GM China: "What, Me Worry? Our Future Is Bright!"

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Uh-oh. News of GM’s upcoming demise has reached China. On the Kübler-Ross grief chart, GM China’s emotional cycle has departed from denial, probably hit some (internalized) anger and is now in the bargaining phase. Depression, testing and acceptance will follow in due course.

GM China called a press conference and trotted out Kevin Wale, president of GM China Group himself. He put on a brave face: Even if General Motors meets the worse-case scenario—bankruptcy, its operations in China won’t be affected and will expand further as they have been making profits and have abundant funds and technologies, Wale bragged according to Gasgoo. Customers and dealers in China are rightly beginning to wonder how GM China will fare if the mothership gets torpedoed or broken up.


Less than two weeks ahead of the 2009 Shanghai auto show, GM China boss Kevin Wale told Chinese reporters that GM China will be just fine. No reason for concerns. Actually, their “future in China is bright,” Wale said while Reuters reports that GM is being told by its new DC masters to prepare for a fast surgical bankruptcy “in as little as two weeks.”

What, me worry, says Wale. “GM China has abundant fund supply to ensure its future investment and expansion. Even if a worse-case scenario happens to GM, its Chinese ventures will continue to have the global technical and product support of GM. All this is beyond any question.” Forget the gloomy talk: General Motors Corp plans to double its vehicle sales in China to more than 2 million units by 2013. GM plans to add more than 30 new or upgraded models in China in the next five years.

My Chinese friends say there is a somewhat nasty expression for such a posturing: “Da zhong lian chong pang zi.” Roughly translated it means to hit your own face so hard that it gets swollen and you look bigger and stronger. I have to take their word for it.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • John Horner John Horner on Apr 13, 2009

    GM has two mistresses now, the Chinese government and the US government.

  • Akear Akear on Apr 13, 2009

    The Chinese government and the US government may eventually get tired of porking GM. There is nothing sadder than an used up whore.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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