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I see this as Kerkorian's solution to the Delphi parts crisis. This will put Nissan parts into the GM pipeline, probably by the 2010 model year. Then Delphi gets the axe (followed by the inevitable strike) and the GM assembly lines keep moving in spite of it. Remember, no parts equals no cars. Additionally, this would open overseas assembly lines in Europe and Asia for vehicles with the GM marque, also as insurance against a UAW strike. A percieved increase in quality, backed by Nissan and Renault financial strength(French gov't money too) with access to plants around the world...Looks like a huge win for GM. (Shipping cars to the US is cheap. Overseas plants do not carry GM's enormous labor/benefit costs.) This will also give Renault access to a US network of dealerships, which they have wanted for the past several years. Additionally, this puts high-mileage econoboxes back in the GM stable, though modified for US sale. Renault has gotten better mechanically since the Nissan link-up, so the "cranky French crapbox" image is dissipating. Looks like a big upside for GM management, dealers, and consumers. The US government won't even blink, because no one in Washington wants to watch GM go belly up, regardless of politics. Also looks like a big downside for Delphi and GM assembly employees in the mid to long term.

It might be a plan to shed itself of the unions and the "welfare state" they created for themselves. You never know --

I hope this is what would happen. If GM could close its detroit plants and get shed of the union it could then rebuild itself around fewer brands. They'd have more money to put into manufacturing more mechanically robust vehicles that really are on a par with imports on reliability.

Then again, I don't know that this is what would happen. Like I said, I really Altimas and Maximas and I'd like to buy one in the next year, but if it's just an Impala with a Nissan sticker on it, I'm not interested.

OTOH, it could go the other way, which would be good for GM.

I just purchase my first non-American made car, a Nissan Altima and it is a well built auto and cost me under $18k with the Special Edition package. Try and find a GM automobile built with quality for that price? I will probably replace my Dodge Durango with a foreigh SUV when the time comes. When the Big Three make a product worth it's price I may consider it. Right now they are all gasping for air. Honda, Toyota, Nissan are a few foreigh automobiles that make the grade. As for the merger, I hope not as I think the quality of the auto's will be decimated once the American factory mind set grabs hold.