Congrats Holydonut!!

This type of contest fosters the best and brightest of the Best and Brightest and contributes to the unconventional quality of TTAC.

And GJ holydonut. That photo you guys found is also perfect!

I would say the Japanese OEM, Honda and Toyota, in that order, have a fanatical attention to detail where it matters, in their volume selling cars that people can afford and buy. The Yaris and it’s Muji-like simplicity, or the NSX’s meticulously designed suspension. Or the placement of cupholders in the Odyssey. Sure it’s boring. But most people are anyway.

The Z06, ZR1 and V-series Caddies make our inner enthusiasts giggle with delight but I still see more Ms and AMGs. You can buy 2 Priuses for the price of one two-mode Tahoe. Flex fuel didn’t give anyone an incentive to buy a GM either. The Volt’s marketing effort has already evaporated and the car isn’t even out yet.

Nissan, Ford and Dodge brought back the Z, Mustang and Challenger back in a stunning debut. It wouldn’t be hard for GM to do the same, by doing some retro-modern styling on top of an existing platform.

I wasn’t refering to the UAW in that I was refering to the CEO at the Congressional hearings, “Give us the money or we will send the economy to hell.”

car_czar I would say Toyota has more dedication. They follow through with a product for years and even generation dedicated to getting it right, GM builds and 80% car that is almost competetive and then when it doesn’t become a run away hit they bail on it, let it die on the vine and then change the name in disgrace. Not what I would call dedicated to the product they are selling, a problem with having too many brands and too many models.

I’ll give you that the CTS-V and the ZR-1 are for the most part well executed (though VERY small niche) products, but I have no interest in either. That’s it. For a company the size of GM to produce a total of TWO products that show evidence of any amount of dedication to the art and process of automobile making is pathetic.

A car company that couldn’t so much as screw together a Malibu or Silverado would be in business for about three weeks. The Malibu and Silverado are average at best. The rest of the Cadillac V range are terrible cars. Where can I buy the GM fuel cell and the range extending hybrids? Show me the product, not a bunch of marketing hot air. Anybody can put up a big “Coming Soon!!!” marquee, just ask Chrysler about their electric cars. Show me the product, on the lot, right now.

Do we have a poetry award that is similar to a Lutzie?
Did I just win it?

Why Yes, of course by several orders of magnitude,
don’t you? (don’t answer that ;-)
Not impressed at all by ZR1. It may be a hot car, what a pity parts fall off of it as you drive (like the whole roof).
CTS Likewise, cousin has one. It is robbing him blind in repair costs so no big deal there either.
The Camaro, too late to the party, dog ugly interior, exterior meh! not inspiring. If it’s executed in typical GM fashion, well let’s just say, don’t keep it past it’s warranty.
The Malibu, what’s a Malibu?

I will stick to my boring Toyota, at least I know I can depend on it.

I’ve been asked how they got here by people not paying attention to how their tax dollars are being pimped. I reminded the questioner that all those employee price sales, cash backs, 0% loans, and fire sales to fleets really do cost something.

The detroit 3 ran their businesses out of capital and cash with the express intent of getting taxpayer dollars. VEBA is the most glaring examples, and Gettelfinger (love that name) knew the sales were not there to pay for it. He is in on this scam as well, call it government paying for his retirees.

I just want to know where my fucking bailout is going to come from. If I run myself out of cash and capital they take my house and car along with everything else and throw me into the street.

UAW is going to say it figures you picked a haiku

LOL

Honestly, I didn’t think that particular one would be picked since it’s not turnaround advice but rather frustration at why turnarounds don’t work.

It looks like I have to brush up on what qualifies as a real Haiku or senryu… I just remembered something about 5/7/5 in high school. It looks like you really do learn something every day.

Robert, thanks for picking me for the winner!

Incidentally, to answer BlueBrat’s question about the title of the book: GM’s styling division was originally called Art & Colour, with the British spelling. It stayed that way until 1937.

A company with an “absence of dedication” could not create the Corvette ZR-1, or the Cadillac V-series vehicles. Or bring back the Camaro in such a stunning and modern way. It could not invent a marvel of technology like the two mode hybrid transmission. It couldn’t put together a vehicle like a Malibu, a CTS, or a Silverado. It couldn’t be leading the way on breakthrough technology like fuel cells or range extending hybrids.

Lacking in dedication? I’ll give you that. Absence? No way.

You actually think that Toyota – or any Japanese OEM for that matter – is a better example of dedication to the “art and craft” of building an automobile than GM?

I too, bow down…

From Wikipedia: Senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer “on” (not syllables) in total. However, senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.\

I’m just sayin’.

By the way , how many other car sites have Haiku submissions?

Another example of the range of talent that comes to TTAC on a daily basis.

Nice going, holydonut. You’re a better sage than I.