And Then There Was One

I ,as an American, am addressing the REAL issue. The issue of getting the best value for my dollar. I only buy Japanese. They make a superior vechicle. The REAL issue is the fact that the UAW is out- dated. How can we compete with any foreign car manufacturer when their labor costs are so low? Get rid of the UNIONS.

I ,as an American, am addressing the REAL issue. The issue of getting the best value for my dollar. I only buy Japanese. They make a superior vechicle. The REAL issue is the fact that the UAW is out- dated. How can we compete with any foreign car manufacturer when their labor costs are so low? Get rid of the UNIONS.

A powerful union, where have we heard that before. Unions were good at one time, but now they simply drive business out of business. I say the uniopns be damned. There needs to be a melding of these auto makers for their survival and global success. What do those "secure" union members wantg, a job or nothing ?? Even the "fiercely independent dealers" have a choice to make. Something that works or going out of business. Every one of these selfish, stupid groups need to get a grip and join the rest of us in a real world. The auto industry must combine to survive. They must develop new avenues in their effort to exist. It is interesting to note that those stupid union members and the greedy dealers will want to hang on to a dying existance while the rest of the world passes them by. Out with old idaes that no longer work and in with new, cleaner, more workable concepts that will help bring this countgry out of the current Recession/Depression.

America was always the leader in beautiful cars. If we could just go back to the body designs we use to make that made us the leaders in car production. The cars of the 50's 60's and 70's redesigned with hybrid fuel systems. Let's face it why are we designing cars that all look the same ? Today the cadillac cat eyed convertible is still a collector item.The little red covette, perfect for our daily running around town.The convertible mustangs, thunderbirds and a great deal of beautiful cars that america made with pride.

We don't have to reinvent the wheel we just need to make it with quality. And for us women who think we all need to be soccer mom's with the big SUV's, well I'd rather drop my kids off in a very cool classic cadillac than a big square truck.

I have to agree with the car nut. The biggest problem with your theory though is that all of those countries have socialist aspects to them which as we have seen with healthcare are the thing above all that most American politicians are scared of. Instead what we do is guranteed contracts to bolster our companies. It is how Airbus and Boeing exist. Boeing gets money in guranteed contracts just as Airbus is just given research and development money. We do the same here. Army and local governments bolster their profits by signing up for their vehicles, we just call it something different. Beside that we can't even get the government to supply money to our universities for studying and developing upcoming technologies yet alone give money to corporations who have grown lazy due to tarriffs that were placed on foreign competition and were thought to level the playing field. How much leveling did they need. They sell a poor product comparetively and have let the top execs get fat and lazy and cheat the public in the long run. This is capitalism. Love it or leave it seems to be the slogan but it seems that we are learning that some may leave.

We Americans have a clue . THE UNION BLACKMALE MACHINE MUST GO . ENOUGH TAX PAYER MONEY TO THE SELFISH !!!!!!

HotCarNut - you make good points, but please define "playing to win"

They could call the company GMFOMOCOforCHRY'Ssake. I remember a college history class where Quality Improvement ideas were (attempted) presented to the big 3 that just laughed it off. Douglas McArthur brought the principles to Japan for the post-war rebuild. And, as they say, "the rest is history."

What would they call it?

Chordsler?

Sir, Get a clue befor you pose your poorly thought put plans in public!

It is interesting to read the diverse comments here. It will be interesting to see how the industry deals with their current crisis. Historically speaking, this type of crisis does bring in consolidation. We have seen this time and time again with the Airline industry, Dot-Com's, Insurances, et cetera, et cetera. The market dictates the natural life-cycle of the corporation. There is value in a name, but once it's book value is no longer supported by the name alone, move on. It is time to move forward instead of allowing the government to artificially keep these three in business, let them consolidate for the global economy. This will help the US auto industry to be back on top again and compete on the world stage better, stronger, and more efficiently.

Its like I've been saying. America sucks. None of you lazy, fat fools have a right to complain since this mess is because of YOU. Suck it up and deal with it.

My God, Let us turn this into a 3rd world country with the top 2% acting like royalty and the rest of us their serfs. Rid labor of the little power it has left and give it all to corporations, preferably Chinese. This will allow us to surrender South America and Africa since we will have no capability to stand up to the manufacturing power they possess and we don't. Fords new models stand up in quality to Honda and Toyota. UAW labor costs are now competitive with the Japanese. Deciding to fight, deciding to go with your heart as well as your head, this is what founded this country. Giving power to the people that produce goods and don't just push paper is what has given this country the strength to survive. It is time for the people to wash the ink stains from their hands and go to work producing goods.

Deepshark I gotta agree with you! There are cars worth saving. The people who love the muscle cars will always love the Mustang, Camaro, and the 'Vette. I will have to disagree with one thing however. People all over America love their trucks! We make the best trucks in the world and should continue doing so! We can not compete at this time with the mid size market, but we can beat their doors off in all of the above! Consolidate and perfect!

Do it. First, we have a duel. Straws will be drawn by the three CEO's. The two shortest straws duel with parts which have fallen off their vehicles onto the highways. The winner of that duel then faces the Ceo who drew the longest straw. Same weapons. The winner is the new Ceo of the now Big One.
Next, the Union Bosses of each of the Big Three draw straws and duel in the same elimination fashion with briefcases stuffed with benefit package documents. The winner is the new Union over all remaining members of the former three.
The plans for all new vehicles from then on must be submitted to congress and must pass the house and senate, not subject to presidential veto, before manufacture of any model begins. That model must be manufactured for five years before any new design can be submitted.
The cost of each approved design must be submitted to national popular vote.
This will work.

Two truths should underpin the debate about what to do about Detroit.
First, even if the Big Three were simply allowed to collapse to bankruptcy there would still - when the dust settled - be big-volume car making in North America. Owing to shipping costs and the need to respond reasonably quickly to consumer demand, it is widely accepted that many or most of the cars sold need to be made in-market. We aren't looking at a made-in-China future. Note the Koreans building increasing numbers in the USA. Note also that more cars than ever are built in Britain today - though British car making is entirely foreign-owned.
Second, there's no reason to assume that a Big One would fare much better than Three without a complete change of management and culture. Axing brands and culling dealers would help, and so would shutting factories and slashing labor costs. But the real problem is that these companies make second-rate cars that people don't want to buy. Nissan used to be a company that made cars that people didn't want to buy, but at least they made first-rate machines. A change of management culture - Renault is the company whose slogan used to run "Cars with Flair" - turned Nissan into a maker of desirable, iconic cars. Turning Detroit around will be much, much harder.
Foreign ownership, maybe?

A Big One ? Absolutely ! Fiat is the object lesson here - before the bankruptcies of 1970's, there were 20 car makers in Italy. Now there is one - the Fiat Group, which owns all the iconic names. Does this mean all Italian cars are Fiats ? not at all - all the most illustrious names are big money earners for the company, and enjoy a differentiated management structure which is of advantage to the whole. The racing brands have a shared management and portfolio - Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo (the latter is the ancestor of the two former), followed by Lancia, and then Fiat. Has this hurt them ? not too much. Alfa and Ferrari are still drool enducers for motoring aficionados, and Lancias (though odd looking this decade) are still stylish beasts. and Maser has had the most wonderful comeback ever - by returning to its roots, we now have the Gran Turismo, the true successor of 60's Ghilbi and 70's Bora. All good stuff.

Fiat is the object lesson too in terms of size vs quality - it does not attempt to take on the Japanese and Koreans in terms of numbers - but most people still want an Alfa or a Ferrari. Money spent on technology and marketing and a little well earned propaganda has paid dividends - make your money outside of the home country, instead of pandering to outmoded local tastes, which has been the universal admonishment for the American motor industry by journalists, and of course, buyers.

Of all the GM divisions, only the Corvette guys seem to be able to read the writing on the wall - they test their barndoor (leaf springs ! get with the program guys - its now the 21st century, not the 19th!) at Das Ring der Nurnburg and therefore thrash Porsches. Ford's GT is also the right idea - find the high quality/famous car people love, and MAKE IT. same for the Camaro, ditto for the Mustang. Since the Big One is now an exotic car and probably iconic Truck maker - stick to your strengths. Leave the rest to make the humdrum car, while you make money trading on the dreams of Big Rigs, and Big Muscle V8's that the world truly adore.....and perhaps lose the whole pickup truck thing too while your at it too....pickups are like dog dirt, and most people don't want either on their driveway - besides, in the rest of the world, there's no tax or fuel advantage owning them.....

Free Market 101

Rule#1:If a business provides a product or service which the purchasing populous does not want, it should either provide another product or service or cease operation in favor of it's employee's becoming reemployed with a company that provides a product or service which is desired by the populous.

Rule#2: Any artificial influence which supports the continuance of a business that fails Rule#1 does a disservice by continuing to provide a product or service the populous does not want, and only delays the inevitable outcome of Rule#1.

Add to this, that to support Rule #2, the governing body is forcing it's populous to provide funds to a business that provides a product or service they do not want, and doing so by using their tax dollars. This action has 2 major flaws:

1. The governing body is, by design and law, required to enforce the will of the people, which have already stated that they no longer wish the business to continue by spending their collective purchasing monies else ware.
2. The collected taxes are, by law, to be spent on governing bodies to protect their individual and collective rights as mediator in arbitration and confinement, and from foreign threats in the form of a military.

It is unfortunate that people believe that any number of individual economic hardships warrant interference with free market events such as this, but doing so only exasperates the problem before, during, and after the unavoidable and eminent business failure.

Great idea, but try convincing the three CEOs who flew to Washington DC in THREE SEPARATE PRIVATE JETS to beg for tax payers' money. Actually, let's just get rid of all of them and replace them with one good thinker. Steve Jobs, where are you???