I love the idea behind this campaign, I’m not so sure about the name change but people need to show the auto industry that we are ready and willing to buy greener vehicles.
No car maker is going to fully go away from gasoline anytime in our lifetime, but cars like the Chevy Volt are a long way from where we were in 1970, 1980, 1990 and even 2000.
I think the ultimate goal wouldn’t be a name change or even to get completely away from gas but to see a concerted effort to go green is all we are asking. If the numbers of this campaign grow then hopefully GM will take notice.
Good point Bruce… it doesn’t seem completely pragmatic.
What do you think is a more realistic alternative? How can we show car makers that we’ll support them as they make these changes, which could be expensive in the short term?
My opinion is that we need to write to our congressperson and tell them we want this technology in our hands, not just at the car shows. The only way any of this technology gets in our hands is through government subsidies. Congress will most likely have to give GM some serious incentives to continue to develop green technologies.
As far as consumers, we have to be willing to make concessions in our “creature comforts”. Maybe we don’t really need all those accessories in our vehicles if it improves fuel (whether it is gas or electric) efficiency. Do we really need satellite radio, DVD player, air conditioning in the back seats, heated seats, cooled seats… heated and cooled cup holders? I think as a nation we are seriously spoiled when it comes to our cars. I’ll be the first one to admit, I am no better than the next person. But, when the Volt becomes available I will be in line for one — assuming it delivers what they say it will. We need to create that “buzz” about these products, PR people are reading the Internet boards, they know if people are talking abotu it and what they are saying. And then, we need to follow through by purchasing these products…
If you want to get involved, buy some GM stock, and get active. Then tell management to pay attention to their European associates. Don’t sell Saab! Make Saab GREEN! Look at Saturn. It can be the GREEN GM brand in the USA. Look at E-85. It’a a looser — tell management to get out of this misguided venture. GM is a dinosaur, moving with the blunt effectiveness of a large scale military campaign. But, there is a tremendous amount of value there, inside the divisions. They need to be empowered to lead the larger corporation toward the GREEN goals you champion.
Frank - I agree. I am a GM stock holder, have been for a while. Every vehicle I have ever purchased has been a GM vehicle, my father is a big Chevy guy. I have owned Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Chevy’s and my first car was a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am.
Saab should definitely be pushed in the green direction. Europeans will eat that up. For goodness sakes, the Saturn line should lead the way in Green! GM introduced Saturn shortly after Geo - the line of cars that GM produced that was made in Japan - to replace Geo as the low cost, well made, fuel efficient “American” car. Saturn has gotten away from that and it is a shame. Vehicles like the Vue should only be available as Hybrids, not just an option. I bought an Impala recently but would have bought a Vue or Equinox if a hybird was available, but no one had one in my area. I didn’t bother with the “FlexFuel” garbage.
E-85? That is clearly political and PR. Anyone who knows anything about E-85 knows that:
1. We can never replace oil with corn. There is simply not enough of it and we can’t refine the corn fast enough. At best we would be able to reduce our dependency on foreign oil by about 8-10%. A drop in the bucket.
2. It costs MORE to refine the corn and takes longer than even American Crude (which is more expensive and takes longer to refine than Middle Eastern Crude — THAT is why we buy crude from the Middle East, it’s easier!).
If you really want to save GM, continue the downsizing of the “division” idea, as they did with Oldsmobile. They have more divisions than a 9th grade math class. There is no reason we need both Pontiac and Buick. They can easily be combined into one brand. Pontiac has been pushed more toward the flashy economical segment (G5, G6) and away from the luxury (Bonneville, Montana) segment. Why? Let Chevy handle the “flash” and move Chevy vehicles like the Aveo into the Saturn division. GM has differentiated between Buick and Cadillac enough to warrant both divisions, but do we REALLY need Buick AND GMC? The Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia do not both need to exist and Chevy handles the pick up truck market just fine.
There you go, we have easily eliminated Pontiac AND GMC :) and got GM down to Saturn, Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and Saab. Each one has it’s own market segment and does not step on the others toes the way Pontiac and GMC step on Chevy and Buick.
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