Commentary on the economy, the markets, and business

The Detroit Three's slow trip back to Washington

Alan Mullaly will be driving in a Ford Escape hybrid. Rick Wagoner will travel in a Chevy Malibu hybrid. Bob Nardelli hasn't figured out how he'll get there yet, but taking a private jet is out of the question. It's not quite carpooling in a minivan, as I suggested they do a couple weeks ago, but it's close enough.

It's mostly silly symbolism, of course, but as the Detroit Three automakers also submit plans to Congress outlining how they plan to bring themselves back from the brink, there is some real meaning as well. Ford, which turned in its plan first, isn't in immediate need of government aid, so it focused on good vibes stuff like how it's going to build more fuel-efficient vehicles. That, and Mullaly says his paycheck goes to $1 a year if Ford takes any government money. The GM and Chrysler proposals will presumably look more like the bankruptcy-by-some-other-name that I and lots of other people have been talking about, with spending cuts, debt-for-equity swaps, and of course $1 CEO paychecks.

Whether it will be enough is anybody's guess. Former Medtronic CEO Bill George proposes at BusinessWeek.com today that GM should split off Chevy, Cadillac and Buick into a new company and liquidate the rest, while Alex Taylor has a discouraging look back at three decades of (mostly failed) GM efforts at reinvention in the new Fortune. But the new plans will be a big improvement over where things stood a couple of weeks ago. Congress, by failing to act, has forced some seemingly constructive action on the part of Detroit.

Of course, if one of these guys crashes and gets badly hurt on the drive to Washington (driving is a lot more dangerous than flying), I take it all back.

Update: More on GM's restructuring plan here.

Update 2: My colleague Bill Saporito wants them to get back in their corporate jets.

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  1. Now. just how many of us actually believe this will bring tears to the eyes of everyone and win the 'boys' their bailout? i mean, really! the 'boys' already have stashed their real money elsewhere so $1 salary is nothing more than well, for us women, $.57. go figgur.

  2. As horrible as it is to say, if any got into a crash in their car on the way to Washington, I think that alone would kill the company...well, I guess depending on how badly they were hurt and how well the safety features performed.
    -
    I also agree, the 1 buck salary is kind of pompous and absurd because you know they will still get millions in stock options. So while I suppose you can say they are spending money more wisely; instead of paying the CEO big bucks, paying a bunch of other engineers to design a better car is smart, its really just a drop in the bucket of whatever percentage of 25 billion they get.

  3. Justin,
    .
    This is all well and good, but Chris Isidore does (as usual) a great job in conveying the depth of the problem. The problem is the fact that we (just like housing) had an auto bubble. See here: http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/02/news/companies/automakers_plans/index.htm?postversion=2008120213
    .
    Unfortunately, no amount of CEOs taking road trips in their latest hybrids, opting for $1 yearly salaries or pontificating about future models and sales will change this very significant fact. The only way to get out of a bubble is to reduce capacit and wait for demand to overcome supply until they are back in equilibrium.
    .
    There is no bailout short of a handout that will keep people employed in Detroit. And any bailout making more cars only prolongs the scenario of bringing supply and demand back into balance. This is the paradox of the bailout...it is welfare where the poor worker never regains control of their wealth making ability.

  4. I think "bryanfromhouston" hit the nail on the head. My concern is that a loan or bailout would postpone the inevitable. I'd like to be wrong about this.

    But "1kashab" may have inadvertently found a way to save Detroit... an all-woman workforce. Imagine the savings in labor costs!

  5. Buffett bought a 1934 Rolls Royce for 350 Dollars and rented it out for 35 dollars a day. By the time he graduated from high school at sixteen, Buffett had saved 6,000 dollars.

    Tom Ahldin

  6. Justin, it's not clear if your colleague Mr. Saporito is tongue-in-cheek, serious, or some combination of both. Insofar as he may be serious, he is a fool. The corporate jet is a relic of a bygone era, a lesson that the Detroit Three CEOs have only recently learned. I fear that your colleague may also be such a relic.

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