Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views What if you were in charge of GM?
874 messages, Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 10:20 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
Replying to: tlong (Jun 25, 2009 10:32 am) Hydrogen cars will not happen over night or even in the next decade. It took almost 40 years to go from tiny experimental rockets, to putting a spacecraft on the moon. I have talked to chemist I know that thinks we could have affordable hydrogen cars and a supporting infrastructure by mid century at best. I respect your opinion as you share it with many here and elsewhere.
|
|
|
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jun 25, 2009 10:43 am) I don't think GM has done a very good job of providing that I would refine your statement a bit to say that GM works in 2 directions, they spend years ignoring new tech and plod along in the same direction until a crisis hits, then they rush the latest tech out 2 fast. In the late 70's when GM was losing market share to the imports because of fuel effciency issues, they rushed cars like the Chevette and Citation out there without proper development and got their asses handed to them by the imports. In the last three years GM has suddenly realized that it needed to match the technology of the Germans and Japanese so they quickly rushed out a 6 speed auto (somehow the Ford version is much less problamatic) In time these issues will be rectified but as was said earlier that public seems to end up as Beta testers for their cars.
|
|
|
Replying to: TIMGT5 (Jun 25, 2009 12:20 pm) In the last three years GM has suddenly realized that it needed to match the technology of the Germans and Japanese so they quickly rushed out a 6 speed auto (somehow the Ford version is much less problamatic) In time these issues will be rectified but as was said earlier that public seems to end up as Beta testers for their cars. Great summary. GM seems more of a manufacturer than a designer of cars. They don't seem to do design all that well - lots of older technology and when they do new technology they either aim the wrong way (mild hybrid, two-mode hybrid, Volt - heck, their ENTIRE overly complex hybrid program!) or have lots of problems. |
|
|
Replying to: TIMGT5 (Jun 25, 2009 12:09 pm) One of the things people like about oil is it takes less energy to produce than it generates. We need to find something like that. If GM could do THAT, they could write their own ticket. But their track record isn't so hot on new propulsion tech, is it? |
|
|
Replying to: lemko (Jun 24, 2009 6:32 am) Why is she just your girlfriend? Marry her. Sounds like a match made in heaven. 
|
|
|
|
|
Whoa, isn't the title here "What if you were in charge of GM?". Guys, isn't part of the answer "better leadership, leading from the front, getting close to the customer, no more free cars (and car washes ) to the execs, everybody has to buy their own car from a dealer and have it dealer maintained, hire a more a diversified management staff, not just upper midwestern white guys, blowing up the management silos", etc.? Small example Rick Wagoner would still be President of GM if he didn't live in a bubble and take one of the GM jets to DC to testify. He would have had enough sense to know that packing his 6 guys into a Hybrid Suburban and driving all nite from Detroit would have won the day (and been a good time for the guys).
|
|
|
Replying to: blckislandguy (Jun 25, 2009 5:34 pm) Two, leadership alone won't unseat the deeply ingrained corporate culture at GM. Oh, and diversification just for the sake of diversification is also not good. Why not just hire a bunch of people who are qualified as a first step? |
|
|
|
Based on the lack of quality of my 2002 Impala - latest failure is a blown head gasket at 50K - I have a suggestion. GM should stop concentrating on getting the headlights to turn on and off automatically and try building an engine that does not tear itself apart at 1/4 the mileage it should attain.
|
|
|
Replying to: sclarkemeister (Jun 25, 2009 5:42 pm) Good point. I would get some strategy. No dilution due to branding. No dilution due to 3 kinds of hybrids, all worse than the Prius. Instead of diluting with rebadges, stay focused. GM's history is the history of multiplying mediocrity. Contrast that with Honda - stay smaller, focus, don't try to be everything to everybody, focus on quality (although I think they are struggling a bit with that of late). So for GM, 0 - get a strategy. Focus! 1 - they should dump Buick everywhere except China 2 - they should only sell commercial trucks at GMC. No overlaps with Chevy or Buick 3 - as mentioned above, REALLY focus on a few great engines. Focus on a high quality interior. Focus on refined controls. Focus on reliability. Keep improving the cars through a monitoring program - anything that fails early or reliably, fix the part and apply it to the production models. |
|
|
Replying to: blckislandguy (Jun 25, 2009 5:34 pm) You raise a good point about leading by example here. I think to be honest Rick was more of a fall guy than anything else, a convient target of anger. Granted the jet thing was arrogant, but under his leadership GM did produce a larger array of more competative cars than they had previously (malibu, C6 Vette, CTS etc..) so he had at least pointed GM in right direction. GM was a huge ship and it takes a lot to turn it arround. I want to give you a different take on the diverstiy issue you raised. One of GM's problems in the past is that too many people who get to the top of company are from finance and accounting. There need to be more people on the Board of Directors coming up from engineering. Every Honda President has been promoted from the engineering division and it shows in much of what they offer the customer. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views What if you were in charge of GM?
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
