Perspect Scale Modelworks Posted November 8 Posted November 8 I think GM's problems started decades ago. One of which is the fact of them competing against themselves. Too many brands under one. Consider the fact that Toyota makes Toyotas, Honda makes Hondas, Mercedes, BMW, Nissan, etc do the same. Some do make "luxury" brands, but those are generally made for the North American market. The idea of making the same car with very slight differences in styling and features never made sense to me. Shedding Oldsmobile and Pontiac, as sad as that was, made business sense. Honestly, was there really a big difference between a Camaro and Firebird, Nova and Ventura, Park Avenue, Regency 98, and Sedan Deville? Even Mopar and FOMOCO caught on and canceled Plymouth and Mercury respectively. I'm sure some will disagree due to nostalgia or emotional attachments or whatever, but it was another example of the giant auto industry telling us what we liked and needed. They told us we didn't want convertibles, station wagons, coupes, and now they tell us we don't even want cars at all, just trucks and SUVs.
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 9 Author Posted November 9 (edited) 6 hours ago, Perspect Scale Modelworks said: ...They told us we didn't want convertibles, station wagons, coupes, and now they tell us we don't even want cars at all, just trucks and SUVs. Funny. I always got the impression that the trash Detroit has been pumping out was the result of billions of bucks dumped into 'market research', and that the car companies elected to let people who know zero about cars influence what they'd build...which was the oh so mo better idea behind that paragon of automotive innovation, bold new styling, whiz-bang gimmickry, and success in general, the Edsel. What the corporate committees all seemed to forget was that if 'market research' had been the basis of the automobile industry, there would never have been an automobile industry. Well, that and gubmint agencies making it all but impossible to build convertibles there for a while, and tacking on horrendous 5MPH bumpers that cost more to make and vastly more to repair because, guess what, many of the low speed 'accident' statistics that were the basis for the 5MPH requirement turned out to have been faulty, with the reality having been significant numbers of higher speed collisions that were incorrectly reported. PS: AI disagrees somewhat with my statements, but remember, AI goes by the majority of the hits is dredges up, which do not always coincide with the truth. And it hasn't spent decades in the trenches, seeing up close and personal the results of whatever mindlessness drives the industry. Edited November 9 by Ace-Garageguy punctiliousness
stitchdup Posted November 9 Posted November 9 No politics, some of you just have to push it dont you 1
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