Bill Gates As GM's CEO, To Save Us Money!

Guest writer, Lily, fantasises of an inter-industry merger that could drastically reduce car prices and fuel consumption.

Bill Gates once said, “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving 25 dollar cars that give us 1,000 miles per gallon." We know that Malaysia is the second most expensive country to own a car, after Singapore; let’s use Malaysia as a benchmark to see how far we are from Bill Gates’ hypothetical statement.

According to Live Life Drive, Malaysia’s car buyer’s guide, these are the five most affordable and fuel-efficient models that we should consider in the country:

Toyota Vios

Price: MYR73,200 onwards
Manufacturer’s claimed fuel consumption: 16km/l
Actual fuel consumption (urban driving): 14km/l.

Mitsubishi Mirage

Price: MYR 56,992 onwards 

Manufacturer’s claimed fuel consumption: 20km/l 

Actual fuel consumption (urban driving): 18km/l

Honda City

Price: MYR 85,980 onwards 

Manufacturer’s claimed fuel consumption: 15km/l 

Actual fuel consumption (urban driving): 14km/l

Honda Jazz CKD

Price: MYR 74,800 onwards 

Manufacturer’s claimed fuel consumption: 15km/l 

 Actual fuel consumption (urban driving): 14km/l

Toyota Prius

Price: MYR 97,313 onwards 

Manufacturer’s claimed fuel consumption: 27km/l 

Actual fuel consumption (urban driving): 22km/l

To enable an easier comparison, let’s convert "1,000 miles per gallon" into kilometres per litre and US Dollar into Ringgit Malaysia - we then get 425 kilometres per litre, and a car cost of MYR82.50! Wait a minute - let me check the numbers a few more times as I really suspect my calculator has given me the wrong answer. Hmm, my Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which is a Gates’ product, also gives the same answer! Excuse me for using Excel for such an easy calculation; I wanted to ensure an accurate answer by using a product of Bill Gates to support what Bill Gates said.

At this moment, I feel an impulse within me to gather the whole world and urge GM to invite Gates to become their CEO, or initiate a merging process to between Microsoft and GM! Imagine if Gates led an automotive company and kept his promise regarding technology delivery, the current Toyota Vios owner can own at least 800 units Toyota Vios (more than can be contained in a car showroom!) for the same price. Presently, the Vios uses 714 litres of fuel for every 10 000 kilometres; with Gates in charge, the same distance only requires 23 litres of fuel. The driver could save MYR1,312.90 in fuel expenditure for every 10,000 kilometres travelled.

Do you have the same compulsion to campaign for a merger between Microsoft and GM now?

images: Live Life Drive, fountainnew.co.ke