General Motors Labels Tesla As A Disrupter, Forms Task Force To Watch Company

General Motors dwarfs Tesla Motors in virtually every way -- number of cars made, sales and profits. But that doesn't mean GM isn't worried about the upstart electric car maker.

GM has confirmed that CEO Dan Akerson has formed a task force within the company to look at the impact from alternative automakers. The only alternative car company it named: Tesla.

"He thinks Tesla could be a big disrupter if we're not careful. History is littered with big companies that ignored innovation that was coming their way because you didn't know where you could be disrupted," said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky in an interview published Thursday by the wire service Bloomberg. GM confirms the quote.

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randy3023 - 7/18/2013 5:28:57 PM

+3 Boost

General Motors needs to be watching its own business. The only reason this defunct, bankrupt company is still around is because of corrupt unions and politicians. If the people had their way, GM would have been discarded, like the millions of other companies that have tried and failed to execute. GM management need to worry about themselves — not a little startup business in California.

MorePower - 7/18/2013 7:17:49 PM

+1 Boost

You're not too bright. Ford and countless other automotive manufacturers also have to deal with unions, government regulations, etc., but they did not need a bailout to continue.

GM's problem was that it leveraged the company on high profit, gas-guzzling vehicles and fought every opportunity to bring its product line to a level equal to or better than its competition in terms of: price, appearance, reliability, design, fuel economy, etc.

MorePower - 7/18/2013 7:22:09 PM

+2 Boost

GM does not want purely electric vehicles. GM's dealers do not want to sell a vehicle that they would be forced to compete with on price and still not recoup any of those costs in vehicle service, extended warranties, etc.

TheSteve - 7/18/2013 8:01:39 PM

+3 Boost

Actor, comedian, and activist Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know the secret to happiness, but the secret to unhappiness is trying to please everyone.”

GM has been, and still is, a company that tries to be everything for everyone, and does a crummy job of it.

yasuooda - 7/23/2013 9:19:25 PM

+1 Boost

Yasuo Oda likes it.