Here is the perfect way to fight a brewing PR disaster from boiling over: Fire your CEO! Fisker Automotive named the former head of the Chevy Volt, Tony Posawatz, as CEO today, “marking the second time the green car start-up has replaced its top executive this year,” as Reuters can’t help to remark.
Posawatz takes the hot chair of Tom LaSorda who was crowned Fisker CEO just six months ago. Someone must be unhappy. LaSorda told Reuters he would provide “fatherly advice,” which I am sure nobody will seek or listen to, as it is the custom under these arrangements.
Tony Posawatz was Line Director of the Volt since 2006. He left GM this summer, allegedly into early retirement. He won’t need a father figure.
I am sure the news of fired replaced chiefs will immediately distract the yapping dogs from fires that started somewhere in front of the tire.
Do we have a Fisker Death Watch yet? Because this should certainly initiate one.
It’s moments like these, I find myself wishing TTAC had a “like” button.
Interestingly, Fisker has been fairly successful in continuing to raise money from private equity investors. They just completed another round of financing in April and raised $392 million.
FWIW, Fisker is spinning this as Lasorda was brought on just to find a long term replacement as CEO.
I think Lassarda had the same function at Chrysler.
Actually, LaSorda was appointed to be temporary CEO and to find a suitable permanent CEO. He was not fired and maintains a relationship with Fisker.
Cue many puns involving fire, firing and flames.
Best way to fight fire is with firing…
Wouldn’t the former head of the GM Volt program have a non-compete in place that would keep him working for a company like Fisker. It is one thing say if he were to go to Nissan where they build a variety of products.
Fisker builds a “Volt” for the super rich essentially, with one key difference, the Fisker tends to burst into flames. The Fisker even uses GM bits under the hood for the ICE charging portion of the technology.
I’m not employment attorney, but that has, “oh Hell no,” from GM legal written all over it.
Since GM has an indirect ownership interest in Fisker; perhaps they don’t care. Perhaps GM sees a successful Fisker as benefiting it in any number of ways.
“Fisker builds a “Volt” for the super rich essentially, with one key difference, the Fisker tends to burst into flames.”
I thought they both shared that characteristic.
My favorite Volt Fire Story…
http://thelcn.com/2012/05/23/driver-plows-into-two-cars-in-geneseo-driveway/
Dumbass Toyota driver crushes Volt. Camry catches on fire and is put out by fire extinguisher provided by Volt owner.
How ironic would it have been if the Camry driver blamed UI for the accident?
Perhaps this isn’t as bad for Fisker as it seems at first glance.
Maybe Tony Posawatz (“rhymes with kilowatts!”) learned how NOT to build an EV? That would be a possible takeaway from the Volt program.
I am sure there is nobody out there that can keep these ‘money losers’ profitable. They both seem to PR experiments aimed at enriching a few people at the expense of the rest of us. The ideas sound great but i doubt the ability of these two to ever turn a profit unless Toyota or someone else takes them over.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire? Sorry, I couldn’t resist that.
“The ideas sound great but i doubt the ability of these two to ever turn a profit unless Toyota or someone else takes them over.”
Sure because it’s common knowledge that Toyota made money with the Prius since day one!….LOL
“I thought they both shared that characteristic.”
Show me a link to one Volt that has EVER caught fire in the real world. Feel free to include ones that have been involved in an accident where it was totaled( see sunridge place post).
Want another significant Volt accident without a fire?
http://www.plugincars.com/chevy-volt-totaled-collision-school-bus-occupants-unharmed-110117.html
On a related topic….
http://lawrenceville.patch.com/articles/photo-gallery-flames-engulf-car-on-denow-road#photo-10987937
OH MY GOD….MERCEDES C CLASS…. TORCHED…THIS WAS JUST TWO DAYS AGO….OH MY GOD….WARN EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!!!
http://nlpc.org/stories/2011/11/06/chevy-volt-again-suspected-house-fire
Don’t let this stop you from buying one though.
You should have read the follow up…the below references the same fire.
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-14/lifestyle/30396544_1_chevrolet-volt-three-bay-garage-chevy-volts
CJ..forgot to add….,it wasn’t the charger either:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/01/2816618/charger-for-volt-didnt-spark-iredell.html
Leonardo Di Caprio has invested in Fisker, so what could possibly go wrong?
@CJinSD – Nice try with that tire old story. Too bad even your link has the word “suspected” in it. Try again, good luck!…LOL