After a lengthy blogo-hiatus, Bob Lutz returns to GM Fastlane Blog today, full of interesting stories.
First, Bob's been traveling. He's been to visit the product development team in Europe, although mums the word on what's happening there. He's also been to Canada, where he apparently spoke with the team in French ("...it’s amazing how sincerely appreciative they are for the simple act of communicating with them in their own language.") His travels reminded Lutz of the uniqueness of each market, something both Niti Bhan and I have remarked about in the past.
Then, almost as an aside (but clearly not so) Lutz addresses the comments of one of Fastlane's readers, Dan Cadigan. I'm taking the liberty of posting Cadigan's remarkable June 29th blog comment in its entirety. Actually, the comment took the form of a note to Lutz:
Hi Bob:
I am 45 and my wife and I have 4 kids. We are looking for a new vehicle and over the last few weeks have started the search.
I am proud to say that I once worked for Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna, NY in the Coke Ovens. I have strained to always by US vehicles from US companies and have held true to that to this day. I recall to this day seeing the last Ore Ship come into "big steel" on the shore of Lake Erie at 3 am on a warm July morning and shed a tear as the crew waved goodbye as she slipped out the next day.
I am shedding tears again. My 13 year old son saw me cry for the first time last night as we compared Toyota and Honda to GM products
Their is no real comparison. I almost bought a Honda last night and that's when I started to cry in the dealership and could not collect myself until we got home.
The people at Honda and other customers looked at me like I was nuts. They don't understand
At the Chevy dealer, I could have fired a cannon and no one would have heard it go off. At the Buick dealer, the sales people were running out the door 30 minutes early and didn't have time for me.When people like me start to bolt away from US manufacturers, you're done
I can't even find a good excuse to buy a GM...0 % financing does not make up for failed quality and pricing that is too high
I could not sleep last nite. I saw the faces of the guys who were walking dead men in the Coke ovens who after 30 years of chemical baths everyday were essentially dead men walking
It's haunting...yet right now, I am going our Saturday and buying the Honda...why shouldn't I....I'll take any answer from anyone out there...give me a REASON, not an EXCUSE.
Remarkable, is it not? Set aside your reactions to the fellow's experience and focus for a moment on his. Here's a man who's passionate about his country and believes his automobile purchases are an extension of that passion; "buy American" is more than a slogan for Cadigan, it's a deeply held belief. And he's in pain over his inability to find a GM vehicle that will meet Japanese standards.
Given that passion, kudos to Lutz for engaging in a conversation, of sorts, with Cadigan. He begins,
Dan, I know that my staff has contacted you, but I feel compelled to let you know that I personally appreciate your loyalty and the emotional connection to the American auto industry you have demonstrated.
OK, stop there. It may strike some of you as gratuitous, but here we have the vice-chairman of an American institution responding to a customer both personally and through assignments to his staff.
Every have that happen? No. Every hear of it happening? Didn't think so.
Now, Lutz then goes on to tell the fellow that he believes GM either is producing, or soon will be producing, vehicles that meet his needs, and that he disagrees with Cadigan's assessment (which Cadigan offered in a remarkable chain of comments) of GM's quality.
Never mind any of that.
For me, GM, and Bob Lutz in particular, have once again shown the power of blogging in an open and authentic way.
The particulars of the case are interesting, but the dynamics of the conversation are nothing short of remarkable.
And, for the record, Lutz never brought up the words "Nissan" or "Renault."
Update: Read Catigan's first comment on Lutz's post to see the impact this kind of conversation can have.
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