http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSL2866542720070503

Hope this works!

The other page that I read mentioned that the Next-Gen Astra would be built in three other European plants (I believe one in Sweeden), but not Antwerp.

I click to “Stories,” then click a picture to see a particular story and all I get are a couple of lines and… I have to click another link to read the rest? Lame. I already clicked to indicate I was interested; show me the story.

Seriously, let’s start with the “Question of the Day:” “Do you think automakers need legislation that requires them to adhere to stricter fuel economy standards?”

There’s a question that’s perfectly meaningless in yes/no form. I think it’s a sad commentary that they appear to need it; I think oil dependence and environmental issues require immediate action. CAFE is the wrong way to go about it but that’s all we’ve got in the short run.

As for the site concept, it looks like yet another venue for showcasing cars they don’t build, don’t know how to build and probably aren’t as good as cars currently available from other manufacturers. What’s the problem they’re trying to address here? That the millions they’ve spent on TV ads featuring the Volt aren’t enough to firmly impress GM into the national consciousness as America’s Hi-Tech Automaker? People see the Prius out on the street and come to the erroneous conclusion that Toyota’s got the technical lead?

When we get to “Stories” am I supposed to be happy they’re developing lots of high-value jobs offshore? A while back Phil Ressler went on at length about high-value jobs we needed to keep. Phil, can you read the handwriting on the wall, here?

GM doesn’t need this web site but there’s no point telling them that.

Perhaps that function is yet to come, or else I missed how to do it…which says something also.

where did you hear that the Belgian plant is on borrowed time?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Well, duh.
I guess that a re-badged Opel built in Antwerp doesn’t qualify as an “import”.

“Rethink” or “Corporate Think”?

What GM doesn’t mention is that these cars are being built in a plant that was excluded from building the new Astra platform; the builders of this car are on borrowed time.
Since this car is on my “short list” for my next vehicle, this has me worried that the Belgians building it might be a bit flippant about quality issues, since they’re already aware that they’re going to be axed.
I’ll use my most jaundiced eye to check over this car when I go for a test drive (probably in Feb.).

Perhaps I am missing something.

DT

If the basic purpose is to deliver the, “pity us, we don’t know what to do next,” message then they have a qualified success.

However, if the desire is to have a structured conversation with real consumers, GM is going to want to work on the interface and provide some clarity.

First, using the top half of the visual space for what amounts to a marketing message should be eliminated. Replace it with a topic of the day or something.

Second, there should be some pre-determined questions for discussion. The forums should be easy to participate in and like TTAC should discourage flaming. I’m imagining that large scale forums like this should have the answers culled weekly so that everyone can participate without thinking their comments are too far down to be noticed or relevant.

Finally, feedback about the questions asked. Feedback from engineers, decisionmakers and anyone but the marketing department. It shouldn’t be “GM Next Spin”.

The point being, it’s set up as a one way tool to deliver a message while pretending to be something else. I don’t mean to be a cynic but in the internet age communication is at least 2-way and the customer is the expert about what they want.

But…
* Will the blog posts address real, substantive issues? Will employees have to go thru 20 layers of approval before a post is allowed? (ie, the same corporate thought process that brought us the Aztek.)

* Will the comments remain open and free of censorship (within reason), or is this going to be tightly regulated by the PR and legal departments at GM? If so, the site is next to useless.

* Will they link out to blogs talking about GM — even sites that are critical (a la TTAC)? Posting stories with trackbacks might actually show that someone inside the Tubes understands what a two-way conversation is all about.

http://www.gmnext.com/Stories.aspx

They even profiled SAE engineering students’ efforts on the Challenge X Equinox, that’s definitely not the work of conventional PR wisdom. This has always been one of GM’s strong points, supporting engineering students while the rest of the car biz does much of nothing.

I don’t know how this helps GM solve their multitude of financial problems, but its certainly a step in the right direction.

I wish GM the best of luck with this site.