Remember Entrepreneurship?
Jay Walker
November 21, 2008
There is a lot to be learned from the United Kingdom´s auto industry.
The country has a rich automotive history. It has brought us the Cooper Mini, the Jaguar, the Range and the Land Rover along with the objects of much people´s envy, the Rolls Royce and the Bentley.
All of these brands where purely British and where that nation´s pride and joy.
Things started to go bad in the late 60´s when British Leyland was organized and controlled most of the country´s automotive industry. They got worse in the mid 70´s when British Leyland was partially nationalized. British Leyland closed in 1986 and the different units where acquired by various groups.
Now we find Jaguar and Land Rover owned by India´s Tata Motors and Mini owned by BMW. Even the Grand Daddy of all luxury cars, Rolls Royce is no longer under British control.
If you don´t see the parallel between the U.K´s car industry and the American one, you´re in for a rude awakening…
The auto industry bailout hasn´t passed…for now. But it will be approved in one form or another. And when it is, I challenge anyone to explain to me how it will be different from the nationalization of British Leyland.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are guilty of fear mongering. GM said that over 10 million people would be out of work if they weren´t bailed out.
What is needed is for America to go back to entrepreneurship. Nobody alive today remembers but there was a time in history when GM, Ford and Chrysler didn´t exist. These companies came into existence because individuals like Alfred Sloan, Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler had the vision, the audacity and the courage to create something different. In that era, that meant the creation of some method of transportation that was better than a horse.
The good folks at Tesla Motors seem to have a good idea. They have the audacity and courage to create something different. They are the first automotive start-up in America in over 50 years and in spite of the high price, they have a waiting list. But we need more than one company.
If we want a car industry, we must have the audacity and the courage to create something different. In America, something different is done as a last resort. Fortunately, this is where America shines.
The country has a rich automotive history. It has brought us the Cooper Mini, the Jaguar, the Range and the Land Rover along with the objects of much people´s envy, the Rolls Royce and the Bentley.
All of these brands where purely British and where that nation´s pride and joy.
Things started to go bad in the late 60´s when British Leyland was organized and controlled most of the country´s automotive industry. They got worse in the mid 70´s when British Leyland was partially nationalized. British Leyland closed in 1986 and the different units where acquired by various groups.
Now we find Jaguar and Land Rover owned by India´s Tata Motors and Mini owned by BMW. Even the Grand Daddy of all luxury cars, Rolls Royce is no longer under British control.
If you don´t see the parallel between the U.K´s car industry and the American one, you´re in for a rude awakening…
The auto industry bailout hasn´t passed…for now. But it will be approved in one form or another. And when it is, I challenge anyone to explain to me how it will be different from the nationalization of British Leyland.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are guilty of fear mongering. GM said that over 10 million people would be out of work if they weren´t bailed out.
What is needed is for America to go back to entrepreneurship. Nobody alive today remembers but there was a time in history when GM, Ford and Chrysler didn´t exist. These companies came into existence because individuals like Alfred Sloan, Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler had the vision, the audacity and the courage to create something different. In that era, that meant the creation of some method of transportation that was better than a horse.
The good folks at Tesla Motors seem to have a good idea. They have the audacity and courage to create something different. They are the first automotive start-up in America in over 50 years and in spite of the high price, they have a waiting list. But we need more than one company.
If we want a car industry, we must have the audacity and the courage to create something different. In America, something different is done as a last resort. Fortunately, this is where America shines.
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