For our second example of Defying Conventional Wisdom, we consider what if the much troubled automakers had the courage to re-think their very business model. From a recent BusinessWeek article entitled “Detroit Should Get Cracking on it’s Googlemobile”:
A few years ago, it might have been absurd to look to Google for ideas about the auto industry. But not now, American automakers are in crisis. General Motors (GM) and Chrysler needed a $13 billion bailout from the federal government in December to keep them out of bankruptcy, and, with a new Administration in Washington, the Big Three are likely to head back to the well for billions more. They're suffering from more than the economic crisis. The huge declines in sales reflect a fundamental disconnect between drivers and Detroit. It's time for a radical rethinking of the way U.S. automakers do business.
[Image via Google.]

