Speaking at the Wharton School, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, listed reasons why automakers were hit the hardest--along with banks--by the global economic crisis.  They "are big consumer(s) of cash," "big employers," "invest a lot of money," and "have a big supply chain."  So the immediate challenge for car manufacturers, Ghosn says, is to get through the crisis.  Managing through the crisis depends on maintaining a "positive free cash flow."  But the long term survival of these companies depends on long term vision, and, he says, managers have to be careful not to sell out the long term vision in fighting the short term problems.  

In this video, he outlines Renault-Nissan's approach in responding to the immediate challenges in such a way that the company also moves toward goals for the future.  For Renault-Nissan, that appears to mean developing zero emissions vehicles: