Ok, sorry a little belated now, but it was a good interview and I wanted to go over,
but I have been busy with other videos. A lot of you have asked about it though too, so I thought
I would just go over what I thought of the interview with Mary Barra and Andrew Sorkin.
Sorkin begins by asking Barra's opinion on the valuations of these electric vehicle companies
Tesla, Rivian, Lucid compared to the legacy autos. Mary Barra explains that this just
demonstrates the huge opportunity for GM, and that how it is so under valued, and explained
how they are starting this wonderful period now, because they invest in the ultimatum platform,
sorry I mean ultium platform. With the Hummer and Caddillac Lyriq.
And with a new battery plant up and running next year too. She is very excited to get
all these vehicles out. All the vehicles, all 2 of them, still just the Hummer and Lyriq,
with their pouch cell batteries that keep catching fire. Pouch are the worse cells to use,
it is reckless, and irresponsible, as they are most prone to fire. What happens if Hummers
go off road and puncture the batteries? Well I guess fortunately for them, not many like will.
But if these EVs catch fire like the Bolt, then that's got to be a much
quicker death to the future of this company. If consumers lose complete faith in GM's EVs,
in that, if you buy one, they may catch fire, then their future they are banking on, has got
to be gone. It's not quite the same as a Samsung phone battery catching fire. We're not expecting
you to use cylindrical batteries like Tesla's 4680 batteries, go with prismatic like VW have decided.
Sorkin mentions how Tesla is a trillion dollar company, and whether Mary Barra sees that as an
opportunity GM can reach too, or perhaps that there will be some middle ground
and Tesla's valuation will come down with it? Barra is not allowed to say the word Tesla,
or the name Elon Musk, just like Joe Biden. If you want to keep someone or something down,
you do not acknowledge them, rather than saying bad things about them, dismissing their existence
is more powerful. It's all politics for GM, as they don't have the technology.
She gives a strawman answer, saying that the cars are based on a software platform,
rather than in just being about the electric vehicles. So they can roll
out software updates after the customer buys the vehicle, wow what a great idea.
Although I suspect these software updates might just be the firmware you use in the car, on their
absolutely hideous screens. No joke, check the Hummer's screen and interior. I swear you have
to go to a lot of effort to make some that hideous. Tesla has redefined automotive interior
architecture. Less is definitely more. So many gross plastic buttons everywhere, and those air
vents. Lucky for GM their customers have more money than taste, and might actually buy this.
Admittedly the Lyriq is more refined, but the clearly don't get it,
you need a widescreen control panel, and look how buttons are on the steering wheel.
Anyway, Barra says your vehicles will get better through ownership. But then the
other aspect they have is autonomy, whether super cruise, ultra cruise, or just cruise,
I am sure none of them work particularly well.
Sorkin brings up Tesla again, about how Tesla has 63% market share and GM has 10%
of the EV market. 5 years from now, if GM succeed what will that pie chart look like then?
Now let me quote this for your, "we are the leader today" that's the answer she gave.
How on Earth can she say that, and that they have been the leader in the US, and #2 in China
for many years. Ok, in China perhaps they are counting the Wuling deathtrap, but in the US,
what are they leading? Number of EVs that catch fire?
Sorkin brings up another question about self driving, Waymo, Cruise
and Tesla not using lidar, and asks how Barra sees it now.
GM's cruise in San Francisco is covered in lidar, it looks ridiculous,
and probably costs a fortune in technology. How are they going to make them ubiquitous,
and feasible. Of course they will take a lot longer to reach their destination than an
uber, and likely a lot longer until comes to pick you up the first place.
Tesla is making cars that cost them around $25,000 that are capable of self driving,
that's the entire car. Of course she still keeps talking about it all without mentioning Tesla.
Sorkin asks Barra if the fact GM is receiving this extra rebate for unionized labor is fair. She
says the bill is incentivized good paying jobs. Remember research has shown that Tesla employees
are paid more, of which Sorkin then brings up and asks her. She just says she would need more
information that it's not just wages, but benefits and healthcare. A good answer on her feet.
Sorkin asks then if she feels that it disadvantages the other automakers.
She just talks about how she thinks its great working with the UAW, and ignores the question.
At this stage, I am really liking Sorkin, how he doesn't drop it and then starts quoting Elon,
"This is written by Ford and UAW lobbyists, as they make their electric car in Mexico,
not obvious how this serves the US tax payers". Barra says it clearly incentivizes to be in this
country, as there is a component to be built in the united states,
which is true, a $500 extra rebate if the battery is made in the US, $500 of the $12,500,
hardly a large component. i.e. perhaps the Ford get $12,000 rebate made in Mexico,
compared to the all American made Tesla with only an $8,000 rebate.
Sorkin detects that Barra is not comfortable with all the Tesla questions, and even admits
he is sorry to keep harping on about Tesla, Barra interupts and says I'd rather talk about GM.
Sorkin asks why the administration has not invited Tesla to any of these meetings. Barra says
she doesn't know as she isn't in charge of the guest list.
Sorkin asks if she thinks this is strange. Barra says she doesn't really think about it.
Sorkin talks about the Hertz deal, Barra says she doesn't know whats true there,
as if she dismisses the entire deal. Sorkin talks about the lock in effect of the infrastructure
and superchargers too and creates a long term lock in effect.
Barra just gives another strawman answer about the fact they are spending $750 million on
their supercharger network, as their customers want to know there is a trusted infrastructure.
Supercharger networks as we know are still one of Tesla's many massive
competitive advantages. It doesn't like GM are willing to accept them any time soon.
Ok, that was about all they had to talk about GM's EVs. I think Sorkin did well,
he asked some good questions, despite Barra getting agitated,
he could have pushed hard to actually get the answers she avoided giving.
Barra did an outstanding job of avoiding said questions, and not acknowledging that Tesla or
Elon Musk even exist. I guess she may have been prepped for these questions before. I would have.
There was one more question at the end though, Sorkin asked Barra what
car she is driving currently, and its a Bolt, which is obviously likely just another lie,
she knows how dangerous these cars are more than anyone else. Of course she's not.
We can't believe anything she says anyway. Oh but it's just until she gets her electric hummer. Yea,
she certainly looks like your typical cliche of a hummer driver. And she is on the list
for a lyriq with 200,000 other "hand raisers". I am not entirely sure what a hand raiser is,
but my guess is that it's not someone who has pre-ordered with a deposit.
But seriously all GM have is the Hummer and Cadillac,
how many people do you even know who own one. What cool people do you know who
drive a Cadillac. Also we don't have the full specs on this Cadillac yet,
and what you get for what price. GM is not a cool brand. Tesla is vastly superior. I am still not
overly convinced yet how many legacy brands can truly be accepted as an electric vehicle, and
which ones still have too much baggage remaining about the good old days with gas guzzling engines.
I really don't like this company, or the CEO. I have been an avid car enthusiast since a teenager,
but I have never liked any American cars, not one. Perhaps the Viper was kind of cool in a way, at a
stretch, and possibly the FORD GT40 and GT, and I appreciate cars like the Ford Shelby GT500. But I
didn't covet any of these cars. Nothing compared to what European cars offered. Equally I wasn't
a huge fan of Japanese cars either. Ok, perhaps I should just say I was a European car enthusiast.
But maybe growing up in Europe had something to do with that too.
I am betting against it as soon as this bill passes.