Cooperation not Competition is the Answer

The American auto industry is cutting each others' throats. Its a G*d
D****d war out there, if you know what I mean. Just look at Chrysler. More
than a billion dollars in the red this year. That's totally unnecessary
because there's more than enough profit to be shared by the Big Three if
they will just cozy up to one another like Beavis and Butthead.

Ford is next to crap out. They just spent 6,000,000,0000.00 smackers to
reinvent the Terraplane.

GM has lost the market share that Olds once occupied. Pity Oldsmobile, gone
forever.

The answer is utopian cooperation and working together in harmony like a
happy, loving family. Let me tell you how it should be:

GM is famous for Fisher Bodies. Let them make all the chassis' and car
bodies for the whole country. Ford makes the best mechanicals, so let them
do all the engines, trannys, and rear ends. Also Rochester can do all the
EFIs, Delco all the batteries, GE all the alternators, Midas all the
mufflers, Firecracker Tire and Rubber all the tires, and so forth and so on
for all the auxilliaries. Chrysler will take all the honors and run the
production lines for final assembly. Every car in America will plonk out
Chrysler's back door!!

None of this annual model changing anymore. No need to. We all know what
the ideal car should look like. Each car has its best shape: sedans,
station wagons, SUVs, trucks with the only differences might be in size
like 4 passenger sedans, 6 passenger sedans, etc. The shapes are a given
just like all jetliners look pretty much the same; you just can't start
putting "body cladding" on a 757 to snazz it up for next year's promotion.
So, for the same reason you can't do it with cars. You just screw them up
if you try.

Each dealership will sell the same products for the same prices. A given
model is good for at least 15 years. This will assure bug free cars, parts
and service everywhere and for all time. How wonderful! This idea is
genius if I may take full credit for it! Some of the money saved by the
economics of cooperation and loving friendship can be used to install the
redundant systems I have been suggesting and you have been rejecting
because you don't care if your mother-in-law breaks down alone in the riot
zone at 1:00AM.

 

You've pretty much outlined how the former Soviet Union would go about
"designing" products. Only problem is, it doesn't work.

While the dog-eat-dog world of free-market competition has its downsides
(some of which are admittedly loathesome), in balance, the negative
traits of human nature that manifest themselves in the former Soviet
Union's culture have proven to be far more damaging to the human
conition than the negative traits of human nature that dominate in the
free market. Competition and the resulting diversity in product
offerings in existing products and technology absolutely die in the
communist market, not to mention the unpredictable breakthroughs driven
by competition and the profit motive that naturally occur in a free
market.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

I agree with Bill. Another problem is, where is the incentive for
improvement? Yes, it is an outline of the Automotive Industry STILL
going on in the Soviet Union.

 

Bill Putney wrote:

Well, one of his sock-puppets was named "Ilya," after all

 

[SNIP]

| That's totally unnecessary
| because there's more than enough profit to be
| shared by the Big Three if they will just cozy up
| to one another like Beavis and Butthead.

Uhm, that little type of "cozy" arrangement you suggest was made illegal
decades ago when the result of competitors "cozying up" resulted in some
very serious PRICE FIXING situations. Consumers paid double and triple what
a product was worth because these "cozy" arrangements and agreements created
a VERY BAD environment from a consumer perspective. I suggest you study
your history before you make an even bigger idiot out of yourself!

By the way, Chrysler is owned by Daimler...a GERMAN company. The "Big
Three" is now the "Big Two" (GM and FORD)! Even recent history events seems
to escape you...apparently!

 

Wasn't the DC thing supposed to be a merger, not a buy-out?

 

|
| | >
| >
| > By the way, Chrysler is owned by Daimler...a GERMAN company. The "Big
| > Three" is now the "Big Two" (GM and FORD)! Even recent history events
| seems
| > to escape you...apparently!
| >
| >
|
| Wasn't the DC thing supposed to be a merger, not a buy-out?
|
|

Sure it is. Who is running things? Daimler put up the money to "merge"
with Chrysler, not the other way around. Daimler brought in their
management teams. The corporate HQ is in Germany with a US HQ here (but the
corporate one is in Germany).