[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

I would bet you don't work for a large corporation like GM, Petrol Head.

Those that do become (no better word for it) "institutionalized" over time and increasingly desensitized to what you referred to as the real world, thought patterns, passion and desires outside their big corporate mindset ("culture"). Even when starting out as the wide eyed kid in your personal story, over time the more knowledge one absorbs and the greater network one builds within, the wider this gap becomes.

With absolutely no disrespect intended, you can easily see this in responses from Number 3 and (to a much lesser extent) Martinjlm. Nothing wrong with them per se, they are very civil and approachable, it's just that there will rarely be an acknowledgment of a different perspective from someone who knows too much about how the game is played, so there's little point in arguing with them as an outsider.

Things like recalling the A8 and telling the truth about a design flaw (or anything, really) are simply more expensive propositions to corporate decision makers than not doing so, and customers can shove their complaints where the sun don't shine as far as they're concerned. There will be fewer complaints and lawsuits than the cost of a complete redesign or an A10 replacement or any other comprehensive action. Shareholders are happy for a while, and short term thinking wins over vision nearly every time. Working for a very large company myself, I struggle with it just as well.

To me, the 5th and 6th gen Camaro felt like a welcome and unexpected exception to this rule, with a lot of passion going into making it the best possible affordable sports car with fewer constraints, but now it seems to have been allowed to wither. It's okay as it's "only" a car and not something that really matters from an eternal perspective, but a bit sad nevertheless.

No disrespect taken. Having been inside the company, especially in Product Planning, I just got to see up close how and why product decisions are made. Even the ones I don’t like <cough> 2003-09 Camaro<cough>. I try not to come off as a know-it-all, but I do realize that sometimes I may need to try a little harder.