ON THE TABLE
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 09:01AM April 8, 2009
GM. Publisher's Note: It has come down to this, folks. GM and Segway announced what we're calling the 2011 Obamalosimobile at this week's New York international Auto Show. Called Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), it is an electrically powered two-seat prototype vehicle with two wheels, featuring a lithium-ion battery, digital smart energy management, two-wheel balancing, dual electric wheel motors, and a dockable user interface that allows off-board connectivity. "It" can travel at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph), with a range up to 35 miles (56 km) between recharges. Giving showgoers an early glimpse at their horrifying driving future GM says that, "It could allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly - and at a lower total cost. The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking." Huh? It gets worse. "Imagine small, nimble electric vehicles (aka moving chicanes) that know where other moving objects are and avoid running into them. Now, connect those vehicles in an Internet-like web and you can greatly enhance the ability of people to move through cities, find places to park and connect to their social and business networks," said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development, and strategic planning. GM also insists that, "Project P.U.M.A. vehicles will also allow designers to create new fashion trends for cars, and to focus on the passion and emotion that people express through their vehicles while creating solutions that anticipate the future needs of urban customers." Passion and emotion? You have to be kidding. The era of Shiny Happy Smiley cars is upon us, apparently. I once wrote about the "Rickshaw Nation" that would result if the wrong people got a hold of our transportation future. Okay, so at the time it was more than a bit of an exaggeration on my part. But now, when I see things like the Obamalosimobile, I'm not so sure. This GM/Segway thing will fade back into the woodwork soon enough, but the fact that time, energy and real development money was spent on it in lieu of countless other things GM should have been spending its money on is appalling. - PMD
(GM Photos)
The Clueless Mainstream Media. The gushing over the GM/Segway transportation device has been telling. The Today Show, of course, just had to do a three-minute segment-bite on it, even though it was apropos of absolutely nothing, but then again that seems to be the program's "M.O." of late - irrelevance for irrelevancy's sake. But that was just the beginning, because then the floodgates opened as the articles and rampant, instant "expert" Internet punditry exploded about the thing, completely ignoring the fact that GM has excellent vehicles in showrooms right now that people can actually buy. GM's calculated PR move to gain attention at the NY auto show with this device appeased somebody in Washington there's no doubt, but it accomplished little to help its burgeoning empty showrooms across the country. We're quite sure GM dealers are absolutely thrilled with it, however. Not.
Gavin Newsom. Publisher's Note: Add the San Francisco mayor to the long list of so-called "enlightened" Californians regurgitating the same old crap about the Detroit automakers in public. As David Shephardson of The Detroit News reported, Newsom launched a blistering attack on anything and everything to do with Detroit at a conference sponsored by Newsweek in Washington on Tuesday. A smattering of quotes from Newsom: "With respect to Detroit, it is not good enough to advance by 2012 an ambitious strategy of having 14 different models at GM of hybrids -- when hybrids are yesterday's technology." Really, Gavin? And when did you become an anointed "expert" on automotive technology? He went on: "We need a very dramatic shift in the mentality of Detroit." That's original, Newsom. Was that your idea, or did you just crib one of Saint Nancy's speeches? Oh, he wasn't done, however. Commenting on how Detroit's Big Three had opposed California's plan to cut emissions 30 percent by 2016, Newsom said: "Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. This is the same group of folks that spent billions of dollars over the years lobbying against seat belts, lobbying against rearview mirrors, lobbying against air bags and now lobbying against the one thing that will save them -- low carbon fuel standards." That's the one thing that will save us? Gee, Gavin, why didn't you just speak up sooner? And to think of all that time and money that was wasted up until now. And one more thing: "We're going to have to dramatically re-imagine the automobile industry, and the problem is we're still stuck in this argument about how we can fail more efficiently," Newsom said. We have an excellent idea for Newsom and his ilk: Let's close off Northern California from the rest of the Union and let them "re-imagine" their own auto industry. After the citizenry realizes that they can only buy Obamalosimobiles and Shiny Happy Smiley cars of diminishing degrees of realistic feasibility then we can sit back and joyfully watch as the state government in Sacramento is dismantled and thrown out on their asses until some semblance of rational thought can return. Newsom is a slick weasel who will end up haunting the rest of the country when he runs for national office. He is the walking, talking embodiment of Not Good, and we don't care how much he's loved by San Franciscans. They can keep him. - PMD
Harley-Davidson. In many ways, Harley-Davidson has been through the same trials and tribulations as the American automobile industry over the years. Including boom-and-bust cycles, too much capacity and production (which ended up diluting the brand), and criticism from the instant "experts" in the media and on the Internet who pretend to know just what H-D needs in order to survive. The difference between Harley and Detroit is that Harley didn't lose a generation of customers over the years. Instead, it reveled in its history, honed its brand, focused on who it is and what it does best, and forged new bonds with both new and longtime loyal customers. Wrestling to get their production in line with the market while dealing with some very tough financial issues of late, nevertheless Harley-Davidson is staying true to its core. We applaud Harley, especially its ongoing "Screw it, let's ride" campaign orchestrated by marketing chief Mark-Hans Richer. Perfect in pitch and tone, it reaffirms everything about the brand that differentiates Harley-Davidson from every other motorcycle out there, no matter how much the other manufacturers try to copy and emulate them. If only certain Detroit car companies were as savvy in getting their messages across. (Keith Wandell, the president/COO of auto-parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc., has resigned to become president/CEO of Harley-Davidson on May 1. Let's hope he doesn't screw it up.)
GM Dealers. The news grows more grim by the hour for GM dealers across the country as they wait for some kind of shift in consumer spending habits so they can begin selling vehicles again. In the meantime, there's no immediate relief in sight as dealers are being forced to close almost daily. Not Good doesn't even begin to cover it. Saab. The Swedish automaker is allegedly in touch with 20 potential buyers, suggesting a sale might happen by June. Wait a minute, wasn't our April Fool's issue last week?Ford. Slices its debt by almost $10 billion through its own debt structuring initiatives - saving $500 million annually in interest payments - while putting even more pressure on GM and Chrysler to get their respective houses in order. There's beginning to be a clear differentiation between America's Original Car Company and the Old Detroit Two, and the chasm is growing wider by the day. No matter what happens between GM, Chrysler and Washington, Ford is about to leave its domestic competitors in the dust. BMW. The propeller brigade hits the New York Auto Show with the M version of their X6 crossover thingy. Are these guys suddenly becoming the masters of "The Answer to the Question that Absolutely No One is Asking," or what? Yes.
Car Design Enthusiasts. For those of you left out there who still appreciate automotive design excellence and understand why the GM/Segway "thing" is the antithesis of the concept, check out Chris Woodyard's excellent snapshot of the automotive design world in the Money section of today's USA Today.
Hot Tip. GM is set to announce that it has reached a deal to sell its Hummer brand to a company already in the truck business in the next few days.
(GM)
GM also announced the GMC Terrain SLT at the New York auto show. The smaller crossover, which shares vehicle architecture with the new Chevrolet Equinox, is meant for people who don't want to drive the Chevy version, apparently. Wanting to demonstrate progress in wrestling with its perennial "too many models, too many divisions, too many dealers" conundrum, the Terrain replaces the Pontiac Torrent at Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers. Funny, but we thought the idea was to reduce the overall number of GM vehicles being marketed to the public? Or, maybe that was a different memo that we missed somehow.
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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