ON THE TABLE
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 07:24PM April 15, 2008
IIHS. Publisher’s Note: We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming documenting the The Last Days of the Old Detroit Two as GM and Chrysler pirouette into their preordained meltdown/bankruptcy scenario to bring news from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, those wild and crazy geniuses who have all but retired the “Masters of the Obvious” title. This week, it’s another gripping installment of “small cars don’t hold up as well as larger cars” in crashes, confirming yet again what we all learned at some point in a rudimentary physics lesson along the way. Only this time, the IIHS crashed vehicles from the same manufacturer against each other: the Smart Fortwo against a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a Toyota Yaris against a Toyota Camry and a Honda Fit against a Honda Accord, all in head-on impacts with both vehicles traveling 40 mph. What was the point to all of this? That if you drive small you can’t fight the laws of physics? I only wish it was that simple. First of all, you have to remember that the IIHS has an agenda, and it’s fueled by the fact that the IIHS was created and continues to be funded by this nation’s insurance companies. Lest you think this is some noble endeavor out to save us from our imminent destruction on the highways and byways of America, I want to make one thing crystal clear: It’s not about safety with the IIHS, or doing the right thing for the general populace out of the goodness of their hearts, or any other esoteric set of benevolent goals. No, it’s about m-o-n-e-y, plain and simple. They want the government to mandate more safety standards so that the manufacturers will have to spend more money on the IIHS’s quixotic pursuit of upending the laws of physics, and then they want you the consumer to then spend more money on the vehicles you buy and more money on the insurance premiums you need to keep them operating. Why do you think the IIHS hypes these results to the media? To save us all by giving us obvious facts that we’re all pretty much aware of by nature? Hardly. No, they want to create a hysteria that not only jars the consumer, but touches to the very core of the bureaucrats’ hearts in Washington just itching for another way to push for legislation that will keep stuffing high-technology safety systems in our cars designed to save us from ourselves. So that the cycle can continue. And so that the fundamental concepts of accountability and responsibility behind the wheel can be shoved under the carpet, yet again. And so we can all spend more money on the pursuit of, well, what was it again? Pathetic. - PMD
Mike Ilitch. The Little Caesar's pizza founder, owner of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and one of the prime movers in the city made quite a statement last week. At Comerica Park, where the Tigers play, there's a fountain in center field that was sponsored exclusively by General Motors for eight years, but because of GM's precarious financial situation the company notified the Tigers that they weren't going to be able to continue with their sponsorship arrangement for the 2009 season. Ilitch thought about it for a while, knowing full well he could sell the rights to the fountain to a paying sponsor for up to $2 million over the next three years. But instead, he put the logos of the three Detroit automakers in center field, free of charge, with the following message underneath: “The Detroit Tigers support our automakers.” “I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do to help?’” Ilitch said in an email to Bloomberg. “I’ve always viewed GM, Ford and Chrysler as pillars of strength in our community and I understand the ups and downs that a business must endure. To me, it’s a small way of showing our support and saying thank you for all the times they’ve been there for this community.” And that's our AE Quote of the Year so far.
Sergio Marchionne. In an interview posted on The Toronto Globe and Mail website today the Fiat Group SpA CEO said that if Chrysler's UAW and CAW workers don't agree to more concessions, which would align their wages with workers in foreign plants operating in North America, then the talks would be over. "Absolutely we are prepared to walk," Marchionne said. "There is no doubt in my mind. We cannot commit to this organization unless we see light at the end of the tunnel." Hardball, Italian style.
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and auto industry PR veteran Jason Vines this Thursday evening, April 16, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv. You can chat with us "live" too. Again, that's "Autoline After Hours"this Thursday evening, April 16, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.
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