Gee this whole time I take nothing but flack on how I'm so WRONG about how some US car makers missed the boat and didn't care and here it is in black and white from one of those car makers mouths ... yea I am enjoying this a tad bit so what about it?!

And by the way I hope they and the others get real so the people that work for them still have jobs after March 2009.

GM says it "disappointed" and "betrayed" consumers

GM says it "disappointed" and "betrayed" consumers - Yahoo! News

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Corp on Monday unveiled an unusually frank advertisement acknowledging it had "disappointed" and sometimes even "betrayed" American consumers as it lobbies to clinch the federal aid it needs to stay afloat into next month.

The print advertisement marked a sharp break from GM's public stance of just several weeks ago when it sought to justify its bid for a U.S. government on the grounds that the credit crisis had undermined its business in ways executives could never have foreseen.

It also came as Chief Executive Rick Wagoner, who has led the automaker since 2000, faces new pressure to step aside as GM seeks up to $18 billion in federal funding.

"While we're still the U.S. sales leader, we acknowledge we have disappointed you," the ad said. "At times we violated your trust by letting our quality fall below industry standards and our designs became lackluster."

The unsigned open letter, entitled "GM's Commitment to the American People" ran in the trade journal Automotive News, which is widely read by industry executives, lobbyists and other insiders.

In the ad, GM admits to other strategic missteps analysts and critics have said hastened its recent decline.

"We have proliferated our brands and dealer network to the point where we lost adequate focus on the core U.S. market," the ad said. "We also biased our product mix toward pick-up trucks and SUVs."

But GM also says in the ad that it was hit by forces beyond its control as it tried to complete a restructuring earlier this year.

"Despite moving quickly to reduce our planned spending by over $20 billion, GM finds itself precariously and frighteningly close to running out of cash," the ad says.

A failure of GM would deepen the current recession and put "millions of job at risk," according to the ad, which also highlights the automaker's pledged restructuring and intention to begin repaying taxpayers in 2011.

GM spokesman Greg Martin said the ad was an attempt by the automaker to present "a pledge directly to the public."

"We believe we need to deliver this commitment unfiltered since quite a bit of media commentary has not kept pace with our actual progress to transform the company," Martin said.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut who is central to the effort to craft an auto bailout bill, on Sunday said GM should replace Wagoner.

GM says Wagoner has the support of the company's board.

(Reporting by Kevin Krolicki, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

 

Nice article. I really hope they pull through. Very few understand what will happen if GM files for bankruptcy.
Thanks for the good article!

 

good find! rep'd

 

i'm glad that they at least owned up to it, now everyone else needs to, the big 3 are obviously the worst, but IMO all brands have gone downhill in the last 5 years

 

Hyundai's got my support.
They've really stepped up their game.

 

I agree with you. I still personally wouldn't pay $30k+ for a Hyundai, but for A to B, commuter transport (i.e. the Accent/Elantra) they're plenty reliable.

 

yeah but that 30k hyundai gets you things you can only get in a 60k+ car....sounds like a good deal to me...

 

I see where you're coming from; they're not for everybody.
I just personally am proud of Hyundai. They've come a looong way.
My point exactly. Every aspect of the brand has excellent attention to detail. I've seen some new Tibby's that have amazing paint and panel-alignment.
I'm definitely considering a manual GT. They feel so solid.

 

So do they get a refund or something?

I think they will say anything to keep their head above water, even if it means tarnishing their own name. If they were honestly sincere, they should have said something a long time ago instead of when they need money.

 

Blunt advertising...nothing new for GM.

Here is an ad from January 2nd of 1915. It's ranked as the #49 best advertisment of all time. (It only ran one time)

I personally have an original copy on my wall, that my wife bought me for my birthday last year.