Bailout Watch 43: GM Calls This a Plan?

As GM has singularly failed to focus on a single plan to save the artist once known as the world’s largest automaker from bankruptcy, The Detroit Free Press’ Mark Phelan once again steps into the breach (dear Horatio). Last seen shilling the Chevy Traverse on GM PR TV, Phelan has agglomerated a couple of recent audiences with the automaker’s top brass to winkle-out The General’s strategy, or lack thereof. CEO Rick Wagoner: “‘There are two things we have to do better than anything else,’ Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner told me this week: design and advanced-propulsion technology.” Like… the Volt! Hence the timeline of Phelan’s lead: “A handful of cars and trucks General Motors will introduce over the next eight years may determine whether the automaker survives to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2108.” EIGHT YEARS? What’s the rush? Meanwhile… “We don’t know yet what the rest of the upcoming vehicles will be,” Lutz admitted to the Motown cheerleader. “But we know what they have to do: establish GM as a leader in technology, fuel efficiency, design and performance.” And then Phelan sneakily fills in the blank, offering the following without direct attribution. “GM must also finally clarify its muddled brand strategy. Chevrolet and Cadillac must reestablish themselves as global leaders.” (In fact, Phelan suggests GM may “retrench” to those brands without suggesting how that could possibly occur. Cough. Bankruptcy. Cough.) So, that’s better branding, design, advanced propulsion, technology, fuel efficiency, performance, value-for-money and reliability. Just kidding; they didn’t say anything about value-for-money or reliability.