Download Elmer Johnson's '88 GM Memo Here

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago
Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Dimwit Dimwit on Jun 14, 2009

    The "what if's" contain a large dose of irony. If GM had followed up on *any* initiatives to make itself more efficient and responsive to a market, any market, then that would've killed one of the others just that much faster. Probably Ford. Back in the early '90s the MSM were running all those apocalyptical scenarios where there were only going to be something like 9 companies worldwide left because of the extreme over capacity of the industry. Detroit did its part by buying up some of the weak sisters like the Swedes and the Brits but even good companies like Honda were rumoured to fail because they were "too small". Nobody thought that any of the big 3 were part of the "consolidation". Look at it now. The pundits were probably right, but GM should *never* have been part of the process with any sort of responsible oversite. Sad.

  • Gzuckier Gzuckier on Jun 14, 2009

    hmm...if i print this out, with a little whiteout and changing some of the details, i can send it to the people who "manage" my employer.

  • Midelectric Midelectric on Jun 15, 2009

    So we're supposed to believe that a lawyer from the outside with no experience in the automotive industry knew what GM needed to turn itself around? In that case, GM should be rising from the ashes any time now! If it was around back then, I wonder what TTAC would have to say about Smith hiring an automotive noob corporate lawyer at $500k to be part of his executive team.

  • BostonDuce BostonDuce on Jun 15, 2009

    Hey this said it was a memo not a novel--most upper management types get glassy-eyed after the first page. Nobody would have been able to afford one of Mr. Johnson's GM products under his vision. It would have been Goverment Motors 10 years ago.

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