Of course, I can understand why Ghoshan runs Nissan so conservatively. The company was in financial trouble for a long time and now it has been made solvent under his leadership. There was a price to pay for that, however. Nissan has very few engine/transmission combinations, and not many of their vehicles look "cutting edge". Reliable? Sure. Cost effective for both consumer and corporation? Sure. Innovative and forward thinking? Well... Not really.

Nissan-style leadership can certainly help GM cut their losses (shaving their bloated upper management would be a great place to start). But right now GM also needs an infusion of INNOVATION. They need a fresh product line that looks 21st century, not from the 1990s. They need to make cars that perform well AND look good. They need SUVs that get low 20s instead of 11-12 MG; trucks that get upper 20s instead of 13-14 MPG; and build some CARS for cryin' out loud! Not everybody hauls things! Some people just need to drive to work and buy groceries!

They'd do well to make a car to compete with the Yaris (a $14k car that looks interesting, has a nice interior, and gets almost as many miles per gallon as a Gen-1 hybrid.)

Can Nissan provide that kind of innovation? Probably not.