| Should GM change per this analysis ? |
| NO - Stay the course - Sloan is still right! |
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50% |
[ 1 ] |
| OK - But maintain all current marques |
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50% |
[ 1 ] |
| 2 the Letter |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 2 |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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GM CEO pulls a Balmer*:
quote:
On Tuesday, Wagoner stepped up and bought 50,000 shares of GM stock to the tune of $1.5 million. By doing that, his message is clear: He believes in himself and his team, and he's not going anywhere. Confidence is good in a CEO, but now Rick has to deliver GM from disaster, and the clock is ticking.
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/extra/P113050.asp
* uSoft's present CEO [then a VP] bought massive shares during the '87 stock bust to convey the same message. |
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Sat Mar 26, 2005 12:44 pm |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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Here's a Poll vote that really counts ! 
quote:
Bloggin' Bob Lutz
There probably aren't too many 73-year-olds in the blogosphere. But it shouldn't surprise anyone who knows him that General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman and boy-racer-at-heart Bob Lutz is one of them.
In his latest posting,
http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2005/03/context_is_ever.html#more
Lutz does some damage control on comments he made last week during a Wall Street analysts conference, at which he suggested that GM might have to consider phasing out the Buick or Pontiac brands if the automaker is not successful in turning them around.
Dealers went ballastic over Lutz's reported characterization of Buick and Pontiac as "damaged brands." But in his blog, Lutz says GM is repairing the damage with new products....
From:
http://www.mlive.com/weblogs/autonews/index.ssf?/mtlogs/advance_autonews/archives/2005_03.html#055910
Last edited by OnceARaider on Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:33 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:53 am |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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Japan's health care gives Toyota edge
quote:
"The cost of health care in the U.S. is making American businesses extremely uncompetitive vs. our global counterparts," says GM CEO Rick Wagoner.
Toyota and other Japanese carmakers benefit from a national health care plan that reduces its obligations to retirees to almost nothing.
Wagoner and other U.S. auto industry executives are increasingly vocal in seeking government action to address this competitive disadvantage. But Wagoner stops short of seeking a national solution as comprehensive as Japan's.
From:
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102080
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Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:28 am |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:21 pm |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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1954 - GM 'makes' the Wall Street Journal
quote:
GM answered by pulling its ads from the L.A. Times, which wasn't a smart move either. You see, GM pulled its ads once before, in 1954, over a spy story--sketches of upcoming GM cars--by John Williams of The Wall Street Journal. Until then, most people had never heard of the Journal or thought it was some stock market tip sheet. But suddenly the Journal became a lighthouse of journalistic integrity. People began to realize it was one heck of a newspaper. GM made the Journal.
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2005/04/14/cz_jf_0414flint.html##Static
...
quote:
What really cooks my engine oil is your knocking of Bob Lutz. Do you really think that Wall Street would be happy to see Lutz fired? Wake up. Lutz is the only one at the top of GM who knows anything about cars and trucks. You don't like the designs of some of the new cars. Well, Bob Lutz doesn't, either, but it's the best he's been able to get, given the time constraints, designs locked in before he came to GM, the company's policy of reusing ancient platforms and GM's bureaucracy.
Look what GM was designing before Lutz: vehicles like the Pontiac Aztek. I have talked some people on GM's design staff. No one listened to them until Lutz joined the company. He raised morale down the line. If Lutz goes, forget morale and forget about empowering the car guys. That's all over. You don't like those old pushrod engines and four-speed automatics in new cars? Neither does Lutz.
Dan, can't you figure it out? Former GM Chief Executive Officer Jack Smith let it be known that GM wasn't going to spend on stuff that he couldn't see. Well, he couldn't see pushrod engines and old transmissions under the hood. That's how GM saved money--by shortchanging the product. Lutz can't just snap his fingers to come up with billions of dollars needed to put 5 million modern automatic transmissions into production.
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Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:59 pm |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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THE ELEPHANT CAN DANCE!
http://www.jdollinger.com/Buickman/columnApr2001.cfm
http://www.generalwatch.com/buickman.cfm
quote:
We don’t need a remake of our product lineup. We need a remake of our image. The object of this paper is to suggest solutions, giving constructive criticism by offering the TOP TEN things General Motors can do to increase market share:
#10: Real World:
The strength of General Motors is its’ dealer body. When put in charge of General Motors, Mr. Alfred P. Sloan Jr. took a train around the country visiting the dealers. As a result of his travels, he developed many good things, including the 10-day report and the annual model change.
Instead of meeting in Italy or Disney World, the top 500-1,000 salaried employees of GM should randomly be assigned a dealership to visit for one week, unannounced, and spend the majority of his or her time in the service department. They should meet customers, listen to their needs, and build good will for the Corporation.
Last edited by OnceARaider on Sat May 14, 2005 12:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tue May 10, 2005 11:25 pm |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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Van factory, closing today, represents auto giant's failings
From:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7836912/
quote:
As Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and other foreign-owned competitors began building plants in the United States, they used one-level designs that were far more efficient. New factories also can build more than one type of product to quickly respond to market whims. Most of GM's 20 factories nationwide can't do that, and they're suffering because of it.
Baltimore workers felt helpless as that shift took place. "
Our government let the imports come in and do that to us
," Hollis said, standing on his porch by a crisp American flag and wearing a T-shirt proclaiming, "If you don't like my attitude, dial 1-800-EAT-[expletive]." He's never owned an imported vehicle, only GM products, and believes U.S. workers can match quality with anyone in the world.
Should blame fall on 'our government' or GM management ? Read on:
quote:
[In 1984] Rival Chrysler had set off a market phenomenon with its newly created minivans, and GM responded by designing the Chevy Astro and the GMC Safari -- slightly smaller versions of its rear-wheel-drive full-size vans.
Baltimore has been building those products, virtually unchanged, ever since.
"It's still a damn good, dependable van," said Dennis Hellmig, 54, who has worked on the assembly line since 1972. "The people who've got 'em love 'em."
There just aren't many people who want them anymore; fewer than 50,000 of the two models combined were sold last year.
Twenty years without a redesign is many lifetimes in the fast-changing auto market
.
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Sat May 14, 2005 12:09 pm |
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OnceARaider
F L I N T O I D
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Buick, Pontiac need to rock as Cadillac tailgaters
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/columnists/chi-0505130122may13,0,4100123.column
quote:
"Prior to 2002, Cadillac knocked on doors in the hopes directors would answer and place an Escalade in a movie or TV show," recalled spokesman Jeff Kuhlman. "With the '02 Escalade, they started knocking on our doors."
They were joined by rappers wanting an Escalade in their next music video and buff books wanting a cover shot.
Styling bling was joined by marketing zing with the use of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" in Cadillac ads, thanks to LaNeve.
"GM skeptics said it would
offend older buyers
," Kuhlman said. "So we tested them, and they said the
music was a breath of fresh air,
especially the line, `It's been a long time since we rock and rolled,' because it had been
too long since Cadillac had.
"
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Thu May 26, 2005 9:57 am |
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