Earlier this week, Fritz Henderson, President and CEO of the ‘new’ General Motors (meaning the one of which you and I own 11.8 percent) hosted a media event to introduce his new Executive Committee, and give us a sneak preview into some product and technology developments that are just around the corner for GM.
The print edition of Wheels is all over this session this coming weekend. But there was so much going on at the meeting, both formally and in little scrums between the presentations, that I’ll be doling out additional little bloggish tidbits over the next few days.
Henderson started by saying that the new mantra for General Motors will be “Customers, Cars and Culture” – and in that order.
Hence, Henderson said it was more than symbolic that a similar session had taken place the day before, with a select group of consumers who got a look at GM's plans for the future before the media did.
Humph. Don't they know who we are?!
That uber-focus group didn't consist of a bunch of sycophantic GM lifers either. Most were selected after having communicated with Henderson or other GM executives, some via various new Internet-based communications channels, and most of them critically.
Most were not current GM customers either, although many had previously been.
How better in Henderson's mind to determine what prospective customers want than to ask former customers why they left?
Can’t argue with the strategy; pardon us for being a trifle skeptical, because we have heard promises of this sort before. As in after just about every one of GM's seemingly annual reorganizations.
Time will tell if GM is clever enough this time to implement tactics which will fulfill the objective.
Tomorrow I’ll outline some of the Canadian Content he’ll have to help him in this struggle.
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