# On The Record Interview with Rick Wagoner



## EVDL Archive (Jul 26, 2007)

GM chairman and chief executive officer talks with Chronicle staff during NADA convention in San Francisco.

More...


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

> Standing in the middle of the storm is Rick Wagoner, 55, the chairman and chief executive officer of GM, which is still the world's largest automaker despite its recent setbacks.


No, Toyota is the worlds largest auto manufacturer.



> We are putting significant resources into biofuels because if you look over a 10-year period, biofuels are the only thing that can make a huge difference in the growing demand for oil.




Ok, I gotta stop reading this article. What a buncha crap!


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Denying the truth about energy related technology is no new thing for GM, but if they continue to make the same mistakes soon we will have to find another big corporation to blame for killing the electric car. Funny how what goes around comes around.......

While I would feel bad for the workers, I would not shed a tear if GM or any of the other big automakers went out of business altogether. They have been holding the world back for far too long. The change to modern technology will come from new independent companies, not from obsolete ideas like the volt, or prius.


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Yeah, these big companies _do_ have the ability to make a huge difference in the world in which we live. In fact, I would argue that they have a responsibility to the world to make that effort. Unfortunately, and as you pointed out, GM other auto manufacturers have failed to take this initiative. How unfortunate.

I must respectfully disagree however that ideas like those that spawned the Prius or the Volt are obsolete. The Prius was an automotive technological moon shot for Toyota. Everyone in the industry claimed that Toyota would sell the cars at a loss. The critics were wrong in a big way. Of course, the Prius is not the epitome of automotive development, but it is a step in the right direction. Furthermore, Toyota is getting close to releasing a plug-in version. They're getting there.  As for GM and the Volt, all we have gotten from them is talk. The car is a great concept, but whether or not GM will actually do the right thing remains to be seen. Sad

I agree with you that GM deserves what it is getting, but I don't want a giant like GM to fold. GM is responsible for a huge share of out nation's GDP. If they were to tank, the US economy, which is looking less stable every day, would take a hit worse than that on 9/11. It would be like 911 times 100. That's right, 91,100!!!


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

I suppose you are right, the only thing that would be much worse than the auto sector disappearing tomorrow would be if all the oil wells dried up. I just don't like how hard it has become for small car makers to get into the market, not so much because of competition, but regulations.

I have to admit though, I'm not a fan of the prius, it is not as good as it should be in terms of fuel economy. A plugin version would be nice, and I understand that it was restrictions on the older nickel battery was a big part of why the older prius could not carry a bigger battery. But still, I get suspicious when a cheaper honda civic gets similar mileage with a 5 speed transmission, and a diesel golf gets better.

To toyota's credit, they did push the technology that no one else would, and I will give them that.


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Yeah, I didn't really think that the Prius would do so well in the market place. it was bigger than its competitor, the Insight, and its fuel economy was less impressive. However, the Prius' size is what made it a success with buyers. Most buyers don't want a dinky little car. They don't want the inconvenience of a car that can carries fewer passengers and less cargo. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the market decides what kinds of cars are going to be manufactured. Toyota, Honda, or even GM (we're still waiting GM) can introduce a new technology to the market, but if people don't buy it, then the manufacturer will lose its rear end. This is a bit of a sore argument with anyone familiar with the Saturn EV1 (though GM still didn't need to crush them... Jerks), but it's true. If this were not the case, then the Insight would not have ceased production at the end of its design cycle. In other words, If the car were more practical, or if it sold better, Honda would have designed a new Insight for the 2007 model-year. But, the Insight didn't sell well, so Honda is sticking with hybrid versions of its conventional coups and sedans instead... which are about the size of a Prius


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Oh, I guess I would agree with you about small auto manufacturers too. Crash regulations are a real pita these days. You can blame Ralph Nader for that one. You can also blame him for killing the Corvair and for getting George Bush Jr into office. Man that guy sucks!

I really don't think that building cars is impossible though. Manufacturers can do a number of things to sidestep nhtsa standards. One commonly exploited loophole is to build a 3 wheeled car. Another is to build a NEV. One set of laws that should exploited more frequently by EV manufacturers are those that define Kit Cars. If more manufacturers would partner to build kit cars, then potential EV buyers wouldn't need to compromise by driving glorified golf carts 3-wheeled motorcycles. Boo Hoo


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

You're not really comparing apples to apples when comparing the Prius to sub-compacts. I don't think that Toyota aimed to make the most FE car ever, they were making a medium sized passenger car with great FE and it gets almost twice the mileage of similar sized and equiped cars. Of course tiny light cars (esp diesels) will get better FE, but making a hybrid that size would be way to expensive compared to its cheap competition. The Prius is sized for buyers who could absorb the extra cost and its sales compared with the insight show that that was a fantastic decision. The Prius is easily the most influential car in the 21st century. I'm not saying its perfect but its a big step in the right direction.


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

I agree with Matt when it comes to Diesel fuel economy. The small diesel cars that get the best gas mileage tend to be a bit smaller than the Prius. I think that the Golf is a little smaller than the Prius, though not by a lot. The Golf and the Prius get pretty similar mileage. I have seen some reviews that show the Golf getting better mileage than the Prius, but then I have seen some that claim the opposite. The fact still remains though that the Prius is larger and more practical and that the Golf is an econobox.

Some non-American-market diesels (VW Polo for example) are much much smaller, and get better mileage than the average prius driver will ususaly see. But again, these cars a smaller than the Prius... a lot smaller.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

The Volkswagen TDI is available (or at least was) in a wagon version which makes it more of an apples to apples comparison, but my understanding is that the prius will still have better acceleration.

Makes me wonder what is possible with a diesel hybrid.

You are absolutely correct about kit car laws. Basically, if the car and powertrain are delivered in separate packages and put together by the owner and not the builder, it qualifies as a kit car. I have to look into this in more detail because I have considered that very angle.

Nader; (heehee) the most influential loser in american politics.


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