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.
Credit crunch aside, GM is in dire straits due to an insufficient variety of fuel-efficient vehicles for the American market. The irony is that GM designs vehicles in Europe that could help rebuild sales here in America. While the trend is well underway to bring those vehicles to our shores, the pace must be hastened and significant tweaks must be made.
