Quote:
Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy
You can spin the whole scenario any way you want to, but if GM had been thinking with the big head instead of the little one maybe they would have already had a car like the Volt, Prius, or Insight. Or if the Gov't had just kept a little upward pressure on the fuel economy standards between 1985 and 2006, maybe the excellent large vehicle hybrid system would have been affordable and in all GM's large vehicles now. How a company that was farsighted enough to purchase EDS and Hughes Electronics in the 80's gets caught flatfooted (again) by oil prices and foreign competition is just a shame.
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If the Volt had been released 2 years ago, it would not have saved GM. All the Hybrid SUVs and Trucks would not have saved GM. There is not a back log of Prius or Insight orders.
In the end, it seems to me that nagging perceptions of quality (rightly or wrongly), strong competitors, their cost structure and overall uninspired products hurt GM more than anything. Mixing in some hybrid offerings couldn't have fixed their issues.
By the way, I agree that the bankers got way too much money. I sell into the automotive industry, mostly to the office of finance, and grieve for what is happening to the auto industry. However, they way we've thrown money at problems without getting to the core of the issue is a recipe for disaster.