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CADILLAC'S UNCERTAIN FUTURE MODELS
Cadillac was almost a synonym for real excellence. About the time Martin Luther King was murdered, I noticed a sleek Mercedes-Benz on the driveway of the next door house. What I didn't know was that the Mercedes' arrival next door marked the end of an era; just as General Motors bankruptcy marks the definite end of another. A long time coming, this creeping death of the once biggest company in the world is a moment to be remembered. The many causes of GMs demise have been thoroughly argued; however one in particular stands out: GM's management simply gave up on the notion of trying to make the very best cars in the world. This was necessary to satisfy different competing interests such as the shareholders, bondholders and labour force. They all compromised on a standard of excellence, repeatedly. Once lost, the reputation proved just about impossible to regain. Yes, GM made big strides in its quality following decades of troubled car manufacture. And Cadillac, especially regained little of its original charisma and quality. Did GM in fact make any "best cars", in any category! Could GM rival Honda Insight or a Toyota Prius for reliability and fuel efficiency? Or an Infiniti, Lexus or BMW for performance and luxury? The new, government-managed GM (get it?) will probably emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection facing a major battle in what was already a highly competitive global market before the crisis. This does not mean efforts are doomed. The sharper the Cadillac break with the past is, the better for us.