I think it can be done (the cars, not the crotch-clipping), but I think they’ll basically have to fire all the upper management to make it happen. It’s not the technology is impossible to create—Toyota is obviously on it—and if we’re all going to foot the bill for the R&D;, I’d at least like to know that there’s someone in charge who actually knows what they’re doing.
The technology is definitely there, several small independent companies modify existing vehicles into hybrids far more efficient than anything produced by a major manufacturer. Steve is correct that all the excessively overpaid and thoroughly out of touch senior management must be fired to save “American” car companies without another taxpayer sponsored corporate bailout.
Detroit an Michigan in general is a complete mess. Most of my family and friends still live there. The economy is one of the worst in the country. If the auto industry there were to completely fold, it would be a huge devastation to an already crippled situation.
Hell yea they can save Detroit by going green. I have been railing against the status quo there for yrs. We had a perfectly good elec car 10-15 years ago and they took em and junked them under the dark of night…..Why the #@%&*%@# did they do it? Cuz senior management was paid off by big oil is what I think
See- “Who Killed the Electric Car”
Those cars would have been a great stepping stone to other technologies but they gave it up.
Toyota has already got a great Hydrogen Fuel cell car, and you can drive around Tokyo and get a refill anytime, They are -once again- going to kick the American car industries butt on those.
Detroit has been clobbered by other car makers cuz they have had their %$#^ heads stuck in Middle east sand WAY to long.
So my take is if they don’t go green and very soon they are goin further down the tubes…
Let smarter better managed money come in and retool these facilities ... let them utilize the human resources in a way that makes competitive sense ... if at all possible
Going green is not an option any more it is a necessity, but it won’t fix fundamental problems in the market ....
I’m with Thomas L. Friedman (NYTimes op-ed columnist), who said he shouted at the television when he heard Chysler CEO Bob Nardelli explain that the bailout the auto industry asked for in September— $25 billion—“wasn’t a bailout [but] a way to enable the car companies to retool for innovation.” Shouldn’t they already be innovating? Shouldn’t they already have done their homework on alt-fuel vehicles? See Friedman’s Nov. 11 commentary, “How to Fix a Flat,” NYT.
Here it is November, and the industry wants more. While I’m concerned about their collapse, and the loss of jobs, I wonder if they can catch up to companies who have been innovating (Toyota, Honda and the like). The head of GM has been quoted as calling climate change a crock of s**t, so how can I believe they’ll now change their ways?
Perhaps their desperation will open their eyes, and a carefully structured “bailout” that demands innovation and a focus on improving fuel efficiency ... Well, perhaps they’re finally desperate enough to do what they should have been doing since at least the 1970s, back when we had that little oil crisis.
I am reminded of the many marques no longer for sale in America or anywhere. The list is long. Why not add the big three to it. Maybe somebody with brains could buy them out. I’m a reliability buff, none of the big three make the top ten in this department and Europe is not much better. Why should we continue to support losers?
After Lexus, Honda and Toyota, brands rounding out the top 10 for reliability were Mitsubishi, Subaru, Acura, Scion, Mercury, Mazda and Suzuki. The 10 lowest-rated brands were Audi, Infiniti, Saturn, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Hummer and Porsche.
Even if they finally build the right car they will still fail unless they change how they conduct business. They must refocus entirely on gaining market share, improving quality, and innovation. Anything more than $1 net profit at years end is actually counterproductive at this point. Additionally, executive compensation must be eliminated until those executives turn things around; even then compensation must fall in line with the more reasonable levels paid decades ago.
Even if they finally build the right car they will still fail unless they change how they conduct business. They must refocus entirely on gaining market share, improving quality, and innovation. Anything more than $1 net profit at years end is actually counterproductive at this point. Additionally, executive compensation must be eliminated until those executives turn things around even then compensation must fall in line with the more reasonable levels paid decades ago.
Like the airline industries that can’t make a profit, how are those who are not skilled enough to attain profitability in these industries allowed to remain in control. It seems more than the top executive need to be removed in order to infuse new thinking into the industry.
“Your performance sucks here’s your big bonus” just doesn’t make sense.
I, for one, want the nuclear and flying cars we were promised in the 1950s by magazines like POPULAR MECHANICS and POPULAR SCIENCE.
Patience my friend, patience. Flying cars are real, just not a viable solution yet. Nuclear? Not so sure that’s a good idea. What happens if one crashes spreading it’s radio activity all over the place?
British Aerospace Engineering Professor Ian Poll is calling for more technology to develop nuclear-powered passenger aircraft — but concedes a lot more research needs to be done to make sure passengers and crew are shielded from radioactivity in the airplane’s reactors. http://www.theaviationnation.com/2008/10/27/expert-proposes-nuclear-powered-planes/
Well, nuclear powered aircraft carriers are perfectly safe, get fantastic mileage, and have plenty of room for both passengers and cargo.
They’re hell to parallel park, though.
Yep, but they will never crash in your front yard. Makes me recall some drawings I made way back in the 5th grade. I envisioned a huge dirigible, a virtual aircraft carrier in the sky. Why look at that, somebody stole my idea.!
