October 31, 2007
Lord save Detroit from the car guys
There was an strange story in the New York Times yesterday that seemed, within the po-faced confines of New York Times news style, to be mocking Bob Nardelli, the new chief executive of Chrysler.
Mr Nardelli’s offence was to compare the experience of driving a car to that of being in a favourite room, where one finds gratification and tranquility away from the hubbub of public transport.
The piece, by the Times’ motor industry correspondent, suggested that Mr Nardelli was having trouble putting behind him his previous job as chief executive of Home Depot and was still focused on home improvement rather than becoming a "car guy" - Detroit’s moniker for an industry insider.
I have two points to make in response.
The first is that I think Mr Nardelli is right about the appeal of cars to ordinary folk. I do not own a car and so commute daily by public transport. But I remember when I did own one, in London, feeling the pleasure of being insulated from the outside world as I drove around.
The second is that Mr Nardelli’s attempts not to think like a "car guy" are to his credit. It was, after all, the "car guys" who brought Detroit to its current, desperate, state. The motor industry has always struck me as far too insular and inwardly-obsessed.
If Mr Nardelli is trying to break out of this mind-set, no matter in how awkward a manner, he deserves a slap on the back rather than ridicule.
I lived in London for a while and like you I remember been insulated all the time when driving…crazt stuff really
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