Good News at Government General Motors

                                                            The Auto Industry

       The post-bankruptcy federal owned GM is gaining altitude. Unfortunately for you and f

ortunately for the rest of us, who want the company to succeed, and in so doing make taxpayers

whole on their investment the company posted a healthy profit last year, global sales are

rebounding. GM is a fraction of its former, overgrown self. The board and most of the executive

management has been replace, the UAW has been given a pretty good haircut; the electric Chevy

Volt is on track on time to be releases as promised. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were preserved.

If GM had gone into liquidation there was no financing available for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy GM’s

collapse would have  acted like a black hole, further destabilizing the economy and obliterating the

 value of car companies and suppliers. I’m not saying it was pretty, so little of summer ’09 was, and

I’m not predicting that taxpayers will absolutely break even. I am saying the alternative would have

 been far worse. Why, Martha can’t this guy keep polices out of car reviews is because car building

buying is inherently political. I’ve received dozens of purple face emails in the past year declaring,

“I’ll never buy another GM because of either the bailout, Obama or the UAW. 

     That’s perfectly legitimate, consumers vote with their dollars, and as much as we’d like the

universe of commerce to operate outside the gravity of ideology, it doesn’t. So while I understand

this is a season of deep discontent with big G government, with all due respect I-invite you to

consider the possibility that Government Motors will actually build some fine cars. The Regal has

been a kind of automotive development of this midsize, front drive platform Epsilon II) was begun at

 GM’s Opel operations in Germany, in 2004. It was intended to be the next generation Saturn Aura

for No. America but when the money losing Saturn division went away in the reorganization plan;

Gm. quickly rebadged the car known as the Opel insignia in Europe as a Buick. It’s also built and sold

 as a Buick in China, where it’s been a huge success. Meanwhile, as GM was lurching toward

bankruptcy in 2009, it put Opel up for sale, which would have been a mistake, given the division’s

role in global product development. But by November the board of the new GM made up mostly of

Obama Administration appointees wisely decide to hang on to Opel. All of which led to the Opel

Insignia/Buick Regale’s arriving on our shores. How is it, well, it’s kind of terrific. Thick shouldered,

 wide, a graceful canopy and about as nice a front end as can be managed with Buicks’ fussy

waterfall grille. The Regale’s look is competent and substantial, with the kind of sporty visual

amplitude you’d expect of and autobahn bred car. I really like the hockey-stick shaped accent line in

the fuselage. This car nicely bottles pride of ownership, everywhere you look in the GM bailout.  

Dr. Karl Wallace DDS                                                                                                                                           To read more Dr. Wallace opinions go to:    karlwallaceblog.blogspot.com