| 8217;t you just love it? General Motors can’t | | | | allows you to take a profit out of the sale. |
| make a quality car to save its life, which is what | | | | That’s how you lose money, and you |
| it’s trying to do, and it wants Nissan to give it | | | | can’t make it up on volume. |
| billions of dollars to show respect for a failed company. | | | | You also have the issue of your competition’s |
| Over the last couple of years, you have heard of | | | | pricing. The other guys are giving their customers |
| failed nation states, many of them in Africa. Countries | | | | perceived value and real value. The value is so great, |
| that can’t feed themselves, and have just | | | | that it is disallowing you a profit in the vehicles that you |
| about as much wealth as is necessary to put an | | | | are putting on the market. It’s that simple. |
| embassy in NY, so their diplomats can dine at the | | | | But wait, there’s more!! |
| United Nations, and park overnight with diplomatic | | | | Toyota, your main rival for world supremacy just |
| plates. | | | | came out with a new Lexus LS 460 with built in |
| Now we have failed corporate states like General | | | | features that GM isn’t even thinking about. |
| Motors who can’t get out of their own way, | | | | It’s not even on the drawing boards at GM. |
| and probably have no justification for remaining in | | | | THE LEXUS CAR PARKS ITSELF. It’s got |
| business other than the fact that they’ve been | | | | sonar distance finding devices that link up to its |
| around for something approaching a century. If you | | | | navigation system. This thing can pull into a parallel |
| really think about it, other than the employees who | | | | parking position with the driver basically watching the |
| would anyone miss General Motors if they went out | | | | car park itself. |
| of business tomorrow, maybe even today. The | | | | Mercedes will envy the paint job at twice the price, |
| remaining players would immediately pick up their | | | | and a first ever 8-speed transmission. How does a car |
| market share, and we wouldn’t have to watch | | | | with 380 horsepower get 19 miles to the gallon |
| the slow market attrition that is taking that share down | | | | anyway? With a crash sensing system that prepares |
| anyway. | | | | the brakes and airbags for the coming impact, this |
| There will come a time if they remain in business, that | | | | Lexus may give new meaning to the word safety. |
| only aliens coming to visit our planet will buy General | | | | What’s going on here? For $70,000, Lexus will |
| Motors vehicles. The news recently is ludicrous. Carlos | | | | give you a car that BMW, and Mercedes can’t |
| Ghosn runs Nissan-Renault. This man has done a | | | | even dream about making for the price. |
| world-class turnaround over the last several years, | | | | I have talked with representatives of the Japanese |
| making billions of dollars for a company that very few | | | | automobile companies. They think GM is on the ropes, |
| thought could be turned around. | | | | and who can argue. The old giant is pumping out iron |
| Rick Wagoner is the typical corporate bureaucrat that | | | | that just doesn’t do it anymore. The only |
| spent decades at GM while its market share slid down | | | | employees happy at the company are hebephrenics |
| the tubes. The two of them have been talking about | | | | on the assembly line who are taking too many pain |
| some sort of consortium at the behest of | | | | killers. There’s also Chairman Rick Wagoner |
| GM’s major shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, who | | | | who appears to be constipated in every interview he |
| wants GM turned around tonight, today, yesterday. | | | | gives, and wants a financial tribute from Nissan to boot. |
| Wagoner has now decided that Nissan should pay | | | | The Future of GM |
| GM billions of dollars for GM’s perceived | | | | General Motors will continue to exist. If the consumer |
| greater value. | | | | bought only on the basis of quality, and bang for the |
| What value? Hey dude, you just lost $10 billion last | | | | buck, GM would have filed for bankruptcy years ago. |
| year. You’ve bought out thirty five thousand | | | | The consumer buys for other reasons though, aside |
| employees that you can’t find work for. | | | | from quality. Some have never driven a Japanese car, |
| You’re a textbook case study in how to lose | | | | and wouldn’t consider it. Once you drive |
| money by selling inferior products, and you believe you | | | | Japanese, buying American cars becomes unthinkable. |
| bring greater value to a partnership with Nissan, than | | | | Some buyers live in sections of the country where |
| Nissan brings to you. HELLO, ANYBODY HOME? | | | | there is peer group pressure to buy American, such as |
| One of the first lessons anybody learns if they are | | | | the Midwest. |
| active in the stock market is, you have to deal with | | | | People on the East coast, and West coast however |
| reality, not your perceived reality, but what’s | | | | have basically shunned GM’s vehicles. The Big |
| really taking place. GM has yet to do a full, truthful | | | | 3 automaker will never recapture anything in those |
| self-assessment and figure out where they are. What | | | | two markets again. I can’t imagine how they |
| are you doing wrong? You can’t be doing | | | | turn around corporate morale. With seventeen layers |
| things right, and lose $10 billion in a year. You’ve | | | | of management compared to Toyota’s five, I |
| got sales all right, but your customers are so | | | | don’t know how anyone is proud to say, |
| disenchanted with your product that they are not | | | | “I work for GM”. |
| allowing you to price your product at a number that | | | | |