International Law

Big 3 U.S. Automakers Suck at PR

By Stan

Lots of news floating around about the U.S. automakers and their sad financial state. Bad enough, but it’s the PR blunders that make me cringe. When the three CEOs went to the U.S. Congress recently, asking for money, and had to admit that they flew to D.C. on their private jets — that looked really bad even though it meant very little.

And in today’s news, as the Big 3 are saying that they are on the verge of shutting the doors of numerous U.S. plants:

General Motors Corp. (GM) and one of its joint-venture partners in China opened a new passenger-vehicle plant Wednesday, the U.S. automaker said in a statement.

The plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units and is the second plant that Shanghai General Motors Corp., GM’s 50-50 joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp. (600104.SH), has opened in Shenyang city in northeast China.

Again, the China story has nothing to do with what is going on in the U.S. The PRC operations are 50/50 JVs that are producing for the domestic market.

But all I gotta say is wow. How will a story like this play in Detroit? In Ohio? Pennsylvania? Indiana? Going to be a lot of pissed of factory workers out there, I would guess.

They couldn’t hold the announcement for another month until they get the bailout they need? Or did they think this would be seen positively by Congress? I have no idea what is going on in the heads of these people.

Full post as published by China Hearsay on December 17, 2008 (boomark / email).