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Does America Even Need Its Own Automakers? - READ ONLY

1788 messages,  Last post on Mar 03, 2009 at 3:18 PM

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Messages Page 180 of 180

#1785 of 1788 Re: meanwhile, back at the ranch [dtownfb] by berri

Mar 02, 2009 (6:28 pm)

Replying to: dtownfb (Mar 02, 2009 5:18 pm)
I think Olds died when GM cheapened the hell out of the Cutlass in the 80's and lost the younger (and older youth oriented) buyers. That was Old's bread and butter car in the later 60's and 70's and they ruined it and its following. The Ciera was a piece of crap so Olds became focused on the 88 which competed head on with the more popular and desired LeSabre. The Aurora came too late to make a difference and the party was over despite John Rock giving it a valiant last hurrah.

#1786 of 1788 Re: meanwhile, back at the ranch [kdhspyder] by fezo

Mar 02, 2009 (6:36 pm)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Mar 02, 2009 5:36 pm)
Oh, I know that area. My SIL grew up down there.
 
They really wrecked the PL dam. Used to look like a waterfall. Now it looks pretty industrial. The good news is it controls the flow so that Oakland doesn't get flooded. The bad news is in case of rain everyone downstream still does.
 
The house I grew up in is a block and a half from the lake. Used to swim in it. At the time we didn't know what kind of junk was in it.
 
I'm in the south part of the state these days. Maybe 8 years ago or so they had a big rain and the dam that made Medford Lake broke. There's still no lake last I heard. People with docks going into nothing.

#1787 of 1788 Re: meanwhile, back at the ranch [berri] by xrunner2

Mar 03, 2009 (5:54 am)

Replying to: berri (Mar 02, 2009 6:28 pm)
Seems like the 60-70 Cutlass was Olds last hurrah. Previously, the 88 and 98 with the rocket engines were very successful in their era. The Olds marekting people got hung up with "a" for some reason. Cierra, Aurora, Acheiva, Intriuga, Bravada.
 
With just a little vision back in early 80's, GM could have parlayed Olds into a performance/entry lux division such as Acura, Infiniti. They realized this maybe 2 decades too late with their Aurora.
 
MBA courses will be studying the GM disaster for the next 100 years.

#1788 of 1788 Re: meanwhile, back at the ranch [xrunner2] by srs_49

Mar 03, 2009 (3:18 pm)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Mar 03, 2009 5:54 am)
I think it's what you hinted at - a lack of vision. Infinities and Acura's weren't around back then (in the early 80's), so there was nothing driving GM; noting forcing them to change. When that market did appear, it took GM 20 years to catch up, and even then, it's debatable whether they have caught up or are still trying (despite some glowing review for cars like the Cadillac CTS).

Messages Page 180 of 180

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