Detroit,,out of ideas

[MERCMAN]

Interesting perspective!!
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/extra/P123244.asp

[rocknrod]

What is interesting in this arena, is that all these people who make cars for the big 3. They all shuffle around over the years from one car maker to the next. So the ideas and thought process always stays the same. That is to say, the way it's always been done syndrome has in my opinion hurt car makers. And that read you posted probably has some merit in that respect.

[dwasson]

I wonder how long it will take the Big 3 to realize that they have trained their customers to wait for discounts. It is almost inevitable that a new car will be released and it will languish in the showroom until the rebates are announced. Then they can sell all they want and lose money on every one.

I know that there are a lot "buy American" types here but surely they too have noticed that the Japanese don't pay people to buy their cars.

[Fourth Horseman]

It does sort of feel like the entire domestic American automotive industry is circling the drain, sometimes, doesn't it?

[Bluerauder]

Interesting perspective!!
Pretty harsh words all around .... the "lemming" analogy was rather interesting as was the quote below \/ \/ \/

For Ford, it's yet another case of lacking a big marketing idea of their own, so they tend to go whichever way the market leads them - no big surprise here. For Chrysler, they actually believe in their hearts that they're smarter than everyone else -- their potent brew of German-American Kool-Aid is apparently that good. So what do they do? They dredge up a prehistoric automotive icon who will signal to everyone once and for all that Detroit is out of touch, out of time -- and officially out of ideas. Nice.

[2003 MIB]

It does sort of feel like the entire domestic American automotive industry is circling the drain, sometimes, doesn't it?Yes. Although I am occasionally encouraged by things like the new Mustang,the Dodge SRT cars, the Solstice/Sky. The mainstream cars do nothing for me- Colbalt? 500? Anything at the Mercury dealer...etc...

I think about the "drain" everytime I see an ad on TV. I'm not sure I even think Chrysler is a domestic brand anymore. I worry about the development of SUVs and fullsize trucks* when gas continues to rise and there's no viable alternative to a Toyota or Honda.

*That being said, my F150 is a magnificent vehicle that often feels personally designed for me and my needs. Even my Marauder didn't feel that way until it was heavily modified.

As an aside, Coli just replaced her SUV with a Mazda RX-8. This is a wonderful car with fit, finish and ergonomics beyond any $22,000 domestic car- it runs well too.

[marauder307]

I read the article. It's a hatchet job.

Read the article again, folks. This is the same kind of despair-mongering that says we're losing the war on terrorism...this guy must be on the take from Tokyo.

I will allow that Detroit's having a rough period right now...to paraphrase that big fat idiot Al Franken, "It's the oil prices, stupid!" The Big Three are caught in their own momentum of big V-8 powered vehicles: Grand Marquis/Crown Victoria, Mustang (at least some models), GT, the GXP series, any SUV, Chrysler 300C, Charger, Magnum (some models for all three), the soon-to-be Challenger, almost any Cadillac, almost any domestic truck (short of the Ranger and some less-zoot Dakotas and Colorados)...the list goes on. Any of these are going to drink the black stuff like it's going out of style.

What leads me to think this guy is a mere bomb-thrower type is that he just blindly endorses the foreign makes without thinking. The rice and sauerkraut crowds have their own gas hogs, but do they get mentioned? Absolutely not.

The latest versions of Toyota and Nissan SUVs are packing small-block V-8s now; I know I can remember when they were capable of motorvating on 4 cylinders---some of you can too. Mercedes-Benz has factory built models coming from AMG and Brabus; they're V-8s, and supercharged too---got a buddy in Lompoc CA who's got an AMG-powered sedan. Loves it, but was lamenting to me about how he can nail it and WATCH the gas gauge disappear. I told 'im he coulda had a Marauder.

None of these were discussed by this pinko. Forget this article folks...the guy's clearly a jackass. Detroit ain't dead, just sick...and it'll get better. It usually does.