ON THE TABLE - AUGUST 7, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013 at 03:28PM
USA Today, Dan Akerson. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The puff piece on Dan Akerson's Reign of Terror in Monday's USA Today was so embarrassing it was painful. That the USA Today reporter was spun like a spindle by Selim Bingol's PR charm offensive on behalf of Captain Queeg was bad enough, but to regurgitate Akerson's nine lessons of management? That's akin to getting management tips from a wistful Atilla the Hun. To wit: "You have to be a patient and constructive critic," he says. This is one of Captain Queeg's top nine lessons? This from a guy who once walked out of a Cadillac meeting because a proposed technology wasn't being implemented soon enough? Does that sound either "patient" or "constructive"? Another classic quote from Akerson? "I don't think you have to be a subject-matter expert," he said. That's obvious. This from a guy who has willingly taken credit for all of the blood, sweat and tears put in by the True Believers at GM, the ones who kept GM in the game through a decimating bankruptcy and whose collective efforts have brought to fruition the product lineup that GM has today. Akerson has not had one thing - not one - to do with GM's product on the streets today. Oh, wait a minute, there is one thing, come to think of it. Akerson, in all of his instant auto industry expert glory, was the guy who insisted on accelerating the Chevrolet Malibu to market before it was ready for prime time. We all know how that turned out, don't we? At least James Healy, the USA Today reporter, managed to get the IV drip of "Akerson is a Genius" Kool-Aid out of his arm long enough to get a quote from someone who actually could offer a little perspective to the proceedings. "Put me in the category of being doubtful. He's blessed with a burgeoning market and he's blessed by having a line of products designed, primarily, long before he arrived," says Gerald Meyers, crisis-management consultant, and professor at the University of Michigan (and former CEO of American Motors). And we can't close this item out without mentioning Akerson's last management lesson for all of us unfortunates, which is, "Don't get distracted from the main reason you're there." That's rich, especially coming from Captain Queeg, who comes from a long line of Private Equity carpetbaggers who have left a tale of woe throughout corporate America. My question for Akerson, the Accidental Tourist of a CEO, is this: Why are you there exactly, Dan? Because you were picked by one of the most incompetent boards of directors in corporate America after you raised your hand, and because they had no better ideas that day? That's it in a nutshell, isn't it? So spare us your pearls of wisdom about business and the car business, because you don't have a frickin' clue. The only thing I will acknowledge you are expert at is taking credit for other people's work, and then turning around and dismissing an entire industry as being worthless and inconsequential. Pathetic. - PMD
Selim Bingol. Editor-in-Chief's Note: I have to give Selim Bingol, GM's relentlessly tedious PR Chief, a tip of the Autoextremist cap for actually giving a go at trying to make one of the most loathsome characters in all of corporate America come off like a genius. Preying on the fact that most journalists and journalistic entities are lazy these days, Bingol is furiously peddling the "Akerson is a Genius" angle to all who will listen. It's the PR pro's equivalent of throwing everything - including the kitchen sink - at the wall to see what sticks. And in his latest triumph, Bingol got USA Today to buy it hook, line and sinker. To give you an idea of what a PR achievement it is, it would be like selling fried turds at the State Fair of Texas as a delicacy. - PMD
Dan Akerson, GM. Editor-in-Chief's Note: But in the end, Mr. Bingol can only do so much and for a limited few apparently, because hard on the heels of the USA Today "Akerson is a Genius" story comes word that Don Butler, the man who was in charge of Cadillac before Akerson promoted GM's chief lobbyist to the job over him, has resigned from the company immediately. "This is purely a personal decision on my part," Butler, 49, wrote in an email message to Automotive News. "The company encouraged me to stay, but I need to take a step back and focus on the right priorities in my life. It's just time for a change in my path." Translation? Butler was incensed and insulted that Akerson brought Shiny Bob Ferguson, whose sum total qualifiactions for being promoted over Butler to be vice president of global Cadillac was because Akerson thought it was a good idea, and it was consistent with Akerson's pattern of dismissing everyone who was at GM before he got there as being stupid and inconsequential, especially in comparison to his telecom buddies. Memo to the relentlessly unenlightened out there who insist that Akerson is a management genius: Don Butler was one of those True Believers who kept Cadillac focused, on point and on an upward trajectory for the last three years. And he left because Akerson has created a poisonous executive working environment based on belligerence, intimidation and fear, the three pillars of Akerson's patented - and relentlessly miserable - management "style." And Don Butler had had enough, pure and simple. As I said said recently, there is no amount of marketing that "brand leader" Bob Ferguson can muster to take Cadillac to the next level, either. GM’s lobbyist-cum-Amway-salesman is so over his head anyway, judging by the constant generation of hot air blowing from the RenCen that it sounds for all the world like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying absolutely nothing. I also said that Akerson is laying waste to GM’s future product programs right and left because he believes that his rightful legacy will be that of “The Man Who Saved General Motors” when in fact the damage he will do to GM’s competitiveness during his tenure before he trots off to accept accolades from his network of PE buddies for extracting millions for himself while saving the “little people” – aka the intellectually inferior hordes toiling in the industry that he loathes with every fiber of his being - from their predetermined misery, will be incalculable. - PMD The Electric Slide. While the mainstrem media continues to slobber over the Tesla, the reality for electric vehicles in this market is u-g-l-y. GM has just announced that it is cutting the price on the 2014 Chevrolet Volt by $5,000 as the price war on electric avenue heats up. Nissan has cut the price of the Leaf by $6,400, Ford has cut the price of the Focus Electric by $4,000 and the leases on the peripheral electrics are getting cheaper by the hour. Time of your life, eh, kids?
The BMW i sub-brand is touting the follow-up to its i3 urban car - the plug-in hybrid i8 sports car - as "the most progressive sports car of our time." Really? We imagine Porsche will have something to say about that. BMW revealed more details about the i8 at a driving event at the BMW Group’s Miramas test track in France today. More details to come.
(Infiniti)
Infiniti will unveil the Q30 Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Q30 Concept "signals the contemporary design vision for a compact Infiniti vehicle which will target a new generation of premium customers," according to the manufacturer.
(Images courtesy of Porsche Cars North America)
Porsche will continue the 50th birthday celebration of its 911 sports car at the 63rd annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with static and dynamic displays of new and historic models, from Aug. 14 – 18. The upcoming 918 Spyder hybrid super sports car will be at various locations throughout the Monterey peninsula during the weekend, including at the Porsche Zentrum at Quail Lodge, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. On Friday, Aug. 16, The Quail Motorsports Gathering will feature a Porsche exhibit highlighting 50 Years of the 911. One of the first 911s sold in the US will be displayed alongside the new 50th Anniversary 911 and the 2014 911 GT3.
The limited-edition 50th Anniversary Porsche 911 will be showcased alongside rare Porsche road and racing cars at The Quail. The Porsche Zentrum will host the current lineup of Porsche models, including the 2014 911 GT3 and the upcoming plug-in electric Panamera S E-Hybrid.
A special Porsche 911 class, the Weissach Cup will be featured at the 38th running of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 911. A 1972 Martini 2.1 Turbo RSR, the 1978 “Moby Dick” 935, the 1978 “Baby” 935 and not one, but two 911 GT1s will be on display in the garage area of Laguna Seca, before they move to Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for display on Sunday. The latest 911 GT3 Cup car, which will race next year in the United SportsCar racing (USC) series, will debut and be on display all weekend at Laguna Seca.
The Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid super sports car will be all over Monterey Aug. 14 - 18.
(Mecum Auctions)
An impressive array of more than 40 Porsches will star at the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey, California, August 15-17. Headlining the Porsche lineup destined for the auction block will be one of the rarest and most desirable of them all – a 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder - Chassis No. 550-0077 (Lot S134). This machine, part of the Peter & Cheryl Dunkel Collection, was actively campaigned in Europe back in the day. The Dunkel collection also includes a 1958 356A Speedster Race Car (Lot S146.1), a 1963 356B Carrera 2 Coupe (Lot S137) and a 1954 Porsche Allgaier A133 Diesel tractor (Lot S185). These Porsches will cross the block on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey in addition to Thursday and Friday’s offerings of prime Porsches and more. Auction gates open daily at 8 a.m. and complimentary general admission is extended to all. Eighteen hours of the Monterey auction will be broadcast live on Discovery’s Velocity Network in addition to the live stream presented from gavel to gavel on Mecum’s website at www.mecum.com.
