Clearly, GM has been getting hammered in terms of its image relentlessly going on two years now. They are in crisis mode.

The Japanese can't manufacture this kind of heritage. But if you have it and can bring it forward, it can be a game changer.

After gorging on faddish, oversized SUVs for years, while studiously avoiding more rational vehicle choices, drivers in this country have woken up with a relentless hangover from Katrina made up of the double-whammy of tight supplies and jaw-dropping prices.

I?m part of the discourse now. I?m not just on the fringe commentating about the auto industry.

Heroic in scale and impact, the Super Chief was what concepts should be all about: 'blue sky' thinking combined with an unmistakable foundation in reality. Take a long look at that front end, pickup fans, because that's what the next generation of the F-150 is going to look like.

I've been critical because I want them to do better. They have to do better.

I think any manufacturer will split hairs for a tenth of a mile (per gallon) if they can. And now it becomes a marketing issue.

The next 12 months will not only determine the very future of the domestic automobile industry as we know it, but Detroit will become the lightning rod for the most pressing issues facing this country -- health care costs, pension reform, global competition and its threat to the industrial foundation of America.