Image via WikipediaI simply don't like the idea of our government bailing out GM. I personally know a lot of people who would be affected if the big auto maker went under, but I also know a lot of those people are capable of doing other things. Yes, it would be messy, horrible, and have a really negative impact but from my vantage point it seems wrong. However, if a bailout does happen I think every executive in GM must go. They created the mess and have not proved that they can fix it. As 'they' say, "A new broom sweeps clean". Also, unions have to go. Workers have to work to keep their jobs and not be entitled to one because they have been there for so long. Perhaps we'll then see GM cars start performing better against other auto makers. Take pride in the company - not the union.
I'm just putting down my thoughts....what are yours?
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I went to JD Power to check on the "quality" of the 2008 cars. They report the ranking by nameplate:
ReplyDelete1. Porsche
2. Infiniti
3. Lexus
4. Toyota
5. Mercury
6. Honda
7. Ford
8. Jaguar
9. Audi
10. Cadillac
11. Chevrolet
12. Hyundai
13. Pontiac
14. Lincoln
15. Buick
16. Acura
17. Kia
18. Nissan
19. Volvo
20. BMW
21. GMC
22. Mazda
23. Volkswagen
24. HUMMER
25. Subaru
26. Scion
27. Dodge
28. Chrysler
29. Mitsubishi
30. SAAB
31. Suzuki
32. Saturn
33. Land Rover
34. MINI
35. Jeep
If you take out the luxury cars, the list would look like this:
1. Toyota
2. Mercury
3. Honda
4. Ford
5. Chevrolet
6. Hyundai
7. Pontiac
8. Buick
9. Acura
10.Kia
5 of the top ten name plates are US branded plates, with a Ford product as #2 and GM having 3 of the top 10.
It looks like the pride is there.
Certainly legacy costs do contribute to the Big 3's costs. But then these were contracts agreed to by the automakers and the workers. Contracts are promises. If you were hired by GM 30+ years ago and you were promised certain things, shouldn't those promises be lived up to?
Perhaps the major problem is perception vs reality of the quality of the US nameplates.
Interesting....How do sales compare?
ReplyDeleteA lot has changed, but I did find this for January, 08. rank and units
ReplyDelete1. Toyota Camry: 31,601
2. Honda Accord: 23,957
3. Nissan Altima: 21,635
4. Honda Civic: 20,993
5. Toyota Corolla: 20,736
6. Chevrolet Impala: 17,544
7. Chevrolet Cobalt: 17,310
8. Chevrolet Malibu: 14,105
9. Pontiac G6: 13,942
10. Ford Focus: 11,600
Ah...this must be the list that shaped the view and opinions of the consumers. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteQuality doesn't mean appeal. Fact is the American car makers aren't making cars American's want to buy at the price they are selling them.
ReplyDeleteWhile quality has indeed gone up, there is still a stigma on the big 3 due to quality issues in the 80's and 90's. And those quality issues point squarely at the UAW.
And the UAW is nothing but a drain on the automakers and provides little benefit to it's members. If it was such a good deal why can't they get the Japanese factories in the US to unionize?
And finally the reason the UAW is such a drain is because the state and federal gov'ts have legislated a strangle hold on the manufacturers. Unions are all bad per se, but power corrupts and the Unions have been given rediculous amounts of power over management by the legislators who sold their votes to the very union that benefits from their legislation.
I meant "Unions AREN'T all bad"... and I even edited.
ReplyDelete