Will creativity be stifled

[obi_waynne]

In this credit crunch, with car makers facing mass layoffs, plant closures and cutbacks do you think that creativity will be stifled?

If you were a company would you still pour money into new model design and development and engine development or just aim to tick over and ride out the economic storm?

Personally I think it is more important to innovate and develop in these difficult times. Cut back on the Massive SUV's etc and focus on delivering a fun car to drive that is reliable and economical.

 

[Prince]

There is no reason that car makers can't concentrate on smaller cars at the moment. They tend to be cheaper and more economical, which is something a lot of people want right now.

I don't think this 'credit crunch' will stop car makers, maybe it will just make them think differently.

 

[HDi fun]

There is no reason that car makers can't concentrate on smaller cars at the moment. They tend to be cheaper and more economical, which is something a lot of people want right now.

I don't think this 'credit crunch' will stop car makers, maybe it will just make them think differently.

It's stopped General Motors, in case anyone failed to notice.

 

[blacklineninja]

GM has been clunking along for years pumping out bland, fuel-thirsty cars and drab updates of once great muscle cars, and treating the climate debate with contempt - their greatest economical achievement a Hummer H2 that could do "almost" 60 miles on an enormous tank of hydrogen.

I think car makers should be running to the design studios begging their designers for funky looking cars and their engineers for fun handling and performance whilst attaining the highest level of fuel efficiency so its a win-win for all.

If they can re-engage with the excitement new cars once bought about, and show people that a new car can be good for the environment, then they can take a positive stride towards helping themselves through the recession.

Saying that, they could also pump some research into upgrading already existing models with new technology that makes them cleaner, greener and last longer. Given the choice between investing in a new car, or taking your perfectly healthy 9 year old motor to the dealership to be upgraded for half the cost, and the sad people like me who love their cars will whoop with joy as they join the back of the queue to get their pride and joy bought up to date.

While you were at it, you could give optional extras like you would when buying a brand new car - leather seats, sat nav, MP3 player etc - I know most of us buy these as aftermarket items on our own accord, but the older generation don't

 

[WLBjork]

GM fell into more or less the same trap that the UK manufacturers did in the 70s - several "manufacturers" providing pretty much the same car, just under different marques.

It'll be interesting to see how well Alfa's MiTo and Skoda's Yeti perform.

 

[obi_waynne]

I've got to agree with blacklineninja & WLBjork. GM seemed pretty complacent. It's a bit of a shame they went under as they had the Volt concept a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that seemed to work quite well.

I guess the motto here at the moment is evolve or become extinct.

 

[HDi fun]

It mearly happened to IBM in the 1990s. Their marketing strategy almost got to the point of being 'Do you want a F****ng computer or not?'

We all walked and invested in Tandem, HP and Sun Solaris alternatives.