Let the begging Begin!

 

The Big Three CEOs -- Richard Wagoner of General Motors, left, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler and Alan Mulally of Ford -- went begging on the Hill. Does Robert Nardelli look like the Godfather?

[AUTOREVU, by Stoneman 11/20/2008]

Perhaps the biggest problem facing Detroit automakers these days is not the fact that they are seeking loans from the federal government. The biggest issue with GM, Ford, and Chrysler are that they are so out of touch with reality on the consumer-level that they cannot accept the fact that they MUST reorganize their entire business line in order to adapt to the rapidly changing auto market.

For too long now, the domestic automakers had been feasting on the huge carcass of SUV's and Pickup Truck profits. Unless you live in Texas or Alberta, Pickup trucks and SUV's are pretty useless in high density populations. I am sorry, but small cars like the Chevy Aveo and Pontiac Wave are pure crap. Why must we wait 5 years before European cars come to market? The newly designed Ford Ka and the Fiat Panda should be brought over here. Make a deal with FIAT and sell them here!


So say the US government lends the domestic automakers 25 billion dollars. Will the CEO's follow Lee Iacocca's lead in 1981 and chop their yearly salary down to $1 a year? I seriously doubt it. Rick Wagoner, Robert Nardelli, and Alam Mulally should drop their salary down to a SINGLE DOLLAR per year. Scrap their current quality program and immediately adopt the Toyota Total Quality Management System.

All brands that are not selling well should be scrapped immediately. Collapse the dealer network into smaller segments and create cars that people will WANT to drive. Don't get me wrong - all three companies have some seriously good brands, but let's be honest: Gas guzzlers are not very attractive to consumers these days. Sure, gas is cheap right now, but wait a minute: We're in a deep recession. Consumption for energy is down right now. People are tightening their budgets. Eventually, this recession will go away and oil prices will jack right back up to $140 per barrell.

The companies are hemmoraging cash faster than they can generate it. What gets me is these CEO's fly in private corporate jets for a huge amount of money, yet won't consider for a minute taking the cheaper and sensible plan of REGULAR AIRFARE. Talk about drinking champagne on a beer budget!

I am sure Rick Wagoner is losing sleep at night worrying about his recently increased pension, it was jacked up another 4 million dollars. I am going to sleep and wonder what the fuck we are going to do if the economy collapses like a huge motherfucking jenga block.

All I can say is, thank God I bought a Subaru.
Good luck folks.