GM never installed a Duramax in an SUV.

Wondering if GM can continue to build a Duramax powered truck, without Isuzu as a partner might be like wondering if Dell Computer could continue to build computers without Intel or AMD...not likely.

Wonder how many of the Duramax engine componants are built by Izuzu and imported, vs. forged at the DMax assembly plant?

[More Power]

I've read that the shelved 4.5L V-8 diesel was 100% GM-built.

Jim

[Mark Rinker]

I can't imagine another diesel truck I would want to own. Hope they turn the corner on this one.

In the meantime, I'll keep buying low mileage 2006 models, until there aren't any more to be found.

[EdHale]

You can't have mine Mark. I plan on keeping it for a long time.

[mafrazer1]

Wonder how many of the Duramax engine componants are built by Izuzu and imported, vs. forged at the DMax assembly plant?

I cannot say where many of the parts come from, but I do know only 4 items are machined at the Moraine, Ohio Duramax plant.

cylinder blocks (cast in Defiance, Ohio )
crankshafts (forged in Japan)
cylinder heads (cast in Japan)
connecting rods (forged in Japan, some machined in Japan also)

All parts are assembled here, just 300 yards from the former site of the 6.2/6.5 engine plant, which is now an empty parking lot.

[Mark Rinker]

All parts are assembled here, just 300 yards from the former site of the 6.2/6.5 engine plant, which is now an empty parking lot.

Glad they started under a new roof. Anything less would have been asking for bad juju. ;)