Car perceptions now and before. Your opinion, please

Magna said:

American cars: I think of muscle cars. was this their greatest era? were these cars considered the best?

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Thats all I had growing up. My first three cars were in order.

1.) 1970 Dodge Charger (383ci)

2.) 1971 Pontiac GTO (400ci)

3.) 1969 Plymoth Road Runner (383ci)

All really fun cars. I still lust after a primo '69 Judge 4-spd Convertable!!

Definately, Ford is on the rise. This may sound odd, but ever since the 1996 Taurus released I have said that they will rise to the top in Detroit. The spirit of ambition in the car's development just told it all: they were ready to make some waves. The Focus shows how they can even make the Civic look like a poor design.

Well, the American car companies, (Is Chrysler American?) don't really have a choice. They are getting hammered by competition in every part of the world, save their home market, (which they are slowly losing) and the UK (of which they have just a handhold).

It seems that finally it’s hitting them hard enough in the pocketbook for them to take notice, and gradually they are trying to be more globally competitive. I think it will be interesting to see what happens as they turn around. Is it too late? Can they do it fast enough?

They must build cars to be cars, not build cars to make money. Money is a necessary extra, but in the end, it is the product that matters most.

I think their current situation is like that of the US military's history. For much of the begining the USA had a very poorly outfited and trained army with obsolete weapons. It wasn't until the tragedies of war showed the failures of the situation that a decision was made to forever be the top power of the world to avoid the needless casuaties that were suffered. (Hence the always ongoing weapons programs today)

It's late, just a rant...

Japanese cars were at best, an oddity during the 60's. They did not truly establish a foothold in America until the first gas crisis of 1973. During the 1970's, U.S. drivers in larger and larger numbers were exposed to well built, fun to drive, reliable and economical Japanese cars (eg. Toyota Corolla and Corona, Datsun 510 and 240Z, Honda Civic and Accord). It was the introduction of the Honda Accord in 1976 that was the turning point for the Japanese automobile industry in America. What Honda did was build the "perfect" American car for Americans, something the big three somehow forgot how to do.

German cars were not a significant factor in America during the 1960's. True, there were dedicated Porsche and Mercedes owners in the U.S. during that time, but the sales numbers were tiny. In the 1970's, Mercedes and Porsche became status symbols in the U.S., and that was the turning point for the success of German cars in America. If you are old enough to remember, the Mercedes 450SL was "the" car to own back then - if you drove an SL, people assumed you had made it. (Note: I personally detest people who drive cars for status purposes. I am simply relating the history of the industry here)

American cars ruled the world in the 50's and 60's. Most people will agree that those two decades were the pinacle for the American car industry. GM owned more than 50% of the American market - many people traded their cars in every year! American cars were (with some execeptions, of course) beautifully styled, powerful, fast, and well-built back then. As far as market share, those days are gone forever. But I wouldn't count the American companies out - they have vast resources, both financial and human, and they know that their backs are up against the wall. I have been involved in the car industry since 1984, and I am confident that GM and Ford will get their acts together and start producing competitive vehicles again.

Dan:

Would you say that during the 50's and 60s and even Germans coveted American cars? It would make sense since Germany was just finishing rebuilding after WWII, and probably wasn't putting their best people/resources towards cars.

I ask friends when they travel what kind of cars people all over the world drive and the carmakers' reputation. It's interesting that all over the world, people think Germans make great cars and that Japan makes great value/reliable cars. The American reputation seems to be mixed. In some countries American cars are not desired simply because they're considered too big, not because of low quality. Talking to an Australian friend, she didn't have an opinion on American cars because she was so unfamiliar with them. American carmakers have no market at all in Australia.

That's not exactly true that American carmakers have no market in Australia. GM of Austraila markets their cars there under the name Holden and there's one other name I forget. There are some American-market cars that are sold there under different names (but I can't remeber the models or the names). From what I understand,GM has a fairly large market share there.

Magna said:

Dan:

Would you say that during the 50's and 60s and even Germans coveted American cars? It would make sense since Germany was just finishing rebuilding after WWII, and probably wasn't putting their best people/resources towards cars.

I ask friends when they travel what kind of cars people all over the world drive and the carmakers' reputation. It's interesting that all over the world, people think Germans make great cars and that Japan makes great value/reliable cars. The American reputation seems to be mixed. In some countries American cars are not desired simply because they're considered too big, not because of low quality. Talking to an Australian friend, she didn't have an opinion on American cars because she was so unfamiliar with them. American carmakers have no market at all in Australia.

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Good question - Although I don't have first hand knowledge, I would think that certain American cars from the 50's and 60's, such as Cadillac (remember that Cadillac was the standard of the world back then - wow, have things changed!), Lincoln, Packard (in the early 50's), and the Corvette and Thunderbird were coveted automobiles all over the world back then. However, none of the big three were making an effort to export these cars into Europe, because they were selling all they could make here in the states during that time period.

By the way, Ford sells cars in Australia, and they have a significant presence there. Remember the Falcon? Ford still sells it down under!