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GM Europe to Get a Major Tune-Up Posted by Ian Glenday [Email]  (#95)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ian Glenday) on Mon, 17 May 2004 12:07:03
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A few quotes from the WSJ Online, May 17, 2004
"After years of losses in Europe, General Motors Corp., the world's largest auto maker, is preparing a broad shake-up intended to reduce waste, encourage more sharing of certain components between brands and tighten control over units that operate like "a loosely aligned federation of states," GM Europe's interim leader said.
Though GM has reorganized its North American operations in recent years to encourage such cooperation, Mr. Lutz said the company's European units continue to operate like "three little car companies that are all autonomous." Engineers at the company's Saab unit, for example, are "completely separate" from their counterparts at Opel, he said, developing separate wiring harnesses, air conditioning and suspension systems on vehicles "essentially based on the same architecture" as certain vehicles made at Opel.
"Whether a Saab 9-3 has the same climate-control system as an Opel Vectra or a Vauxhall Vectra -- who cares?" Mr. Lutz said. "We want Saab cars to be different from Opel cars in the things that the customer sees, touches and feels. But I don't think we're ever going to get a customer to crawl under the instrument panel and say 'Wait a minute! This thing has the same wiring harness as my brother's Opel Vectra!' "
Mr. Lutz didn't specify how much money the company believes it can save through its reorganization. At some units, "you just can't really figure out where the money is being spent" and "which areas have too many people," he acknowledged. But he said he sees ways to save money by eliminating duplication within the units' human-resources and communications staffs, and in the amount of customization of cars for each European market."
There is a lot more to the story but these were the main points identified with Saab in them. Copyright laws preclude my posting the whole story. WSJ Online is by subscription.
Bob is right. There are far too many parts in ALL CARS that could be the same and save a ton of money.
Ian
posted by 24.144.9...
_______________________________________ Ian 1959 93b 1967 96V4 1968 99 1974 99L 1988 900S 1988 900 1994 900S 1996 900S 1999 9-5SE, 2.3lpt 1995 9000 CSE 2006 9-3SC, 2.0T
, Mon, 17 May 2004 12:07:03 <-- Viewing This Message
, Mon, 17 May 2004 22:04:10
, Mon, 17 May 2004 21:56:10
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