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There are very significant reasons why people buy foreign makes. Many have had American makes in the 70's, 80's or 90's and knew how bad they were. After you buy a car or two that dies after the warranty is up you get fed up. Then after you buy a Honda or Toyota and it goes 150-200k miles without a hiccup you now have a loyal customer who tells his friends who gets one for his kids, and when they come due the next time they get the same brand and or model without even looking at anything else..
In the past couple of years GM and Ford have made some good products. The new CTS and Malibu are class leading and there are a few others but not that many.
Go drive a Dodge Avenger and tell me it's competitive to anybody else, well maybe Suzuki. Its crap. Even the Challenger has a crap interior. This is 2008 How can you offer a 4 speed transmission, how can interiors not be on par with your competition?
Case in point the Solstice. Fabulously beautiful car but flawed and not competitive with its main rival the Miata. Why is there no automated top, why was a saddle-bag gas tank not made to allow for cargo? How can you create a new car that does not exceed you existing competition? If you can’t then there is no reason to try.
The Japanese firms have continued over the yeares to refine, refine, try again and refine. Accord, Camry, Corolla, Civic, etc. Where is Ford’s Escort that beast the Civic? American manufacturers seem to always be looking for the next big thing, the hail mary that will save the company instead of having a wide product portfolio and refining the nameplates to make them ALL best in class. Aveo anyone……
Don't get me wrong. I want to see the big 3 succeed and be competitive. No not competitive but the best. I want to see Cadillac regarded again as the standard of the world. I just don't see it happening with a full chapter 11 restructuring and house cleaning.
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