Can't take it anymore, GM

I don't wish it upon anyone to loose their jobs, especially in this economic climate, but I have a message for GM designers.

Shitcan all of them. I just saw this concept design for the next Colorado and I'm writing this in haste.

After what I saw at the auto show... GM is out of ideas. Bring back the Fisher Body Craftsman Guild.

Get rid of the people creating and approving this design.

roar.

I felt a "Thump"

You know that moment in a monster movie where they show a cup of water rippling, or a building shaking? That moment where the director is letting you know that there is something huge out there moving around? I felt that last night during the Super Bowl and it had nothing to do with the game.

Instead of some monster in a fantasy, it was the very real heart of Detroit that let out a massive, yet suttle "thump" for the first time in nearly three decades. One that use to be as normal and predictable as a precise wrist watch ticking. That powerful thump was because of the Chrysler commercial. But for me, it wasn't about any particular car company. That didn't seem to be the message it was trying to convey. It was of Detroit.

I know that I write more then I should on how I feel about GM and Detroit here. But the commercial struck a chord with me. It was just a thump, yes. But one that use to be so familiar that those older and wiser then knew not to take for granted.

I've heard about the glory of Detroit. I work with and have met a few that were there in the 50s and 60s. Those that knew the healthy heart of our country that was Detroit. I've read more on the early years of the town then I care to mention even. I know about the excess and the wrongs done but her leaders. I may know Detroit as some one who as lived it and maybe I know it's history more then most of those folks. But I don't DARE pretend I know how to feel it.

It is one of innovation, of back room brawls with the Dodge brothers, about where the name Cadillac comes from, or the idea behind the Fisher Body and the meaning behind it, the failures Ford experienced, the River Rouge, the disappearance of just about every tree in Michigan and reappearance... so maybe that's why I felt that thump more then others.

I'll never forget one of the things my father said about Detroit when I was a boy:

"So goes Detroit, so goes the country."

I even researched over 80 years of earnings and commented on them here, on Helltown. I even went so far as to write an "I believe" letter about General Motors. Why? I don't exactly know other then I am aware enough that I've found myself in manufacturing in part because of Detroit.

I could go on about Fiat owned Chrysler and the fact that even at best American cars are only 70% "American Made". But that isn't the point of what I'm rambling on about... or the point of the ad.

Fact is; I felt the low rumble "thump" from underneath the frozen winter ground. You may have missed it and buildings may have just shook subtly and windows rattle faintly, perhaps like a distant passing train... indeed; maybe many missed it, and it was just one thump that may not come again, but I felt it.

I am thankful for it and it was wonderful.

A Warehouse Story

It comes from (again) The Truth About Cars. I still find this site endlessly interesting... thoughtful and sincere. Ronnie Schreiber just posted up an article titled "Was GM Design Head Bill Mitchell A Sexist Bigot?" The answer to that question is "yes". I didn't need the article to tell me that. I've read and watched enough on GM history to know about Mr. Mitchell. What's interesting about the article is the readers, through the spectrum of today's world around them, trying to figure out if this was just the way it was back then or if the guy really had a alcohol / womanizing / temper / racism problem.

He was cut from the same cloth as car guys that came before him. These guys were highly intelligent, rough, type A or red personalities. Mitchell seems to be a cross between Henry Ford and the Dodge Brothers who was caught in the middle of a changing world. In some ways Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino seems to be modeled after him. Most episodes of Mad Men steal from his exploits. Heck, even part Ian Fleming's Bond could be attributed to him if Fleming himself were not more Mitchell then, well, Mitchell.

My comment of the article comes from "Mikey". I can't get enough stories like this. It's the kind of thing that should be explored more. While it's interesting to read about ivory tower men like Mitchell I'd much rather read about the every day stuff from folks working where the tire hits the road. Howard Zinn, take note.
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A hard drinking, profane, sometimes bigot. Sounds like a Foreman I had in the early Seventies. Foremen were instructed to fire any hourly employee that was late or absent during thier ninety day probation period.

At the time I was in the pit, on gas tank install. A two man operation, it was, and my 18 year old partner was a black guy. The older guys called us the salt and pepper team.

Well… my partner came it 15 minutes late one day. I could hear all the guys up top hollering, ”here comes the boss, thats the end of the salt and pepper team”

So there is now three of us standing in the pit. Were running at 45 jobs per hour building full size Chevs, and both Canadian and American Pontiacs. The pit is four feet wide five foot deep,and you got maybe 20 ft to get the tank installed. The foreman is a good 6’2″ with massive shoulders. So he says to my partner “you know I’m supposed to be down here to fire your b—a$$ out the door, My buddy nods,and we go back to grab the next job. The dude had to be down there 10 minutes. “WTF is he doing” my buddy says. My guess? he was looking at scenery. The next job down, the assembler had to feed three gas hoses through a bracket welded to the body. Then push the hoses onto the steel gas line and the secure the clamps. The girl doing the job was maybe 5’2″ and had to reach to her limit to get her job done.

Finally the boss turns to us and says “I’d look forward to going to work if I could look at that all day long, and I woudn’t be f—ck late."
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It isn't so much the point of his story, it is the way he describes the job he was doing nearly 40 years ago. It gets to me.

Chevy Running full on

"Chevy Runs Deep" ad campaign is in gearing up now. I expect it to be in full on mode by the Super Bowl. What I'm seeing is dogs in trucks and newborn babies edited together with a rendition of "You Are My Sunshine". Who doesn't like that? Nobody. Who thinks that sells cars? Nobody. What that is, is Americana - and last time I checked... that was free. I don't need $25k to buy it. In fact, if you really feel the need to get a Chevy -- pick yourself up an old Camaro for a 10th of that price, as yours truly did.

These ads just skip over the worst years of GM. What I'd like to see is honesty. Even if it is just a minute ad. I mean, it's all we get.

The perfect American car ad was summed up by some dude commenting on the ads:

"All car commercials should have cars burning rubber racing and pretty girls. Well they should if you want me to watch them. Other wise I get and go get a beer."

Well said my friend.

You also made me resort to THIS.

GM: To a lot less fanfare

No commercials this go round, which makes it more serious and believable. If my hunch is right, they want the government out something fierce. Pay it off gentlemen and get two work.

From Edward Niedermeyer at The Truth About Cars:

News that the government will sell only $6b-$8b worth of its GM equity has been joined by an even more surprising GM IPO announcement: GM will buy the Treasury’s entire $2.1b holding of preferred stock in the initial offering. GM has not announced how much it will pay for the stake, and the Detroit News reports that it’s not yet clear if GM will also buy some $400m in preferred stock held by the Canadian and Ontario governments. We’re also getting word via Twitter that GM will put $4b in cash and $2b worth of its stock into its overdrawn UAW pension fund, as well as making a $2.8b payment to the UAW VEBA account. With a $5b line of credit secured, GM says these and other steps will reduce its debt by $11b over an unspecified timeline.

Chevy Runs Deep

GM's new tagline. It's interesting that they are using "Chevy" because of the memo that created a manic 24 hours at GM instructing employees not to use the term.

So... from "See the world in your Chevrolet" to "Like a rock" we now have "Chevy Runs Deep".

My thoughts are the same as Rob Finfrock over at The Truth About Cars:

...how “deep” does Chevy want its customers to go back into their memories for a happy story?

“Remember when your Dad told you fond stories of his father’s 1957 Bel Air… while you both waited in the Service Department lounge for your S-Blazer’s third transmission to be installed?

“Remember that first date with that special someone, in your 1975 Vega? Remember how she helped you push it into your driveway? Remember how the rusted rear bumper fell off and broke her foot?

“Remember the 1990 Lumina? Wait… please don’t.

“Remember the Malibu you rented last year in Atlanta? I mean, it was pretty decent, right?

“Chevy runs deep!”
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I can relate especially to the Malibu I rented in Boston. I found myself not saying to myself that the car was good. Just asking myself questions... Is this interior good?... Do I like how I sit high up?... Does this car have any power?

I liked these

A bunch of billboard promotional posters designed ahead of the Woodard Cruise a couple years ago. GM is selling the "real" ones HERE. Campbell Ewald, Chevy's ad agency does these every year. My favorite official one is still, "Remember when your cup holder sat next to you and wore a poodle skirt?"

My favorite un-official one: "We came up with some pretty cool shit when we could smoke and drink at the office."

True, so true.

I'm posting this on the eve of GM's release of the Chevy Volt. Yeah, a technological achievement. Indeed it is. A mighty feat of engineering. But I just can't help thinking... something's just missing.

Oh yeah. A soul.

GM: Today was the Day

They filed with our friends of at the SEC. An IPO. The same company that last did that in 1916. A bit hasty, especially when you consider that 30-40% of their sales are 'Fleet'. I'm not sure America has warmed up to spending $25k (28k if you want the LTZ!) on a Malibu that probably should be in the $17k range. Their cars are nice, but too expensive. Only government agencies spend 30% more on something they shouldn't have (see: Fleet Sales)

Never the less. Today GM goes for the gold in taking that leap to being a public company again. Welcome back GM? I think they want to think so and I think they want it in a very bad way.

Hasty, says I.

1986: Only From Pontiac

GM File Under

I pull for GM. There are lots of things I don't like about them, but I pull for them to do well but nary a week goes by where I'm not slapping my head in disbelief in something they have done or said. I've posted some of my feelings about things on this blog. I still think the worst promotional thing I've ever seen was the Volt Dancers. I do believe that a high ranking employee was demoted after that got out (Susan Docherty).

Anywho, a couple more things to add now. First up is a question GM posted on Facebook a couple days ago, which read:

"Today's question, have you ever driven in hot
weather without air conditioning, now or even before cars were equipped with
it? Fill us in!"

I'm not going to dwell here on that because the ignorance there is striking. I know that the forum for which the post was made is for a younger crowd, but the elitism of the question is shitty. Maybe I'm overreacting I guess. But on the road after I read this post I asked Audrea to play a game with me. Whomever saw a "foreign" car with there windows down got a point. It was a hot summers day here in Columbus and we where tooling around town. We had to make it "foreign" cars because about every 5th American car had their windows down. To me, on a hot day in the mid 90s meant; windows down = no AC. We had to change the rules to foreign because we saw so many Grand Am's and Cavaliers with windows down.

The question GM asked makes the assumption that everyone is like those who work within their corporate universe. It makes me angry.

Not a scientific approach at all. We drove about an hour that day. We saw 2 foreign cars with windows down.

File #2 also stems from the web over at http://www.facesofgm.com/ where they profile exactly what it says. Today's profile is that of Ann. Ann is an intern. Ann doesn't know anything about cars but Ann is pretty. Ann must be upwardly mobile. Ann says:

"I don’t know that much technically about cars, so I can’t talk shop (yet). But I have listened to countless episodes of Car Talk on NPR and sat through a couple of Top Gear marathons on BBC, so that has to count for something."

The Hell it counts for something. It counts for horse shit (dirty word twice in this post). Personally... I'm here humping it everyday in a warehouse with 150 other folks driving rusted out 1985 Buick's, in the industrial capital of the United states, where layoffs are a part of everyday life. Where people can't walk after the age of 50 because of being on there feet everyday and have heart attacks at 60, live -

and I hear that shit.

And it doesn't stop there. Another post on the same website profiles Leroy. Leroy is a nice fellow who has been working for GM for 42 years. He had to learn what microns were, so that's good. The most telling thing about it was a response which read:

"I had to retire at 55 because of a back problem. I miss the thought of something to do but don’t miss the grind it took from my body. I had 31 years but this guy needs to retire and let some younger person raise his family on G.M. pay. There is more to life them G.M. RETIRE!!!"

Books could be written on that post. In fact books have been and are being written on it.

Pull the head out of your asses GM. You are a manufacturing company. Get your hands dirty and stop living in lala land.

It's not all bad though. I am ranting a bit and I need to simmer down. GM has yet another post profiling Carl working on LS9, LS7 and LS3 engines. Go to the link to see something great going on at GM. It only fuels my love/dislike for GM. Carl is what it is all about. Carl should be running GM. Is it that so hard GM? sheesh.

For the record. The only car I have ever owned with reliable AC is my Honda. My Honda made in your damn backyard in Marysville, OH.

Oh Boy, GM

Paying back their loans from the Federal Government. I like it. But, really, doesn't the Fed own a chunk of GM? It's sort of like paying themselves in a way. But! I'm pulling for them. Last night, and get ready for pathetic-ness. I pulled GM's revenue vs profit from 1955 through 2010. Man... It was like clockwork. GM is truly the best run company of the 20th century. Maybe I'll post my simpleton findings here soon, but till then, take my word for it. The gravity of GM falling out of the top 10 Fortune 500 really hits you when you spent the better part of an evening running through adjusted revenues and profits. The people affected, our history, the power, the responsibility... Robert Smith.

Build her back up GM.

Car Comment of the Week:

Over at TTAC, FleetofWheel said:

"It’d be great to order a car off the web site straight from the mfg.
Just click through the wizard to pick color, engine, options. Test drives would be done for a small fee from demonstration lots or rental car companies. Say $15 for a 15 minute test drive. That would keep joy riders away. For those who still want hand-holding, they could choose pay a consultation fee or hire an independent buyer’s agent which already exist. Service would be at any of the thousands of auto care shops just like now. Get financing from your own bank, credit union or the car mfg when you are completing the on-line application.

Such a system would allow well informed car people like those here TTAC to not pay for services we don’t need or like."

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Part of me hates the idea of buying a new car online. The feeling of pulling off the lot at the time of sale I guess. Never done it, but I'm sure it's grand. But I've mentioned it before (my "I Believe" GM speech); it can be done. More importantly, for most auto manufacturers, it probably MUST be done.

Inventories are bad. New car dealerships are bad. Loosely put together supply chain of manufacturers are bad. They seem to build for inventory and not customers. Having the customer buy directly lines up your manufacturing facilities and processes. It puts down pressure on them which, in turn, forces them to evolve and improve.

So many options here... Have large national facilities put car on frame, doors and maybe shocks, tranny in car. Have regional ones finish it up. Engine, paint color wheels. Deliver to customer or local drop of dealer.

This could all be done to order. Or if a car is selling well, first part of process done and wait for a new customer to choose engine and paint.

I get all excited about this because it can't cost much to stamp metal or fiberglass out. I mean... open up retro models of cars. Can you imagine the catalog the GM could pull from???? They could set up facilities to produce different car lines for each year. For example say, GM could plan to offer- in 2018- the 3rd Generation Camaro body style will be available with SHO EcoBoost Twin Turbo V6 or how about a modern modified LB9 TPI. How amazing would it be to be able to go to the GM website and pick 1953 El Dorado that's being offered in 2014 year.

Of course it wouldn't be the "same" car that it was, it'd have to meet safety regulations, fuel economy... but honestly, the basic principals and parts of the automobile, in the past 100 years has changed very little and sadly, the way they are manufactured and purchased hasn't changed much either... Man... can you imagine...


Americans would truly be choosing their identity. What would our roads look like? Would it still be new shoe boxes or jelly beans? Would it be '50s styling? Would it be land barges from the 70s? Minivans from the early 90s? It raises a lot of questions on what would happen. How to market such a pipe dream. Are people too use to just buying a new design? How many retro models to offer a year?

Wood paneled station wagons?

One thing is for certain; It CAN be done. Why? because it's an idea. And this is America goddammit. You got those two things and anything can be done. Or have we forgotten that.

GM

A very big day is coming up for General Motors tomorrow. I have been reading off and on about GM falling in to bankruptcy over the past six months but it appears now that it is actually about to happen.

In today's Columbus Dispatch the paper has a front page article called "Shrinking Auto Giant Pains Ohio". As if anyone has to ask which auto giant. GM has a total of six factories in Ohio, according to the paper. The largest of which is the Lordstown Complex located in the the north eastern part of the state. The paper claims it has almost 4,500 employees. The smallest would be the ACDelco Distribution Center right here in my back yard. It employs less then 100.

Wired Magazine also has a good article this month called Beyond Detroit that spells out what the future might be for US automakers. In this article I discovered Ford's unbelievably large and complex River Rouge factory. You have to read about it to believe it.

I'm not 100% sure why I'm writing about this topic right now other then the fascination I have for large industrial automotive factories. I think a lot of the country shares a general fascination with US automotive companies. It is remarkable to read about how large they once where. Just looking at GM you find out that they owned 54 percent market share in 1954. From that year to 1979 it looks like the company experienced unprecedented success and stability.

You don't have to know your history all that well to know what has happened since then. The very next year the company started experiencing losses. They agreed to bad union contracts with UAW and where slow to react to new federal regulations.


The Dispatch put together 'A brief history of GM' that was very telling. While the auto giant has always has a few labor issues in its 100 year history it is unprecedented what has gone on over the past 20 years. Strikes, violence, layoffs, employee buyouts, early retirements. There is a employment stat the struck me like a brick the head... GM employed more people in the state of Ohio 15 years ago then it now does across the entire company.

Today is Sunday. If you get a moment say a little prayer for the once mighty family of GM employees. From the 50 plus year old's living on a company pension, to the thousands of nervous current employees waiting to hear their fate in the coming week.

The Giant is nearly dead... Long live the Giant.