Since TTAC began, GM has never deigned to address or correct a single General Motors Death Watch. The automaker's PR department has also declined numerous invitations to post a guest editorial on this site. And there's never been a single "official" comment in the comments section by a single GM employee. Not one. And yet, of course, GM wants to be Web 2.0. We've already chronicled the half-assed attempt at e-glasnost known as gm.next.com. As the company is unwilling/unable to engage in anything remotely resembling open, honest and frank on the internet dialogue with their critics and customers, it seems that they've shifted tack. While keeping his low profile, GM PR Supremo Steve "attitude is key to a successful career in public relations" Harris has launched a charm offensive with (let's face it) low-level bloggers and webslingers. And by charm offensive I mean, of course, payola. The General has taken to providing all-expenses-paid trips to the auto shows for small sites. Gaywheels.com went to Detroit on GM's dime (don't tell the AFA). Askpatty.com and automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com are headed to the New York Auto Show at GM's expense. I'm sure there are plenty more. I call on all websites accepting GM's largesse to declare it in any and all copy generated at the show, and make sure it's included in their tax returns, and trust that they’ll do no such thing.

[Source : The Truth About Cars]

Watching Rick Wagoner is like listening to some weird ass fairy tale: the Emperor's New Automobile Company. Only no one's saying Wagoner's buck naked and GM isn't new, it's old. As my dad says, the only thing worse than getting old is the substitute. GM under Wagoner's administration seems Hell bent on exploring the alternative. Did you know that GM's market cap has shrunk by two-thirds since Wagoner assumed control? Did you know that the only reason the American automaker isn't in worse shape is that Wagoner sold EVERYTHING? Wagoner knows that and more, 'cause he's an accountant. In fact, Wagoner was GM's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before he ascended to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) spot. And now he's chosen his CFO to be GM's new CEO; only he's calling Fritz the new COO, 'cause, well, Wagoner's still CEO. So here we have not one but TWO beancounters at the top of GM. Who've let a nutcase named Bob Lutz (winner of TTAC's Bob Lutz award) decide what kind of automobiles to build at a time when their North American market share is slipping, slipping, slipping… And let's be Frank here; the reason that the company is in such trouble is that this terrible triumvirate doesn't know how to build fully competitive vehicles. Or price them. Or brand them. Or advertise them Or… Doh! Anyway, as long as Wagoner's at the top of GM, you can be sure of one thing: someone somewhere will be cooking the books. 

[Source : The Truth About Vehicles]

Credit where credit's due. When I told our ME Frank Williams we needed a second podcast to cover the blog posts that Justin and I missed, he suggested we’ve a rotating guest commentator. (Not literally, of course.) While other TTAC writers and industry celebs will get their turn to share their dulcet tones and intellectual perspective on the day's news, I thought I'd start with ex-Chrysler PR flack Jason Vines. When Vines was spinning for ChryCo, he had well-earned reputation for a confrontational style and, uh, that's about it. (What more do you need anyway?) Now that the ailing automaker has put PR under HR (that's Human Relations for our non-cubicle-dwelling audience) and Vines has moved on to Compuware, I wanted to find out if he'd mellowed. You be the judge. 

[Source : The Truth About Cars]

Asked about the American Axle strike, GM Marketing Maven Mark LaNeve stated "I don't know how long this thing is supposed to last. It's not a threat to our daily business. If it persists for a long time it could be." Yes, that's factually accurate. But it sure sounds like LaNeve couldn't give a shit. It's a far cry from something along the lines of, "We deeply regret this disruption at one of GM's trusted, longtime suppliers. For the sake of our employees and customers, we're hope to see a speedy and amicable resolution to this dispute." And at nearly the exact same moment that LaNeve was poo-poohing an industrial action that's hurting GM's other suppliers, Toyota was handing out its 2007 Top Supplier Awards. "The awards were presented at Toyota's Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, bringing together approximately 500 North American suppliers. Toyota hosts this annual event to communicate objectives for the current year, recognize top supplier performance for the prior year and enhance relationships… Suppliers' commitment to continuous improvement is key to achieving Toyota's long term focus on quality and value." 

[Source : The Truth About Cars]

I know it was cheeky of me. OK, I was being an asshole. But I’m genuinely perturbed by media outlets who accept airfare, accommodation, food and booze (not to mention gas and insurance) from vehicle manufacturers without declaring this financial contribution. So when I saw The Car Connection live blogging their Pontiac G8 test drive (General Motors Death Watch on the G8 tomorrow), I couldn't resist adding a comment challenging Mart Padgett to reveal GM's financial interest in the Pontiac review. Within five minutes, the comment was removed. I reposted, trying to be a bit more subtle (as you can imagine). Gone in sixty seconds. (TCC later removed TTAC info provider Michael Karesh's automobile-related comment.) The last time I chided The Automobile Connection for their undeclared junketeering, I also took a swipe at Edmunds for the same sin of omission. Edmunds now publish this tiny ditty at the bottom of their junket-sourced editorial: Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report. Notice the note of self-congratulation. And the lack of any specific mention of the fact that the carmaker PAID FOR THE TRIP. Once again, I challenge The Automobile Connection and Edmunds to come clean on their relationship to the people making the automobiles they review. It's high time the automotive media cleaned-up its act and started serving the people who count: the readers.

[Source : The Truth About Cars]