Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

The collapse of General Motors captured headlines in early 2009, but as Alex Taylor III writes in this in-depth dissection of the automaker’s undoing, GM’s was a meltdown forty years in the making. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience and insight as an automotive industry reporter, as well as personal relationships with many of the leading players, Taylor reveals the many missteps of GM and its competitors: a refusal to follow market cues and consumer trends; a lack of follow-through on major initiatives; and a history of hesitance, inaction, and failure to learn from mistakes. In the process, he provides lasting lessons for every executive who confronts the challenges of a changing marketplace and global competition. Yet Taylor resists condemning GM’s leadership from the privileged view of hindsight. Instead, his account enables the reader to see GM’s decline through the eyes of an insider, with the understanding that corporate decision-making at a company as large as General Motors isn’t as simple as it may seem. Taylor’s book serves as a marvelous case study of one of the United States’ premier companies, of which every American quite literally now holds a share.

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Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

The collapse of General Motors captured headlines in early 2009, but as Alex Taylor III writes in this in-depth dissection of the automaker’s undoing, GM’s was a meltdown forty years in the making. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience and insight as an automotive industry reporter, as well as personal relationships with many of the leading players, Taylor reveals the many missteps of GM and its competitors: a refusal to follow market cues and consumer trends; a lack of follow-through on major initiatives; and a history of hesitance, inaction, and failure to learn from mistakes. In the process, he provides lasting lessons for every executive who confronts the challenges of a changing marketplace and global competition. Yet Taylor resists condemning GM’s leadership from the privileged view of hindsight. Instead, his account enables the reader to see GM’s decline through the eyes of an insider, with the understanding that corporate decision-making at a company as large as General Motors isn’t as simple as it may seem. Taylor’s book serves as a marvelous case study of one of the United States’ premier companies, of which every American quite literally now holds a share.

14.49 In Stock
Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

by Alex Taylor
Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors--and the Detroit Auto Industry

by Alex Taylor

eBook

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Overview

The collapse of General Motors captured headlines in early 2009, but as Alex Taylor III writes in this in-depth dissection of the automaker’s undoing, GM’s was a meltdown forty years in the making. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience and insight as an automotive industry reporter, as well as personal relationships with many of the leading players, Taylor reveals the many missteps of GM and its competitors: a refusal to follow market cues and consumer trends; a lack of follow-through on major initiatives; and a history of hesitance, inaction, and failure to learn from mistakes. In the process, he provides lasting lessons for every executive who confronts the challenges of a changing marketplace and global competition. Yet Taylor resists condemning GM’s leadership from the privileged view of hindsight. Instead, his account enables the reader to see GM’s decline through the eyes of an insider, with the understanding that corporate decision-making at a company as large as General Motors isn’t as simple as it may seem. Taylor’s book serves as a marvelous case study of one of the United States’ premier companies, of which every American quite literally now holds a share.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300158885
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 05/04/2010
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Alex Taylor III is a senior editor at Fortune magazine. He is a member of the International Motor Press Association and is on the jury for the North America Car of the Year Awards. Mike Jackson is the chairman and chief executive officer of AutoNation. Previously, he served as president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mike Jackson ix

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

1 GM at the Peak 13

2 Growing Up in the Car-Crazy Fifties 23

3 Cracks in GM's Edifice 33

4 Insecure Colossus: The Roger Smith Era 53

5 Ford Speeds Up 71

6 The Saturn Moonshot 81

7 Lee Iacocca, Blemishes and All 93

8 Bob Stempel and the Crisis of'92 103

9 Jack Smith's Unfinished Revolution 119

10 Bob Eaton's Big Score 133

11 GM on Cruise Control 145

12 Succession Battles at Ford 159

13 Wagoner Takes Over 169

14 Nasser, Ford, and Mulally 179

15 The Legend of Lutz 191

16 The Uneven Legacy of Lee 201

17 GM's Inevitable Collapse 211

18 The End of the Road 225

Epilogue 235

Index 243

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