Beautiful BMW 507. You don't see these stateside much...it's a cool car though. has an all aluminum 3.2l V8.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Near and dear..
The health of the auto industry is and issue that is near and dear to my heart. Not only because I’m a car nut, but my career thus far has been spent completely within the auto industry, albeit partly in the aftermarket.
I must be in the minority though, because when I look at the problems facing the US auto industry my reaction is completely different than my colleagues here. I keep getting asked, why don’t Americans buy more American cars? Why don’t they support their own industry? How about because that is self defeating!
Consumer reports today released the 10 best list and surprise, surprise, the Japanese automakers had a clean sweep. This is the first time in the history of the nine year survey that this has happened. As an American, who was deep in the gut of the industry (Detroit) for 4 yrs, How does it make me feel? Well, I’m happy. I see a bunch of very nice, affordable and innovative vehicles on the list. Consumers are getting better, safer, cheaper more reliable products that have more features than ever before. But what about the US auto industry? Well to be blunt, it’s sink or swim time. In today’s global economy, protectionist tactics will only work for so long. As long as we value consumer choice and free markets over the survival of a relic company, the big three are in trouble.
Who am I kidding, the big three don’t exist anymore, at least not in the historical GM, Ford and Chrysler sense. No, the new big three are GM, Toyota and Ford, with Nissan and Honda gaining ground fast. The Big 5 would be more accurate. Even calling GM #1 is a little bit of a false statement, depending on how one measures the size of a company (revenue vs production vs assets etc.), Toyota is already # 1. And yes, this is good for America. Maybe not certain Americans, but America as a whole has and will continue to benefit from this competition.
What is an American Car. Is it a car that is designed here? Is it a car that is built here? Is it a car whose sale generates profits that stay on American soil? Well by any of those metrics, there is no such thing as an American car. That dodge truck? Probably assembled in Mexico. That Toyota truck, probably built in Texas. How about a nice German car? That might have came from North Carolina. This is the real problem I see with all the protectionist sentiment now surrounding the troubles with GM and Ford. Some have predicted a backlash against foreign competitors. Some (such as the UAW) are actively promoting this. I don’t see it happening. The American people are smarter than that. The choice we have to make is simple. Do we prop up uncompetitive manufacturers to save jobs in the short term, almost assuredly guaranteeing a long term failure. Or do we allow our industry to innovate and compete on a Global level ensuring continuing success for the company and the industry in the US. This is the choice that must be made.
If I were Rick Wagoner, or maybe I should say, if I were Kirk Kerkorian…this would be my strategy at GM.
-Cut capacity. To put it simply…GM has to much capacity. They have the ability to build way to many more cars than they can hope to sell. All this excess capacity is tied up capital that could used elsewhere.
-Confront the Union. The times for games is over. Delphi did it, this alone may force GM to confront the high cost of union employees. If Rick or Kirk need some help…call up Caterpillar and discuss their strategy when they were in the same situation 15 yrs ago. What point does the union serve this day in age? They fought so hard for government intervention in safety, wage laws and working hrs that the only real purpose of the Union is job protection. You should keep your job based on the merits of your work, that’s it. And this jobs bank, well I just find that offensive.
-Dump some brands! 50 years ago brand loyalty was a given. You could expect a consumer to start in a Chevy, graduate into a Pontiac, marry into a Buick, retire into an Olds and die in a Cadillac. But this just isn’t reality anymore. 1 Premium brand, 1 regular brand, and maybe 1 truck brand…this is really all they need. Think about the cost to maintain all the separate dealer networks, design unique fascia’s for multiple brands, tool up and maintain a supply base for all the different parts. Forget it…dump some brands. If GM were to benchmark it’s successful peers, they would notice that NONE maintain so many brands. If it were me, I would keep Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC (only for commercial trucks). People don’t care that Pontiac is for excitement, call it a Chevy…the car is or isn’t exciting based on it’s merits, not the badge on it’s fender.
-Cut the white collar ranks. If for nothing more than as a good faith showing that the Union workers aren’t the only ones losing out, GM needs to cut it’s MGT force and salaries. This would be much easier if they were to cut brands as suggested above.
So there you have it, my 4 pronged strategy. So Kirk….When do I get my signing bonus and company jet?
I bit the bullet and started a more political blog. I’m turning into such a dork.
http://thenewconstilibertarionist.blogspot.com
I must be in the minority though, because when I look at the problems facing the US auto industry my reaction is completely different than my colleagues here. I keep getting asked, why don’t Americans buy more American cars? Why don’t they support their own industry? How about because that is self defeating!
Consumer reports today released the 10 best list and surprise, surprise, the Japanese automakers had a clean sweep. This is the first time in the history of the nine year survey that this has happened. As an American, who was deep in the gut of the industry (Detroit) for 4 yrs, How does it make me feel? Well, I’m happy. I see a bunch of very nice, affordable and innovative vehicles on the list. Consumers are getting better, safer, cheaper more reliable products that have more features than ever before. But what about the US auto industry? Well to be blunt, it’s sink or swim time. In today’s global economy, protectionist tactics will only work for so long. As long as we value consumer choice and free markets over the survival of a relic company, the big three are in trouble.
Who am I kidding, the big three don’t exist anymore, at least not in the historical GM, Ford and Chrysler sense. No, the new big three are GM, Toyota and Ford, with Nissan and Honda gaining ground fast. The Big 5 would be more accurate. Even calling GM #1 is a little bit of a false statement, depending on how one measures the size of a company (revenue vs production vs assets etc.), Toyota is already # 1. And yes, this is good for America. Maybe not certain Americans, but America as a whole has and will continue to benefit from this competition.
What is an American Car. Is it a car that is designed here? Is it a car that is built here? Is it a car whose sale generates profits that stay on American soil? Well by any of those metrics, there is no such thing as an American car. That dodge truck? Probably assembled in Mexico. That Toyota truck, probably built in Texas. How about a nice German car? That might have came from North Carolina. This is the real problem I see with all the protectionist sentiment now surrounding the troubles with GM and Ford. Some have predicted a backlash against foreign competitors. Some (such as the UAW) are actively promoting this. I don’t see it happening. The American people are smarter than that. The choice we have to make is simple. Do we prop up uncompetitive manufacturers to save jobs in the short term, almost assuredly guaranteeing a long term failure. Or do we allow our industry to innovate and compete on a Global level ensuring continuing success for the company and the industry in the US. This is the choice that must be made.
If I were Rick Wagoner, or maybe I should say, if I were Kirk Kerkorian…this would be my strategy at GM.
-Cut capacity. To put it simply…GM has to much capacity. They have the ability to build way to many more cars than they can hope to sell. All this excess capacity is tied up capital that could used elsewhere.
-Confront the Union. The times for games is over. Delphi did it, this alone may force GM to confront the high cost of union employees. If Rick or Kirk need some help…call up Caterpillar and discuss their strategy when they were in the same situation 15 yrs ago. What point does the union serve this day in age? They fought so hard for government intervention in safety, wage laws and working hrs that the only real purpose of the Union is job protection. You should keep your job based on the merits of your work, that’s it. And this jobs bank, well I just find that offensive.
-Dump some brands! 50 years ago brand loyalty was a given. You could expect a consumer to start in a Chevy, graduate into a Pontiac, marry into a Buick, retire into an Olds and die in a Cadillac. But this just isn’t reality anymore. 1 Premium brand, 1 regular brand, and maybe 1 truck brand…this is really all they need. Think about the cost to maintain all the separate dealer networks, design unique fascia’s for multiple brands, tool up and maintain a supply base for all the different parts. Forget it…dump some brands. If GM were to benchmark it’s successful peers, they would notice that NONE maintain so many brands. If it were me, I would keep Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC (only for commercial trucks). People don’t care that Pontiac is for excitement, call it a Chevy…the car is or isn’t exciting based on it’s merits, not the badge on it’s fender.
-Cut the white collar ranks. If for nothing more than as a good faith showing that the Union workers aren’t the only ones losing out, GM needs to cut it’s MGT force and salaries. This would be much easier if they were to cut brands as suggested above.
So there you have it, my 4 pronged strategy. So Kirk….When do I get my signing bonus and company jet?
I bit the bullet and started a more political blog. I’m turning into such a dork.
http://thenewconstilibertarionist.blogspot.com
Monday, February 20, 2006
Donkey Beer Me
I'm struggling a bit to best describe the last 7 days...
It was a cold and dreary Sunday evening...no, that doesn't do it.
What do you get when you drop 6 Americans in the middle...no, thats not right.
A priest, a rabbi and a sheik walk into a bar...no, not that either.
Eurotrip + National Lampoons Vacation = ...nope. Still not right.
Bottom line, last week was a blast. For 7 days I had 5 visitors all crammed into my little shoebox of an apartment. It was cozy (small), warm (stuffy), smelly (well, smelly), uncomfortable at times (sleeping on cables) and all in all laid the groundwork for a great vacation.
This was the first real vacation I've taken since arriving and was the first time I've seen most of my visitors since i left the states last year. Sure I've been to France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Lichtenstein in 3 and a half months...but I never vacationed anywhere for more than 4 days. I know i know...pathetic. The plan was simple, a little skiing, a little drinking, some good food, maybe a castle visit....but as with any good vacation reality was much better than the plan.
Hober and Julie showed up first on Sunday evening. Monday morning brought Angella, Lano and Bonnie. We kicked off the first day by skiing in Lech on a gorgeous sunny day. Following Lech was Silvretta Nova, St Anton and finally Flumserberg on Friday. I think we got to experience the whole spectrum of European skiing, from sunny and groomed, to cold and powdery...What can i say, i wanted to make sure everyone went away happy so i put in a special request with the man upstairs. We got an understanding. After this week I've been skiing 17 times this season but still no glacier skiing. I know i know...pathetic.
Skiing with a group of 6 proved pretty entertaining...there were people getting stuck on lifts, lost skis in the powder, lots of great falls and cutoffs (don't worry, no-one was hurt), forgotten ski pants....the list goes on. I think everyone was pretty impressed with the mtn's and facilities. Many of the lifts even have heated seats under their protective wind bubbles. Most of the mtn's offer RF type lift passes where you don't even need to show the ticket, just pass it near a sensor and BAM, your on the lift. Swatch even sells a watch that you can “load” online with ski days and then serves as the RF ski ticket. No lift ticket lines, no paper passes...just show up and go. Pretty cool. All the mtn's also have great outdoor snowbars. The people are always very entertaining and almost make the horrible umpa lumpa music bearable.
Even though skiing was the overriding goal, we got to see and do so much more. There was the abandoned castle and creepy tunnel near Sargans, the Lichtenstein castle, beer and Fondue in St Anton, beer and giant Schnitzel in Feldkirk, darts and Guiness at Uwe's Bier bar, darts, fooseball and beer at Bennies Roadhouse, Kebap in Zürich (which is the best friggin drunk food ever), more beer and darts at the Bonnie Prince Pub...and then of course, there was Radler. Ever tried Radler? No? Well, imagine this. You were out last night partying and just woke up at 7:30 to go skiing. I know they say theres no cure for a hangover like some fresh air, but for me, i need a little pick me up. Lunchtime rolls around and your mind says “order a beer”, but your stomach says “drink some pepto”...well, Radler is that lovely compromise that pleases both your brain and your stomach.
Beer...plus...lemonade = Radler. That's right, a mildy sweet beer that goes down easy and refreshes at the same time. If that doesn't suit you, there's always Gluwein...a lovely mix of hot red wine, honey, spices and mild citrus. These friggin Europeans have really taken drinking to a whole new level. I know Lano (what's his first name?) dug the Radler.
After Flumserberg on Friday, we headed back to my apt and loaded everything up in my little Toyota and Hobers Alfa Romeo for the 2hr journey into Zürich. We could've made it quicker but Hober, not Julie, was driving. Hober (who i think has a first name too) and Julie had an early flight so the only logical solution was to just go out all night. Which we did. Despite logic this turned out to be a bad idea for Hober and Julie. They went to the airport on no sleep for a 8+hr flight....i hope that flight home wasn't too bad! I also feel sorry for their fellow passengers.
Angella headed out the next day back to St Gallen to catch up on 6 days of schoolwork for the start of school Monday. Lano, Bonnie and I hung out for one more day in Zürich. I'd like to tell you we went to the Museum, toured some old churches or even at in a nice restaurant. But alas...it was 16 more hours of pub crawling and wandering through Zurich. But it was a blast, we saw the old town, some head shops, absinthe stores, a Cuban cigar shop, 2 Starbucks (wtf!) and of course the inside of a few more pubs including my personal favorite in Zürich, the Noble Dubliner. I'm convinced Starbucks is the next McDonalds. Despite all the talk of coffee fads...people just love the stuff. And Europeans are really starting to embrace the “take-away” coffee phenomenon.
All in all it was a great week. If nothing else, it was really nice to be able to speak English and not Genglish for the week. But i really enjoyed seeing some familiar and new faces and sharing my new corner of the world. Truth be told, it made me a bit homesick (if i can really even call Michigan home that is). I suffer from “out of sight out of mind” syndrome and I'm pretty bad at keeping in touch with people, so it was nice to hear about how things have been going back in Detroit Rock City.
So to all my visitors, thanks for a great week, I hope everyone went away with some good memories. I know i did. You're all welcome back anytime. Like maybe in October...in Munich...for Oktoberfest....think about it. All it takes to reserve a spot is for everyone to reserve 2 x 1.5l beers and 1 chicken....and we already know how to order more beer. Donkey Beer Me! Below are just a few of the pictures taken. There were so many that i could only throw up a small sampling. Some pictures got out of order as i intended to post them...i still haven't figured out a good strategy to load them from “Hello”. There are action shots of pretty much everyone but me. Maybe it's cause i was the fastest bestest skiier there, I'm just saying.....
Giggity Giggity Giggity!!
It was a cold and dreary Sunday evening...no, that doesn't do it.
What do you get when you drop 6 Americans in the middle...no, thats not right.
A priest, a rabbi and a sheik walk into a bar...no, not that either.
Eurotrip + National Lampoons Vacation = ...nope. Still not right.
Bottom line, last week was a blast. For 7 days I had 5 visitors all crammed into my little shoebox of an apartment. It was cozy (small), warm (stuffy), smelly (well, smelly), uncomfortable at times (sleeping on cables) and all in all laid the groundwork for a great vacation.
This was the first real vacation I've taken since arriving and was the first time I've seen most of my visitors since i left the states last year. Sure I've been to France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Lichtenstein in 3 and a half months...but I never vacationed anywhere for more than 4 days. I know i know...pathetic. The plan was simple, a little skiing, a little drinking, some good food, maybe a castle visit....but as with any good vacation reality was much better than the plan.
Hober and Julie showed up first on Sunday evening. Monday morning brought Angella, Lano and Bonnie. We kicked off the first day by skiing in Lech on a gorgeous sunny day. Following Lech was Silvretta Nova, St Anton and finally Flumserberg on Friday. I think we got to experience the whole spectrum of European skiing, from sunny and groomed, to cold and powdery...What can i say, i wanted to make sure everyone went away happy so i put in a special request with the man upstairs. We got an understanding. After this week I've been skiing 17 times this season but still no glacier skiing. I know i know...pathetic.
Skiing with a group of 6 proved pretty entertaining...there were people getting stuck on lifts, lost skis in the powder, lots of great falls and cutoffs (don't worry, no-one was hurt), forgotten ski pants....the list goes on. I think everyone was pretty impressed with the mtn's and facilities. Many of the lifts even have heated seats under their protective wind bubbles. Most of the mtn's offer RF type lift passes where you don't even need to show the ticket, just pass it near a sensor and BAM, your on the lift. Swatch even sells a watch that you can “load” online with ski days and then serves as the RF ski ticket. No lift ticket lines, no paper passes...just show up and go. Pretty cool. All the mtn's also have great outdoor snowbars. The people are always very entertaining and almost make the horrible umpa lumpa music bearable.
Even though skiing was the overriding goal, we got to see and do so much more. There was the abandoned castle and creepy tunnel near Sargans, the Lichtenstein castle, beer and Fondue in St Anton, beer and giant Schnitzel in Feldkirk, darts and Guiness at Uwe's Bier bar, darts, fooseball and beer at Bennies Roadhouse, Kebap in Zürich (which is the best friggin drunk food ever), more beer and darts at the Bonnie Prince Pub...and then of course, there was Radler. Ever tried Radler? No? Well, imagine this. You were out last night partying and just woke up at 7:30 to go skiing. I know they say theres no cure for a hangover like some fresh air, but for me, i need a little pick me up. Lunchtime rolls around and your mind says “order a beer”, but your stomach says “drink some pepto”...well, Radler is that lovely compromise that pleases both your brain and your stomach.
Beer...plus...lemonade = Radler. That's right, a mildy sweet beer that goes down easy and refreshes at the same time. If that doesn't suit you, there's always Gluwein...a lovely mix of hot red wine, honey, spices and mild citrus. These friggin Europeans have really taken drinking to a whole new level. I know Lano (what's his first name?) dug the Radler.
After Flumserberg on Friday, we headed back to my apt and loaded everything up in my little Toyota and Hobers Alfa Romeo for the 2hr journey into Zürich. We could've made it quicker but Hober, not Julie, was driving. Hober (who i think has a first name too) and Julie had an early flight so the only logical solution was to just go out all night. Which we did. Despite logic this turned out to be a bad idea for Hober and Julie. They went to the airport on no sleep for a 8+hr flight....i hope that flight home wasn't too bad! I also feel sorry for their fellow passengers.
Angella headed out the next day back to St Gallen to catch up on 6 days of schoolwork for the start of school Monday. Lano, Bonnie and I hung out for one more day in Zürich. I'd like to tell you we went to the Museum, toured some old churches or even at in a nice restaurant. But alas...it was 16 more hours of pub crawling and wandering through Zurich. But it was a blast, we saw the old town, some head shops, absinthe stores, a Cuban cigar shop, 2 Starbucks (wtf!) and of course the inside of a few more pubs including my personal favorite in Zürich, the Noble Dubliner. I'm convinced Starbucks is the next McDonalds. Despite all the talk of coffee fads...people just love the stuff. And Europeans are really starting to embrace the “take-away” coffee phenomenon.
All in all it was a great week. If nothing else, it was really nice to be able to speak English and not Genglish for the week. But i really enjoyed seeing some familiar and new faces and sharing my new corner of the world. Truth be told, it made me a bit homesick (if i can really even call Michigan home that is). I suffer from “out of sight out of mind” syndrome and I'm pretty bad at keeping in touch with people, so it was nice to hear about how things have been going back in Detroit Rock City.
So to all my visitors, thanks for a great week, I hope everyone went away with some good memories. I know i did. You're all welcome back anytime. Like maybe in October...in Munich...for Oktoberfest....think about it. All it takes to reserve a spot is for everyone to reserve 2 x 1.5l beers and 1 chicken....and we already know how to order more beer. Donkey Beer Me! Below are just a few of the pictures taken. There were so many that i could only throw up a small sampling. Some pictures got out of order as i intended to post them...i still haven't figured out a good strategy to load them from “Hello”. There are action shots of pretty much everyone but me. Maybe it's cause i was the fastest bestest skiier there, I'm just saying.....
Giggity Giggity Giggity!!
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