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AUTOS COMMENTS & OPINIONS WORLDWIDE
* USA - GM To World: We're Better Than You Think - Buyers are not stupid. They pay for what they get, and, for cars a reputation for reliability is crucial !!
By Jonathan Fahey/Forbes - USA - 6 Sept 2006: -- The complaints from General Motors insiders have gotten ever more shrill over the past five years, both in public and in private: The world is against us! Media! Analysts! Customers! We make good cars, dammit!... "We've been saying for a long time our quality is equal to or better than the Japanese," says GM sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve. "Now we are putting our money where our mouth is."... GM says all its 2007 vehicles will come with a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty that covers the so-called power train--engine, transmission and other parts that move the car from point A to point B. Moreover, the warranty goes with the car--even if it's sold... The overall goal here, of course, is to get GM's vehicles to start earning a meaningful return. As is now stands, GM has to coax too many buyers with low prices or rebates. This eats away at what are already meager profit margins because of GM's high fixed costs. GM desperately needs people to pay full price... Buyers are not stupid. They pay for what they get, and, for cars a reputation for reliability is crucial... Here's how it works for Honda and Toyota: People scramble for used Hondas and Toyotas, because their reputation for quality is so high. This keeps resale values high for buyers of new cars. If a new car buyer knows he can get a pile of cash for the car when he wants to sell it, he'll be willing to pay more for it at the dealership. This puts profits in the pockets of Honda and Toyota... It will take time. Time for GM to flush the duds from its lineup. Time for resale values to climb. And time for people to start believing in their bones that GM's vehicles can compete...
* USA - A Dreamliner For Ford? -- Bill Ford will retreat to the chairman role
By Jonathan Fahey & Joann Muller/Forbes -USA -9 Sept 2006: -- When Bill Ford took over as chief executive, he was seen by many, both inside the company and out, as a savior. Indeed, he moved quickly to restore profits by selling noncore businesses and cutting 35,000 jobs worldwide... But at times he has seemed overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. His management team has been a revolving door, leading to hiccups in product development that caused Ford to lose precious time bringing new vehicles to showrooms... Meanwhile, the family's company, under his watch, has slid into one of the most difficult periods of its 100-year life. Its North American auto operations lost $2.5 billion in 2005 and $1.3 billion through the first half of this year. And Ford's market share has been eroding steadily for years. So far this year, Ford has lost another point of market share, to about 18%. A decade ago, Ford had 25% of the auto market... Though he was one of the first to warn that higher gas prices would slow sales of big sport utilities, he was blindsided by how quickly Ford's market share collapsed as a result. In September, North American boss Mark Fields is expected to announce details of a new strategy to cut costs, speed up product development and restore profits. Alan Mulally (Newest Ford's chief executive ) said that from what he's seen of the new plan, Ford is making the right moves... While Mulally and Fields work to save the company, Bill Ford will retreat to the chairman role he has had since 1999, where he has always seemed more comfortable. So there will still be a Ford at the top...
* USA - The Man From Boeing -- So what does Mulally have going for him?: Ford management has been a snake pit, well known for backstabbing. Watching your back has always been Job 1 at Ford
By Jerry Flint/Forbes -USA -9 Sept 2006: -- The first thing to say about Alan Mulally, Ford Motor's new president/chief executive, is that he revolutionized the way Boeing produced airplanes... Under his leadership, the 787 Dreamliner, which Boeing is currently developing, has been outsourced and off-shored as never before. In some ways, Boeing is more of a project manager on the 787 than a manufacturer. The wings will come from Japan; an Italian company is the key contractor on the fuselage; designers are working on the 787 in Moscow. The new plane uses composite materials as never before, too, meaning Mulally pushed for ways to leap forward in technology... Would that work in the auto industry? Carmakers buy lots of parts, yes, but with rare exceptions, they make their own engines, their own frames and chassis, and put all the pieces together. A company like Ford sells millions of mass-produced vehicles a year to individual consumers; Boeing sells a few hundred multimillion-dollar jet airliners to a few dozen airlines... It will be interesting to see if the new Ford chief tries to duplicate his apparent success by dramatically changing auto manufacturing... Considering that Mulally is an outsider who doesn’t know the auto business and that Ford is in such deep trouble, his task in turning around the company is enormous... So what does Mulally have going for him?... Ford management has been a snake pit, well known for backstabbing. Watching your back has always been Job 1 at Ford...
* Germany - Acts of desperation in Dearborn
By Guido Reinking/Automobilwoche -Germany -13 Sept 2006: -- When two people interested in cars find themselves sitting next to each other, the question often comes up: Which U.S. car company has bigger problems: General Motors or Ford Motor Co.? And which one will solve its problems more quickly -- or, in other words, survive?... Judging from the news that's been coming out of Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., over the last couple of weeks, GM might have a slight edge in this life-or-death game...
* USA - Investor sees limited GM-Nissan-Renault alliance
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Reuters -Sept 13, 2006: -- Ongoing talks between General Motors, Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA could lead to a limited partnership on specific models, but is unlikely to produce a broad alliance, a leading private equity investor said... "I am not sure where the GM-Nissan-Renault thing goes," said Tom Stallkamp, an industrial partner with Ripplewood Holdings, at the Reuters Autos Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 12. "There is so much overlap on that."... Stallkamp said he sees more of a product-related partnership, as seen in Europe where rival automakers have collaborated on powertrains and other components... Stallkamp, who is a former Chrysler president, said there may be opportunities for the three companies to partner in new markets such as India or China... GM and Nissan-Renault have launched a 90-day study into the possibilities of a three-way alliance, and small teams of executives will report back to the chief executives in mid-October...
* USA - Ford may redefine a 'run' to the bathroom
By Edward Lapham/Automotive News/The Detroit News -USA -Sept 12, 2006: -- You know times are tough when a company keeps track of how much time its employees spend in the restroom... Last week The Detroit News reported that management at Ford Motor Co.’s Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Mich., is cracking down on employees who spend too much time heeding nature’s call... Contractually, employees are allowed up to 48 minutes per shift for bathroom breaks. That seems fair... A couple of longtime suppliers to Ford calculate that the restroom breaks add about $165 to the cost of each Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUV produced at the Michigan Truck Plant, assuming every worker uses the full 48 minutes... In case you wondered, the suppliers also calculate that reducing toilet time by just three minutes per worker per shift would save more than $10 per vehicle... It may not seem like much, but Ford supervisors at the plant intend to monitor how much time workers spend on bathroom breaks... Makes you wonder how much that will cost, doesn’t it?...
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