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American Turnaround

Dan Roth — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:01:00 EST

Ed Whitacre's Postcard From The Auto Bailout

Ed Whitacre freely admits "I knew nothing about cars. Zero." Which made the out-of-the-blue phonecall from Steven Rattner all the more strange. But he does know management, and that's why Team Auto reached out, because General Motors management was all kinds of bad, and that needed to change now that taxpayer money was at stake.

In his memoir American Turnaround, Ed Whitacre gives his side of the reinvigoration of General Motors. It's another slice in the ongoing dissection of What Just Happened in the American auto business, and Whitacre sets up the story by asking, "How could I even consider taking the reins of a company whose business I knew nothing about?"

The book is written like a chat with Ed Whitacre himself; the words on the page almost twanging. The plain, direct language make the 271 pages of American Turnaround go quickly. The book was released February 12th, and as with any memoir, be sure to pick up a few grains of salt or look into some other perspectives so you can form your own opinions about the history that's now being written down.

There will be critics who write off American Turnaround as a vanity piece written by a typical big-business type adept at tooting his own horn. A memoir by its very nature is going to be filled with a lot of I, Me, Mine, and the inherent inertia in the car business will see Whitacre accused of trying to take credit for things set in motion by the leadership he kicked out. The criticisms might be missing the point, or worse, misinterpreting. Whitacre didn't swashbuckle in like, say, Bob Lutz, brimming with ideas about product development. Instead, he came in and looked at the way the business of GM was run, and according to his account, it wasn't firing on all cylinders. That seems to square with other reports, regardless of what you believe caused it.

Continue reading American Turnaround

American Turnaround originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Book Review: Bryce G. Hoffman's new American Icon book on Ford [w/video]

David Kiley — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford

There is little question that Ford, under the leadership of CEO Alan Mulally, has perhaps never looked better in terms of product and financial stability.

But it's been less than four years since the company's stock was hovering near $1.00 a share. The Ford family was making noise about selling out. And Mulally was actually lampooned on Saturday Night Live.

Bryce G. Hoffman, a reporter for The Detroit News, has penned a new book, American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company, on the fall and rise of the Blue Oval. The book really begins with the 2000-2001 Firestone tire recall, continues through the 2008 financial meltdown and eventually finishes with the comeback and reformation of the company under Mulally.

David Kiley, Editor-in-Chief of our sister site, AOL Autos, reviews the book here for HuffingtonPost Detroit, bu you can check out a video interview with Hoffman talking all things Ford after the jump.

Continue reading Book Review: Bryce G. Hoffman's new American Icon book on Ford [w/video]

Book Review: Bryce G. Hoffman's new American Icon book on Ford [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Book Review: Porsche, A History of Excellence by Randy Leffingwell

Michael Harley — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Etc., Porsche

Porsche: A History of Excellence - Click above for image gallery from the publication

Randy Leffingwell is a Porsche enthusiast - serving as primary reason why this book isn't just another regurgitated account following the history of one of the world's most celebrated marques. Porsche: A History of Excellence is a comprehensive look at the automaker's past, from 1938 to near present day, told within the confines of a 348-page coffee table book.

Researched with the tenacity of someone who truly appreciates and understands the brand, Leffingwell did much of his investigation in Germany, working side-by-side with Dieter Landenberger (director of Porsche archives) for this fully authorized book. The author conducted more than 60 interviews to answer questions such as: Why did Porsche feel it necessary to go into the SUV market? Did some of Porsche's 917 racing program funding come from Volkswagen Marketing? What were the design and engineering challenges to creating "two cars with one face," both the Boxster and the 996, at the same time?

The book is loaded with beautiful and interesting imagery - the color pictures occupy more space than text on most of the pages. According to Leffingwell, about half the images in the book came from Porsche's own archives, which have been published in this book for the first time. The balance was shot by the author himself, a noted world-class photographer, in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria and Italy.

While it is an interesting chronological read, with plenty of eye candy to hold the reader's attention, we did note that the book abruptly ends its history lesson at the year 2008. Sadly, there is no mention of current technology like the "Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe" (PDK), direct-injection or the Porsche 918 Spyder (even though an image of the supercar oddly emblazons the cover). Nevertheless, it's not a deal breaker as the balance of the content more than makes up for the minor shortcoming.

Before you rush out to put a copy on your family room table, we need to warn you that the book isn't completely new - explaining the date cutoff. Leffingwell reveals that most of the copy was first published as Porsche 60 Years, a six-pound hardcover, in August of 2008. While that book received excellent reviews, it went out of print after just one run (new copies of the original text, if you can find them, are selling for over $150.00). Thanks to the popularity of a German language edition, the publisher chose to re-release this updated and revised version called Porsche: A History of Excellence. Printed as a three-pound soft-cover, the book carries a list price of $30.00 (it is $21.90 right now on Amazon). That's a literary bargain if you're a fan of European sports cars.

Book Review: Porsche, A History of Excellence by Randy Leffingwell originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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