Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

prizrak said:
They would have a better time bringing tech talent by allowing 100% remote workers so that no one has to actually go to Detroit.
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This isn't Facebook where you can just deploy code to a server and call that a product launch. You tell me how you can have 100% remote work when you have to work on an actual physical product. Even hardware teams in big tech (guys working on iPhones at Apple or Xboxs at Microsoft) have to be onsite most of the time. Plus I'd rather be in METRO Detroit (keyword being "metro") than San Francisco or the South Bay.
 
Depends on the discipline. As a general rule, if the employee is in a cubicle or office 99/100 days, they don't need to have a cubicle or office. Paying them to travel on occasion to interact with physical stuff will be cheaper than renting, heating, cooling and lighting their cubicle square footage in perpetuity. Office space is EXPENSIVE.
 
GRtak said:
The auto industry is very secretive
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So is the tech industry, yet Google has very flexible remote work policies.

CrzRsn said:
This isn't Facebook where you can just deploy code to a server and call that a product launch. You tell me how you can have 100% remote work when you have to work on an actual physical product. Even hardware teams in big tech (guys working on iPhones at Apple or Xboxs at Microsoft) have to be onsite most of the time.
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Keyword hardware. How many hardware engineers do you really have? Are you (or any other automaker) building your own control modules or infotainment systems or are you getting those from suppliers and modify the software as needed (if at all really)?

You are also forgetting that aside from building cars you have a huge corporate site, dealer sites (that are likely templated by Ford HQ), inventory management software, various intranet resources, a bunch of mobile apps (I found 5 by FoMoCo in iOS), etc... All of those things require tech talent that in 90% of the cases doesn't have to physically be at the location, especially with more and more shit moving to "cloud" providers.

Out of curiosity, do you spend more time working on physical prototypes or in front of the computer?

Plus I'd rather be in METRO Detroit (keyword being "metro") than San Francisco or the South Bay.
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I'd rather be Boulder or Denver than any of those places, but our personal preferences are irrelevant, best way to attract top tech talent is to have flexibility. One of the biggest reasons I left my previous place is because they had no remote work policy, even though I never work on anything that was physically in the building and our office network went down way more often than my home internet....
 
It has been brought to my attention that due to Chrysler's policy of "don't change anything on the LX chassis unless you absolutely have to", the entire drivetrain and interior from a 6.4L Scat Pack Charger (or even a Hellcat) essentially bolts in to, say, a 2006 Magnum.

Hmmmmmm.

In completely unrelated news, there are a shockingly large number of low-mileage 6.4L Chargers on CoPart.
 
BerserkerCatSplat said:
It has been brought to my attention that due to Chrysler's policy of "don't change anything on the LX chassis unless you absolutely have to", the entire drivetrain and interior from a 6.4L Scat Pack Charger (or even a Hellcat) essentially bolts in to, say, a 2006 Magnum.

Hmmmmmm.

In completely unrelated news, there are a shockingly large number of low-mileage 6.4L Chargers on CoPart.
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This also means you could get an interior that doesn’t look like a cheap minivan.
 
Yeah, the interior and 8-speed upgrades are major bonuses for me, as opposed to just dropping in a 6.4L which is a very straightforward swap to begin with even though you have to lock out VVT as the 5.7 computer/harness isn't set up for it.

At any rate, I'll just keep an eye out for a 6.4/392 that's been body-totalled, a rear-ended one would be nice since it won't have popped the airbags.
 
This week on grassroots motor sports...
 
What....HFII? Well, he was a bit of a dick...I don't think he would talk to you anyway.

The Durango is a factory job. Well, contracted out by FoMoCo and sold as an official model at least. All of them were based on the Fairmont Futura, except for a lone Mercury concept model. Sales numbers and the Ranger led Ford to pull the plug before the mercury one saw production.
 
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“As the tailgate included the license plate and taillamps, the Durango was produced with a disclaimer warning drivers from driving with the tailgate in the down position.[1][4]”

Shows what Detroit could get away with In those days. My car has a second set of taillights in the boot for the same reason.

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CraigB said:
I thought that was required here too.
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Since it was a low production vehicle that was a modification to an existing vehicle, it is possible it was given an exemption, or simply not required to meet that standard because of being a modified vehicle.
 
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