As the Detroit 3 automaker executives hold out their tin cups to Congress looking for a taxpayer bailout, with news reports suggesting $15 billion short-term aid package, General Motors has taken out an ad in the trade publication Automotive News apologizing for various mistakes it says it has committed in the past.

In it, they concede to letting quality fall below industry standards, building lackluster designs, supporting too many brands, and losing focus on their core market.

The company goes on to promise:

• To produce "automobiles you want to buy and are excited to own."
• To lead the reinvention of the automobile based on promising new technology
• To aid the reduction of America’s dependence on imported oil
• To protect the environment
• And to pay back the entire government loan, if granted.

Check out the whole letter to America for yourself (pdf).

Then let us know what you think in the comments below.

Also read:
Automakers head to Washington
Consumer Reports statement on emergency aid for U.S. automakers 

Resource: Consumer Reports Ratings, Reliability, and Owner Satisfaction.