What a missed opportunity for one or all of the Big Three CEO's.

[cherokeeprogressive]

I'd have walked in there prepared to announce a new line of vehicles (with artists renderings and everything) to go on sale sometime in 09 whose manufacture would be facilitated by a large part of the money given to my company. That line would include 5 or 6 models designed to carry between 3 and 5 people. They would all be based on a standard undercarriage and drivetrain that would in its most economic configuration would get 100 mpg, and in its most utilitarian configuration would get 50. I'd also offer to license the patent for the drivetrain to the other two companies. Then I'd offer to use some of the bailout money to subsidize the purchase of those new models. The other CEO's would be in the dark, and would be surprised if not shamed by my bold idea. A new era of competition would begin.

I'd also have announced a program where the ownership of the company could be somehow placed in the hands of the employees, and a structured, capped salary structure for all management up to the CEO. I'd have taken this idea to the head of the UAW and had him fully on board when we walked into the room.

The P-51 Mustang, considered to be a pivotal weapon in WWII, went from idea to drawing board to first flight of prototype in 117 days. That was without the benefit of CAD and computer controlled machines to manufacture the parts. Just a bunch of guys with slide rules and drafting tables. Is it not possible to produce the same results today, given the technology? My salaried R&D employees would work on it until they made it happen. If they couldn't make it happen, I'd get new salaried employees.

Lastly, I would tender my resignation, effective on the day my company started to implement these changes, and would suggest to the board that anyone I hired when I came on board with the company be fired as well.

[kirby]

1. Fantasy world!

I don't think it is technically possible for them to accomplish that so quick. They should have been working on that for the past decade like Toyota who is working on 3rd and 4th generation products.

And why should they do that when they will certainly get the bailout anyhow?

[unpossibles]

2. GM has been (not) working on it for 40 years

[kirby]

3. Problem is that those are small 'PR' projects...

Public relations R&D projects only need to produce something for a dog/pony show or a trade show. They do not need to be developed with production in mind so they never see the light of day.

[unpossibles]

4. are you saying that they could not develop that in the past 40 years?

Toyota and others sure prove you wrong.

[kirby]

5. No, I said they did not...

Certainly they could have. I'm saying the R&D projects they have done in the past have been small scale Public Relations project that were never cost effective or intended for production. While they wasted time and money on PR, Toyota was busy investing and working on several generations of technology.

[unpossibles]

6. ok

on a side note, another intelligent move of the Japanese makers is diversification: Honda being the most obvious: they have so many fingers in so many pies that even if one side has a bad year, the rest may help out.

[Romulox]

8. Toyota doesn't have an all electric car, so you post is puzzling...

Ford and Toyota have the same hybrid technology in their cars right now. GM has a different hybrid technology.

None of the above are offering a fully electric car at the moment.

[Romulox]

7. Not me. I would have shown off a UNICORN! nt

[Gman2]

9. We most certainly could make a p51 in 117 daysish.

But the problems we would face are several. We need to contend with all those minimac trucks they sold us. We could build a p51. I suggested just that. Four wheel motorcycles. With existing big motorcycle engines. They woould do the quarter mile in 13 seconds easily by any soccermom. They would get 100 mpg. They would cost 12000ish. They woujd take up less matls, space, highway, income, repair. We could do our own repairs. Rail could install us onboard and have express to hubs. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, we've got to get SUV's off the road. Sporty, fuel sippers will get creamed by blingboy or sarah the hummerchick. We could absolutely design and manufacture p51's. We cannot design for several competing goals. Perfect safety will not begin to happen till barges are buried. I could personally build this contraption. And have thought of it several times. I havent found the developement funds, so till then, I use this other contraption, that I have modified a achieve several of those goals.