He may have only just started his new role as President of GM North America but Mark Reuss hasn't wasted any time laying out his blueprint to fix the ailing company. The former Holden chief has made it clear that nothing less than the best cars will do for Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
Speaking to the American media this week, Reuss said he had three clear goals for the company in 2010. The first is to begin repaying the loans from the US and Canadian governments as soon as possible. The second aim is to make American consumers proud of the once great company again. And his final aim is to make the best product on the market.
"We need to focus on being the best, period," Reuss said. "The words 'competitive' and the words 'good enough' are gone from the vocabularies of our employees and changed to 'winning' and 'to be the best'."
He confirmed no more layoffs have been planned and admitted that he believes the troubles of 2009 -- including bankruptcy, the sale of Hummer and the dumping of the Pontiac and Saturn brands -- has actually been a positive for GM.
"I'd argue that the bankruptcy has added clarity to the company that we haven't had in a long time," he said. "About what needs to happen, what needs to be done and the will to win has been flame-hardened within our employees."
In related news, interim GM CEO Ed Whitacre has revealed that the hunt for a permanent replacement for the ousted Fritz Henderson is progressing quickly. He told an online discussion that a shortlist of candidates has emerged and a new CEO could be named within three weeks.
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