Frankly, business has nothing to do with racing. If executives make choices that don't work out, it has nothing to do with the engineering behind a car. That's up to engineers, not board room suits.
People really like to compare auto enthusiasm to religion, sports teams, or other areas where we accept and encourage diversity. I have a lot of appreciation for car enthusiasts everywhere and personally have a taste for non-GM vehicles as well.
On the other hand, cars are a lot more than design. Fancy bodywork does not make a car. It might make a brand recognizable, like a 1972 Chevelle or a 2011 Camaro, but it does not constitute the whole car. There's a lot of engineering there.
While we're tolerating the diversity of design and personal taste in said design, let's also look at cars objectively. They require brilliant minds to give them breath, and some of them are objectively better than others. This can be measured in the kinds of problems we have with our cars.
Since all vehicles are matters of production, those issues vary from low-grade parts (excessive use of plastics, for instance) to unskilled builders producing low-quality clearances (garage projects, for instance). Bodystyles will remain in debate for all time, but engineering is much easier to argue. For a motor company, there are a lot of engineering questions to ask, but one stands out more than any other.
Who makes the best engines? That answer is obvious to all of us, but let a Ford guy tell you, "It depends on what you want to do." At General Motors, the best engines for racing, hauling, off-road, road courses, circle tracks, rally, tinkering, self-assembly, and even watersport are available at your GM parts dealer or in your favorite GM vehicle. With these engines, you'll have more power, less maintenance, and significantly lower cost over the life of the engine than comparable imports and domestics. It's really a no-brainer.
On top of that, we can discuss the best suspensions, but the same argument will be met. "It depends on what you want to do." I'm sure someone will tell me the Range Rover or G-wagon can outdo a Suburban on dirt. When you get price into the equation, once again GM is going to dominate among OEMs. When comparing products in the same price range and category, GM products tend to out-handle comparable imports and domestics on the same track. Show me a professional driver losing to a Challenger or Mustang when driving a 1LE, ZL1, or Z/28.
I could go on, but I've made my point. Come at me, trolls.
