Mark LaNeve Gives Special April Fools Interview
April 1st, 2009 1:59 PM
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GM Total Confidence will turn GM’s sales around! Hopefully we’ll never use it because our residuals are improving! Corvettes are great but we have to focus on fuel efficient vehicles! Yes Virginia, there is a Buick-Pontiac-GMC strategy! These are just a few of the ripping one-liners that make this April Fools interview with GM’s Mark LaNeve the funniest video on the internet. Newly-minted C&D editor Eddie Alterman plays a terrific straight man to LaNeve’s Jack Nicholson-meets-Baghdad Bob persona, asking those “just serious enough” questions with hilariously believable faux-interest. Great protection on the back end? Did someone just say bankruptcy? No? Good. Carry on, then.
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So much for Car and Driver, then.
The swagger of General Motors? Isn't that what got them into trouble in the first place?
"...unprecedented in its scope..." Easy there, killer. Typical salesman speak. At least we'll all be "protected on the back end...". Actually, Mark, I am already protected on the back end because my Hondas are paid for and will be running for another ten or fifteen years. I'll give you a call then. Rant. Complete.
I found his comment about Hyundia's progam interesting. He claimed that no one has taken up Hyundia on their "We take back the car" deal. He also mentioned that Hyundia makes it difficult to actually execute this benefit. I could not help but think that GM's new improvements are so full of weasel clauses that they won't ever have to pay out a claim. For example, they claim that they will guarantee the residual value of a car that is over half paid for. But who controls the number that they claim is fair market value? What if the number they choose is way off of reality. For example, as he said, you have a Chevy Tahoe that you owe $20k on. But the market value is $16k. He claims that will cover the $4k spread. But the key is where did that $16k number come from? If it comes from the same place that MSRP numbers comes from, then we know that it will be overinflated. I just have a gut feeling that this program is all smoke and mirrors. Like the warranties that they always find a way to wiggle out of.