After It Hit the Fan

Every so slowly we're turning a corner. General Motors has announced that it might start paying back the loans it had to take out.

The New York Times has the entire story here. Granted, what they're "paying" back is just part of the loans that they didn't need. But it's a step in the right direction.

It's only now, when things have almost settled down, that we can realize just how much has changed.

Pontiac and Saturn are dead. Saab and Hummer have new owners (Swedish and Chinese, respectively). Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by an Indian company and the Italians are running Chrysler.

The SUV is slowly dying. The crossover vehicle is ascending. Station wagons are starting to come back and small cars, with small engines, are on the rise again.

But while it's all changing, some of the old is still hanging on.

GM just announced a new Cadillac station wagon, the CTS V, and it'll have around 500hp. There are rumors of a new V8 engine and a high powered version of the Camaro.

Ford's rolling out new V8s in size and power that we haven't seen since the early 1970s.

But I think we're seeing the last glorious gasp of power. Emission laws and Corporate Average Fuel Economy will bring it all to an end.

Hell, let's enjoy it while we can. Burn that last piece of rubber in celebration. The Big Three still exist, they're just a lot smaller.

But if we have to sacrifice power and size to keep GM, Ford and Chrysler, then so be it. I don't want to see any more brands die or companies fail.

I don't want to see more people lose their jobs.

There's just one thing that the executives at GM need to understand when they buy their company back. It's what the people at Fiat and Chrysler must remember in the next two years. It's what Ford has already grasped.

To survive, to thrive, they must produce a quality product. That is the one constant.