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Automotive News & Views Does America Even Need Its Own Automakers?
1788 messages, Last post on Mar 03, 2009 at 2:18 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Feb 27, 2009 11:00 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Feb 27, 2009 11:33 am) 
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Replying to: nwng (Feb 27, 2009 9:50 am) As for cars, we made need to explore which types of cars we are good at, and then decide how many companies we really need to make that type of car. Obviously, we are very good at trucks and large 5-6 passenger 4-door cars.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 12:41 pm) As for cars, we made need to explore which types of cars we are good at, and then decide how many companies we really need to make that type of car. Obviously, we are very good at trucks and large 5-6 passenger 4-door cars. Right, might as well just do status quo, no sense in learning a new skill, developing a new competency, or growing the economy...nope not us, just keep doing the same thing again and again...I wonder when the next catastropic economic event will be, or WWIII.
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Feb 27, 2009 12:51 pm) Americans can't build small cars. They've been trying for 50 years and they still can't do it. Enough about competency at this point, seems to me. Sometimes the best thing to do is actually give up. This "try and try again" thing is very pollyanna but it isn't working. I think before getting fancy, American automakers should learn how to build cars for a profit. That IS the point, isn't it? Maybe it's not technology but business schools that are needed? As for WW III, it'll be short and final, no need to worry about anything after that one except how to sharpen a stick. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 12:59 pm) We've got lots of business schools, and business school graduates. Look where they got us. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 12:59 pm) I might not like the idea from a civil liberty standpoint but I think we are in a war of survival with the rest of the world. Yes we have to have trade partners but they aren't our friends they are thinking of themselves. We moved too much work off shore and lowered restrictions for trade with countries that never lowered restrictions with us. We might just want to think about protectionism until we as a nation are back on our feet. The global economy idea simply didn't work. If it was supposed to bring everyone up to our level it failed. If it was supposed to bring us down to their level it worked. At least looking at the stock market it seems that way. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 12:59 pm) Sure, in 3 developed markets Surely America can develop other technologies---like green tech for instance. Sure, because windfarms can be anywhere...and there is nothing overlapping between green tech and cars...unless you are a new fangled "hybrid" maker. Americans can't build small cars. They've been trying for 50 years and they still can't do it. Enough about competency at this point, seems to me. How small? Ford Ka small, Ford Fiesta small, or Ford Focus small? Opel Astra small? I think before getting fancy, American automakers should learn how to build cars for a profit. That IS the point, isn't it? I don't know, they just got castrated in congress for building SUVs and trucks that were highly profitable and using those gains to subsidize the other vehicles. I don't know any other major global car maker that sells some vehicles at a loss and makes it up on other ones /sarcasim. What just happened with Ford and the UAW...if the vote passes, then it means a lot of legacy costs being taken out of every vehicle, and a more level playing field. Maybe those other folks in Warren and Auburn Hills can get in on this thing. Nope, no need for progress, everyone just give up and go home. Game over. We can just move paper around pretending its money and opening fast food franchises. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 12:59 pm) The new Fiesta - which certainly LOOKS like a nice car, and is winning rave reviews in Europe - will be the big test of this approach. For that matter, the current Focus isn't a bad car, either. The problem was that Ford of North America thought it didn't have to perform any testing on the European design. Only problem was that it used different vendors and some different parts. That wasn't an engineering decision; that was a cost-accounting decision. Once Ford got the quality kinks worked out (around 2003), the resulting car was actually pretty good.
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