As everybody knows by now, GM, the nation’s largest auto manufacturers effectively bit the dust on Monday. It is a little astounding to me how we have a special name for a large business failing (filing for chapter 11 sounds like bureaucratic jargon for the end of a work day). They announced that they would be filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, though honestly I think we would all be denying ourselves the truth if we say that we haven’t seen this coming for a long time now. So what does this mean for the company and its vast network of employees?

GM is painting as a chance for reinvention. They are describing this epic failure on taxpayer dollars as a chance to revitalize their failing business model to keep themselves competitive in a global market. So far, this bankruptcy does not mean massive layoffs (other than the ones that have already occurred) or cessation of operation (don’t worry, you can still buy American.. if you want to). So are we led to believe that a massive financial loss will do nothing but revitalize their company? Not exactly. One of the first places we will see a gradual change is in dealerships. Their North American Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark LaNeve says that dealerships will begin to disappear immediately. He goes on further to state that the company will make every effort to let the customer know when their local dealership will be going under, so really this will just be a slight inconvenience.

So what exactly is this NEW GM supposed to look like? To begin with they are going to be producing fewer brands (depth in specificity rather than wide breadth of production), fewer models (the same idea), and fewer dealers (they will be better placed, better supported). So, I understand that they are doing things – making changes that will make them a more viable company in the future. My question is, why does GM feel the need to paint this chapter 11 filing as a success? Everybody knows that is not the case (that’s not an opinion, I think).