caranddriver.com — Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the automotive crisis is not so much the specter of impending financial doom, overcrowded bread lines, or the end of Automotive Life As We Know It. No, it?s the up-close and too-personal look at the men and women who run our country.
Dec 12, 2008 View in Crawl 4
gybognarjrDec 12, 2008
Comment:The Big Three (got smaller) should go out of business, they are poorly managed, without creativity and excitement about anything they make. No reason to keep them alive so they could conduct business as they have done it in the past and they show no signs that hey can do it differently and better. The four highly paid C.E.O.s and the head of UAW are the the symbols of destructive failure, decadence and cynical carelessness. They have no future and should not receive a penny of tax money, they have not done their homework.In business, IF, one is with his back against the wall and near bankruptcy, it is time to try an entirely different approach, work out a comprehensive new plan, put it on the table in front of the shareholders and ask for their approval, convince the banks or any lender that with the new plan, they can do much better and make money to pay back a loan. Be creative, be resourceful, be inventive and convincing and there is a good possibility to get a second chance. Flying in on jets to beg for money in Washington and offering standard fare recipes for layoffs and production cutbacks does not deserve consideration and rewards, any hardware store manager can do better. Time is up, let them go bankrupt (sorry to se the suppliers go) and let the UAW learn his lesson, I hope they cease to exist.
ripismoneyDec 12, 2008
I have nothing to say in support of Chrysler. Ford is starting to come back around, wait for the Fusion hybrid (Jalopnik has averaged around 45 mpg in its initial drive).GM does have excitement in what they make. Case in point, Bob Lutz. This man has been behind the upcoming Camaro and Volt, and is also a major part of the Malibu, CTS, and G8. Sure, there isn't much excitement behind a Chevy Aveo or a Pontiac G5, but budget cars are difficult to get excited about. It's true there were mistakes in the past, but the fact is that GM is moving faster and with more agility than it ever has in its 100 year history as it scrambles to adjust its production. Unfortunately, the transition just happened to get slammed by the Bush Recession...