Automotive News [sub] reports that J.D. Power is introducing a Vehicle Launch Index, aimed at providing OEMs with data and feedback on product launches. For a nominal (sliding scale) fee, JDP will follow launches for the first 12 months of a model’s life, measuring ad effectiveness, consumer response, dealer gross profits and incentive spending. “There will be 88 new and restyled model launches in 2009,” JDP VP for research Dave Sargent tells AN. “Some of them will succeed. Others won’t, and frankly should never have gotten approval to see the light of day.” And JDP’s role will be to boldly proclaim vehicle program flaws during and after launches, because “it’s hard for people inside the company, especially if they want to get ahead in their career, to derail a project by saying, ‘This plan is flawed.'” Because what fixes dysfunctional product development like a highly paid consultant offering post-mortem bon mots?

Clearly these automakers shouldn’t take measures to ensure that arrogant managers listen to their better-informed underlings. Nor should they insist on thorough questioning of marketing assumptions throughout product development. And god forbid the product development executives actually be held accountable for failures to launch. Nope, pay a consultant. It’s convenient, doesn’t encourage those annoying kaizen freaks [sub], and they can always be blamed for future launch flops. See, these are the tough decisions that earn the big bucks. Take a three martini lunch. You’ve earned it.