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Number 3, as a still-on-the-scenes guy, you MUST be personally aware of a multitude of folks walked out GM's door who are literally irreplaceable...with skillsets and passion and aptitudes and results that will be sorely missed. And, by the same token, you're aware of folks still on the payroll who never should have been hired and for some unexplainable reason(s) still show up every morning...
The same is certainly true within the former and current Dealer body...
My main point here is, true "merit" had little/nothing to do with many of these decisions. And the General, for better or worse, will pay the price.
There are simply 1,000s upon 1,000s of consumers who will NEVER grace the doorstep of a GM Dealership again...PERIOD.
To the topic of payback, until GM is CONVINCED they have a total portfolio of "winners" through MY 2016, what's the rush in depleting cash reserves in ANY way at the possible expense on World Class Product? They will NOT have an opportunity to "dip" again...
And to have closed demonstrated HIGH QUALITY/LOW COST plants (i.e. Oshawa Truck, THE highest quality lt. duty truck plant in the world, regardless of Manufacturer) makes one legitimately question their TOTAL commitment to World Class Product, let alone to "World Class Dealers"... "Collateral damage" is no excuse for plowing under the garden...
For those concerned about GM's "dependance" on lt.duty trucks, you cannot tow 6000#-plus trailers or carry a cord of wood with Malibus or CTSs...or Priuses... Silverado/Sierra sales make it THE most often purchased/leased vehicle on the continent, still. When the profits were handed back as rebates from Spring -'08 forward, the writing was on the wall that Chapter 11 was inevitable, sadly. Hybrid versions are only a start. A new version is a dire requirement, as GM is now TWO "freshenings" behind Ford...and Dodge, for God's sake... Where's the 4.5 DuraMax? How come there's no current DuraMax production? Who's at fault for Distribution problems where trucks are rammed down over-stocked Dealers' throats while those with demonstrated abilities to sell trucks cannot get them??
Let's hope the "new business model" is apt, the money is invested wisely in new product...and the population at large has short memories regarding bailouts... The anger directed at the the Banks is only slightly greater, in certain circles, than the anger with(in?) GM.
IMHO
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