BusinessWeek has plans for Chrysler
BusinessWeek has an article that offers Chrysler some advice on how to take the domestic lead. The article, though, was written by Geoff Vuleta, head of a consultancy firm, and frankly offers a great deal more vision than practical implementation.
While all of them may be good ideas, they seem a tad impractical, or generic, or terrifically costly. Especially for a car company that is simply trying to get back to balance. Although an aluminum-bodied, clearcoated Viper could be something pretty hot to see...
Thanks for the tip: Sandeep!
[Source: Business Week]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay Evans 9:14AM (10/15/2007)
Exactly how does he propose car companies "clear-coat" the steel? The energy usages is to bake the paint dry not in the painting itself.
No matter what they coat the steel with it will have to be cured... with heat.
Of course then there is the rust problem on cars that don't have the corrosion preventing dip primer.
What a maroon...
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CJ 9:24AM (10/15/2007)
Know what else is expensive and not very eco-friendly? Engines... they should get rid of those too.
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Menice 9:32AM (10/15/2007)
i think they could save a lot of money on tire replacments and in landfills if they used solid rubber tires. then you can etch your own pattern seasonally!
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georgejetson 9:38AM (10/15/2007)
Yet another out-of-touch coastal liberal who doesn't understand squat about the car business. Yawn.
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Jared 9:40AM (10/15/2007)
He does not have clue about why people buy cars or how they're made.
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howard 9:48AM (10/15/2007)
You didn't get the intent, it's all in fun! Maybe the auto manufacturers will see it and realize how the public sees the junk they're putting on us. DeLorean didn't paint his car, "THE DeLorean' but he polished the hell out of t!
Bob 9:48AM (10/15/2007)
Spoken like a true consultant, though there are probably some practical ideas buried under the utopian fluff.
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DesiAuto 9:52AM (10/15/2007)
I agree with people who say he is not in touch with auto business ... BUT why stick political lables on him like "coastal liberal".
Labeling people and character assassination has become so rampant in this country.
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mk 10:49AM (10/15/2007)
Just exactly how is calling someone a "liberal", constitute character assasination? Are you afraid of what being a liberal actually means?
The guy seems to have liberal ideas, most of which occur in the coastal (east and west) regions of this country, but admittedly not exclusively. This sort of thing tends not to come from the south or the rural midwest, it tends to come from the eastern seaboard, and the west coast, not-coincidently in the more urban centers.
You may be sick of people using labels. Personally, I think, if the appropriate label fits, wear it. A label isn't a definition to most people. I am sick of people complaining about "labels" and devisiveness, rather than debating real issues, from a self-admitted position. I admit and am proud of my beliefs and positions. Someone afraid of labels, probably isn't.
The people who complain about devisiveness are usually the ones that the label happens to apply most to, and want most to quash debate. Ending devisiveness is fine as long as it is solved by everyone agreeing with you. Enter real debate, and that is probably where the character assasination really begins...
I think it is perfectly legitimate to call someone's politics into question when they make public statements, when their politics lead their beliefs regarding "climate change", which in turn leads them to say crazy things like leaving paint off of new cars, to be "green". It is political, and it is stupid. It is in no way practical, nor would it make a meaningful difference.
Does this guy realize that most parts of cars are not all the same color? different metals and different plastics, and even uneven colors within the parts. Not to re-iterate the previous comment that mentions that clearcoat and color coat make no difference, they both need to be bake-cured, regardless.
I sure want to spend money on a brand new car that looks like a piece of junk, right off the showroom floor. I am sure a lot of other people do, too. So I am sure that being "green" the way this consultant suggests will mean really good things for the company. That of course, is sarcastic.
It is political correctness infiltrating everything, and then people like Desi complain when people call it what it is, and say it is too devisive. Neither the political correctness itself, nor the complaining about lack of it from others, are meaningful problems, or solutions.
Snowdog 10:27AM (10/15/2007)
Doesn't BW have editors. Do they think clearcoat is applied somewhere other than a paint booth? Are there clearcoat Gnomes?
I am all for polished naked Stainless steel or Aluminum body, but both are prohibitively expensive materials.
Low end cars can get away with unpainted plastic exteriors perhaps, but the mainstream of the market will remain painted because it is cheaper than Alu/Stainless.
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mk 11:36AM (10/15/2007)
Not to mention the glare of unpainted reflective metal.
People already complain about HID lighting, imagine the reflectivity of the sun off of a highly reflective metal car, and the heat on a sunny day. Even if it isn't mirror polished, it is still pretty effective at reflection.
The whole suggestion of leaving cars unpainted is rediculous at it's core. It is staggering that a consultant who gets paid to give quality advice would suggest such a thing.
Talk about more efficient powertrains, recycled materials being used in new products, things like that, which have real practical and technical merits.
I am not saying that unpainted cars isn't an idea to have. But after half-a-second of rational thought, anybody should be able to dismiss it as unfeasible and impractical, to the point of being rediculous. Why it goes beyond that is what puzzles me.
MacGuffin 10:53AM (10/15/2007)
'Geoff Vuleta is CEO of Fahrenheit 212'
It appears that this guy has no automotive experience whatsoever. While sometimes an outsider's perspective is interesting, his ideas are just dumb.
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fawgcutter 11:37AM (10/15/2007)
One of the things that sent the domestics in their downward spiral is bad paint jobs to begin with. I grimace every time I see a domestic car with blistering and peeling paint, or sandblasted and rusted rockers from too thin paint thinking that it happened because they thought that they could save a penny here or there.
All automakers have gone to waterborne paint to reduce hydrocarbon emissions and robotic paint application to reduce waste but there's still more work that can be done.
As for small cars with big car feel. The American public consistently went with "bigger is better." This "if you build it (smaller) they will come" mentality pushed by environmentalists hasn't worked until gas prices went up.
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787B 12:25PM (10/15/2007)
>>This "if you build it (smaller) they will come" mentality pushed by environmentalists hasn't worked until gas prices went up.
Grassroots Racer 12:27PM (10/15/2007)
OK, that didn't work. Try again:
"This "if you build it (smaller) they will come" mentality pushed by environmentalists hasn't worked until gas prices went up."
It still hasn't worked even with the big jumps in gas prices. SUV's still outsell "hybrids" 20 to 1.
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Sandeep 12:32PM (10/15/2007)
I knew this article was going to yield some good discussion ;)
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Ross 4:20PM (10/15/2007)
Powder coating should be cheaper than conventional paint. It gives a matte finish, often with a fine texture. It would look good on a Jeep or something with a rough and tough appearance, like a Honda Element or Toyota FJ Cruiser.
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SPG 7:05PM (10/15/2007)
I feel this guy is from the same school of thought that you hear in the average upscale coffee house.
"cars are going to be extint in ten years".
I knew a newspaper editor who actually believed this, as did her middle aged hipster hippie friends. Educated professionals.
Just like this guy.
The unpainted car thing is not going to fly.
Small cars that feel big would, so would sports cars for large baby boomers.
The rest should be treated as it is.
A fun read.
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scott 2:11PM (10/17/2007)
I have to take issue with Vuleta's conclusions regarding steel versus aluminium, as it relates to the future of Chrysler.
His assertion aluminum is significantly lighter than steel doesn’t take into account the impact of advanced high-strength steel over traditional steel. Advanced steel can achieve 25% or more in weight reductions compared to conventional steel vehicles, at little or no additional cost.
The same can’t be said for aluminum vs. advanced steel.
When engineers replace AHSS with aluminum in the same midsize car you get a 3.4% drop in curb weight, which basically amounts to fuel savings of about a tank of gas over the life of the vehicle. But you increase production costs by $1,400 to $2,300 for the body-in-white.
That’s hardly savings, especially for automakers like Chrysler trying to return to profits.
The point of your story was how Chrysler can be more green. But you might be surprised to know that aluminum actually produces more green house gases over the entire life cycle of the car - from raw material production to the final recycling phase - than steel.
Food for thought.
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