2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette fascia gets accidental web preview

no problem
be sure to check out all the great photos that are included
some great stuff

 

more Corvette Design history posted in pt.2 of the Lonberger interview in the Arch/Design/Viz Arts thread : http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386943&page=3

 

John, I just finished About a Car, it was fantastic, thank you.

 

Glad you liked it.
It's one of the better books capturing that time in the industry,IMO.

 

I made a error, it is Once Upon a Car. This was better than Overhaul and even Paul Ingrassia's books.

 

yes,I guessed you meant the book by Vlasic
didn't like Overhaul too much......way too much hidden agenda

 

Yes sir, you are correct. I have new found respect for Alan Mulally after reading this book.

 

IMO,they can't pay him enough for how he's helped FoMoCo.

 

John, too bad GM did not listen to Jerry York when they had a chance, RIP Jerry York.

 

he made a run at making something happen
just couldn't pull it all together

 

John, I still think that this guy Akerson is the wrong guy at the wrong time, I wish GM had a guy like Alan Mulally or even Sergio M from FIAT. Everything I read about this guy, is not appealing.

 

if you need any further validation of your statement,read the columns that Peter Delorenzo writes every Wed. on autoextremist.com. Not even remotely positive. My pals that are still there don't have much to say.....they are smart enough to know better.

 

Part of the Jerry York/Kirk Krekorian plan was to get a deal with Nissan/Renault since Ghosn had done an epic turn aoround with them, made business changing decisions and got 2 different corporate cultures to work together. Certainly the idea that Ghosn would have been willing to make decisions that Wagner avoided holds credence.

As for Rattner's book my take was that his group did not understand product (but that is not exceptional when most of the highest oesn't either), could not grasp the importance of Lutz but did expose that GM's financial accounting systems had flaws. On the financial side the book cruxified the CFO as incompetent but does not deal with what could have been mitigating circumstances on how the questions for burn rates could have multiple possible senarios based on factors that the CFO could not decide on.

Jeff

 

At least Ed Whitacre came off as somewhat coherent, the real sacrificial lamb seems to me was Fritz Henderson.

 

cannon fodder also comes to mind

 

Interesting the level of venom and dislike for Marchione and Akerson.

He is absolutely correct in pointing out the falacy of Akerson's (allegded) statements about the ease of understanding product. GM under Proctor and Gamble leadership made that crippling mistake and now there is a new idiot in charge that can't learn history. Product requires having a feel for the marketplace and something inside about "rightness". This is not soap where a different cardboard box or plastic jug with an ad program of "New & Impoved" substitutes for understanding 5 year development cycles with billion dollar bets. If one doesn't get it then they are not going to have some sudden moment of epiphany. Maybe Sloan wasn't fundamentally a product guy (maybe he was) but he did know who to trust for the product decisions.

 

Jeff, I agree with your comments wholeheartedly, however, from everything I have read and heard Marchionne gets it. He seems to be a superb CEO and has done a very good job.

 

Mr. Marchionne is married to his job. He has a home in Europe and the USA where he is committed to making Chrysler work again.
However there is always bs floating around like Jeep production moving to China which is not true. China Jeep production is only for that home market and not for export to North America.
CH

 

+1

 

Wow John, I just spent about 45 minutes reading Peter's columns, it reaffirmed everything I thought about Akerson, and much more. Wow that is all I can say, here is GM with excellent products (more than they have had for the last 40 years) and this Windbag Jerk Akerson going off on his own staff on a daily basis. Didn't anyone learn from the Fiasco at Chrysler with Nardelli and Cerebrus? This Private Equity (Telecom BK) Clown Akerson is driving GM down the wrong path.

 

it's like deja'vu all over again with Zarella & Smale in the '90's
tough lessons to learn I guess

 

Never knew about that website but Pete's hatred for Sergio is misguided IMHO. This guy Akerson however appears to be the real deal assclown.

 

I have to agree
For whatever reason,Peter has had a hard-n for Sergio since day1.
I think he believes that Sergio & Fiat were literally "given" Chrysler under great duress by the US Gov. after which Sergio made a great many proclamations about how he would "save" Chrysler
well,here we are 3 yrs later & he did IMO!
the rumors around town are that maybe Chrysler will ultimately buy Fiat because of all the turmoil in Europe
Sergio recently bought a house here in SE Mi and several people are saying he wants to ultimately have the Chrysler/Fiat HQ here and not Italy
good luck convincing the Italian Gov & the Italian unions with that

 

+1

 

CH
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