Can GM become a company like "Apple"?

Yes, "Generic hopes to become a company like Apple." This is not my inventing, but the original words of General Motors Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Joel Ewanick. The former CMO of the Hyundai Motor made the remark at the second annual general meeting of the General Motors held in the global business.

Apple has just become the world’s No. 1 listed company. It even has more money than the U.S. government. It has become an Apple-like company. Of course, it is the wish of all companies. But how do you get from a boring Detroit auto company that has been struggling at the edge of losses in recent years and has just emerged from bankruptcy and restructuring to become as dynamic and innovative as Apple, Joel Ewanick did not give specific answers. As a result, his goal has been ridiculed by many people. Some people say that this goal is only "interesting". Some people simply say that this is impossible because cars cannot have such a wide range of extensions as information products.

However, I think that Joel Ewanick's remarks came after seeing the crux of the entire auto industry - although he may not have specifically figured out how to make GM an apple.

In Joel Ewanick's view, although Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and of course Ford, as GM’s current competitors, are very strong, he said that these auto giants are only powerful “auto brands”. Not a strong "consumer brand". He said that for auto companies, it is time to accelerate their efforts to truly focus on the needs of consumers in an unprecedented way.

Some of these words were ridiculed by some U.S. netizens and they were considered nonsense. But I don't think so, the distinction between "consumer brand" and "auto brand", I think I just came up with the idea. For Apple's success, one view is that Apple has entered the category competition from the brand competition, such as the iPhone, is not a traditional mobile phone, but a new product category; iPad is also - before it, there is no similar product . I am also an Apple user. For me, Apple is not a giant in the IT industry - like Microsoft or IBM, it is not a simple mobile phone or computer giant - like NOKIA or DELL, but more like a creative company. It is closer to the consumer. I never knew what advanced technology was used in its products, but those new, almost limitlessly expandable features, convenient applications, and unique designs deeply appealed to me.

So far, the auto industry does not seem to have had a truly similar "consumer brand" yet. Regardless of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, are simply just a car, the difference, power size, fuel consumption level, luxury level, modeling space Seoul. Although GM has fallen into bankruptcy and restructuring due to poor management, it has always been a leader in the automotive industry from the perspective of innovation. For example, the earliest mass-produced electric vehicles are universal; 10 years ago, GM set about reinventing the car and devising a human mobile dream that is completely different from reality in the era of hydrogen economy; now, the Chevrolet VOLT range-extended electric vehicle has become common. The latest signage, this kind of solution that can achieve pure electric driving in the urban area and no worries of cruising range, is currently the most practical new energy model.

Moreover, GM has convincingly demonstrated that VOLT is not just a car, but a multi-functional mobile platform that can provide families with a short-time power supply. It can connect with smart phones to achieve human-car communication. With the development of technology, more functions can be extended on this platform. It seems that VOLT is somewhat like the taste of the iphone in the automotive world. This may also be a source of confidence for Joel Ewanick to be Apple in the car industry.