Now I hear rumblings that the US Government is pondering your possible bailout. This will, I am sure, be followed by the airlines, the electrical conglomerates and then the retail giants. I fear the "necessity to save our economy" as Henry Paulson put it, will continue to perpetuate itself until Uncle Sam is the majority shareholder or the outright owner of everything in this country. Maybe I am overstating things a bit, but here's my suggestion before you eagerly decide to accept your glorified stimulus checks.
1. Consolidate - Ford - you need to get rid of Mercury. I mean c'mon who are you really fooling with the Milan, Mariner and Mountaineer. I liked them better when they were called the Fusion, Escape and Explorer. This goes for you too GMC. Chevy can stay but I am sorry, GMC, you've gotta go. Look, I have no problem with your companies having a luxury brand, Ford has Lincoln and GMC has Cadillac. But these "so called" middle grade luxury names like Mercury and Buick are a waste of time, resources and of course...MONEY! Pontiac falls in this group as well...bye bye!
2. Design Research - First of all, fire your current design teams! Why, why, why is it taking you so long to design cars that actually look good. I know I am belaboring an already well documented point, but seriously are your current line of cars the best you have to compete with the Germans, Japanese and now even the Koreans? Or tell me truthfully, is it your lack of concern for us, the car buying public, that ultimately dictates your design production. I strongly believe in the latter. You guys have, for so long, just made what was practical and safe knowing that we would more than likely buy it. And shame on us because we have done just that. But that degree of presumptive idealism is what's ultimately killing you. Obviously, if we are talking about your bailout. Contrary to popular belief, most Americans love driving nice looking cars. Just look at the sales statistics for Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen as compared to you three numbskulls. There are some exceptions with your newer mode of design research, however. For example, Dodge has done very well with its designs of the Charger and Challenger. Chevy has excelled with the new Malibu and Camaro. Ford has done the same, to a lesser degree, with it's Edge and Flex. Follow than thought process!
Look, I understand these two modest arguements are just a fraction of what you need to do to save your industry, but its a start. In fact, it seems to be the two most popular complaints among everyone I talk to. Maybe you guys should actually take a gander at your "suggestion boxes" occasionally and tackle these glaring weaknesses before signing up to be a government owned industry.
Yours Truly,
Fed Up Car Buying American
...Oh, and tell your pompous dealerships that when we come in to buy a car...don't be stupid. They should be bending over backwards to get our business. Haggling over a mere $1000, one way or the other, is why you're losing the race. Happy driving:)
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