記者:那您將對(duì)那些對(duì)股票價(jià)格感到煩躁的股東們說(shuō)些什么呢?
Wagoner: I’m a big shareholder myself; I share the frustration. I’m confident that as the market psychology turns and assumes some of these issues are behind us, we’ll be well positioned. I talk to major investors regularly, and of course they would love to see a higher stock price. But they say, “Keep going and do the right stuff for the future.” So that’s what we are trying to do.
瓦格納:我本身就是一個(gè)大股東,我也感到很受挫。我相信當(dāng)市場(chǎng)心理逆轉(zhuǎn),—些事情已經(jīng)得到了解決時(shí),我們就會(huì)被放到一個(gè)很好的位置上。我定期與主要投資者談話,當(dāng)然他們會(huì)很樂(lè)意看到一個(gè)高的股票價(jià)格,但是他們說(shuō):“繼續(xù)為了未來(lái)做正確的事情。”所以那就是我們?cè)噲D做的事情。
Reporter: What is your worst decision?
記者:您所作的一個(gè)最壞的決定是什么呢?
Wagoner: Axing the EV1 electric-car program and not putting the right resources into hybrids. It didn’t affect profitability, but it did affect image.
瓦格納:停止電子動(dòng)力汽車計(jì)劃,并且不使用混合燃料。那沒有影響利益率,但是卻影響了我們的形象。
Reporter: What is the best thing?
記者:那您認(rèn)為最好的事情是什么呢?
Wagoner: Driving any car in the world you want. Plus you do things that are amazing, such as meeting world leaders like George Bush and Tony Blair. I've got pressures in this job—but it’s nothing compared with those guys.
瓦格納:開到世界上任何你想開的車,還有,你可以做很多驚人的事情,比如說(shuō)和世界領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人喬治布什、托尼布萊爾會(huì)談。我在現(xiàn)在的職位工作很有壓力,但是跟他們相比,這并不算是什么。
Reporter: What is your strategy for turning around the company?
記者:您使公司好轉(zhuǎn)的策略是什么呢?
Wagoner: First, we're focused on product. I invite you to look at the next generation (sport) utility. The improvement is simply stunning. We need to keep that sort of pace going. Second of all, we obviously have to step back and re-look at how we’re going to market from a sales and marketing strategy. The third area is basically a frontal assault on all areas of cost to make sure we are driving to be the absolute most efficient manufacturer in the world. That’s hard because it’s meant significant capacity reductions and it means continuing to trim down workforces in the high cost countries, like the US and Germany. Fourth is the very challenging issue of addressing health care. We have really a breakthrough agreement with the UAW. It’s historic in its nature, but I would say it’s a very important first step to getting health care costs and particularly the legacy aspect of those under control. It’s a massive disadvantage, which we simply as an enterprise cannot carry and at the same time achieve the objectives that our shareholders have for us and invest in the future of our products. We' ve got a spotlight on that this year. We’ve also made some changes in our salary plan and we’re going to need to keep working on health care. If you carry a $5 or $6 billion bill that your best competitors don’t, that’s a heavy burden.
瓦格納:首先,我們將注意力集中在產(chǎn)品上面。我請(qǐng)您看一下下一代的體育公用事業(yè)設(shè)備。那些進(jìn)步是很令人震驚的,我們需要保持那種行進(jìn)的速度。第二,很明顯,我們需要后退一步,從銷售和市場(chǎng)的角度來(lái)重新看一下我們應(yīng)該怎樣更好的進(jìn)入市場(chǎng)。第三是,我們要使各個(gè)方面的成本都降低,以保證我們可以成為世界上性價(jià)比最高的汽車制造商。那是很困難的,因?yàn)槟且馕吨覀円M(jìn)行能力縮減,意味著我們要在高消費(fèi)國(guó)家,比說(shuō)如在美國(guó)和德國(guó)繼續(xù)削減勞動(dòng)力。第四就是有關(guān)很有挑戰(zhàn)性的醫(yī)療問(wèn)題。我們真的與聯(lián)合汽車工會(huì)簽訂了一個(gè)很有突破性的協(xié)議。從其本質(zhì)來(lái)說(shuō),那是很有歷史意義的。但是我想說(shuō),那對(duì)于掌控醫(yī)療費(fèi)用,尤其是遺贈(zèng)的費(fèi)用,將是非常重要的第一步。在充滿競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的今天,那是一個(gè)劣勢(shì);作為一個(gè)企業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō),我們不能有那樣的劣勢(shì);同時(shí),要達(dá)到的股東所期望我們做到的目標(biāo)并為我們未來(lái)的產(chǎn)品投資,我們也不能有那樣的劣勢(shì)存在。今年,公眾的注意力都集中到那上面。我們?cè)诠べY計(jì)沖也做了些許調(diào)整,我們將會(huì)在衛(wèi)生保健方面繼續(xù)努力。如果你有一個(gè)50億或是60億的賬單,但是你最強(qiáng)大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)沒有,那會(huì)是一個(gè)很大的負(fù)擔(dān)。