Ask The Best And Brightest: Do Ford’s Production Plans Make Sense?
By Edward NiedermeyerDecember 2, 2008 -
Between the release of its congressional bailout term paper and November sales results, it’s been a big news day for Ford. And the hits keep happening. Automotive News [sub] reports that Ford will cut its 2009 Q1 production by 37.9 percent to 430k units, No surprise there; FoMoCo’s monthly sales are sitting at under 125k– and dropping. Dow Jones (via CNN Money) says that Ford’s 2009 Q1 production plan consists of 305k pickup trucks and 125k cars, compared to this quarter’s 255k pickups and 175k cars. A quick look at Ford’s November sales shows that cars are down 31.5 percent while total truck sales are down 29 percent. So what’s the deal? Is Ford signaling to congress that it plans on asking for $13b ($5b more than they asked for on 11/18) only to turn around and ramp-up truck production? Or is there some play here that I’m missing? I can’t make sense of it, so I’m asking: what’s the deal?
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 19 comments 
Ask the Best and Brightest: Who Will Walk Away With Saturn, Saab, Pontiac, Hummer?
By Bertel SchmittNovember 27, 2008 -
According to Bloomberg, who has it from people supposedly familiar with the matter, GM “is studying whether to shed its Saturn, Saab and Pontiac brands in addition to Hummer.”
So assuming that they do: Will they just dump the brands? As in throw them away? Or will they sell them? If the latter, who do you think will be the successful bidder?
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | Bailout Watch | Chapter 11 | News Blog | 56 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: Is That a Lexus in the Jet-Gate Video?
By Robert FaragoNovember 21, 2008 -
If FoMoCo CEO Alan Mulally is disembarking The Blue Oval corporate jet and entering a Lexus, that’s one Big Ass story. It’s summer in the video (and our hearts), and the graphic says 2008. That’s long enough for Big Al to have ditched his Lexus and hooked-up with something domestic. Lincoln MKZHRG? Volvo S80? [While TTAC has long argued that Motown execs should drive their competitors' products, Big Al ain't driving here. And if it is a Lexus sedan, methinks Mr. M knew the transplant brand well enough by then.] Eddy and I aren’t sure. The headlight shape doesn’t look Ford like, but the wheels don’t look Lexian. Ed’s thinking maybe it’s a Cadillac DTS. I’m calling ABC News to try and get the video sans graphic. Meanwhile, help!
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 28 comments
Ask the Best And Brightest: Is Automotive Nostalgia What It Used to Be?
By Robert FaragoNovember 16, 2008 -
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 15 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: What Strings Should We Attach to the Great Detroit Bailout?
By Robert FaragoNovember 10, 2008 -
Assuming Detroit is about scarf several billions of your children’s children’s children’s tax dollars, I think you have a right to decide what strings should be attached to the bailout bucks. So, what strings do you think should be attached to the bailout bucks? Although Washington and Detroit see all three ailing American automakers as much or a muchness, TTAC readers are well aware that there are three types of epic failure involved. In GM’s case, it’s everything: models, brands, dealers, advertising, management, product development, you name it, they’ve screwed it up (with the possible exception of pickup trucks). Some kind of wholesale management slaughter– from mid-level all the way to the Bored of Directors and every Wagoner, Lutz, LaNeve and Henderson in between– would at least give me some sense of vindication (and it IS all about me, no matter how much I protest). How you can restructure GM without playing the Chapter 11 “get out of 50-state franchise law and UAW contracts free” card is beyond me. But perhaps not you. (OK, now it’s about you.) In Chrysler’s case, how do you prevent those rat bastards at Cerberus making a penny on this deal at any point ever? And if GM’s glue-on-the-hoof, what of Chrysler? Personally, I’d rather invest in Tesla. But as Pooh says, what to do? What to do? Or is that Eeyore? Ford is the Golden Child. Or, more precisely, the kid who’s coughing but not showing any other signs of plague. Yet. Seems to me they’re on the right track, but running out of rail. And maybe we should get rid of those pesky Fords who call the shots at Ford (I originally typed “shits” but that’s just my subconscious talking). Or not. I dunno. I’m thinking about all this for an editorial. Little help?
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 27 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: Where Would GM be Today if the Feds Had Broken-Up The Company?
By Robert FaragoNovember 5, 2008 -
In 1955, GM company reps testified at the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly was unhappy that The General’s five auto divisions accounted for 50.76 percent of all cars sold in the U.S. (peaking at 55 percent in 1956). The same year, GM CEO Harlow Curtice was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.” “Because of the success of the American economic system, the U.S. rolled through 1955 in two-toned splendor to an all time crest of prosperity, heralded around the world. Much of this prosperity was directly attributable to the manufacture and sale of that quintessential American product, the automobile. Some 8,000,000 of them were produced and sold, and a good half of them were made and marketed by General Motors under the direction of President Harlow Herbert Curtice—the Man of the Year. Yet this production alone would not make Harlow Herbert Curtice, 62, the Man of the Year. Nor would the fact that he is president of the world’s biggest manufacturing corporation—and the first president of a corporation—and the first president of a corporation to make more than $1 billion in net profits in a year. Curtice is not the Man of 1955 because these phenomenal figures measure him off as first among scores of equals whose skill, daring and foresight are forever opening new frontiers for the expanding American economy by granting millions to colleges, making new toasters that pop up twice as fast, or planning satellites to circle the earth. Harlow Curtice is the Man of 1955 because, in a job that required it, he has assumed the responsibility of leadership for American business. In his words ‘General Motors must always lead.’”
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 20 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: How Often Should You Change Your Oil?
By Robert FaragoNovember 4, 2008 -
I know: we’ve been down this road before. But hey, GM provides us with these neat-o-keen videos for bupkis, and TTAC’s added thousands of new readers since the Best and Brightest last weighed-in on the topic. [NB: That's one Hell of a condescending, snarky intro there GM.] There’s still a lot debate on the ideal frequency of oil changes given make, model, driving style, height, weight and blood group. And there’s still info out there predicting catastrophic consequences should you fail to change your oil religiously (votive candles optional). Personally, I change my oil whenever those damn idiot lights go off– even though I’m sure I don’t need to change my oil that often. My OCD won’t let me drive with warning lamps lit, and I’m not about to do the reset deal, ’cause then I’ll forget and… peace of mind. You?
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 57 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: What’s Gonna Happen to NASCAR?
By Robert FaragoOctober 31, 2008 -
TTAC commentator Redbarchetta writes… “I was wondering after seeing that NASCAR picture in the latest post. Has there been any word on what happens to NASCAR funding? I’m mainly talking about GM and Chrysler since they are closest to death and cutting EVERYTHING. It would make sense that they would stop supporting that also. I’m really not even a huge NASCAR fan so I don’t even know how something like that would impact the sport. I was also wondering, just for kicks since the government won’t let it totally collapse, but what happens to NASCAR if Detroit folds and they have no more manufacturer support or sponsorship? Would the sport collapse also or just become the Toyota Camry-athon?”
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 32 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest II: What’s the Best Cupholder?
By Robert FaragoOctober 28, 2008 -
I am SO fed up with all these automotive top ten lists. Yes, yes, I know: TTAC’s Ten Worst Autos list receives more “outside” attention than anything else we do. And for good reason: it’s got balls. And yes, we’re gearing-up for our annual mostly readers’ choice poll. But Jesus, can Forbes and Jalopnik and Autoblog and everyone else in the whole damn autoblogosphere PLEASE lay off the top ten lists? The obvious answer is no. No matter what I think of these self-appointed lists, they garner amazing page views. So, in the great TTAC spirit, I’d like to start offering the most absurd Top Ten Lists we can imagine. How about TTAC’s Ten Best Cupholders? Consider this a semi-collaborative effort. Email a jpeg photo of your choice for best cupholder to robert.farago@thetruthaboutcars.com with CUPHOLDER in the subject bar. Justin and I will arbitraily choose the ten best by Friday. This could be big! Or not.
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 46 comments
Ask the Best and Brightest: American Leyland or Government Motors?
By Robert FaragoOctober 28, 2008 -
It was I who invented the name “Maximum Bob” for GM Car Czar Bob Lutz. That said, I also coined “Rabid Rick” for GM CEO Rick Wagoner; clearly, I should have stuck with the Buickman-perpetuated “Red Ink Rick.” John Horner, a charter member of out Best and Brightest and yeoman TTAC blogger, first mooted the moniker “American Leyland” for the federally-funded (one way or another, eventually) GM - Chrysler mash-up. But it’s a keeper. Or is it? Evan Newmark’s column over at The Wall Street Journal’s Mean Street proposes another way of characterizing the insanity to come: “GM = Government Motors.” While I’m not completely enamored by the new name, Newmark’s arguments are entirely seductive. In fact, it’s the best anti-GM bailout diatribe I’ve encountered, here or anywhere else– not that the topic is large enough to deserve a genre, yet. Anyway, I’ve excerpted some of the best bits below, and put it to you, our B&B: American Leyland or Government Motors?
Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 60 comments
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