 Mr. President, the UAW says that for the 90,000 auto workers who remain laid off and thousands more will never be called back. There is no auto recovery. I'm here to learn, and I have no way but to me, let me just answer a question like that, without the knowledge of what technology has done to change the form and size of an industry or not. But I'm quite sure that there are always changes in employment, the follow-up technology, as we've done a ways to do this. And, minding me, they brought 90,000 people back to work since January, 6 million new jobs. You better know. Mr. President, you have seen two phases of the Saturn, and we'd like now to bring you into phase three. You've already met all of our suppliers in the key positions that are helping us. We have 35,000 suppliers. We couldn't get them all here today. But for this part of the program, I'd like to ask Howard Carroll, our vice chairman, to tell you a little bit more about what we're doing in Saturn. Okay. Well, Mr. President, the two locations you're going to visit today represents GM's major efforts to become competitive in U.S.-built cars and trucks. Orien is using state-of-the-art technology to reduce cost and improve quality and productivity. It is part of GM's $23 billion investment from 1979 to 1984 for modernization of U.S. products, plants, and processes. For the longer term, state-of-the-art is not enough. We need breakthroughs in technology and systems and employee involvement. Saturn's job is to find those breakthroughs. Small cars are the first target because our cost of disadvantage is greatest there. Saturn must develop many new technologies and innovative ways of integrating them, but mainly it must harness human skills, dedication, and commitment. A great deal rests on the auto industry staying competitive against worldwide competition. If we're not competitive, basic U.S. industries such as steel, other metals, plastics, rubber, and glass will be hurt. Our economy, our ability to provide jobs, even our national security could be affected. After more than two years' work, Saturn is showing that U.S. manufacturers and suppliers can become internationally competitive. Saturn is occupied up to 500 people, mostly engineers, researchers, manufacturers, and UAW employees. They all approach their jobs as though GM's survival depends on their success. They largely believe that it does. You've seen some Saturn cars, but don't focus on them. We'll get some gains from the designs, but the main benefits will come from innovative engineering, manufacturing and assembly, from improved business systems, from highly integrated facility, and most of all, utilization of our people. In fact, when you leave here today, I hope you will think of Saturn primarily as people, American people working as a team to solve in a very important national problem. To tell you more, here's Saturn's director, Reed Rundell. Reed? Mr. President, when Saturn was initiated early in 1982, our mission was clear. To identify, develop, and demonstrate the integrated design, engineering, and manufacturing concepts for a new line of small cars to be competitively manufactured in the United States. We were given a clean sheet of paper, but no deadline to fill it. We were not bound by tradition, but told to go out and seek new ways. Early on, we determined that we needed to integrate the technical people and business plans through Project Saturn in order to hit the market with a competitive vehicle. Knowing that a dramatic improvement in any one of these was not sufficient to meet our goal. Through the people that we have in Saturn represent all disciplines necessary to build a car. We started working together instead of sequentially as we have traditionally done in the past. Through this dynamic synergism, it's enabled us to make major advances. For example, our product and manufacturing engineers working together were able to develop the process for this rear axle, which uses only one eighth of the expensive welding materials currently used on our axles. We searched the world to find the best technology and the best advanced business practices for Saturn. Part of Saturn contains what is it used now somewhere in the world, but in order to move ahead, in order to leap forward, we had to use some dramatic GM breakthroughs. One such breakthrough is this aluminum engine casting which reduces the machining operations by up to 60% compared to conventional castings. When molten aluminum is poured into the mold containing this styrene pattern, the styrene vaporizes and evaporates, leaving the aluminum in a highly accurate method. This also gives us the ability to put in vertical holes as well as cast in long horizontal holes thereby eliminating expensive drilling operations. This Saturn block weighs 36 pounds compared to a conventional current cast iron block for a similar displacement engine that weighs 82 pounds. People throughout GM are working daily to look for new breakthroughs. Some of these are applicable to Saturn. A recent decision. In identical size, the ferrite magnet here and the magnet quench here. I think if you see, you can lift that one off. This one with eight times the strength at the same size, it's very difficult to get off. And we thought if you'd take that as a little memento that we are making progress in technologies here. Well, thank you very much. Yes, sir. It wasn't nailed down. No, it wasn't. No, there is quite a difference. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. President, Saturn will utilize this new magnet in our starter motor which weighs only seven pounds. Which is half the weight and significantly smaller than a current starter motor used on a vehicle of the same displacement engine. Mr. President, we see perhaps a brand new industry for America through the use of this material. But the most dramatic improvements and savings within Saturn will come from our radically new facilities. We will be utilizing the advanced technology that you will see at Orion and then some. Including modular build as you see here. We're designing the process around the product as well as the people who will work in the plant for enhanced quality of work life. An example of my care about their job take pride in themselves and in their contributions and want to share in the success of their efforts. This philosophy 70 company university contacts. They travel over two million miles and they put in 50,000 hours of effort and exceeded that which was achieved by the authors of the search of excellence. My turn. Oh, would you? Well, no, I just want to thank you. I had a few notes here for some remarks based on very little information but some anticipation of what I was going to see. I thank you and Roger and Howard and all of you who've been giving this demonstration and this look into the future. All I can say is I like what I've seen. You know, Mark Twain, we all know was at one time reported dead and he replied with a statement that his death had been exaggerated. And I couldn't help but recall that with regard to some of the people who've been counting this industry out and announcing its demise. And they're going to be proven I'm sure as wrong as the doomcriers who were gonna bury Mark Twain. I know there's some very distinguished, I see some very distinguished faces around this table. You represent an enormous productive power and your industry is vital to the health and the vitality of our country and it isn't taken for granted by anyone in this administration. Unlike some socialist countries, the future is not in the hands of government, it's in your hands. And I was going to come here and suggest and urge you to be bold. You have been bolder than I was even going to suggest. Your vision and confidence are crucial if America is to meet the great challenges that face us and remain prosperous in the 80s. And many of us here remember, I'm sure, when American business was untouched by war and was the undisputed leader of the world. But that era is over. Government, industry, and labor are operating under different rules in a much more competitive world. And all of us will have to do better if we're to remain an industrial and economic force such as we have been. But I have seen enough to know I don't have to tell you that you're already doing it and you're already working together which I was going to say would be admirable if it was done. Something we've tried to end which I never could understand when it was prevalent was the adversarial relationship between government and business in our country. And those in government should want business to succeed, should want new workers to be hired and want you to make a profit. We're trying to create an economic client of a success by bringing inflation under control at our end and holding down taxes and unnecessary regulation. But as I say, it isn't just up to government. Ingenuity, courage, and hard work were the essential ingredients of the American success story. And I think what is happening here is in keeping with that great entrepreneurial spirit. With the Saturn concept as I've seen, General Motors is heading into the future not just with an idea of survival but with an idea of triumph. And that's the attitude that all American business should have. And I think we're seeing more of that spirit that's cropping up all over our country. I've always had a faith that American business, working in cooperation with American labor, can meet and beat the combination. And I say that I also speak from your standpoint, I think I'm the only one that's ever held this job who is a lifetime union member. I was six times president of my own union. And I just, I have seen such miracles so far and I feel like I've just been to the Pentagon with the chiefs of staff over there. I can't talk about that either. So I can't talk about all that I've seen. But as inspiring as all of this and this great technological advancement that I've seen was that great advance that's on that planning board over there. And I just, well, what I've seen is reaffirmed my faith in American business and American industry. And my goodness, I can't wait for the next summit meeting. That's wonderful. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, Mr. President, let me say that we appreciate the support that you've given us with and particularly the leadership that you and your administration have done in holding down inflation and getting the economy back on track because it's been as essential a part of the Saturn project as the work that our engineers and our people have done because we absolutely have to have a good economic base to grow and that's fundamental to everything we do. And again, we're very indebted to you for that. And with that, we're going to take you out and just a minute to let you drive one of the products that we are developing here. We thought that might be a fitting climax to your visit here. So if you'll come with me, we'll go. You'll realize, of course, that for four years I've been sitting in the back seat. I'm going to say again, it's been a pleasure. Don't hit us. If you're petty, you'll never fit in that. Man, it's going to take no responsibility. Oh, no. Man, it's going to take no responsibility. You have a license, sir. You have a license. You have a license? Tell me, I don't need one on this property. That wasn't a question. You have one. Appreciate it.