MB Civic

By Robert Kuttner | Saturday, December 30, 2006 | The Boston Globe

The title says it all: General Motors has lost its way, and produces a lousy product, a sad and disgraceful fact that is utterly inexcusable. GM and Ford have had decades to learn from the efficient production methods and people-pleasing, safe, fuel-efficient products of the Japanese and Korean car makers. There have been decades of higher fuel prices that should have been a motivation to develop fuel efficient engines. Yet the American behemoths blunder on blindly, betting on high profit niche vehicles like the Hummer and the Corvette rather than producing cars for the American middle class – the buyers who once made GM and Ford the world leaders in their field.

Good riddance, say I. It’s a global marketplace, folks. National boundaries are meaningless when Camrys are made in the US Southeast by American workers and Volkswagens are produced in Mexico and then shipped to Germany. This is not a mater of national pride or patriotism or supporting the American worker. It’s about quality, period. Compete or fall – it’s that simple…BS

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/12/30/whats_bad_about_gm_the_cars/