History is instructive: In economics we studied the "Dutch Tulip Bulb Market Bubble" and its associated mania.

Lets all believe that Rivian,- with one single factory in one location, with a yet unproven product that just started selling vehicles is worth more then the entire valuation of Ford?

Exactly what we were told in school to keep a sharp eye out for... but I need to wonder perhaps to have a market cap today you do not have to have a tangible asset inventory or an established market segment?

If not then that gentlemen is the very definition of a "rigged game" where the whales select a technology and a company and bets on it simply because the political class and the FED shapes the market artificially through "green spending" and in the case of Rivian - Amazon promises of future purchases.

HINT-HINT... the US ARMY is reportedly looking at the NEW GM HUMMER EV for a big buy to replace the existing HUMVEE.

You need to understand stock prices and market caps. They are more focused on the future than the present. That's how an EV Truck startup like Rivian has a bigger Market Cap than Ford. Rivian is doing something that Ford wants to do, has to do and will cost them tens of billions of dollars to accomplish.

----I really wonder how well an electric Hummer will work out in the field. Just carry a gas powered generator around with them?.....Bill S

Tesla market cap has been disjointed since inception. At 1T it is bigger then the next 6 auto companies combined but produces less units! Valuation has changed For sure. I think part of what drives the Rivian stock early on is FOMO, Myself included. I have owned Tesla and sold it several times over the years and every time I sell it I tell myself I should’ve held onto it.

You guys read Market insider?

The market is responding in a strange way to this IPO.

Good opinion here which I agree with:

https://markets.businessinsider.com/...n-2021-11?op=1

Have you gotten your truck yet Charley? Any idea when it will be in if not?
Watched a review of one earlier this week and then the guy took it out off roading and it did pretty well (Doug DeMuro on Youtube).

They emailed me and I think it said between May-June.

I saw a white Rivian pickup on my way home 2 nights ago. The first thing I saw was the headlights. It stuck out since the headlights are so different. I didn't recognize what it was until I passed it and got a better look.

^ cool. I’ve been looking but haven’t seen one yet myself.

Wow, a little rational thought about the swap to EV's:

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/ford-ce...-electric-cars

Bad link. I think the story was taken down - These Customers Are Not Ready For Electric Cars

Good Link:

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/ford-ce...-electric-cars

Behind the scenes you need to get to know the ESG score.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-esg-investors

Toyota outsold GM in 2021, marking the first time since 1931 that the Detroit automaker wasn’t the best-selling car company in the U.S.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/04/toyo...r-in-2021.html

^ gah.

We are experiencing history in front of our eyes. The world is changing.

Note to Mary Barra: Why not let me borrow this truck for a test where we put a classed hitch and receiver on it along with my loaded enclosed car trailer and lets go for a regular drive through Pennsylvania up and down the mountains.

That would be fun I am sure:biggthumpup:

Been saying this for a couple years now:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/...ucture-demands

Posting this here with the assumption that GM IS actively monitoring this thread:

https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2022...ssons-of-i-95/

Airstream Unveiled a Game-Changing Camping Trailer Concept

electric camping trailer of the future with its battery-electric powertrain.

https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/a388...mping-trailer/

I didn't read all the comments, but power grid constraints vary by region. In fact in some regions there is an abundance of power, more than the demand.

West coast and parts of the East though have power constraints, lots of factors there.

EV market penetration is rising strongly but still like around 7% of total car and light truck sales.

A friend who works for VW said that he think the power train offering will be a mix going forward, hybrids make more sense for many folks without garage charging, ie. street parkers and renters.

I don't see me making the swap to a EV anytime soon, maybe in a few years we might have one after we move out of Chicago.

Here is the number (score) that drives the change to EV within gM

Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Risk Rating

Today's score for gM is at 54.65

Yes, it is completely connected to the implementation of UN agenda 2030.

GM has to balance a few things, profitability, growth, ESG, and changes in safety/emissions/fuel economy.

GM does not a good job of carving out niches and staying in them, and wastes time with stuff like the new Hummer.

If you look at the success of Honda, they have focused on specific offerings that they keep refining and making better. I would bet the average 27 year old looking for a nice car will look at an Accord or a Civic 4 door before they test drive a Malibu or a Cruze. Malibus look good and should be marketed more. The Cruze looks and feels cheap.

I have to admit that I have struggled mightily with what has happened to GM (now gM)

Seemingly not caring at all about the legacy core buyer of the product.

Literally the entire reinvention of a company where no real current market, or infrastructure currently exists. Further Congress just failed to pass the legislation that would have enabled gM to have a fighting chance... .

Many, Many points to consider. GM selling off its old business model making decisions that do not make any real sense to any free market person.

But it is not about the free market at all. Mary Barra appears to have a "golden stake" just above her head if she does not reinvent GM.

11 years ago we were warned by the conspiracy theorists if GM took the bail out that GM would be forced to build products that nobody wanted to buy.

The video at the link lays it all bare for all to see.

Caution: IF you do not like Glenn Beck or his opinions do not click.

If you want to make a political statement please do not reply to this thread.

If you are simply open minded please watch. Again PLEASE do not make this ideological or political, but BECK in this one video just nicely confirmed what has been coming from inside GM concerning the radical direction the company is literally being forced to take over the past 4 years - so I feel this hits the nail on the head.

Mary I am truly sorry for what you are having to manage your way through.

Presented as information on what ESG really is:

https://www.facebook.com/GlennBeck/v...00837813744733

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news...?ocid=msedgntp

As with anything from the media today, you can take it with as much as you feel you can trust that news source.

From the article "Governments Get behind" (EV's)

Let me translate that for you. We are at step two: Government's prepare to mandate you to buy and drive an EV.

Step one was incentives to purchase.

Step three will be a total ban on the operation of ICE.

Remember its all part of UN agenda 2030. Its part of the plan.

A sobering assessment:

The really smart car companies are working on this..... .

Hey Mary, listen up- NEVER put all your marbles in one basket...

"We are working toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050," Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka said. "At the same time, ‘Motor’ is in our company name and we accordingly have a strong passion for and level of commitment to the internal combustion engine."

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/toyota-...ning-v8-engine

FORD has thought this through....

"Ford will split its electric vehicle and internal combustion operations into two individual businesses to accelerate its adaptation of new technology and the Detroit automaker said Wednesday that its transformation into an EV company is accelerating.

Ford plans a major restructuring with two distinct but strategically interdependent auto businesses – Ford Blue focusing on traditional combustion engines and Ford Model e, which will develop electric vehicles."

https://apnews.com/article/ford-ev-c...4c7ff9bb1e3d8e

In my opinion, finally someone takes a moderate stance on the future.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...ous/?source=nl

While my DD was at the dealership last week getting scheduled service, it was related to me that the Audi dealership in Omaha sent a customer from Western Nebraska out the door in a new E-Tron, with instructions on where to get it charged. When he got there the charging station was "Out of order":eek2:. They sent a roll-back out to retrieve him back to Omaha for plan "B". :rolleyes2:

Also, when the boat went down, they only lost one A4. - Bill W

Great article.....thanks Mark.

I find it sad and enlightening that a European CEO (remember the EU countries are always leading the Green charge) has to remind us here in North America about this scary immediate push to covert to EV. There are so many obstacles that will need to be addressed such as our inadequate power production capacity and the grid. Any idea how long this will take to improve?

Not to be a smart ass, but when you decide to build a new road somewhere and it's the first day of the construction process, do you first have the tractor trailers show up with asphalt? Nope........a pile of prep work needs to be done first before you start spreading the asphalt, right?

70copo - And the Glenn Beck and the ESG information video really worry me. Especially when I am a fat guy who loves my freedom and cherishes the ability to eat a Big Mac whenever I want. Thank you for the link.

Lord help us.

You are welcome. It has taken us literally years to get to this point with this thread but finally we are at the nub of it. A global currency reset and a social credit score for every company and every person. (ESG)

All of the woke nonsense we are seeing - including the latest from Disney (for example) all is based upon getting a favorable ESG score top to bottom.

ESG is what will be used to ultimately remove private property rights and there is an incredible amount of protest and pushback happening in Europe that's not being covered by the corporate's controlled media and that's intentional.

The Europeans being way ahead of the US in the process-are feeling the effects and seeing the writing on the wall so the good people like the BMW CEO are finally beginning to speak up.

Welcome to The World Economic Forum's Great Reset/Agenda 2030 plan.

There is a reason we left Afghanistan and left an intact airbase and billions of dollars of weapons' there because Afghanistan is estimated to have an estimated 1-2 Trillion + in unmined Lithium reserves so, the US moved out and China is moving in. China is going to mine it. Lithium mining is an environmental disaster, so the CCP will operate the mines.

Once you see and realize what is afoot globally and you read what the WEF has stated in writing (is coming for all of us) you literally cannot "unsee" it.

WHY you ask? Because to accomplish the planned currency reset you have to quit drilling for oil world wide, make it scarce and expensive - thereby and demonetizing the value of the current Petro based world wide currencies.

Then you simultaneously create an artificial demand for EV's mainly through regulation and rulemaking with the intent of finally establishing a a new world reserve currency based upon the NEW "Lithium" based World reserve currency - the Chinese YUAN.

So most of the the daily media distractions are all designed to keep everyone off balance while all of this is going on. We are waking up however. :grin:

I think that's quite enough chemotherapy for this morning.

The Chevrolet Corvette is officially going electric

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/othe...0852373d4e1dc9

Hopefully this isn't the future:
"GM Stops Offering Battery Replacement For Chevy Spark EV.
This could mean they will quickly start to disappear from the road once their original batteries are no longer usable. GM is reportedly no longer offering new packs for the electric Spark - it doesn’t have any and won’t be manufacturing them any more."

----What company in their right mind would follow this path. I'm sorry, this is crazy. Just walk away from good customers, the back bone of your business? I'm sorry, I don't understand this kind of doing business!.....Bill S

Well at least they are not going to collect them and crush them like they did with EV-1.

The Death of GM EV-1 program in 2003 created such rage among the enthusiasts that owned the cars it caused two guys to sell an E book company to fund a start up called T E S L A and the rest as we say is "history".

One thing that GM has not changed. There has been historically NO shortage of dumb decision making at GM/gM. Without a doubt the OLD GM changed the world and indirectly gave birth to its current nemesis by abandoning the EV-1.

On balance the company remains out of touch with its core buying segment, and to survive It has to not only convert its loyal buyers to accept a product that they do not currently want, but also take market share from TESLA while doing it.

That's going to be quite a hat trick to pull off. Best of luck with that.

https://medium.com/pushtostart/the-f...1-f00e4af62f78

Isn't there a federal requirement to supply parts for ten years from manufacture?? :confused2:

gM is apperently all in on the enshrinement of:

ESG

Individual Social Credit scores

and a global Lithium based digital currency reset.

View gM's actions through this lens- and it makes perfect sense.


As a matter of fact IF my income was derived from doing business with ESG leaning institutions the purchase of one or two electric cars would go along way to boosting the "environment" rating of my ESG score- thus keeping me safe and sound for that portion of my personal credit score.