1.2 What obstacles does GM/Holden face as it attempts to bring its corporate culture into alignment with the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century? Imagine that you are one of a few million Australians whose commute to university or work is a less-than-70-kilometre round trip. Each morning, you hop into a sleek little car and drive off to your destination. At night, you park safely in the garage and plug your vehicle into a standard household electric socket for bedtime. After repeating this pattern for months, you never use a drop of petrol or directly emit a gram of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, charging your vehicle costs you about two dollars each day and consumes less energy annually than the refrigerator you use at home.

If you were one of the excited consumers lining up to purchase the Holden Volt, this scenario was not fantasy – it was your future, and the future that General Motors Holden envisions. In a move to reinvent the car for the needs of the twenty-first century, GM unveiled its first electric car during the company’s historic 2008 centennial celebration in the USA. The Volt, with its emissions-free driving, promised to become the ultimate green machine for eco-minded consumers everywhere.