How GM could leapfrog over it's competition and save it's soul...

[Javaman]

I was thinking about our car obsessed culture.

Then I was thinking about the US auto industry and how it's slowly fading from the light.

What happened to GM? In 1968, the major corporations in the US were GM and AT&T, now it's wal-mart.

We went from producers to users. Or from pushers to users, depending on your perspective.

Did GM do good for this nation? Maybe yes, maybe no. Yes, it employed a huge work force and drove the American economy for a very long time. It once produced a high quality car that we thought we wanted and needed, but then something happened along the way.

Those crazy foreigners! Upstarts! Copy cats! Many people argue here in DU that GM still makes more cars that have higher gas mileage then our foreign exports. That's nice to know, but the battle for the consumers money is never based on reality nor logic. It's always based on perception. Although GM did/does produce more cars that go 30+ mpg, they also produce the Hummer (hopefully, soon to be extinct) And by producing the Hummer, which gleefully fed off of it's homegrown military nationalism connection, they positioned themselves, not as a maker of eco-friendly/gas sipping cars, but instead as rugged Americans who need lots of room to store all their useless crap! Their bigger is better mentality won out in the boardroom and marketing dept.

However, the Japanese auto makers, although they make their share of gas guzzlers, saw the writing on the wall and went balls to the wall in promoting the Prius and other eco-friendly cars.

So here we are: Toyota on top, GM, not so much.

In a very brief history, GM, in a way, carved out the path to their own demise and also their own possible Phoenix like rise.

Back in the 1930's-50's GM along with Firestone and several other corps, dismantled the electric street car systems throughout the US, all in an attempt to push cars down our throats.

"Convicted of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, GM was fined $5,000 and each executive was ordered to pay a fine of $1 for a conspiracy to force the streetcar systems to buy GM buses instead of other buses (but not for dismantling the streetcar systems, which were also being dismantled by non-NCL owned systems)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy

(if you don't already know about this, click the link, it's a great depressing read lol)

And as a result, here we are. A huge first world nation with the worst public transportation service in the developed world.

GM used it's power and it's political might to make that happen.

Now, just think, suppose if GM used that same power and political might for good, instead of evil and started pushing for trolleys and light rail? They are already outfitted for mass production, they would just need to retool their plants to produce the cars necessary to make that happen.

What would the result be? endless.

A new and improved integrated nation public transportation system, brought to you by GM.

The auto lobbyists would push for subsidies for building the electrified lines, GM would get the lion-share of the work. People would be put back to work. Unions would be revitalized, etc.

It's a totally win win situation for everyone involved.

And more so, the car as we know it would become, maybe not a thing of the past, but certainly marginalized, given GM power to influence congress.

I know, I know. I can dream can't I?

[Locrian]

1. great dream

great dream - except we are a predatory economy, not cooperative.

[Javaman]

2. That's fine.

they can go after the auto industry with the same vehemence they did the trolley. lol

[Wapsie B]

3. The resulting spinoff of jobs needed for this would be tremendous,

a big boost to the economy. I like the idea. That and with the cars still on the road after this is in place be powered by alternative energy sources.


Also, I think many people are competely in the dark about how large corps like GM transpired to gut public transportation in this country. Are there good website to point them to?

edit: I see the Wikipedia entry. I just wondered if there are others.

[Javaman]

4. click on that link that I provided...

there are a ton of reference links at the end of the article.

[Wapsie B]

5. Thank you!

[gravity]

6. The Chevy Volt

If GM can produce the first production plug in hybrid, it will definately change the perception of the company.

[LSK]

7. they should come out with an entire line of electric cars quickly

They have had the technology for 10 years now, just start building the EV1 again and SELL IT. Next year!

Then come out with the volt and other cars. Come out with a tesla like sports car.

[LiberalFighter]

8. Get rid of Wagoner!!!

[DCKit]

9. Big Oil, their Siamese twin, wouldn't like it one bit.

But, yeah, it would be huge.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. I'd like to see a small, no-frills and extremely affordable car

I don't need electric windows in a car and I got along for years and years without them. I can survive without air-conditioning for a couple of months during the summer and a manual sunroof would suit me fine. I don't need power doors and power steering. Power steering isn't necessary on a very small, lightweight car. I don't need an automatic transmission and I prefer a manual. I know my tastes aren't the same as everyone else's, but I'll bet there are a lot of people out there who would like a no-frills, comparatively inexpensive lightweight car that doesn't have a lot of power, that's very small and that gets tremendous gas mileage. Even without fuel injection or onboard computers, there were small cars in the old days 40 years ago that got 40 to 50 miles per gallon using old technology. Heck there were some like the Citroen 2CV that got over 70 miles per gallon. Imagine what current technology could achieve in gas mileage if they focused on reducing size and weight on a simple, small, no-frills automobile. Unfortunately, the profit margin on such a car would be small.