All eyes on GM. They made the most of it.

The '73 oil embargo staggered the Big3 as their sales plummeted when consumers turned to the foreign manufactures of small cars with efficient engines. Instead of licking their wounds and learning from their mistakes, the Big3 boast that only the Big3 can manufacture a family sized sedan, full-sized pickup trucks, and American-sized luxury cars. The Japanese can only manufacture econo-boxes, said the arrogant CEO and managers of the Big3. Fast forward 35 years. Not only the Japanese car makers manufacture full size family sedans, full size trucks, and American sized luxury cars but they build them in the backyards of the imminent bankrupt Big3. Today, referring to Honda’s competition, GM's Ed Peper said "We'll kick their ass." After 35 years it is astonishing that Big3 corporate culture has changed so little as to their arrogance and contempt toward foreign car makers, even on the eve of receiving government bailout to stall bankruptcy. To be fair to Jets' QB, there is no comparison between the confidence of Jets' Joe Namath' and arrogance of GM's Ed Peper. The Jets and Joe were already unquestioned champions and earned their right to be in the Super Bowl whereas GM and Ed Peper are on a losing team that fumbled too many games away. To succeed in sports as well as in the auto business, a wise person always respects his competitor. Perhaps, Ed Peper has exposed a fatally flawed, stubborn corporate culture as the reason why the Big3 are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Not so arrogant as that. What is arrogant is Union reps that think America can build the better car and keep sales up when overhead exceeds the competition, outpricing the competition and raising cost per unit. This attack on the consumer at the end of the line adds up to a competetive advantage for offsoil competition. If autoworkers want to increase their salary then buy stock in their company and get ahead as a team player.

Go GM!! Continue to take it to the japs. Accord, Altima, and Camry can't hold up to the Malibu, your Lamda crossovers are "kicking ass!" and I am sure the new Equinox and Cadillac SRX will "kick ass", too. Looking forward to your increased market share as more and more car consumers realize the quality, style, and industry leading mileage of your stable of products!!

I just took a look at the Spark at GM's website. My only question is where is the diesel? Biodiesel make a whole heck of a lot more ecological sense than E85 does. Yes, I want to run my car on my used coffee grinds.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/01/06/coffee-could-be-next-biofuel-source

Snoz, you are suffering from a dieseas called "hatred for GM/Detroit" and just like you claimed that the GM/Detroit has not changed in their attitude in the last 35 years, I can also claim that you have not gotten over your dieseas. This dieseas has blindsided you to the progress made my GM and as a result you have projected the the enthusiasm of Ed Piper as arrogance. Please help yourself, drive some of GM vehicles. That will help you stop spitting venom, which hopefully calm your dieseas. May god bless you...

You mean to tell me that that ugly station wagon thing is going to save GM? Time to start the stock shorting.

A good product is only one third of the fomula toward a sucessful money making product. It also needs good execution and good quality, which GM lacks greatly. I will bet that Ed Peper will get his butt kicked.

I agree with Snoz. GM's long-held hubris may be the factor that keeps many of these cars from ever being more than vaporware. Their systemic approach to engineering and design have long been compromised by a lack of foresight by management and misplaced cost-containment strategies by accounting. GM has been able to attract amazing talent, yet they waste much of it with LCD investment in product. Even a "product guy" like Lutz can't reform the system there, and his motorhead ethos looks backwards, not into the future.
Since the company is primarily run by men who don't seem to appreciate the product - or their customer - very much, perhaps they need to begin building locomotives and busses again. Many former customers will be riding in those(instead of new GM passenger vehicles) in the coming years.