Just How New Is The 'New' GM?
During her grilling before Congress last week, General Motors CEO Mary Barra insisted the new General Motors is different and better than the old one.
So as GM begins to fix nearly 2.6 million vehicles for an ignition-switch defect that has been linked to at least 13 deaths, we decided to put that claim to the test.
Exactly how new is the new GM?
Saturday Night Live answered with a parody version of Barra's explanation:
"I can't speak to how the old GM would handle an issue like this," said cast member Kate McKinnon as Barra in front of the skit's congressional panel. "I can only speak to how the new GM would handle it. ... It's actually the new GM starting ... NOW!
"... The first rule in new GM is you never talk about old GM."
But we want to talk about both the old and the new GM. How new is it, exactly?
Starting with the actual products GM produces, the cars, we ask Director of Auto Testing for Consumer Reports Jake Fisher, how new are new GM cars?
"The new GM is extremely different from the GM from before," says Fisher. "When we look at the products, the ones that have come out in post bankruptcy have been far better in performance that what we saw before."
Consumer Reports and Fisher have not historically been fans of GM. Fisher says the company is haunted by the zombies of the past — cars that are still in production that were designed before bankruptcy.
The Two-Way
GM CEO Barra Is Grilled Over Handling Of Ignition Switch Defect