Editor's Note: Due to the events of yesterday involving Kirk Kerkorian's ploy to link together Nissan, Renault and GM, we felt it was appropriate for Peter to weigh-in with his comments now, instead of waiting until next Wednesday. (Posted at 11:00AM, July 1st) - JJP

Kerkorian + York + Ghosn = Disaster for General Motors.

Detroit. Anyone who actually believed that Kirk Kerkorian and his designated spear-carrier, Jerry York, had benevolent intentions with their "investment" in General Motors had their attitude adjusted Friday afternoon (June 30) when the two roving quick-buck aficionados revealed their "Plan" to GM (and of course, the media) - which amounts to demanding that GM consider a linkage with Renault SA and Nissan. And it was also revealed that the two had even gone so far as to have secret meetings with Carlos Ghosn, the diminutive megalomaniac and dual CEO of Nissan and Renault, who was looking for another ego boost, apparently - to float their proposal and get his buy-in.

Make no mistake - this isn't about creating a new global automotive powerhouse well-equipped to do battle deep into this century, one that will keep Toyota from taking over the world. And this certainly isn't about doing what's best for General Motors and the people who have so much invested in the fortunes of the company. And this in no way, shape or form has anything to do with solidifying America's manufacturing base or shoring up the economy.

No, this is about flat-out greed, pure and simple.

It's about spiking the stock, roiling the markets and getting the media worked up. Forget the noble intentions espoused by York early on, that he and Kerkorian were just trying to get GM reshaped and on-track for survival so that it could thrive in the future. Forget about all the genuine concern that York spoke about in his speech to the investment community in Detroit last January - that he knew what GM needed to do to become a healthy industry player for years to come, if they'd only listen. No, this is about getting Kerkorian's investment going in the right direction as soon as possible - and if they have to set up a logistical nightmare of an "alignment" to get their financial return jacked-up asap, then they're going to do what they have to do.

And the three "players" involved here just happen to be the Three Amigos of Greed, Unfulfilled Aspirations - and Ego.

Kirk Kerkorian, the multi-billionaire "investor," isn't just about making money. Because if it were just about the money he would have retired to his tennis games long ago, he has so much of it. No, Kerkorian likes to not only make money; he likes to mess with people and companies in the process. His intentions are as transparent as they are malevolent. It's The Game that he thrives on. Period.

And in Jerry York, he has the perfect bagman. Equipped with a brilliant financial mind and a penchant for absorbing and retaining vast quantities of information down to minute detail, York knows the "numbers' side of the car business as well as anyone. He also had a career that, at best, has amounted to unfinished business in the auto industry. And with Kerkorian providing the magical elixir of financial horsepower, York is allowed to flex his cerebral muscles and demonstrate to everyone that he knows his stuff - and that if just given the chance he will prove to the world that he is not only the Greatest Automobile Financial Mind of All Time, but that he could run a car company better than anyone out there too. Unfulfilled aspirations can be a powerful longing, and for York, they have become an obsession that will not be quenched Đ unless and until he can put his personal stamp on an auto company.

And in Ghosn, Kerkorian and York have discovered a compadre in runaway ego, self-importance and delusions of grandeur. Ghosn is the hatchet man who literally dismantled Nissan and then resurrected it from the ashes. He engineered such a spectacular turnaround for the company through relentless cost cutting that he became a folk hero in Japanese business circles. He was so canonized by the media both here and in Japan that he was given Renault to run too - the only executive in automotive history who has been charged with running two major auto companies at the same time - and the only auto executive in history with the ego to suggest that it was only fitting. But there are two things to keep reminding yourself about Ghosn in the euphoria that surrounds him: 1. There is no art or brilliance involved in cost cutting - rather, it's a blunt instrument, an accelerated means to an end. And 2. Ghosn achieved virtually everything he did in the U.S. market because of a product renaissance that was well underway before he even got rolling at Nissan in Tokyo. In short, he did it on the backs of OPT (Other People's Talent).

Is it ironic that Nissan is having serious trouble right now in the U.S. market? No, it isn't. Engineering turnarounds through rampant cost cutting is all Ghosn really knows. Once the turnaround is accomplished, Ghosn is clearly out of productive ideas, sort of a one-trick pony with an inflated pedigree. This has been clearly and convincingly demonstrated in his disastrous move to relocate Nissan's U.S. headquarters to Nashville from Southern California - its spiritual home - in the interests of accomplishing even more cost cutting. Because in doing so he has decimated the organization and sent the majority of its talent packing. In this regard, he is such an impeccable fit with Kerkorian and York it's scary. To Ghosn, the bottom line rules over talent, ability and organizational chemistry every single time. The end justifies the means - especially if it propels his stature as a corporate icon and fuels his already considerable ego even further. And if he gets a crack at running GM, his legacy will be etched in stone.

And so here we are. Three Amigos with a half-baked "Plan" with no real rhyme or reason to it other than to take over GM. And let me be real clear on this next point - there is nothing "alliance" or "partnership" about any of this discussion, either. Kerkorian and York want to be known as the guys who swooped in and took over an American corporate icon and an untouchable piece of America's industrial history - a heretofore unfathomable notion. And with Ghosn, they have just the front man to drive their "vision" - the guy whom York considers to be the finest automotive executive talent out there - other than himself, of course.

But would this takeover even work? Let me put it this way, if the DaimlerChrysler "merger" is still a work in progress after eight years - with the Germans floundering and stumbling around still trying to figure out how to extract the most out of their counterparts' "American" culture while imposing their "superior" way on everything, then attempting to blend three desperately different corporate cultures like GM, Nissan and Renault would be an unmitigated disaster.

Forget about the vaunted synergies and cost savings running through York and Ghosn's brains, because we're talking about a corporate culture train wreck of gigantic proportions, an organizational nightmare that would take a decade to sort out - and that's probably being wildly optimistic, at best.

So where does that leave Rick Wagoner and his team at GM? Probably pissed-off and fighting mad, for starters. And well they should be. I've been highly critical of Rick Wagoner in the past, but I also have had to grudgingly acknowledge of late that his maneuverings are on the right track. I am concerned about the pace of events and the looming 2007 contract talks with the crippled UAW, but nonetheless I have to give Rick his due, he is focused on engineering a turnaround in the "right" way - and I see real, demonstrative progress.

When I say the "right" way, I mean that Rick Wagoner has always tried to take into account the constituencies involved and those who are inexorably invested in the future of GM. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people - generations of families - who have made their livelihoods working for General Motors. And the challenges facing GM in health care costs, pensions and global competitiveness are challenges facing corporate America and our nation as a whole. Rick and his team are trying to do what's right for everyone involved the right way. There are no shortcuts or instant fixes available. It's a gradual and more often than not an excruciatingly painful progress.

But for Kerkorian, it has never been about what's right - it's only about right now. It's not about what's best for the people or the companies involved - it's about what's best for Kerkorian and his neverending quest to accumulate "the zeroes" on his corporate financial statements. The guy loves the smell of financial turmoil in the morning - especially if he's the cause of it. And with York and now Ghosn doing his bidding, Kerkorian is now gloating that he has sent the markets into a tizzy, rattled Rick Wagoner and his team's cage and oh by the way, just so happened to send GM's stock soaring - to his immense benefit and glee.

Is there any real surprise in all of this? No. Kerkorian has never operated any other way throughout his life, that's why when he made this "play" in GM stock, I knew that one day, it would be a big bowl of Not Good for GM. And so here we are.

Kerkorian + York + Ghosn is a formula for disaster for General Motors. I see no reason to sugarcoat that fact. These mercenaries will destroy everything in their path to get what they want - at 89 years old, Kerkorian gets to play The Game a little longer, York gets the respect he has hungered so long for, and Ghosn gets to inflate his runaway ego even further.

And if an American icon gets destroyed in the process, then so be it.

Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday.

 

QFT!

 

Btw, wtf does qft mean?

 

QFT = Quoted for truth

Used on internet forums when quoting someone with similar views as yours.

You can always tell how how worked up AE is when he's writing articles. The longer the article, the more upset he is.

I'm curious to see how GM management responds. This could also be an attempt to drive a wedge between Wagner and the board. I bet if you asked BM, he'd say Rick is in on the deal as well.

 

A few personal jabs in there... Dont know much about Kerkorian or York, although the Marxist in me inherently despises billionaires..

From what Ive read about Ghosn it sounds like he is a one trick pony.

 

Since I highly doubt Wagoner won't let this happen, since it would take board approval right?, I just wonder what Kerkorian got for his next plan. I also wonder how long he will hang in before he sells off all his stock?

 

I doubt it, but it could also be a way for him to bow out. I suppose it's possible that he could sell his own share. Stranger things have happened.

 

Maybe if we are lucky Kerkorian's old *** will just die of old age next week

 

I can't imagine how anyone would think that this proposal would be beneficial to GM. This would be a total disaster. It would sidetrack GM's turnaround and cripple it for the future. I've got confidence in Wagner and Lutz. Those two can get the job done.

 

Good post Charlie.

Again, I really don't see a reason why this should happen. Although I can see where GM might get a single small RWD structure & little else they don't already have, I don't see any upside for Nissan or Renault at all.

Where's the carrot for them???

 

China.

 

I guess thats another interpertation...

 

As noted above, maybe access to a huge dealer network, although I doubt you'd see Nissans being sold in Chevy dealerships just because they've allied themselves together. You certainly don't see that with Chrysler/Merc, Ford/Volvo, Ford/Land Rover, etc.

With Nissan's fortunes now taking a turn for the worse, it would be an ideal way for Ghosn to turn attention away from that looming crisis. Maybe even give him an excuse to turn the reigns of Nissan over to someone else and let them take the blame. Then if GM's 'turnaround' (that supposedly is already in progress) becomes reality, he'd be swooping in just in time to take credit.

However I can't see any of this happening. I do agree that some outside blood would be beneficial for GM's upper management, but I don't believe Ghosn/York have the corporation's best interests at heart.

 

Brilliant! I felt like pukin', when I heard a quick blip about this nuts plan on the radio on friday. Absolutely no good can come from this IMHO.