Do you know who your competition is? The marketing team at GM spends big bucks to say Chevy trucks have better resale value than any other American-made trucks. Consumer Reports hasn't picked up on that angle and neither has the American auto buyer.
What about who your customer is? Chrysler says their $1.4 billion dollar loss and restructuring of 13,000 jobs is a result of a waning market in trucks and SUV's. Toyota announced today they're building a $1.3 billion plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi -- to build SUV's. The first step to solving a problem is honesty.
America's love affair with the automobile still carries a lot of loyalty, but Detroit needs to wake up and realize it's become nostalgic. The global market won't allow it to rest on its laurels and a culture of entitlement. When it comes to the biggest investment most Americans make outside their home, financing the appetites past and present of the UAW is no substitute for competing on quality and innovation.
