Open Letter To American Carmakers
Remember a time when a car show was a glimpse into the future?
Innovation was oozing from the best scientists and engineers. Working on making safer, faster, and more appealing vehicles with every generation. But somewhere along the way you got knee deep into the gadget and gizmo phase and you have yet to see beyond that. Cars ceased being prescient and they became only cool.
So for the sake of your future stop using failed business models and minor adjustments to fix your car lines. Stop using planned obsolescence for reliable income after the initial sale of the car. Stop making cars while blindly missing the leaps in technological breakthroughs that would make your cars seem as if they were out of the future again.
A few examples:
- The Rocky Mountain Institute has discovered a material as strong as the steel you currently use, but that weigh much less automatically providing great savings in fuel costs. http://www.rmi.org/
- Gizmag has regular reports on new engines, fuels, and methods of generating energy for your autos (imagine a solar charged hybrid or an SUV that gets 100 mpg). http://www.gizmag.com/
- Future Cars reports on broad scientific and fun inventions in the modern modes of transport.
There are countless others.
Go into your archives and look for those competitive ideas you squashed in fear of competition (Tucker) or failed to use due to some short sighted allegiance to the gas companies (ie "Who Killed the Electric Car'). Look at all the patents you bought for fear of competition and USE them in your designs.
Stop stomping on the Tuckers and Tesla's out there and start competing and bringing on the brightest thinkers. They are graduating constantly from colleges and high schools across the nation with ideas that would be groundbreaking and would provide security for your long term goals.
If you can't find room for innovation in your car lines, why should anyone root for you or show loyalty to a brand?
Good luck,
Scott~
Innovation was oozing from the best scientists and engineers. Working on making safer, faster, and more appealing vehicles with every generation. But somewhere along the way you got knee deep into the gadget and gizmo phase and you have yet to see beyond that. Cars ceased being prescient and they became only cool.
So for the sake of your future stop using failed business models and minor adjustments to fix your car lines. Stop using planned obsolescence for reliable income after the initial sale of the car. Stop making cars while blindly missing the leaps in technological breakthroughs that would make your cars seem as if they were out of the future again.
A few examples:
- The Rocky Mountain Institute has discovered a material as strong as the steel you currently use, but that weigh much less automatically providing great savings in fuel costs. http://www.rmi.org/
- Gizmag has regular reports on new engines, fuels, and methods of generating energy for your autos (imagine a solar charged hybrid or an SUV that gets 100 mpg). http://www.gizmag.com/
- Future Cars reports on broad scientific and fun inventions in the modern modes of transport.
There are countless others.
Go into your archives and look for those competitive ideas you squashed in fear of competition (Tucker) or failed to use due to some short sighted allegiance to the gas companies (ie "Who Killed the Electric Car'). Look at all the patents you bought for fear of competition and USE them in your designs.
Stop stomping on the Tuckers and Tesla's out there and start competing and bringing on the brightest thinkers. They are graduating constantly from colleges and high schools across the nation with ideas that would be groundbreaking and would provide security for your long term goals.
If you can't find room for innovation in your car lines, why should anyone root for you or show loyalty to a brand?
Good luck,
Scott~
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