How does it feel being No. 2, GM?

Does it matter who's no. 1?

GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said his company has room for growth worldwide and will forcefully defend its title. "I like being No. 1, and I think our people take pride in it," he told a small group of reporters at GM's headquarters. "It's not something we're going to sit back and let somebody else pass us by."

But why the obsession with being the Global leader in sales volume when your profits are down?

If Toyota does pass GM, Wagoner said he would not be pleased. "It won't be a happy day for me, but I've lost basketball games before in my life. You get ready and you learn and you go back the next day, and that's what we'll do," he said. "We're going to fight to keep the position, and if one day we lose it, we'll fight to get it back." All this said during an interview with AP on Jan 5 2007.

Now that Toyota edged out GM in Q1'2007 to become No. 1, Wagoner has cut his base salary by a quarter to $1.65 million in a gesture of support for the auto maker's turnaround efforts. GM Chief Financial Officer Fritz Henderson and product chief Bob Lutz also took pay cuts of 15 percent each, bringing their base salaries to $1.32 million each.

Ok, the point I want to raise is that being No. 1 is never easy. Being No. 1 for 73 years is a feat. But, look at the expense and sacrifices you had to make to be in that leader's position? So GM it's ok to be No. 2 for awhile, take the time to sort out your problems, consolidate your forces outside the US, concentrate on investing in your R&D to make the Chevy Volt a reality. Take a break. Breathe.

The ball is now in Toyota's court. Toyota. The paranoia has started, you desired to be the No. 1. You chased and trailed from No. 2, you finally caught up and won just by an inch. Get ready, coz now you'll have to watch your back.

Wait, isn't the American press so fond of GM bashing because they were No. 1 for so long? Well if you ask me, when the press sings praises about Toyota for too long, it gets boring. Toyota, whatever you do, say, produce, market, sell, your people, your products, your contribution would be scrutinized. Noone said being No. 1 was easy.

SHIFT_back to THE_FUTURE- NISSAN

Well well well.....Carlos Ghosn. "Le Cost Killer". How could anyone in the automotive industry not know his name. Afterall, he turned around a company on the verge of bankrupcy, axed jobs, shut down plants, set the company on an internal slogan Nissan Revival Plan, then Nissan 180 and finally Nissan Value-up. It's clear he took aggressive steps based on a simple philosophy "Increase profit by reducing cost and chasing the top line revenue". But what they forgot was about the Brand. What Nissan actually stood for, Nissan's DNA, it's core philosophy, it's people, it's talent. The Brand seems just as confuse as it's messages. No longer does people even know what Nissan stands for.

What does the meaning of SHIFT means to the customers (internal and external). Oh yeah, wait...did anyone remember what Carlos said about Hybrid Technology a couple of years ago? He commented in 2005 that hybrid cars makes no sense. He thinks that hybrid cars have not yet come to a point where it matches its cost in terms of usability. He said, "They make a nice story, but they're not a good business story yet because the value is lower than their costs". But in his recent comment in 2007, Ghosn said Nissan would focus increasingly on environment technology, including hybrids and fuel cells, although he said he still considered the petrol-electric hybrids to be a "niche market." I wonder yet again what he meant by hybrids being a "niche market". Is there a concrete technology roadmap that can address or define the future? What does SHIFT_THE_FUTURE mean anymore?

Well if it's from a performance angle, then look at the Skylines and what they did to it's heritage. It looks no different from a Fairlady.

Enough said, you tell me what the future holds. Please we're not even interested in hearing about how you will get another 1,500 Japanese workers out of jobs through early retirement.

Tranquility - How simple life can be?

"photo of my fish tank - nature at home"

We can't save the whole world from global warming but at least I'am doing my part to ensure that my fishes don't suffer in the tank. If only the world's eco system could be that simple. But wait...isn't the world like a fish tank afterall? But if the world's a fish tank, aren't we the fishes?
But if we're the fishes aren't we destroying our own tank? If only life could be so simple like the fishes in the tank when and only if they have a responsible and devoted master. At least the fishes aren't as smart as humans are, if not they'll start destroyng their own eco system just like how we did to ours.

If only life was so simple. Simpletons.

Crabs and Prawns

Crabs and Prawns. What's the best way of eating them? First, you've got to find them. I've got to mentioned this little coffeeshop by a small Jetty in Penang. It's beside a small temple deep in the heart of a small row of chinese terrace houses. You'll see an old 'wayang' stage and an old lighthouse and you can't help but imagine the times when couples shared a romantic moment while enjoying the chinese theatre and making out beneath the lighthouse.









It's one of those scene when you feel a touch of nostalgia and surreality. Just frozen in time eternal. As you approach one of the outdoor tables, an old auntie will ask you "You want Crab or Prawns?".
I ordered 1Kg of crabs and 1/2Kg of Prawns for both my wife and myself. You see the problem with this place is that they serve just Crabs and Prawns, the only cooking method is by baking above charcoal. So don't expect a plate of Chili, Pepper, Tomato crab. If auntie would have heard that, she'll probably think you're crap.
Look at those red and golden orange beauties. Dip that into the sweet chili sauce and you'll have no regrets about having to share your food with the dozens of houseflies attracted to the rich baked aroma.

By the time we realized, damage was already done.
Alright now on where to find the place.


Sea Pearl Lagoon Cafe
338, Mk. 18, Jln Tanjung Tokong
Penang
Opening Hours: 12.30pm - 10pm. (Closed on Wednesday)
Rating: 8/10

Not Honda Bashing - Can F1 make the world a greener place?

Still not quite sure what went through the minds of those guys at Honda F1.

Well initially, I thought it was a brilliant idea having the whole world map painted on a Honda F1 car. I was telling myself..."my god, Honda snatched yet another 1st". I still have to agree it was a great marketing pitch, using F1 as a platform to tell the millions of F1 / automotive fans out there that Honda is serious about being GREEN. But hell no, when you think about the amount of emissions with octane and carbon monoxide spewing from the V8 engine, it was such a double standard that sends such mixed messages out to what Honda stood for. (The Power Of Dreams).

When they launched the WE LOVE CHALLENGES campaign back in 2006, they communicated on MTV and DISCOVERY how the FC-X (H+O=H2O) was so advanced. Their claims were definately a better one as compared to Toyota. But think hard, when was the last time you heard Honda bringing that technology into a commercial production car? I don't need someone with a development story when there is infact no actual product prove in the market.

Back to F1, the Honda team this season is Saving the World by F1 emissions and unfortunately not performing better than the Super A cars which are using last year's Honda's Engine.

My wish for Honda is that if you had a dream, please dream about the future today. If you wanted to really make a difference, why not talk to the world about developing Hybrid Engines on your F1 cars and making a V6 Engine Hybrid system that performs like a V8. Oh yes, while still maintaining the car weight the same. Hmm...it's still my dream because in reality, I do believe that the batter would weight twice as much as the car.

No Honda, I'am not bashing you. But please don't even make a green F1 car just by painting the world map on it. The world as a brand doesn't endorse your believe.

Hybrid Technology...

Alright, I guess most of you guys have heard about Hybrid Technology.

What is Hybrid Technology - for beginners, it is a car which runs on gasoline engine and an electric motor. Simple isn't it?

Then there is the Series Hybrid - basically a gasoline engine running in series to provide kinectic energy from driving the engine and coverting it into electric energy via a converter. The eletric energy then charges up a battery which in turn drives an electric motor to make the car move.

Shall I continue? Then came Parallel Hybrid. It runs like a normal gasoline car but is able to combine electric power from the motor/generator to deliver additional power to drive the car. An example of such Hybrid is the Honda Civic. The Honda Civic runs on the usual VTEC engine but is able to deliver more power that the usual engine capacity because of the IMA (Innovative Motor Assist), which is the motor. The car performs like a 2litre but is infact only a 1.5litre.

Then there is the Series-Parallel Hybrid which Toyota developed and pioneered. It is much more a complex system because it has 2 generators (1 dedicated generator to deliver electrical energy the other which functions like that in the Parallel Hybrid system). The HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) has a power split devices which can deliver power concurrently (1 to the battery, 1 to the wheels). It also runs in synergy due to the planetary gears which ensures that at each driving conditions, the car functions at its optimum combination of Battery, Engine, Kinectic (re-generative braking).

Ok, so much for the complexities. I doubt anyone can really see the big difference. After all a Hybrid car is still a hybrid car. What a hybrid cars made for? Well I guess the big picture is to SAVE THE WORLD by reducing CO2 emissions and reduce the rate of the depletion of planet's earth resource. But are people willing to pay the price to save the world? Sadly in Asia, we're still not at the stage to understand how 1 hybrid car can help combat global warming. We can't even afford a Hybrid Car, if you compare the price of Prius versus a Camry. (1.5 versus 2.0) - same price.

Yet again, automakers have to play a part in educating consumers on the benefits of Hybrid if they intend to sell it at that premium price. One food for thought is that other than Hybrids, they should not forget alternative technologies like fuel cell, alternate fuels, hydrogen etc. With so many technologies, why aren't manufacturers spending enough of their budgets on consumer education?

ROI? Well clearly not many are confident in spending budgets for long term ROI because not many out there have a confident technology roadmap that can deliver the promise to reducing emissions. Paradox isn't it?

Are automotive brands ignoring Asian youth's spending power?

Have you ever wondered what drives people to buy a Toyota?

Well if you drive one, you probably fall into the category of the rational buyers who place their trust in a brand which promises Quality Durability and Reliability. But does it every strike you how important branding plays a part in your purchase decision? In today's crowded market place, most of the brands deliver the same promise but what exactly is the compelling reason why you make your purchase a Toyota? Why is it so that Toyota fails to capture the youth? The simple answer is that Toyota no longer has a product line that is affordable to youth in Asia. It no longer has an entry level car which has the price to attract the youth of Asia. The product line up today has positioned Toyota as a premium car brand. This premium image have left many unable to purchase the Toyota brand they aspire to have.

Instead, you have youth switching to cheaper 2box Korean hatches, even worst you have entrants of the Chinese brands like the Cherry QQ or the Chevy Spark (GM Daewoo) falling into the range of affordabilty. Unfortunately, you rarely see automotive makers taking the lead in captivating the youth and speaking to them in the language they want to be spoken.

If you look at Scion (Brand extension of Toyota - only in the US), they have done a great deal understanding the youth and cultivating a loyal following. Look at how Scion concentrated on customization, pure pricing and using non-traditional media to speak out to them. Secondlife is a perfect example of creating another touch point for the youth to self discover the whole brand experience that Scion has to offer.

If only automakers recognize the long term ROI that this market has to offer. It's not as easy as just sponsoring X-Games as what Kia has done. I don't believe that by just sponsorship, the youth would be drawn to associating Kia as a youth brand. It is how the brand speaks to them.

So go ahead brand managers, speak to your future consumers. Talk to them and show them you understand them. Appear in where they fill at home. Use media that reaches out to them. How many times do you have to be convinced and take them more seriously?

Go down to their grassroots, fan their burning energy and passion for a cause. Shouldn't it be time to invest in the future? Educate them on the power of hybrid technology, let them understand that their future lies in their actions. Talk to them about Global Warming, make it fun, inclusive and take the youth seriously.

When will you listen?

Business Travel - 10 ways to make it fruitful

#1
Check in 48 hours early to get that row 32.
(Last IN, First OUT)
#2
Use the lounge (have a beer, drink a coke, surf the net)
#3
Shop. Go to the DFS and get save that 7% GST, 10% Discount for PPS/DFS.
#4
Change just enough cash that your travel allowance allows.
#5
When you arrive at the destination, act blur and follow your boss lead. He'll be paying for the taxi, so don't be a smart ass to offer paying.
#6
When you arrive at the Hotel, whip out your loyalty card. Claim miledge on your Airline Loyalty, Get free upgrades if possible, Check if you have free wi-fi or broadband.
#7
Wake up early to enjoy your breakfast. You're having a bloody business trip, so pamper yourself. Noone's gonna feel sorry for you if you missed having that American Breakfast buffet.
#8
Have the business trip agenda ready. Arrange your meetings so you wake up late and arrive early enough for the meeting.
#9
Have meetings during lunch, this way, the other party have no choice but to order lunch for yourself.
#10
Leave 3 hours early before your flight. It's a darn good excuse to end that boring meeting pre-maturely. Noone's gonna ask you to stay so you can miss your flight.

Appreciation

"Get outta here!"

Forgotten Spaces

Spaces, Forgotten Spaces,
Frozen in winter's breath.

If only the trees could tell,
have you heard what they say?

Betrayal, Despair...
Decades of empty promises.

Fumes, Toxic fumes,
The stench of deception.
Carbon Dioxide.

Will we ever listen?

Contemplation

Only when you started the slow down,
Ponder about noticing the unimportant.
Understand the true meaning,
Learn from the mistakes unfolded.
Engross into finding the truth,
Nurture the values you cherish.
Cry for the misled,
Evoke memories of triumph.

DIFFERENTIATED.

opulence

–noun
1.
wealth, riches, or affluence.
2.
abundance, as of resources or goods; plenty.
3.
the state of being opulent.
Also, op·u·len·cy.