One problem GM faces is the huge cost involved in buying out the franchises for any makes it quits - shuttering Buick isn't as easy as it sounds.

 

It will be amazing if Hyundai figure is true.
do you have a link to confirm these numbers?

 

I think your numbers are a little off.

According to Yahoo Finance;
Toyota - $140 B
Honda - $118 B
Daimler - $57 B
Ford - $10.9 B
GM - $ 6.5 B

According to MarketWatch;
Hyundai - $15.5 B : link

 

And how long has this "turn around" be in process. Seems like years to me. The problem is I don't see the company making any progress.

 

GM's problems isn;t necessarily due to its product lineup (although it does contribute). Up until recently, they've hit the high note for quite some time, trucks were a huge hit and remained fairly consistent over the past 10 years or so. The sharp incline of oil prices could not have been forseen 3 years ago since the inflation has more to do with speculative investment in commodities than actual supply, demand until very recently has remained constant.
Considering that the market has really started crashing down on GM for the past few years, look at their lineup. New Malibu, G8, the new vette, cobalt, all great cars. Problem is that the average consumer now view them as unreliable, subpar cars when compared to the accord, camry and civic.
Case and point, people on this very forum constantly said oh if Ford brough the mondeo or euro focus over, their problems would be over. They do, called the volvo s80, mazda3, volvo c30, etc. Better quality cars cost more money, and they comparably priced like their euro counterparts. And yet Ford is doing even worse than GM.
It's going to take a long while to gain back consumer confidence which will rely heavily on honda and toyota to really slip up which isn't very likely, but maybe toyota. GM can bring gold, but some of the factors are beyond their control.

 

sometimes I wish I had bought a vette instead of the m3. I like to support the home team, but one car sale would not add up to a hill of beans so not like that would have changed anything.

 

They have an inventory, what you you suggest they do with them?

 

And how did that inventory get there It's not like they didn't know they were going to be selling it for a loss.

 

You can get new Vettes for $1000 under GM Employee Pricing with 0% financing right now from one dealership! I'm still thinking where that would put me in terms of how my marriage would survive ( ) and whether or not I really want a 400 hp car in my life right now (especially when I can upgrade my S2000 to be nearly as quick for $7K).

 

Mine are from Google.

Honestly I can't find a reliable source.

BTW: i used NYSE:HMC for Honda