GM Engineers Should Form Their Own Company

[legion]

From technologies like the visco-magnetic fluid in shock absorbers to winning the design challenge at the LA Auto Show the past two years, it's obvious that there is some serious engineering talent at GM. The problem is, much of it is watered down before it hits the street. Marketing may not like the look or feel of a car, union rules may prevent a car from being assembled in a certain manner.

I think the engineers should break off and form their own car company. I think we'd see some amazing things.

[nostatic]

I drove an HHR rental car yesterday. Unbelievably poor design and ergonnomics. Embarrasing pile of crap. They might have some good ones, but they've got plenty of bad ones too...

[john70t]

The Bose suspension would weight 800+ pounds by itself.
What about steel bumpers and things that are simple and doesn't break? There's a reason why the AK47 sells so well internationaly.

[Jeff Higgins]

Dumb question of the day - what is an HHR rental car?

[legion]

Todd, you're making my point, believe it or not. At GM, a concept has to go through several "commitees" before it reaches production. If the engineers could roam free, they'd build better cars.

[lendaddy]

Jeff the HHR is a horrible little GM car.

[Bill Verburg]

Buddy of mine just bought the new Acura MDX w/ electro hyd. shocks, they work unbelievably well.

[NICKG]

funny, i am seriously considering a GTo as a replacement for my GTI..400hp and i can get one for like 27k

[sand_man]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Jeff the HHR is a horrible little GM car.

Oh the humanity! That is one awful looking ride!

[rammstein]

The HHR is the Chevy copy of the PT Cruiser- something like 6 years after the PT hit the streets, Chevy came out with an inferior copy. Yay.

I don't get it- I posted on the Japan Tax Advantage thread too.

I seriously want to buy American. I believe that the best minds in the world are right here; our current corporate structure is somehow causing us to crank out junk, near-misses, and the occasional hit. I don't blame quality issues on our workers either- foreign brands who manufacture here manage to do it very well.

[lendaddy]

I don't remember if was here or in one of my industry rags, but the design issues at the big three were blamed on the group consensus approach rather than having an "artist" being the head of design(ala Bangle @ BMW). By the time a design at GM is altered enough to make everyone happy..........no one ends up happy.

There is no faith in the individual, no trust, no balls. You have to be willing to bomb to truly succeed.

The BS systems-for-everything Six Sigma style textbook approach to everything is the culprit, because in the end people are people so you can't really blame your masses only how you use them/let them use you.

[the]

GM products and styling?

Pictures speak louder than words. How the hell did this thing EVER reach production??? Every time I see one, I try to imagine the meeting where the design was approved.

But I just never can imagine people in an approval meeting gathering around the beast, looking at it with their functioning eyes, and saying "Yeah, that looks just right! Let's go with it!"

WTF is wrong with those people?

[the]

Although I know where they stole most of the destign cues from, including the stacked front end style.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I don't remember if was here or in one of my industry rags, but the design issues at the big three were blamed on the group consensus approach rather than having an "artist" being the head of design(ala Bangle @ BMW). By the time a design at GM is altered enough to make everyone happy..........no one ends up happy.

There is no faith in the individual, no trust, no balls. You have to be willing to bomb to truly succeed.

The BS systems-for-everything Six Sigma style textbook approach to everything is the culprit, because in the end people are people so you can't really blame your masses only how you use them/let them use you.

Makes sense^

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by lendaddy
There is no faith in the individual, no trust, no balls. You have to be willing to bomb to truly succeed.

Actually, that's exactly what happened with the Aztek (Ass-tech?) as pictured above. IIRC some French woman designed that thing and they shoved it out the door...and bomb they did! Now you know why they're gun-shy.

WRT the HHR...at the Proving Ground here in AZ it's known as the Me2 Cruiser.

[sammyg2]

I rented an HHR a month ago, total POS. This thing had torque steer, even though it doesn't have any torque.
Rattle, shake, echo, 30 miles in that ****box was too much.

Yer right about the ergonomics too, nothing fit. Everything was too close or too far away.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by NICKG
funny, i am seriously considering a GTo as a replacement for my GTI..400hp and i can get one for like 27k

The GTO is made by Holden in Australia. Great cars. Damn shame they don't import more of them.

[sand_man]

I totally agree about the "Ass-tech", I actually get angry whenever I see one (which is luckily pretty seldom these days)! How could they? Even my nine year old son who was probably seven at the time he first saw one, asked me "what was wrong with it and did someone make it themselves?!"

[Jim Richards]

I'm convinced that GM designers are the castoffs and rejects from all the world's other car makers. GM seems to have cornered the market on butt-ugly.

I grew up loving GM products, but wouldn't pay a nickel for one now.

[dd74]

Originally posted by HardDrive
The GTO is made by Holden in Australia. Great cars. Damn shame they don't import more of them.

Yes, though I think I read GM was thinking of bringing more over.

The Holden GTO was a nicely styled car, with a Vette engine in it. It was quite expensive at the high $30K, but seemed to do well around town and on the track.

If at all, I'd buy one used to avoid the premium. They can't sell for too much on the secondary market.