How GM could save themselves in 5 easy steps:

They have nothing to lose so I say they take some radical steps to reinvent themselves and keep the company afloat:

1. See if you can scrape up enough of that left over corporate welfare to pick up one of each of the following cars: Toyota Yaris 4dr, Smart Fortwo, Lotus Exige.

2. Fire everybody in the design division, except those working on the Volt (Oh and Corvette), and the guy who drew up the concept for the Solstice. Fire the guy who actually engineered the Solstice, unless he also chose the suspension. Send him for some retraining if he did.

3. Throw out any remaining design knowledge, standards, etc. and reverse-engineer the cars in Step 1. Design all new cars around the same principles.

4. Produce good, light cars.

5. Profit like no place that sells physical items ever has before in history.

GameboyRMH wrote: welfare to pick up one of each of the following cars: Toyota Yaris 5dr, Smart Fortwo, Lotus Exige.

Fixed that for you

Personally, I think if a major US auto manufacturer were to actually commit itself to being the first company not only to have 1, but a line-up of plug in hybrids, it'd be a step in the right direction. Maybe wouldn't be profitable at first, but neither was the 1st gen Toyota Prius, and now Toyota dealers can't keep them in stock.

So GM should concentrate on building 2 cars that loose money and one that costs $80000? That sounds like a great business plan...

Personally, I think if a major US auto manufacturer were to actually commit itself to being the first company not only to have 1, but a line-up of plug in hybrids, it'd be a step in the right direction. Maybe wouldn't be profitable at first, but neither was the 1st gen Toyota Prius, and now Toyota dealers can't keep them in stock.

Gearhead_42 wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: welfare to pick up one of each of the following cars: Toyota Yaris 5dr, Smart Fortwo, Lotus Exige.

Fixed that for you

Either one, they're both basically late 80s cars with modern technology that meet modern safety standards without weighing any more.

It's actually quite surprising that there aren't more hybrid cars (Frickin' hybrid SUVs don't count!) With Priuses selling like hotcakes every manufacturer should be out with a me-too product, and yet there are basically none. And of course all hybrids should be plugins.

Funny, there's about eleventy billion more Aveo's around here then Yaris's.

GM's quality has been ramping up for awhile. Read a "regular" car mag's comparo involving the G8, Malibu, or the new CTS. Basically with every new model GM is kicking butt and getting better.

If they really want to turn around they'd fire half of the their dealers (GM has some ridiculously bad dealers) and hire some ad guy to cram it into people's skulls that they're quality doesn't suck.

I seriously laughed out loud last week when I heard some cro-magnon telling his friend that he should have bought a Toyota Matrix because it was "totally superior" to the Pontiac Vibe his friend did buy. People are stupid.

there are a few things wrong with this thread.

1. there is no Yaris 5 door. (3 and 4 only)
2. as P71 said, GM new cars are Kickin Ass
3. neither the Smart, or the Yaris are "late 80's cars with modern technology that meet modern safety standards without weighing more", the Smart car and the yaris both weigh at least 2340 lbs. late 80's Trucks were lighter than that (that may be a slight exaggeration)
4. GM could NEVER build a Lotus Exige. all they know are pushrods, and transverse leafsprings. as far as I know GM has only done 2 mid engined cars, the Fiero, and the Corvair ('nuff said)

Gameboy has some points. I agree with them for the most part. Except the Solstice part. I LOVE that car. Admittedly, when the Sky came out, I started to think the Solstice was ugly, but that went away and I love it again.

Work is over. Bye.

Perhaps its unfair for me to comment since I don't work there, but I think GM's problems are cultural. They, along with many US companies, long ago forgot something that is critical to surviving in business.

Business is all about PEOPLE.

They got the UAW back in the day because they treated their line workers like E36M3. They have had a horrible relationship with them since because the they treated them like E36M3 within the confines of the contract. The UAW returned the love in innumerable ways. Moving from Michigan to Silicon Valley a few years ago, I have met many brilliant talented people who stated out at GM and left because of a culture that was hostille, indifferent or completely unispired to those wanting to do good work. Inside the company and with cusotmers, GM's people stopped playing to win along time ago and have been playing "not-to-lose" for decades. Which is a losing strategy.

When GM was doing great in the 50's and 60's, it was because customers (people) were exicted and felt great about the cars they were making and there were not a lot of alternatives.. In the 70's and 80's their cars got unispired and unreliable compared to what you could get from Japan or Europe. Perhaps with the an entire disfunctional generation of managment and line employees hitting retirement age, things can change. They are better than they used to be. But after a lifetime of watching GM, I am not optimistic.

maroon92 wrote: there are a few things wrong with this thread. 1. there is no Yaris 5 door. (3 and 4 only) 2. as P71 said, GM new cars are Kickin Ass 3. neither the Smart, or the Yaris are "late 80's cars with modern technology that meet modern safety standards without weighing more", the Smart car and the yaris both weigh at least 2340 lbs. late 80's Trucks were lighter than that (that may be a slight exaggeration) 4. GM could NEVER build a Lotus Exige. all they know are pushrods, and transverse leafsprings. as far as I know GM has only done 2 mid engined cars, the Fiero, and the Corvair ('nuff said)

I agree there is a lot of funny business in this thread, but I've got to dispute your last point there maroon. What about the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220? It was based on the Elise chassis, but wasn't just a rebadged Elise (used GM powertrain, for example). They did a pretty damn good job on that project and it wasn't far off from an Exige, but it never came to the US (lighting, crash, emissions, etc. standards). I would argue the Fiero and Corvair were both great cars by the end of their production run, but they were both rushed to market and both developed a reputation they couldn't overcome. I would also argue that in the case of pushrods and transverse leaf springs, they seem to be doing a heck of a job these days still pushing the 'vette through the 'ring at ludicrous speed!

Bryce

behold the corporate effect of the Chicken Tax.

maroon92 wrote: there are a few things wrong with this thread. 1. there is no Yaris 5 door. (3 and 4 only)

Bzzzzzzt! Thank you for playing!

Damn, that 5-door is sweet!

Datsun1500 wrote: I see a Yaris 3 door, Yaris sedan and a Matrix. Which one is the Yaris 5 door?

Matrix /= Yaris 5

Man those are some ugly machines....

Well as long as we are shooting holes in maroon92s post

The curb weight on a smart is 1808lbs and the Yaris is 2290lbs both under the minimum 2340lbs you claim.

Whether it's still true today or not, I think GM...and for that matter Ford and Chrysler would be in a lot better positions than they currently are in the U.S. if they didn't just FOLLOW (and eventually, at that) the trends and benchmarks set by the Japanese or the Europeans.

GM, I wish you'd give up trying to re-invent the wheel. (And yes, I realize that that may conflict with my first statement.) Case in point? The top for the Solstice/Sky, it looks ugly and is WAY too fiddly/complicated. Look, REALLY LOOK at a Miata's folding top.

Ford, was it really necessary to have a Crossover or SUV for EVERY conceiveable market niche? Imagine if in instead of 5 or 6 SUV...thingees, you had 1 or 2 REALLY good small cars....in case gasoline prices start to go back up. Oh wait, you do have good small cars, just not in the U.S. and gas did go back up.

Chrysler........buy a VW for your styling dept. ANY VW, and let those folks REALLY study the fit and finish of the interior. Then stop styling ALL your cars to look like SUVs or minivans. The new "minivans" look like they were styled by the same folks who do the Sprinters....I've seen more attractive refrigerator shipping containers.

integraguy wrote: ....I've seen more attractive refrigerator shipping containers.

and the refrdgerator box is still more fun than the van to take down a hill

Strizzo wrote:

integraguy wrote: ....I've seen more attractive refrigerator shipping containers.

and the refrdgerator box is still more fun than the van to take down a hill

Umm, you mean like this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7128617316978160232

sure, except Bullit was in the car by himself chasing the two BGs. that video has them switch roles at the end of the chase so he can crash them into the rock (gas station).

I actually believe that GM and Ford have done quite a bit to turn around and away from oblivion. With new CEOs on board, you are seeing pretty good products come out of both companies.

I criticized Ford for banking the final sprint for the finish on their newly redesigned F-150 because I knew three years ago that gas would soon go through the roof and nobody would want big trucks. I knew this. Ford didn't? Well, maybe. But the F-150 was the best-selling vehicle in the US for at least a decade. Period - - no, I take that back. Exclamation point. So I see where they were taking a gamble that could have really paid off.

GM is getting its act together. Both companies are producing attractive, well-built cars for their price points. They're not producing BMW or Mercedes-quality cars, but they aren't building BMWs or Mercedes.

What these two companies need is more time for consumers to become aware of their revival, a few product adjustments, and some major, high-dollar ad campaigns. Hey, even Toyota had to take a step back and say, "E36 M3! Look at those gas prices! We can't sell our SUVs and pickups anymore!"

ULTRA-EDIT: I was coming out of a parking lot in the Miata yesterday and I saw one of those new Infinity SUV things - you know, the one that is like 11 feet tall and seats a football team? Holy E36 M3 that thing was HUGE! And how many people were in it? Just one. It was a commuter car!

To each, his own I guess.

dodge should just go back to the mid-late '90s line up and work on QC/fit&finish

Type Q wrote: Business is all about PEOPLE.

incorrect. business is all about the product. Good product can make up for any other deficiencies.

product 1st always

Mmm... no... because making the best product in the world does you no good if people don't want to buy it.