10 cars that sank Detroit.

My Ford Explorer made the list. Cool. Maybe I can sell it as a collectable. :madgrin:

 

How did the EV1 not make the list? Not for the car it was and should be, but for the way it was spectacularly mis-handled. Many people who gave GM a fighting chance will never trust them again.

Edit: There's a link on that article to another list of "cars that could save Detroit." The EV1 gets first mention.

 

Cars don't sink Detroit ..... mismanaging executives sink Detroit. Detroit executives never attempted to set high quality standards to their cars. I felt guilty in 1988 for not buying 'american' so I bought a second car, Chevy Cavalier Z24, for my wife and I. The car was constantly in the shop for a defective computer chip. I learned a few years later this chip which controlled the engine function became a black market item because it was easy to remove and assemble. The chips were manufactured defectively. To make matters worse the Mr. Goodwrench thieves performed all kinds of unecessary diagnostic testing on the engine even though they had my maintenance records from their shop including 3 k oil changes, tire balancing etc.
The car looked good, handled ok and could have been a reliable car like my Toyota Celica GT with 200 k miles on it (at the time) and no engine issues. When I brought my Chevy for a trade-in at 60 k miles for a Honda Civic ES the salesman asked me if I had any engine problems.....seemed like everyone knew about the defective computer module but me.

 

look at the list that might save Detroit, the EV-1 and Volt are on it... but might be too little too late. once again, in gm's bid to get it all right the first time, they may not have a chance to get any at all

 

WOW! very real article, very real vehicles, very real problems. in the US car manufacturers defense, they did make some real nice cars..............corvette, camaro, mustang (selective years for both), 57 belair and many more. i drive a prius, but i'm sad to see the US auto manufacturers go down like this. it's sad. bad management, terrible foresight, NO crystal ball...........OK, agree, still sad to see.

when we first migrated to this country, my parents told us to buy american, especially cars. however, many were unreliable so when we grew up, able to buy our own cars, I was the only one who kept the tradition to buy american................the prius is my FIRST foreign manufactured car that i bought.

sadness from a very smokey and fire-ladened southern california.

VERY HUMBLING THREAD GODIVA!

 

They mention the Prius, but they seem to forget that the Civic, Corolla, Camry, Accord, and so forth have sold much higher volumes than the Prius. During Sept.2008, they may well have been looking at the Prius. But for 2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007, and the first half of 2008, I think the Civic, Corolla, Accord, and Camry had a much greater impact on GM's lost sales.

It's ironic, looking back today, that from Jan.1,2008 to June 2008, the Ford F150 had been the top selling vehicle. But even then, the Camry, Accord, Civic, and Corolla were the top-selling cars.
2008's Top Selling Cars and Trucks in U.S. Scorecard

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Well, if it wasn't for $4 gas, which lasted for a few months, GM et al would be rolling merrily along with their SUVs. That shook a few folks up. Now, even with gas around $2.50, there are no takers for gas guzzlers. People are wise enough to know that gas prices are as volatile as the stock market, and can shoot up again without much notice, if oil futures become in vogue again.

What needs to happen in Detroit with any bailout is 1) new management, 2) higher mandated mpg requirements, and 3) a committment to hybrids and battery power.

 

4) cars that consumers actually want to buy, instead of their Japanese rivals.

 

I used a Springtime issue of Consumer Reports 'Best and Worst SUV's' to kick off car shopping. Initially looking for something like a Matrix or Rav4 type of thing. The only US offering close IMO was the Chevy HHR.

But the HHR only came out in 2006, already showing below average reliability for trans. minor, electrical and brakes. The retro styling, not my cup of tea either.

Then came a recommendation for the Prius from a friend, then a test drive, rest is history.

 

I weaned myself from American cars back in the 70's, starting with a VW Rabbit, and they've never done anything to try and woo me back.

The only time I've driven American cars since then is when I drive a rental. And every time I've driven them I'm glad I hadn't bought the thing. There is always some annoying, poorly designed feature that indicates the lack of quality that went into the American car's design and construction.

 

Detroit is doomed, and I hope that the pieces get picked at by other car companies.

I can see Corvettes, Mustangs, Jeep Wranglers, F-150s; iconic vehicles staying around, maybe being produced by one company...but for the most part, I think the big three are yesterday's news, and they have pretty much brought this on themselves.

 

Rybold is right.

I remember being customer number 95 on the accord waiting list when it came out in 1978 at the local Honda dealership. It seemed so long to wait, that I bought a Celica, and fell in love with Toyota design and reliability. I did ultimately buy some NAbig3 vehicles, but was always disappointed with the product and their service. It's that phenomenon that sank them...try something better and you are a tough customer to entice back.

My prediction is that GM won't go through with the Volt, and it will end up on an updated list a few years down the road.

 

I hate to see US car companies fail. It affects million of people and multiple cities accross the the country. I remember as a child being told that GM was the largest corporation in the world and was (if it could truly be figured) larger GNP that most of the countries in Africa.

Those of my fathers generation were not big fans of foreign auto companies (especially those from Japan and Germany). But in 1973 he bought a used Toyota Corolla. Why? There were no US automobiles that could match the gas mileage. At that time there was nationwide rationing d/t the OPEC oil embargo. You were only allowed to get gas every other day (depending upon the last digit of your license plate).

All Honda, Toyota and Datsun did was provide reliability (with maybe the exception of Datsun: now Nissan), affordability, and fun cars to drive. US automakers were still delivering big boxy V8's that might last 5 years.

Ford did try with the Escort. The Escort held the sales leadership of all domestic cars for many years. The last model was in 2003. You can hardly find one on the road today.

My 97 Honda Accord has over 208,000 miles on it. I see dozens of these cars still driving every day.

Poor design, quality, and seeming ignorance to what US car buyers want seems to plague Chrysler and GM. I do commend Ford. I have driven the new Focus and Fusion and both are very good cars (at least in a test drive). Let GM bring their 70 mpg European models to the US. They might get some traction. There's no Lee Iacocca riding to rescue Chrysler this time. Maybe through bankruptcy instead of bailout they will realize they have to compete in the marketplace.

 

Hi All,

I sent in a comment to the article, but its not been published yet. So, here is the jist:

I drive a Prius, but am interested in all kinds of vehicles. I remember with the H2 came out, and we were all looking at Motor Trend in the engineering office. We were expecting great things from what GM could do with a civilian (smaller) off-road vehicle using all that great H1 technology. After looking at the article, our jaws all dropped - hell this is just a Dangerously Gadawfully Humugonous Pick-up truck. No suspension tech carry-over, no diesel engine. Dumb-dumb-dumb!

 

I couldnt agree more. the big 3 have brought this on themselves. Greed, mismanagement and the like have doomed them. even while other companies like toyota and honda were developing the hybrid, with $4.00 gas prices, the GM dealers around here only offered a "sale" on their SUVs.

They deserve what they get
:rockon:

 

thats why honda's compact has been the "Civic" for what.. 40 years? its midsize is the "Accord" for 30, 40 years
toyota's compact has always been the "Corolla" for 40 years. its midsize is the "Camry"
Ford's compact? Pinto, Escort, Focus.. GM's... Cavalier, Sunbird, Sunfire, Cobalt, G5, and the coming Cruze... Chrysler.. Omni, Sundance, Shadow, Neon, Caliber... i cant even keep track... they change names after each failure.. stick with one nameplate detroit! god dammit!

 

I for one can never figure out why GM needed so many brand names.

If one looks at Toyota, it only has 3 names (Toyota, Lexus and Scion). Honda has just two (Honda and Acura).

Meanwhile, GM has Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, Saturn, and most recently Hummer and SAAB. They finally got rid of Oldsmobile in 2005. With so much product duplication and infrastructure / corporate bureaucracy to support all these different brand names, there has to be quite a bit of inefficiency there.