General Motors Renaissance To Focus On Crushing the Competition - What Is Their Biggest Hurdle?

A generation ago, then-Chrysler Corp.’s manufacturing guru, Denny Pawley, told me something I’ve never forgotten:

We’re not afraid of the Japanese, I was surprised to hear him say. We’re afraid of General Motors. If they can ever get that place turned around, they’ll crush us all.

General Motors Co., for much of the past generation a financial laughingstock amid much of the investor, media and Silicon Valley classes, is blowing the doors off — principally in the North American market that proved so fraught in the 1990s and 2000s. And its Sick Old Man in Europe, aka its Opel brand, appears finally on the mend.

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MDarringer - 4/22/2016 8:51:07 AM

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Step 1: Make Corvette a brand with a Manta Ray (V6), Stingray, and Zora (mid-engine).

Step 2: Give Cadillac names, size, and styling greatness.

Step 3: Invest in Buick giving it gorgeous styling like their show cars.

Step 4: Continue improving Chevrolet. Chevys are pretty darned good at the moment, but keep reaching.

Step 5: Buy FCA. Shutter Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram in the USA, keep Jeep and take it premium, and in Europe kill Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati.

Step 6: Replace the Opel brand with a "GM" brand and partner with Toyota for mainstream products globally.

Vette71 - 4/22/2016 3:03:43 PM

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GM buys FCA and they get Jeep and the VM diesel they helped fund when they were partnered with Fiat. It has made the world's 10 best engine list 3 years in a row.

TomM - 4/22/2016 7:32:39 PM

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Sorry - I do not agree with Number 5 or 6. It would be cheaper for GM to buy TATA and get Range/Rover for an upscale 4x4. And then SELL Tata back to the Indians. The problem is - in reality - Jeep has no PLATFORMS for GM to buy - they are old and need replacing - so they would be buying only a Name. The "rover" name is already upscale premium. I believe that GM has enough 4x4 trucks and cuvs coming to fill all the market niches.

And I think GM has enough brands in the mainstream.(Chevrolet - as you noted - is getting good again - and OPEL - even with its problems - is an established name in Europe that they have already spent the time and money to re-establish it) THat is not where profit is made - they make their profit on the higher brands and on their trucks.

So - to add to your list - I would take the GM small truck divisions - and really give them a styling overhaul - taking GMC upscale with a really different style from the Chevy. I would also do a complete redesign of the Express Van (transit style) too.

Frankly - I would ALSO FIX their advertising - it STINKS. Maybe get back to the GM mark of excellence.

MDarringer - 4/22/2016 8:25:35 PM

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@TomM and I care why? LOL

TomM - 4/23/2016 6:51:41 AM

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Matt - I agreed with you on your first four points - And in principle - although with a different brand - with another - That's about as good as YOU get here.
Since I was actually responding to a question from the site - If you don't care -= don't come

PUGPROUD - 4/22/2016 10:35:45 AM

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ditto...

TheSteve - 4/22/2016 12:10:04 PM

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What Is Their Biggest Hurdle? That they're GM?

MrEE - 4/22/2016 9:01:41 PM

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They should have killed more brands in US and associated dealerships. They don't need duplicate models selling next door or down the street.

Sciros - 4/24/2016 6:55:02 PM

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Their biggest hurdle for ever has been marketing. All of GM's marketing folks are garbage. The decisions they make as far as what concepts are worth pushing to production vs not, the ads that GM runs (or, more importantly, DOES NOT run), etc.

GM's engineering has been quite good for a long time. Their performance folks are top notch. Their racing programs are highly successful. But their message, brand awareness, etc. all needs serious improvement.