GM Inside News Forum - View Single Post - Jim Dollinger's Plan for a Return to Greatness

Gagarin · 06-25-2008, 02:30 AM

Buickman,

The RTG is great and I'd really love to see a company do the things outlined there - and I'd love for General Motors to be that company.

I agree with some of the product comments -

Addressing something about product would be good - maybe about keep striving for class leading and competitive vehicles, instead of place fillers which suck development, marketing, and distort brand image. Not having embarassments on the lot will help dealers (less risk), help brand managers (distinctive product), and help salesmen who will have a easier time selling a product that has many advantages.

Also, I have a sense that GM was a engineering blackhole where engineers would be working on science projects that would never see the light of day. This seems to be getting better (Volt?) but we see some big fumbles (Quadrasteer, the invisible 2-Mode Hybrids). This company at one time had huge amounts of cash and R&D but did not turn these into viable products soon enough. There needs to be technological leadership and wise investment into technology.

The BIG problem I see with the auto business is the way the dealership system seems to be this iron-tight thing. Podunk towns or big cities have all kinds of GM dealerships and you never really know what you're going to get. If the hotel industry and the fastfood industry can DEMAND certain quality, image, customer service and experience, I think GM should be able to demand that from it's dealers. Clothing retailers and restraunt chains owned by the same parent company control consumer experience and perception with decor and product selection - GM should be able to market it's brands with the dealerships being assests instead of liabilities. 'Shape up or ship out'. I have a feeling many dealerships just need some leadership - they're doing the best they could, but GM needs to LEAD.

06-25-2008, 02:30 AM	#26 (permalink)
Gagarin 1.8 Liter ECOTEC Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 45	Re: Jim Dollinger's Plan for a Return to Greatness Buickman, The RTG is great and I'd really love to see a company do the things outlined there - and I'd love for General Motors to be that company. I agree with some of the product comments - Addressing something about product would be good - maybe about keep striving for class leading and competitive vehicles, instead of place fillers which suck development, marketing, and distort brand image. Not having embarassments on the lot will help dealers (less risk), help brand managers (distinctive product), and help salesmen who will have a easier time selling a product that has many advantages. Also, I have a sense that GM was a engineering blackhole where engineers would be working on science projects that would never see the light of day. This seems to be getting better (Volt?) but we see some big fumbles (Quadrasteer, the invisible 2-Mode Hybrids). This company at one time had huge amounts of cash and R&D but did not turn these into viable products soon enough. There needs to be technological leadership and wise investment into technology. The BIG problem I see with the auto business is the way the dealership system seems to be this iron-tight thing. Podunk towns or big cities have all kinds of GM dealerships and you never really know what you're going to get. If the hotel industry and the fastfood industry can DEMAND certain quality, image, customer service and experience, I think GM should be able to demand that from it's dealers. Clothing retailers and restraunt chains owned by the same parent company control consumer experience and perception with decor and product selection - GM should be able to market it's brands with the dealerships being assests instead of liabilities. 'Shape up or ship out'. I have a feeling many dealerships just need some leadership - they're doing the best they could, but GM needs to LEAD.