DORF Spells Doom for Detroit

The other day my wife and I talked aboutthe past week describe the tension in GM's
summer camps. We want our children in busyBoardroom.
learning spaces when school vacates. For someForeign vehicles last longer with reliable
reason the subject reminds me of a Newperformance. U.S. car-markers have a
Hampshire camp where I worked during the"worse-than-average" record.
summers of graduate school. Every morning at"Don't come to work; we'll still pay you as long
camp, the grounds crew would empty trashas you stay here from 6AM to 2:30PM": Cost
barrels. Driving the old, dented pick-up truck made$1.4billion to US automakers
this job fun. As they drove past, I noticed thatMalcolm Bricklin brings China's Chery Automobile,
someone changed the chrome letters to readInc. to the U.S. in 2007 to "steal" GM customers.
"DORF" instead of Ford.Dorf has no definition. ItGM one year stock return: -48.4%
suggests goofy; for the camp pick-up truck, itGM ten year average stock return: -3.6%U.S.
described a poor-running, smokey, rusty,companies once listed on the Dow Jones Industrial
mechanical nuisance. Ford and GM have designedAverage have disappeared; they are gone
vehicles with mechanical panache. Corvette,forever because of competition and poor
Impala, and Country Squire were the cars of mymanagement decisions. My father had a Nash for
youth. Their look made drivers proud when thea few months. In July of 1930, Nash Motors was
price of gasoline did not matter.As a high schoolremoved from the Dow (and again in 1939). Ever
senior, I drove a 1950 convertible Chevrolet withdrive a Hudson (me neither)? In May of 1932,
Dynaflow. I loved the smell of the interior, theHudson Motor was removed from the Dow.
sound of the automatic transmission, and theChyrsler had its problems and was removed from
convertible top that needed pushing and pullingthe Dow in June of 1979. Could GM be far behind?
during sudden down pours. My grandfather droveDetroit may soon become the American car
a 1954 Cadillac as did my father. Long, sleekindustry's museum.Ray Randall serves clients as a
American cars lined lanes from New Haven toregistered investment advisor with his firm, Ethos
Newport Beach. Now, time, technology, unions,Advisory Services, Essex, Massachusetts Ethos
and quality turned consumers toward safer, fuelAdvisory Services. He has wide experience within
efficient cars from Honda, Toyoto, KIA,Subaru,the financial services industry, writes a weekly
Isusu and Hyundai (once the brunt of comedicnewsletter for Ethos Advisory Services, and
joking). Foreign labor-cost advantages offeredcoordinates the developments at Ray holds a
consumers better vehicles dollar-for-dollar.All ofMasters Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological
this spells doom for the dorfs of Detroit. ForSeminary, Hamilton, MA. You may call Ray
example, The Wall Street Journal's headlines of(617-275-5565).