The Auto Writer

Following our interview with GM Chairman Rick Wagoner on Tuesday, our group met with Jamie Hresko (pictured) who General Motor’s Vice President of Quality. Hresko has a manufacturing background in automotive stamping and had worked for General Motors all around the world.

Concerns about General Motors’ past difficulties in achieving industry quality standards came up as well as concern for the environmental initiatives that the company was taking. I managed to ask two questions, both of which I will cover in this article.

Test to Survive or Test to Fail

GM has changed its quality control testing procedures by testing automotive components to fail — how long the part will survive under test conditions — instead of testing to work, meaning will this component work or not in the first place with little concern for longevity. With the latter, the bar was set very low as evidenced by water pumps which could fail at 30,000 miles. Now, the GM corporate policy is to make sure that every part that goes into each vehicle they build can withstand rigorous quality control testing and last for the life of the vehicle.

OnStar, which is GM’s navigation system, has the capability of giving feedback on every vehicle on the road including those cars, trucks, vans and SUVs that the automaker puts on the road for testing before launch. Hrseko indicated that GM tests each new vehicle for at least one million miles of travel in a variety of conditions including frigid weather in Anchorage to fiery heat in Phoenix. These testing procedures has resulted in GM realizing the lowest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recall volume in 2007.

Hresko also said that there is a point where there can be too much technology in our cars. Instead of putting in something that customers seldom use –such as rain sensors — GM is outfitting their vehicles with components customers want. Less excess components translates into less parts to maintain, a lower vehicle weight, and a lower hit on consumption.

GM Warranties v. Hyundai

The first question I asked Hresko was this: “Should GM consider matching the warranty offered by Hyundai to increase consumer confidence in their products?” Hresko stated that he believed that GM’s new warranty was better than Hyundai’s as it offers 5 year/100,000 mile coverage on more components than Hyundai, roadside assistance and a car lending program. This warranty also applies to vehicles in GM’s certified used vehicles fleet.

Living In A Virtual World

Hresko pointed out that the five-star crashworthiness of cars like the Chevrolet Malibu were made possible thanks to virtual world development — computer testing employing physics and math which can help develop cars that will reach a top level in automotive safety.

Getting the Lead Out

Isabel from Alpha Mom shared her concern about product quality, particularly those automotive parts from China which might be defective. Citing her concern about Chinese quality control — which led to a historic recall of children’s toys infected with lead paint — Isabel wanted assurance from Hresko that the quality levels of Chinese automotive suppliers was up to snuff. I added a point to Isabel’s question about quality assurance testing to uncover whether GM actually tests every component separately, even if it was wheels made in India, tires in the US, etc. Hresko said that all suppliers must adhere to their Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) program which ensures that a product passes the scrutiny of a GM on-site representative who makes sure that everything is executed to spec.

Hresko closed his remarks with a comment that Consumer Report has a favorable review of the Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Malibu in the February 2008 issue of their magazine.