What the Car Czar must do! - Garage419

Great show and dead on. I would add one to your list....for the suits: "Get There Heads Out of Their Asses. I was recently in the mood for a muscle car. I checked out the new SRT Challenger. I loved the exterior but when I saw that steering wheel I said no way. The big boys think oh they won't care that much, well I did. I then drove the Mustang Bullitt. It captured the exhaust note perfectly, just what I was looking for but I haven't seen an interior that cheap and ugly since my 75 Datsun 310. No Sale. I bought another German car as I have done for the past 10 years. Matt, keep up the good work. Oh, get some lav mic's since you are now on TV. Remember Quality is Job One.

I agree 100% that it is all about having the right visionary who can inspire the industry and execute a plan worth having. It's all about style and experience for car buyers and the bottom line is that people buy emotionally on how the vehicle looks or makes them feel or better yet, how they think they will feel buying driving it. So let's start with building high quality, eye catching cars that deliver a driving experience that begs to be driven again and again. In regards to basic style, for some reason GM has built better looking cars for the European markets vs. the U.S.? Besides the Chevy Corvette & Cadillac Brand GM has neglected the average performance and style minded car buyer of today. Tell me, who really wants to drive a turbo charged Cobalt? or a Super Charged Pontiac, Buick or Chevy Impalla SS? While some of these may be fun to drive, I'll never know because I'll never consider buying or test driving one and for years this has been the standard. Out with the old idea's and in with the new. It's time to get car guys back into the car business. And to be clear, I am not in favor of bailouts, unions or legislation that restricts U.S. automakers from remaining competitive with foreign manufacturers. Everything cycles in a free market and the sad truth might be that the U.S. Auto industry may have to fall, restructure, rid itself of unions, take on new investers and obtain new leadership to emerge victorious!

* We'd vote for you Matt, or maybe we should get somebody who speaks English? ;) Or at least count from 1->5? Or 5->1? "What order was I going in???" Tricky stuff huh? What is your formal education exactly if any??? CV?

Merry Xmas Matt & Team! Keep up the excellent shows and info. Wish you and your team the best for '09. Regards, "The Adelaide Gardener" & "Team TAG Racing" from Adelaide, South Australia. Australia.

1. MAKE A GOOD INTERIOR!!! 2. Make a car that is fun to drive 3. Stop using crappy materials to earn yourselves more money 4. When times are tough, dont take the performance out of the car, take the lowest selling cars out 5. Stop with these ugly/boxy designs, being creative and 'out there' doesnt mean you have to come up with an ugly car 6. Lower your price points! For the amount of money that the current American cars cost, you can get a better foreign car 7. Cut the mass-produce mentality, design your car around quality, then figure out a way to reproduce it; not the other way around 8. GET RID OF THE UNIONS-they are one of the main reasons that the auto makers have to cheap out on quality. When the economy is bad and the company is suffering, they keep making more and more demands. For example: there are 3,000,000 unionized assembly auto workers at the Big 3. They have a 'loaded' (includes benefits and pensions) salary of around $70/hour. Lets do the math: -Lets say each worker puts in 40 hours/week--thats about 160 hours a month. -multiply $70/hour by 160 hours = $11,200/month for one employee loaded salary -multiply $11,200/month by 12 months a year = $134,400/year loaded salary for each employee -multiply $134,400/year loaded salary by 3,000,000 workers at the Big 3 = $403,200,000,000. 403 billion dollars a year that these makers have to put out a year for all their workers to cover their take home cash, insurance, pensions, and benefits.

Matt, I think rally racing stock cars would save the big 3. Let "Joe public" see what the car they actually could buy minus a roll cage could do on American rally circuits. You face time with American consumers, plus the opportunity to really develop good American cars. Yes I know this exists. However, its mostly private racing teams, not the big 3.

I agree with you. The us auto makers need to be more ahaed of the curve. but thats not easy. Do you know what the publice will want and buy 3 yrs from now. Because that what it takes to put a new car on the market. you know to pass all the testing and bull shit. maybe the Gov. and help with that problem. I'm a Fleet manager in a GM dealer here in AB Canada. so I see whats happening frist hand. the Companies need to talk to Us the Dealers.. more. and ask us. what our customers are asking for. I would love to tell them... I do disagree with you on the fact that America cars aren't up to the standard. I get 3 or 4 yr old honda's and toyota's on trade all the time. and they don't stand up to Canadain roads any better then GM's.

Build me a car that makes me want to drive. Not to work or drop my kid off to day care, just drive. I'll make it simple for you. Front Engine rear wheel drive two door and for door. And no god damn plastic in terior. Do not drop eny race programs. Race on Sunday, Sale on Monday(duh!!)

The problem with marketing is exactly that, people don't know what they wan't. Granted that some things are common sense though like good interior for one thing. Exterior has to be fixed too and GM can do it. I mean take a look at the CTS-V or the Volt. I mean the Volt is the best looking electric car I've ever seen. Much better looking than the hybrid Prius.

I agree entirely with all of your points, though I think the build and interior quality of American cars really need to be the priority. I have an uncle looking for a new car for his wife, he asked me why I prefer foreign and I told him it was all about the build quality. After test driving a Cobalt, Malibu and a Focus, he bought a toyota.

Hi Matt, I vote for Tommy Chong to be the Car Czar. First off he would legalize pot which would instantly create new jobs and the 18 billion for the bailout paid off in full this year. He would focus just like you said in the show on the interior making sure it was up to par. (comfort, styling and seats that don't burn) Next order of business would be the alternative fuels & technology. The goal would be to go green so that the youth can actually experience driving and racing not just video footage of NASCAR, something they can relate to like a hydrogen 3 window coupe rat rod. The third order would be to re-tool factories so that they could make other goods then just cars, trucks or SUV's. I'm thinking set up the American factorys that are vacant with the newly legalized cash crop, to pay for tuning & R&d for intergrated GPS, Radar, all the good stuff to keep driving what it was ment to be in Tommy Chong's eyes freedom. just my 2 cents. Keep up the great show, hope to see my comments on the next episode.

Matt I think you would make a pretty good car czar however in all seriousness Leo seems like he might have have a slightly stronger resume to actually get nominated !

The problems with the Car industry are Enormouse but they are easily fixable. First off- The people running these companys are not car lovers or innovators like Henry Ford, they are bean counters and share holders! They don't know what people want and when they want it. This leads to my second point, there is a HUGE disconnect between what the people want, what they make, and WHEN they make it. Take the camaro and challenger for example, they would of been great throwback cars...5 years ago...everyone is over the new camaro, the only reason it could be any good is because it'll have the LS series engines in them. This leads to the third point, why is it that we have great engines like the LS or the Ford GT block? Because we go RACING!! I love vettes because of the ALMS cars, and the c5.r and c6.r cars. I watch F1, but its like watching moto GP and comparing it to your bicycle. Yeah we got the two wheel idea together and the brakes to look similar but its a new platform. I think Matt and people like him should be the heads (or at least some sort of input on what should be done) because cars without passion are just machines. Look at the greatest cars in history. Most were built by engineers with a vision, on their off-hours because they were bored with they regular P.O.S. cars they had to build daily, does the Lamborghini Miura sound familiar?? No, well how about the original Dodge Viper. It had a tractor rear end, no roof, and a shifter that took days to use, but they both are vision-like, ground breaking car. Finally the biggest problem is the underappreciation of the american engineering community and their design prowess. For example, whenever i hear about German cars (i bought a few...guilty) we hear about their SUPERIOR ENGINEERING, and the japaneses' SUPERIOR MANUFACTURING ETC ETC. The US has all the resources to compete with...AND EXCEED foreign industries. We're just being held out of the loophole. Look at what garage monkey's are doing w/ this POS engines they give us...just look at the american aftermarket! ITS BOOMING!! (except edelbrock..their parts are shady) Anyway if any of this doesn't make sense its b/c i wanted to get all my ideas down and i cant type that fast. haha.. Good luck and I honestly believe that someone who likes cars (like a Jay Leno only with corporate prowess substitued in for his humor abilities) is going to be the evolutionary step in saving our auto industry. Otherwise, if it weren't for the jobs and money invested in the industry, i say let it burn b/c the only good cars to come out of america are the first ones getting killed (Ford GT, Dodge Viper, Corvette). It's time we end the disconnect and fix it ourselves. Otherwise GM and Ford will die, and smaller visionary companies will take their place....It's capatalism baby!

Matt!...Matt... Your on the MONEY!!! What has happened to the CAR INDUSTRY? My vote is with you. You'd think they are selling toilet rolls, not dreams, power and respect on the road. Who dreams at 10 years of age to buy a PRIUS??? WTF??? "THEY" haven't designed a good interior for how long? Unless you can afford a Lambo or ..... No wonder they have gone BUST! I doubt if this money WILL fix the industry. Maybe it's a good thing....?...weed out the bad. Let the good survive. Take back the money and give it to the homeless and let the REAL car makers flourish!!! (from Adelaide, Australia)

For the longest time the American auto industry has told the public what the public wants. If they knew what the public wanted then they wouldn't be losing business to foreign manufacturers. ASK US what WE want. Pay attention to what we are actually buying and why we buy what we buy.

I'm right there with ya on this one Matt... all your points seem totally valid. Vote Matt Farah for Car Czar '09!

department of the interior is right. i recently rented a 08 cobalt. the rear mirror on that thing creaks when you move it and looks so bad that it alone would stop me from buying that car. American car interiors and for the most part styling are just rock bottom right now. Even nice cars like the solctise are nearly ruined by the interiors they have. They could put aluminum and woodgrain in that car and charge 2k more and more people would buy it i bet. Hell for a throwback e-type like interior i would buy one. At least they are coming along with powertrains these lase few years but chassis design is still lack luster at best. Whomever tuned the chassis on the XLR roadster should be shot.

I agree with most of your points Matt. There many things which are needed to change about the American auto industry in order for it to be able o compete with the imports. And for starters here are some points which I know you know about but you didn't mention. 1. Get rid of all the cars which are practically the same car but with a different badge. One is enough. 2. Buick needs to die , because soon all the old people who buy them will die too and the next old generation would not want crap like that. 3. (and this one goes for every car company in the world) Car companies need to stop making amazing prototypes just to show that they can do build a car like that. If it is an amazing and kool looking car as most prototypes are they need to be put in production. Jaguar, Subaru take note pls. 4. There are still new cars there which come out of the factory with drub breaks and running on leaf springs. It is the 21st century now. Those things need to be let go.

Great Show - Bang for your Buck - that is what American car makers need to focus again. Stop with the hubcaps - stop with the plastic dash boards - stop making the same car in 3 different makes. Cut the fat - sorry that includes the unions - spend the money on R&D & make great cars. I dont want to drive an american car that feels like I just rented....

Will someone explain hydrogen fueling to me? Because the way i've seen people make hydrogen is by breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen. But then, if everybody is breaking down water to put in their cars won't the planet eventually run out of its most precious non-renewable resource?

OMG ! Matt you finaly have said something about the american car manufacturers bail out blunder that is good in the last 2 month that you have been convering! Thank you! I have so much to say but im just going to sum it up by this statement. People still belive if you buy a car you should not have it past 75K to 100K miles because that is the end of the life of the vehicle' This notion that was back in the day the norm because of the american undustry still present and this is also why people go buy japanese cars because they have reliability and updateness on their side. I mean the chevy small block 350 great engine its been around almost as long as chevy has been around and if they are not willing to update their technology youd figure they would have all that money they have saved by not looking into new technology. Ford in this mess has suprized me by the fact that their debt is not that bad. But they should honestly sell the cars that they sell in the UK here. Like the ford escort rs awd turbo that they sell there sell that in america people would buy it up like hot cackes. Chrysler thats just a lost cost they should just crawl into a whole and try to just make like 3 cars and a 2 jeeps and call it good. The american car industry has shot itself in the foot by trying to sell back the work to their dealership with their dumb warranties. Honda has one of the lowest warranties and they sell cars because they make cars that are reliable. I dont claime to have resolution to every problem and i am not a ultimate hater but whoring tax payers dollars to support stupid decition because car companies are not beeing run by car guys thats something we wont be able to change. Lastly i dont know why people have a hard on for hydrogen technology. NATURAL GAS / Propane that is things ALASKA has plenty of and the rest of the contry its just a matter of converting fuel lines and a different tank we be reduding green house gases by like 99% dont hold me to that but sure as anything less polution than petrol and with propane you get a litle boost because the way the fuel expands. We wont loose that magic or feel of the internal ombustion engine. check out mothers 69 chevelle running on propane that is a beast well thats all that i needed to say. Aint no thang but a chicken wang.

If this car czar turns into a vote by the citizens, Matt Farah is getting my vote. Also I will be willing to strongly campaign for you. I agree with damn near everything you said. Not only will your ideas help solve the problems, but they will also make the country more EXCITING. Car companies having racing teams and mandatory supercars is brilliant! It could be like a domestic version of BTCC but with road-legal cars that we could buy today in America. We need an auto enthusiast to be in this car czar position, and you, Mr. Matt Farah, are the perfect person to do it. Good Luck, and let me know if you need help campaigning.

agree with the car person like steve jobs, but definately shouldnt be steve jobs he doesnt know shit about cars. i do agree that there needs to be a person, like matt farah, telling car companies what people will want because when u ask the public who dont know shit about cars they wil all say hybrids and trucks, which we have gotten, and which suck major balls

First off, great show. I completely agree with the comment about domestic interiors. I personally am looking forward to the new camaro but I can see your point. I really think that companies like GM and Chrysler should develop performance divisions so that we can have the Corvette CSL make a no nonsense car people!!! Lets look to a benchmark then try to go beyond that mark!!