With all due respect to Acting General Motors (GM) CEO Fritz Henderson, we hope that his tenure as Chief Executive Officer is short and sweet. There’s no question that Fritz is a hard-working, well-educated, and highly-intelligent guy. But he’s missing that bit of magic that will get this country behind his company. Now, more than ever, GM needs star power and there’s just one man for the job:
Jay Leno.
Here at MPGomatic.com, we try to stay out of the business end of things by focusing on vehicles and technologies. But on rare occasions, it’s necessary to stick out the old neck and take a stand. This is one of them.
I’m in the middle of a string of GM review cars at the moment and I have to say, I’ve been remarkably pleased with the Pontiac G8 GT and Cadillac CTS – two vehicles that shine with the stamp of Bob Lutz. With Bob riding off into the sunset this year, GM needs a strong hand on the design tiller, an honest-to-goodness car guy at the top, and a great communicator that can make the case with the American people.
Now, more than ever.
This is the perfect transition job for Jay. Hand over the reigns at the Tonight Show, pick them up at GM, and get this country back on the right track.
I can’t think of a single person that would willingly and publicly play it straight the politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists in Washington – with regard to the auto industry – in the way that Jay can.
Whether you like his comedy or not, Jay knows and loves cars … he lives them and breathes them every day.
Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
It’s time we draft Jay.
Here here well said! I think Jay could be the guy (or some one like him), who loves and lives cars. I think Jay though may miss the boat in some ways as I don’t think he loves the average guy car as much as the top end flashy ones that he collects. Lets face it the average American doesn’t have the budget to own or operate cars over $40,000 or more (even though they keep overextending themselves and trying to buy them). It’s all about economics and people buying what they can afford and not what someone else tells them through advertising what they need and want. People have to not only be able to afford cars yet be able to afford to maintain and run them. The average commuter that only makes $30,000 a year moreover has to live somewhere and feed themselves and in most cases afford to feed their families. Consequently we need more small economical (fuel efficient) cars that won’t send the average American into bankruptcy if gas prices go back to where they were last year or a repair is needed.
On another note as I perused the site I noticed under the van section (full sized) a total omission of the true fuel economy leader…. Where did the Diesel powered Dodge Sprinter and Mercedes Sprinter Go??? In most cases people operating these vehicles are getting over 30 MPG and beating everything else on the market hands down in the fuel economy market. I found myself scratching my head on that exclusion.
Thanks for the opportunity to reply and go on my mini rant. Great site by the way.
Best Regards
A Canadian Car Lover
Mark Ingram
Kitchener Ontario Canada
Thanks for the kind words and insight, Mark!
There’s a new frugality that’s taken hold. No doubt about that. I’ve always wondered why we don’t see more big families driving modified Sprinters, rather than SUVs … of course, they’ve never really been marketed that way … there’s nothing that offers more flexible interior space (if you really do need that family room on wheels).
Unfortunately, there are no official published mileage estimates for the Sprinter van here in the US.
One of these days (with luck), we’ll get to put a Sprinter through a week long road test …
Jay Leno – I would love to see him take the reins of GM. Chrysler is a lost cause, but GM has a fighting chance, especially if they get someone at the top that, OMG, ISN’T a bean counter! Junk the crappy $2/car cheaper plastic interiors, and make cars that don’t “feel” cheap.
I’ve had three Bonnevilles, 1993 SSEi, 1995 SE, and 2003 SE. I hate the 2003. It is slower than the both earlier cars (even NA 95 with 205k miles is faster). The car wallows through corners, but the 93 took them in stride, and the 95 (new springs at 130k) rides even better. And the interior! Blah!!! It has leather, but I’d take my 95 “felt” over it and the crappy plastic any day.
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Speaking of the Dodge Sprinter, I just passed one today puffing all kinds of black smoke out the tailpipe, and it wasn’t going up a hill, just cruising in normal non-rush hour interstate in city traffic. I believe it was a 2500.
The dodge.com website states the 3.0L cargo van gets 21.0 empty / 19.5 loaded, and the passenger version gets 19.9 empty / 18.6 loaded (load being capacity of 1500 lb). To make itself look better, it compares the Dodge 2500 to a GM 3500 and a Ford E350 (all engines being diesel, with Dodge being the only Turbo). See the http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/sprinter/low_cost/fuel_economy web page.
I think Jay would do a much better job than anyone else they are considering. I love Jay’s taste in cars, and I think he would know just how to bring the public back onto the showroom floors.