Doubts abound whether a "new General Motors" truly is emerging from the old GM with its old, stodgy and coddling culture, but the reported ouster of a trio of marketing executives associated with struggling Cadillac may be a sign that, in fact, the times are a changing.

Quoting eight unnamed sources familiar with the situation, trade journal Automotive News reported last week, that GM had terminated Steve Shannon, John Howell and Jay Spenchian, all associated with Cadillac.

Being fired by the old GM was almost unheard of. One had to be stealing from the company, sexually harassing co-workers or doing something so outrageously obvious that it couldn't be overlooked. Underperforming or playing a key role at an underperforming operation was rarely grounds for dismissal, it seemed.