Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 02:51:00 GMT From: Saab Guy <nothingnospamo.com> Subject: Re: Why is this newsgroup all technical troubleshooting?
Dexter J, That was very well said. I am curious, when was the first sign in your opinion when the "writing was on the wall" so to speak? Also, did many from Saab move to Volvo and when did that transition start? This "Brand Exploitation" is so true nowadays, saddens me to pieces. It's all over the place "Dell, The North Face, Nabisco". I don't think that Panasonic has fallen victim to this yet. Do you think that Volvo hasn't either? Saab Guy On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 02:25:07 GMT "Dexter J" <lamealameadingdongnospamlamelame.org> wrote: > On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:48:24 -0400, ma_twain <ma_twainnospamo.com> wrote: > > > To quote the GM execs "No one cares what is in the car, all they want > > is the Saab name". > > Hey brother Twain - long time no hear. I think that about sums up the > problem and perhaps the solution. > > SAAB in many ways reflects the current supply side trending towards the > lowest minimum possible acceptable level of quality, endurance and service > in Branded products. Just exactly how much sawdust can you put in the > burger before they yokels catch on I suppose? > > I think I heard another CEO at the Nabisco group explaining it as > "harvesting the Brand value to the shareholders".. Which I guess explains > why my Ritz crackers now sux. > > Essentially, GM is losing money because they are making bad cars under > good badges right now. "Not meeting expectations at a consumer level" to > sensitize the statement into a more corporately and socially acceptable > non-phrase. > > I was saddened to figure out why my 1993 Aero has been springing erroneous > CEL alerts that seemed impossible to diagnose. A simple 5 cent part - that > really deserved to be a 10 cent part considering it's impact on the > greater engineered package. Hello 50% GM ownership at the time. > > What makes the whole situation all the more frustrating is that GM really > have the right answer in the Epsilon initiative, but I don't think they > can get there MBA mortarboards around it. One chassis - sliding scale for > *everything* from the headlights, to the engine, to the suspension, to the > body and *everything* inside of it. > > Build a wider lower 9000 on it and make it 4 wheel drive a Turbo Diesel.. > You beat the pants off the Magnum on all counts. End game - roll out the > grass and sweep up the stands. > > Formalize the wiring harness and relays to a *much* better specification > and open source the engine management CPU. Didn't they brain the Mars > Rovers with UNIX? > > And why in the world the LPT hasn't been properly exploited into the > general manufacturing of pretty much all gasoline based GM products is > really beyond me - unless of course it's cheaper to build a V6 - or - > engineering can't get it through marketing without the pitch droids > insisting on trying to make a huge and undeliverable expectation out of it. > > You know, I looked long and hard at the decision to buy a 1993 9000 over a > 2004 ^95 - both Aero. > > At the end of the day, I really do get much better value and have a > overall better build car for about 10% of the reduced year end list on the > ^95. Moreover, I don't have to carry all the heavy insurance to please the > money changers. > > I effectively turn my monthly payment into an uprate or a repair over the > next 5-10 years, keep the body rust proofed and give it a fresh sanding > and paint every so often.. Why, there is every likelihood I will get *a > lot* of happy years out of her. > > That 'uprate' isn't going to be Koni's or Maptune - it is going to be > electrical, plastics and rubber parts.But once done, I have a *remarkably* > fuel efficient car with *huge* interior capacity and some measure of real > style and comfort that I think looks pretty good against anything on the > GM showroom floor today. Wax her up, slip on a set of Euro blinkers and > lights and take her to a Cadillac lot - I can assure you it will get as > many inquiries as the STS sitting beside it. > > Metal, plastic and rubber is just that - it knows no nationality - nor > does the commitment to trying to engineer something that is *actually* as > good as and better than the previous model lineup. It was in many ways > what made SAAB great. They functioned in a culture of incremental > improvement from the 96 and 99 forward on a agreed platform right through > the C900 series and, I would argue, the 9000 up to 1995/6. Was it the most > advanced engine or design throughout their model runs? .. Nooohoho .. Was > an actually better SAAB available when it came time to trade it through > those years - yes. > > At the end of the day, I fear the mantra of 'Shareholder Value' in > conjunction with 'Brand Exploitation' has done great harm over the last 10 > or so years to a lot of great products including automobiles. Individually > and in balance with "Product and Service Improvement" they work great - > but ignoring the latter two in favour of the first two as a leading policy > at the executive level... Well - you end up losing 1.2 billion on the > biggest incorporated production and finance enterprise ever developed... > > There - you have something other than a trouble shooting note. I've been > chastised in the past for posting crap like this - but what the hell, > that's what I have to say about it. Personally, I think most of the real > SAAB talent headed over to Volvo when the writing was on the wall. > > Hey brother grunff - how is the BMW trist holding up? Still wine and roses? > > -- > > Radio Free Dexterdyne Top Tune o'be-do-da-day > Stray Cats - Memphis > http://www.dexterdyne.org/888/078.RAM > > all tunes - no cookies no subscription no weather no ads > no news no phone in no sign up required - all the Time
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