GM Inside News Forum - View Single Post - Rumblings & Rants: Saving money, Cutting brands, and what GM SHOULD do to survive

Bravada · 09-01-2008, 06:10 PM

OK, it's myyyyyyyyy tuuuuuuuuuuuurn now. I wonder when GMI will publish MY musings :p

Now, GM's real problem isn't the number of dealerships in North America, the UAW benefits, the number of brands, Saturn, Hummer, Saab or anything like that. GM's problem is the absolutely awful execution on all fronts and constant changing of plans.

As concerns execution, just think how many products GM has that are "quite OK, but..." I am speaking of:

1. Core market Epsilon products that still don't have rear armrests or navigation, even though those do not require the reengineering of the entire vehicle. How long is America supposed to do with "it's just this generation, the next is going to be better"?

2. Astra coming to the US 4 years late and totally unappealing.

3. The entire Kappa programme that was going nowhere from day one (very specific platform that is not easily adaptable to anything else, specific assembly process etc.) - who paid for all this hydroforming equipment, don't tell me Saturn L300 required hydroforming!

4. SEPARATE Buick LaCrosse in North America and Opel Insignia/Buick Regal for China

5. Chevrolet Volt being a thoroughly modern, yet LOW VOLUME vehicle, while the Chevrolet Cruze remains stuck in a decade that will end before it is launched globally

6. VUE/Antara being 200 kg HEAVIER than e.g. Mazda CX-7. This is an all-new vehicle on a new version of the platform!!!

09-01-2008, 06:10 PM	#34 (permalink)
Bravada GMI Europe Correspondent Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 13,835	Re: Rumblings & Rants: Saving money, Cutting brands, and what GM SHOULD do to survive OK, it's myyyyyyyyy tuuuuuuuuuuuurn now. I wonder when GMI will publish MY musings :p Now, GM's real problem isn't the number of dealerships in North America, the UAW benefits, the number of brands, Saturn, Hummer, Saab or anything like that. GM's problem is the absolutely awful execution on all fronts and constant changing of plans. As concerns execution, just think how many products GM has that are "quite OK, but..." I am speaking of: 1. Core market Epsilon products that still don't have rear armrests or navigation, even though those do not require the reengineering of the entire vehicle. How long is America supposed to do with "it's just this generation, the next is going to be better"? 2. Astra coming to the US 4 years late and totally unappealing. 3. The entire Kappa programme that was going nowhere from day one (very specific platform that is not easily adaptable to anything else, specific assembly process etc.) - who paid for all this hydroforming equipment, don't tell me Saturn L300 required hydroforming! 4. SEPARATE Buick LaCrosse in North America and Opel Insignia/Buick Regal for China 5. Chevrolet Volt being a thoroughly modern, yet LOW VOLUME vehicle, while the Chevrolet Cruze remains stuck in a decade that will end before it is launched globally 6. VUE/Antara being 200 kg HEAVIER than e.g. Mazda CX-7. This is an all-new vehicle on a new version of the platform!!! Last edited by Bravada : 09-01-2008 at 06:30 PM.