Rattner's "Tell All"

I have been trying to resolve a mystery for months. When it was announced that General Motors and Chrysler were terminating dealers as a par...

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics!

David Ruggles See also Cliff Banks article in Wards A s I watched the Senate hearings today on CSPAN my blood boiled. When asked about the ...

Dealerships are a Cost? - I Don't Think So!

Mike Smitka T he statements of the CEOs of GM and Chrysler at today's Senate hearing on dealership closures make very little sense overa...

The "Throughput" Myth!

David Ruggles M uch has been written and spoken by the administration and in the media about the bankrupt Chrysler and GM Dealers lack of “t...

The Task Force

David Ruggles I 'm a vocal critic of a lot of what is being done in the auto business, but it is clear to me that "corporate restru...

More on Dealers: My Opinion in NYT

Mike Smitka H ere are a series of brief items in the New York Times "Room For Debate" online forum on their Opinion page: Link he...

Everyday People: Why Is Bigger Still Better?

Mike Smitka Everyday People: Why Is Bigger Still Better? But in order to serve small towns and the many users with different "needs...

Downsizing = Exiting the Business: Where Lie Economies of Scale?

Mike Smitka J erry Flint, the long-standing auto industry person and later senior editor at Forbes, has a short article in Wardsauto.com arg...

Chrysler dies; bailout a success

Mike Smitka Q uite frankly, I don't expect Chrysler to last the year. Indeed, I would be surprised if the "new" Chrysler, to b...

Dealers: The Industry's Lifeline

R etailers are still the Detroit 3’s most valuable asset. Forget over dealering. It’s a dead-end debate. It’s almost impossible to find two...

Is there a GM without Opel?

C an GM sell off assets such as Opel and remain a going concern? I have my doubts. A t one time, while GM assembled cars in most major marke...

In Defense of Dealers

A few years back Michael Dell was quoted as saying he thought the auto industry should adopt elements of his “build to order” PC business m...

Fiat to the Rescue?

C hrysler, heavily dependent on light trucks (jeeps, minivans, pickups), was whipsawed by the spike in gasoline prices in summer 2008. Then ...

Autos and Economics: Cash for Clunkers

Further to my early post on Cash for Clunkers , see the blog on the Morgan Stanley Global Economic Forum of April 28, 2009. It adds the po...

Follow the Money

T he news today is of efforts to cut the cost side of the OEMs, Chrysler of course but also General Motors. Is this good news? To frame that...

Downsizing

W hile interrupted from time to time by the business cycle – exceptionally so at the moment – automotive demand has expanded steadily since ...