Automotive News: WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE?

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

First we had Forbes’ columnist Jerry Flint bellowing (meekly) “Remember the Maine!” Now we’ve got Automotive News‘ [AN, sub] engineering beat reporter Richard Truett defending Detroit in that scary ass demented stalker fan club president sort of way. “Here’s what I find especially disturbing: Whenever there’s a story about one of the Detroit automakers on a Web site that allows readers to comment at the end of the article, you can count on loads of vile bile from respondents who can’t wait for GM, Ford and Chrysler to go out of business. For the most part, these are angry people. But… I wonder: How long does GM have to be punished for making Chevrolet Vegas and Oldsmobile diesels or relying too long on the fat profits of trucks and SUVs? When does Ford get forgiven for the Pinto and other crimes against auto mobility? When will Chrysler be let off the hook for making everything out of the K car and for the rotten minivan transmissions in the early 1990s. When will people — environmentalists, especially — chastise Toyota for making its share of gas-guzzling behemoths? WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE?” I added that last bit, obviously. Anyway, there’s more after you click on that “more” button below

“I have friends at Ford and Chrysler just like Bradshaw and Welburn and Stephens — the friendliest, most unselfish people you could want to meet, hardworking guys who are trying their best to hang on in a bad situation…

“But the toxic comments attached to Web stories just keep coming, like this one: “With incompetent clowns like this running GM and Ford and Chrysler — it is no wonder that the Big Three is well on its way of becoming the Big Zero. How could the leadership of these companies be this bad?” They just rub a little more salt into a very bad wound that is starting to look as if it may never heal.”

Note to Richard: you might want to spend a little time reading comments about RECENT GM products and ask yourself a simple question: why should anyone risk their hard-earned money on buying products made by the incompetent clowns running GM, Ford and Chrysler? You know, assuming they are, based on past performance.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Ricky Spanish Ricky Spanish on Oct 17, 2008

    the reason we hate these companies is because they built those stinkers in the first place, and they CONTINUE to build pieces of shit when they damned well know how to and can build fine automobiles.

  • Revver Revver on Oct 20, 2008

    Yeah, seeing Americans beat up Americans will always draw some defense. That is not surprising. But the skew shown here shows how many have been basically embarrassed to have such mediocrity represent U.S. design and manufacturing for so long. Let 'em burn. But, there's just too many superb engineers, designers and marketers to stay down. Personally, after all the smoke clears, I'm pretty stoked to see what company comes next that better represents what this country is capable of.

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