Posted on 04/03/2009 7:20:55 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The global financial crisis is suffocating the Detroit automakers, but the problems at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have been festering for years—even when the mighty "Big Three" were earning billions. Aging factories, inflexible unions, arrogant executives and shoddy quality have all damaged Detroit. Now, with panicky consumers fleeing showrooms, catastrophe looms:
There will be plenty of business-school case studies analyzing all the automakers' wrong turns. But, as they say in the industry, it all comes down to product. So here are 10 cars that help explain the demise of Detroit: GM and Chrysler need a multibillion-dollar government bailout to survive, and both could be in bankruptcy by summer if they don't meet tough government demands. Ford hasn't asked for a bailout—yet—but it's bleeding cash and racing the clock to turn itself around.
Ford Pinto. This ill-fated subcompact came to epitomize the arrogance of Big Auto. Ford hurried the Pinto to market in the early 1970s to battle cheap imports like the Volkswagen Beetle that were selling for less than $2,000. Initial sales were strong, but quality problems emerged. Then came the infamous safety problems with exploding fuel tanks, which Ford refused to acknowledge. Message: The customer comes last. "The problems for the domestics really started in the '70s when they were offering cars like the Pinto up against higher-tech, better-built Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics," says Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
The first problem with this article is the writers continued shot at trucks and SUVs. Go to any mall parking lot and you will see it packed with Trucks, SUVs and Minivans, foreign and domestic. These are the vehicles people wanted until gas went up to $4.00. Lack of quality, crappy dealer service and untenable union contracts are what killed Detroit.
That’s not a corvair.
(Don't buy that marketing hype)
Entry level cars became pregnant roller skates, and the foreign manufacturers who had been building smaller cars for years dominated first that market, then moved into larger vehicles.
For those who were paying attention, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers pulled a similar coup, starting with small displacement motorcycles and working their way into the big bikes. While Harley-Davidson survived, and after change in ownership, management, and design, (while riding solid brand loyalty) flourished in the big bike market, there are more Japanese brands (even though some of those bikes are built here) in the US than American marques.
Auto manufacturers did not evoke the same fierce brand loyalty after their entry-level cars were ill designed and of generally questionable quality by comparison to their foreign competitors, and those who moved up were perfectly willing to look at the next level of imported vehicle, looking for value over anything else.
While no one car buried Detroit, the CAFE standards contributed, and buried a host of motorists since their inception as well.
Can we put at least part of the blame on Congress where it really belongs?
Yes, that is correct
They are all Chevy Monzas.
If it has an air cooled motor in the back, it’s a corvair.
I owned a Pinto, the second worst car I ever owned, the worst being a AMC Gremlin. I also owned a Cavalier (so-so), Chevette (rolling crap) and presently own an Astro which is actually a nice vehicle that just needed to be updated occasionally.
Not the ones that are corvairs.
If it says “Monza” in chrome somewhere on its body, it’s a Monza, by definition.
Really? If a corvette has a silly “stingray” logo on it somewhere, it’s not a stingray, it’s a vette.
Yep, that's pretty much what soured me on American cars.
The F-150 remains one of the most popular vehicles out there.
Sounds like its a Stingray to me.
Torino or Ranchero? You decide.
Also a question as to whether it’s a car or a truck.
The first two pictures were of a Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible late 60’s (66-68). I had one. Great vehicle really fun to drive. Chevy did make a car called the Monza in the 70’s or early 80’s. It was small front engine, rear wheel drive fast back. They also made a Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile model.
Torino. ranchero is a type, like station wagon.
LOL
(Only locals would get that...)
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