I have told you all numerous times that my late father, Arved "The Chief" Stangl, after being discharged from the Army following World War II, went to work for Manning Motors, the Chevrolet dealership in the town where I was raised.

The Chief was a mechanic, and became a virtuoso on the Turbo-Hydromatic transmission. He worked long hours and constantly sought to improve his skills by studying technical manuals at night and attending seminars in Omaha or Des Moines.

He was fiercely proud of his employer, and General Motors. If I had been given and saved a nickel for every time I heard the phrase "What's good for General Motors is good for America," I would have a nice nest egg.

When his six children became old enough to drive and eventually purchase cars, we all knew what manufacturer they would come from. Yes, they needed to have blue "bow-ties" and be Chevrolets.

My sister Cathy had a Nova that lasted for what seemed forever; brother Mike had several Chevelles; sister Teresa had a Vega (Remember the Vega, the car that would drive the imports back into the ocean?); brother John owned a Chevelle and an El Camino; my younger brother David and I both owned Camaros as our first cars.

As we grew up and moved out to have our own families, the Chief would keep tabs on our car purchases. Brother Mike broke several family commandments, owning a Mustang and a Dodge van. I was hesitant to purchase a Pontiac Grand Am, but was vindicated by the Chief because he secretly liked Pontiacs and it was "in the family," made by General Motors.

In the 53 years that the Chief was employed at Manning Motors, much changed. The dealership bought out the Buick and Willys dealership, the only competition in town. Remember Willys? They were the folks that brought us the Jeep. Those imports that the Vega failed to drive back into the ocean became more popular. Heck, some even became made in the USA.

I recently read some news that I thought I never would live to see. General Motors, in an effort to maintain profitably, will likely lose their title as the top selling automaker in the world. Analysts predict that Toyota will surpass GM in sales this year. They almost did it last year, but a surge in the fourth quarter kept GM's 76 year streak alive.

The rapid increase in gasoline prices has affected all automakers, but the high profit truck and sport utility vehicle sales have been hit especially hard. Retooling plants is not a quick process, and all domestic manufacturers are scrambling to bring more fuel efficient and alternative fueled vehicles to the market. Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Honda and Nissan (who all make cars in the USA) are currently ahead of domestic manufacturers in these market segments.

There have even been rumblings in some financial corners that GM and it's historical nemesis, Ford, will both struggle to remain solvent.

Times, tastes and loyalties change. When luxury car maker Packard went out of business in the late 1950s, many of their former dealers switched to Mercedes-Benz. My son-in-law is a Subaru owner, and fiercely loyal. He has done a great deal of work to his car, so I think the Chief would begrudgingly approve.

I have always owned vehicles made by General Motors, primarily Chevrolets and Pontiacs. Late in his life, he could see the trends occurring around him and told me that a Chrysler product would be acceptable because it was "still American." After my father passed away, we purchased a Dodge. I'm hoping he understands.

I wouldn't be writing the obituaries for GM, Ford and Chrysler just yet. All three have international units that they will be using to get "back in the game." And I think the old phrase about "What's good for General Motors is good for America" still holds true. GM needs to adapt to a changing world, same as the rest of us.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.