There have been rumblings about some sort of newer eco-vehicle collaboration between Segway and some automaker for several years.
Finally, with the threat of impending bankruptcy on the horizon, General Motors [GM] has come clean with its work with Segway to mass-produce a two-person battery-powered two-wheeled vehicle. CNBC reports details concerning this interesting tidbit.
Management Perspective
Without announcing any pricing details or further technical details concerning the product, it is difficult to say whether this will be GM’s saving grace. But perhaps this is the sincere gesture, as well as a genuine product development attempt, that will reverse the lack of faith that consumers and the stock market have about a company that has been plagued by mounting debt, rising costs, public suspicions about corporate and labor performance issues, and lackluster interest for its goods in light of the poor economic conditions worldwide.
In “bad times”, there is plenty of blame to go around, and many people spend a considerable amount of time looking for scapegoats (justified or not). This is very counterproductive, particularly for companies who are already operating on borrowed time. Instead, it is a recommended strategy to seek innovation and produce quality products that the target audiences will want/need.
While the general sentiment is mixed concerning GM’s future, it would be interesting to see the automaker slim down to become a new, re-invented company focused on highly-sought vehicles in a particular consumer segment. This would be analogous to becoming the Apple [AAPL] of the automobile world, instead of trying to be the Microsoft [MSFT]. This may be accomplished in a straightforward manner by divesting of most of the auto divisions except for the Saturn brand, for instance, and then designing and implementing the key new announcements, such as the Segway collaboration and the Volt and new econo-designs that people have been seeking at other automakers when GM did not deliver over the past several years. The key is to better define the target audience, understand why that audience has historically shunned the manufacturer and purchased products from competitors despite the known problems with those other items, and then build upon stable, performant platforms to create the new product lines. Of course, this requires a strong and aggressive visionary stance, and this is certainly not a job for most people: a firm advocate of innovation with an iron will, guts of steel, and clarity of vision is needed at the helm.
N.B.
Other title candidates:
- Segway and GM: Finally Unveiling the New Eco(no)-Wheelie?
