[mgescuro]

This is interesting, and the PDF raises a couple of questions:

Slide 5.
If GM notes that sales are dropping, why isn't GM capable of tweaking factory capacity in order to adjust for the drop in sales? Does GM have that capability? If GM's factories were flexible and their platforms were more interchangeable, GM would be able to shift product of more popular cars to utilize idled factories. What we see from GM is a continued rise in inventory, or a complete shut down of the plant with layoffs. This is a glaring operational issue. The advantage of this would be to reduce the effects of the cyclical market.
I would like to see this same graph with amount of inventory over the same period.

Slide 8
Interesting slide. Doesn't take into account the possibility of a white knight.

Slide 10
Since when has GM "planned conservatively?"
Sorry, but when I saw GM's projections, to me it looked "aggressively high."

Slide 12
2010 Cruze? Why the staggered launch, I wonder.
Once again, they focus on their 3 good cars. What about the rest of the GM lineup?? Dammit!!
The 3rd bullet point: If GM was teh leader in biofuels, great. Why isn't the BioPower lineup in the US? Saab is known for efficiency, innovation, and fuel efficiency. Yet, the most advanced Biofuel engine isn't even in the US!!!

Now, what none of these slides goes over is the fundamental business and product strategy at GM. GM sells all these biofuel cars, but they're cars that no one wants to buy. Where are the diesels? Where is the CTS biofuel? Why are only 3 cars mentioned when pointing to improvements? Is GM embarrassed by Solstice/Sky? Corvette? The Lambdas? 6 hybrids? Mostly trucks. Why no Cobalt Hybrid? Why no Astra hybrid? Why no HHR hybrid?

For every good point GM has, there are 5 bad points.
And that is why GM is in just deep trouble Their strategy is inconsistent. And no one believes them when they do something. There is no consumer trust. And GM's reputation is trash. No money is spent on image and PR. There's no way GM can survive without it.

GOod luck GM. You'll need it.
I remain torn whether GM is deserving of the bailout. I'm 50-50. I don't want to fund bad business strategies. I dont want to fund companies that just don't know how to conduct business. I don't believe they understand the market anymore and are operating on decades old impressions of the market. But I also realize the severe impact of the economy without the Big 3. Plus it really is an issue of national security, if the US doesn't have a manufacturing base of scale.

What to do???