How to Fix General Motors part II
Now for the next installment on what we think GM should do to get back in the black.
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How to Fix General Motors part I
Now for the last of the American big 2.something manufacturers. We have worked up to GM since they are by far the messiest of the three, and have the most right and wrong at the same time. They have so many home runs mired among the steaming piles that they are easy to miss. Let’s hope there won’t be too much to wash off when were done here.
I think that may be a bit generous. When you make as many things as GM does you’re bound to get a few things right once in a while. My biggest problem with GM has long been that they are one of the worst abusers of badge engineering. In some respects I thought that was improving, but now I’m not sure anymore. Pontiac, in particular, is like my gauge for how stupid GM is being. Pontiac G3? No way.
Before he has an aneurysm… on with the show!!!
How to fix Chrysler (if there was still a chance)
Let’s put on our imagination caps and think of a world where the impatient Cerberus group wasn’t desperately trying to regurgitate the remains of Chrysler on to anyone willing to spare a few pieces of pocket lint and pennies. In this imaginary wonderland Cerberus wasn’t going to dissolve the remains of Chrysler, but instead invest the time and money in a long term plan to save the irrelevant Chrysler brand, strengthen Jeep, and trim Dodge to a lean and competent brand.
I have always been a fan of the upstart underdog that Chrysler has been through the years. Always small enough that they were willing to take risks, but not quite enough money to keep up with the bigger bullies from across town – Ford and GM. Now they have been sucked dry by Mercedes, and left to rot with Cerberus. This analysis will be in same vein as our earlier Ford break-down, just this time we have to suspend disbelief for a little bit and assume Chrysler will stick around long enough to be fixed.
How to fix Ford
SELL THEM TO INDIA!!!!
To start off the series we’ll look at the one who has gone the longest distance to help themselves already. In going over all of the companies, and looking at their current lineup, Refined and I felt Ford needed the least amount of restructuring and help.
Somehow Ford seems to be getting some things right. They’ve acquired Mazda and Volvo and both brands actually have a lineup of products that make sense. There are a few things that need removing but on the whole Ford seems to be getting a hang of the “brand image” concept and making sure each brand has some sort of cohesive style or vision. The only tricky issue is what to do with Mercury, which seems to be a brand unsure of its purpose.
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What to do with the American Automotive Companies…
So Refined and I have been discussing the plight of the American Auto companies and have gone over failrly comprehensive plans on how to go about getting all of them back on their feet and making money…
SELL THEM ALL TO INDIA!!!!
Just kidding… Over the next couple weeks we’ll be putting up our ideas on what each brand should do in company specific posts outlining these thoughts.
Hope you enjoy :)
What about the roundabout?
Stopping at and accelerating from a traffic light or stop sign is incredibly wasteful and people don’t seem to pay attention to other drivers or follow the rules at them anyway, so why do we bother?
Roundabouts not only have obvious advantages from a fuel consumption standpoint, they’re safer for drivers*. A disadvantage seems to come from some increased risk for pedestrians, particularly bikers… but perhaps there’s another solution that can make their lives even easier. Given that in some areas there is generally little traffic, yet still traffic lights which impede the flow of traffic, there really can’t be much of a risk in using roundabouts in those areas.
For busier and more urban areas, perhaps there’s a way they can be modified to make them safer. I don’t know how or if anyone is working on that but someone with some bright ideas must have an approach that might improve roundabouts for those on bikes or on foot. The long term benefits make it seem like such an innovation would be worthwhile.
I’ve never found a roundabout particularly difficult to navigate or make sense of, but apparently there are plenty of people who are absolutely baffled about the idea of going in a circle. Perhaps we need more stringent licensing tests (another rant on another day).
So why not then? If they’re generally safer for drivers and result in less wasted fuel and brake pads, shouldn’t we support the roundabout revolution?
*
http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr3505.pdf
Wikipedia – Roundabouts (has links to other resources on roundabout safety)
Not a Good Passenger
As a gear head I do my best to keep up with automotive blogs, thus the reason Jalopnik and Autoblog are in the links section. Another that I frequent is Motorcycle Blogger.
In a post today angrybob comments on how much he dislikes being a passenger. He writes:
Though I’m not as critical as he is, I do dislike being a passenger. I also tend to be posessive about my auto’s, and – if my bike were running – would probably avoid having any passengers riding pillion except my girlfriend and I might give special dispensation for my mom. The only exception I would probably make for that is having a friend, male or otherwise, riding in a sidecar. Somehow in my head that’s kosher.