Scanning the blogs as we do, Frank and I often sense the cold dead hand of automotive PR. Predictable patterns emerge. For example, GM saves bad news for Friday and launches "good" news (new products, restructuring, etc.) ahead of bad (sales figures, losses). This time, unusually, we've detected GM PR man Steve Harris' spinmeisterwerk post-trauma (Black Hole Tuesday). Unless… Anyway, not to diss disinformation, but Harris' handiwork arrives in the form of "here's one [high mileage car] we prepared earlier." Bloomberg doesn't even bother trotting-out the proverbial "unnamed sources" in its lead, preferring to stick with the "m" word. "General Motors Corp., which popularized the 7,800-pound Hummer, may [emphasis added] begin selling a mini-car more than a foot shorter than anything else it markets in the U.S. to win back buyers deterred by record fuel prices." Sure. We believe that. But here's the real story: "GM has reassigned engineers to many of the projects, according to the people familiar with the planning. The company is taking them from SUV and truck programs suspended while awaiting the return of customers. Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting." In other words, it's chaos as usual behind the scenes at GM– aside from the PR department.
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Someone needs to tell the MBAs that you cannot simply turn development programs on and off like a light switch an expect productivity.
I’m still waiting for Bob Lutz’s product driven revolution.
I went and looked at the zero percent deals at Saturn, and theyu were for Sky’s only. You would think they would be trying to push the outlook, but no.
And the minicar is much too little too late. It should have been here two years ago.
“GM has reassigned engineers to many of the projects, according to the people familiar with the planning. The company is taking them from SUV and truck programs suspended while awaiting the return of customers. Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting.”
OMG those guys had no intention of building those cars after they showed them and then had a pick the best one contest for a car that was just a show car. The market crashes for their cash cows and NOW they react. It’s embarassing calling them an American company with how incredibly stupid and untrustworhty their management is. Why do they pay them so much, they have no forsight in the industry and are only good at reacting like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, can’t any moron do that for millions less and probably better.
what got the iced-tea squirting out of my nose was that idea that they MAY begin selling this car….and that they are going to put the Pickup and SUV guys on it who are WAITING for the market to come back. What?
I don’t know, maybe they need to form a committee, break out the flow charts, Pareto diagrams, Fish-bone charts, have a Six-Sigma session and try to figure out if it’s a good idea….or not.
No one has been fired yet? Where did all these titans of industry come from?
its kinda scary/ironic they have SUV people working on a micro-car.
its kinda scary/ironic they have SUV people working on a micro-car.
There is an idea for a Photoshop contest: What will a micro car designed by SUV dead enders look like?
I hope they don’t make thatone. I foresee a lot of front end damage unless they lower the hood one or two feet.
Then the dollar rebounds, gas prices drop…OH NO! Get those guys back on the trucks!
Hint to GM: Honda and Toyota sell what they can give full engineering support to. This allows them to keep a product competitive even when it is not in vogue.
Just a thought.
Have a great weekend folks.
Bunter
“Not beat yet” you say? I’d say that, umm, “vehicle” has already been beaten with the ugly stick.
I’m not sure the front wheels match the style of the back ones. Also, aren’t staggered wheels usually where you put the big ones in the back? I suppose the big wheels go where you need the traction, but this looks just weird.
Finally, where did they hide the door handle? Or is it a 1-door car and only the driver’s side door opens.
Qwerty: “There is an idea for a Photoshop contest: What will a micro car designed by SUV dead enders look like?”
I win.
The front-end of that car reminds me of the Green Goblin’s mask from the Spiderman movies.
GM has a lot of small car, I don’t understand what and why GM has to develop from zero.
In Europe:
Opel Agila (5) same as Suzuki Splash brand new small car it’s very close to the photo above!
Opel Corsa (3,5)
Opel Astra H(3,4,5 doors,caravan, cabrio) yes there is a sedan from Poland
For Eastern Europe Astra G (classic), 4,5,+wagon
Opel Meriva (small bus, based on Corsa)
Opel Zafira (bus, based on Astra H)
These cars are the pairs of Yaris, Civic, Corolla, Rabbit and so on
The question is: Why they don’t build the cars, that they can and the competition does???????
I agree gawdodirt. A good engineer would welcome the challenge of designing something new and different. There are probably many engineers who are tired of designing overweight silly utility vehicles and look forward to figuring out how to reduce weight in our vehicles. Making something crude and heavy is easy – making something refined and nimble takes real engineering.
Apparently not everyone agrees….
Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting.
Um, haven’t they been “waiting” since the early ’70s?
“its kinda scary/ironic they have SUV people working on a micro-car.”
What a bunch of crap.
You DO know that you have kids fresh out of college that have been embedded in Video games, designing Airliners, right?
A good engineer can design/engineer many things. And they do! Not like a lawyer or accountant who “specialize.”
Is there such a place as “S.U.V. School of Engineerng?”
Maybe you’ve seen ads for the “International School of Engineering Dashboard Texture and Tactile Feel for Abnormally Large Vehicles.”
I shot my Starbucks all over my keyboard…
GM is waiting for customers to return? Return to what? The Big 3 made crap cars for decades, customers switched to reliable Japanese cars, and most will never switch back, again.
Take a look at any GM dealership’s used car lot…how many Camrys and Accords do you see…mebbe one or two, tops.
Same thing over at Ford & ChryCo used car lots…very few Camry’s and Accords there either.
Now look at the Honda & Toyota used car lots…chock full of the Big 2.8 piles…well mebbe. Most prolly go to the local dealer auctions, and end up at el cheapo indie lots.
Someone needs to tell the MBAs that you cannot simply turn development programs on and off like a light switch an expect productivity.…
Google “bullsh t bingo” and find out what modern MBA’s say in business meetings…
Having visions of some GM engineer on coffee break lamenting the fact that he has to work on some little sh**box economy car when what he REALLY wants to do is get back to engineering the 1-ton GMC big, bad, mother-****er trucker.
How good do you think the end product is going to be? I think sernarios like this might well be part of GMs domestic problems. Too many big vehicle enthusiasts looking down on the small car products or the idea of engineering the small car products.
The import folks build these small cars for their home markets (their parents and friends b/c that’s what gets driven in other markets) and it is no big deal to send over a few good ones for the Americans to buy.
If you think I’m smoking something – I used to work with a few of the guys. They snickered about my compacts and how good do you think a compact would be if they had to design it?
Their heart just wouldn’t be in it.
Will there be a “Vega” of the new century?
I wonder if the next new GM import will be a high-quality desirable (laugh) Aveo-like vehicle.
That car was/is so lusted after that I saw one Chevy dealer in 2004 offering a free Aveo with the purchase of some higher-end Chevy Silverado pick-ups. That was in Iowa across the river from Nebraska. I don’t think many took the offer since the Silverado wasn’t discounted as the without-the-Aveo trucks were.
If economic conditions continue to worsen, and I expect them to with a corresponding increase in America’s underclass, manufacturers better consider offering an ultra-basic vehicle at the least possible price that still offers a profit AND a basic no-frill vehicle that would allow one or two people to live in it… maybe some sort of mini-cargo-van with minimal windows and big enough for beds.
Why do most GM vehicles look like they were designed by a 60 year old un-married man in a bowtie that lived with his mother all his life ?
Maryann Keller in her 1989 book Rude Awakening, said old timers at GM said the downfall of the company was when finance men replaced engineers such as Ed Cole. MBA management, finance people who are like Roger Smith, 60 year old men with bow ties, who don’t know product. Ed Cole was a visionary, but he cost money, so the bean counters took over. Within a decade, the most reliable and desirable cars in the world had been replaced with unreliable junk.
Secondly, Chevrolet killed the other GM divisions. Too much political influence within the company. By 1970, Chevy had everything Cadillac or any other division had. Soon after, badge engineering, everything was a Chevy with different sheet metal and a higher price. Could not have a good Fiero, because Chevrolet feared Pontiac more than the imports. So now they are down to Chevy and Cadillac.
Seeds of GM destruction were planted a long time ago. Union contracts which did not take into account Medicare, forcing GM to pay all retirement health care. Too many dealer brands, which should have been consolidated back in the 1970’s. Such as Pontiac-Buick, Cadillac-Oldsmobile. Instead they starved their existing brands to launch yet another, Saturn. Then they starved Saturn for 10 years.
My god, if you could line up stupid high level management and shoot them, start at GM. They have fine engineers, dedicated factory workers, the employees deserved much better.