GM reinvention commercial

[cwerdna]

YouTube - GM Reinvention Commercial

YouTube - GM Reinvention Commercial

Some bits of it look like they from previous GM ads.

[patsparks]

If your reinventing yourself you want to keep all the old bits don't you?
Not!

[EZW1]

I liked the part about, "This is not about going out of business, it's about getting down to business."

[mjv]

It's always been tough for GM to make many changes as they are marketing driven (at least with their idea of who the market is). Toyota is much more a engineering driven company, as you could infer from their advertising campaigns One reason why Rick Wagonner had to go, in order to help change the mindset.

What always surprises me is that everyone says that they'll have to make dinky little cars now. Never thought something the size of the Prius was considered dinky. Also, people should remember that SUVs were never looked at with fuel efficiency being part of the equation. It was all about taking a $30,000 vehicle and putting $25,000 worth of stuff on the vehicle like On-Star, XM Radio, DVD Navigation, DVD screens for the back seat, backup cameras, etc. that they can get a great margin on because of all the legacy costs they had to deal with. You just can't allocate all of that stuff to a smaller vehicle.

If the engineers at GM are given a chance to look at making SUVs more fuel efficient, that would have a great impact on their overal MPG, instead of trying to produce a lot of smaller vehicles. I think you could have a vehicle that seats 8 with all the frills that gets 30-40 MPG, they just have never looked at doing that before.

[PriusLewis]

Originally Posted by EZW1

I liked the part about, "This is not about going out of business, it's about getting down to business."

That's what this has always been about. By getting the government to "force" them into bankruptcy, GM will come out the other end with no debt, no labor contracts (although the burden of labor is more hype than reality, as labor is only 10% of the cost of the vehicle these days), no supplier contracts, and they will flush all existing stocks down the toilet. Not to mention the government will set them up with billions in new operating capital.

So, after this "reorganization" they will have no payments, no cost of money, fat operating capital and be able to renegotiate all contracts for labor and parts at lower rates. Will all these savings be passed on the the comsumer in cheaper car prices? Right...NOT!!!

If I were Ford I'd sue to the supreme court for the government messing with free trade. If I owned GM stock I'd start a class action suit for the government messing in FTC business and making my stock worthless so GM Management could get richer. If I were in the market for something GM built, I'd boycot GM for pulling this stunt at the expense of millions of stockholders.

As a Management Scientist, however, I have to admit this is one of the slickest "legal" scams yet perpetrated on a free market - this is, without a doubt, the best example of what Free Enterprise Capitalism is all about. If this succeeds, it will go in textbooks and be taught for years to come as Outstanding Capitalistic Management.

[hill]

The ad has a sad undertow . . . kind of like watching the last brontasauras getting stuck in the la brea tar pits.

[malorn]

Originally Posted by hill

The ad has a sad undertow . . . kind of like watching the last brontasauras getting stuck in the la brea tar pits.

The scariest things is the US is in the exact same predicament. Too many obligations and not enough income.

[malorn]

Originally Posted by PriusLewis

That's what this has always been about. By getting the government to "force" them into bankruptcy, GM will come out the other end with no debt, no labor contracts (although the burden of labor is more hype than reality, as labor is only 10% of the cost of the vehicle these days), no supplier contracts, and they will flush all existing stocks down the toilet. Not to mention the government will set them up with billions in new operating capital.

So, after this "reorganization" they will have no payments, no cost of money, fat operating capital and be able to renegotiate all contracts for labor and parts at lower rates. Will all these savings be passed on the the comsumer in cheaper car prices? Right...NOT!!!

If I were Ford I'd sue to the supreme court for the government messing with free trade. If I owned GM stock I'd start a class action suit for the government messing in FTC business and making my stock worthless so GM Management could get richer. If I were in the market for something GM built, I'd boycot GM for pulling this stunt at the expense of millions of stockholders.

As a Management Scientist, however, I have to admit this is one of the slickest "legal" scams yet perpetrated on a free market - this is, without a doubt, the best example of what Free Enterprise Capitalism is all about. If this succeeds, it will go in textbooks and be taught for years to come as Outstanding Capitalistic Management.

Free trade???????????????????????????????? Tell me one place on earth that free trade exists? China? Japan? the EU?

[PriusLewis]

Originally Posted by hill

The ad has a sad undertow . . . kind of like watching the last brontasauras getting stuck in the la brea tar pits.

Oldest remains in Rancho La Brea tar pits date back 38,000 years. Most dinosaurs died out in a mass extinction 65 million years ago.

To me the only thing sad about this is the total crock it all is. In reality GM will come back debt free and rich from taxpayer money.

I'd be gald, as an individual, to "reinvent" myself if I could file bankruptcy, keep everything I own, and get an infusion of cash from the government to "start over." Heck, I'd even let the bankruptcy court have my 2006 Silverado pick-up and my wife's 2006 Impala LTZ (since I owe more on them than I can sell them for) - basically the same as GM getting rid of Hummer and Saturn. I'd come out the other end with a 3 year old Townhome and a Prius free and clear, and cash from the government. I believe we'd all take such a choice to reorganize our lives. That's what GM is REALLY doing.

[PriusLewis]

Originally Posted by malorn

Free trade???????????????????????????????? Tell me one place on earth that free trade exists? China? Japan? the EU?

Of course, you're absolutely right. That doesn't stop them from teaching whatever it is we have as "free trade." One thing my Masters in Capitalism (uh, Management) has taught me is to be afraid of our current system, and MORE afraid of a "free trade" system. I'm working on my PhD to see how this story ends...