Too Little, Too Late?

This week, the NY Times reported that GM will struggle to make it through 2009 without an economic bailout from the government. Over the past few months we have talked a bit about GM's entry and promising growth into the sustainability discussion. Just over two months ago, J.D. Powers and Associates reported that GM's ranking as the most sustainable car brand in the blogosphere was just narrowly behind Toyota, a huge win for GM. Or so we thought... (Read the post: GM Makes Green Strides)

It is one of our core beliefs that brands who are the first to enter into the sustainability discussion in their industry will reap the greatest reward. Brands that demonstrate leadership and dynamism and share a true vision have always risen to the top. Think of BP versus ExxonMobil or Walmart versus Target.

That's why it is hard, given the recent news, not to think about Toyota's vision versus GM's. One can't help but wonder: what would GM look like today if they had embraced the changing energy and automobile landscape sooner, instead of ignoring it for so long. What if they had been the first (or even the second or third) to enter into the hybrid market? Does vision matter? Only if you want to survive.