Quote:
Originally Posted by littlecammi
That's the problem. You grew up in the period when the mainstream automobile magazines were lauding everything German and Japanese and criticizing everything from American automakers. Granted that this was easy for them to do during the period beginning in the early '70s when government regulations destroyed the first musclecar era and American automakers had yet to develop technologies to overcome the newly mandated emissions controls, mileage requirements and crash impact standards.
The super rich will always be able to buy their expensive Porsches and Lamborghinis and Ferraris and Aston Martins. And those cars should be good for the money they charge for them. But don't make cars like the BMW M3 out to be superior to the best American cars, because they are not. It only appears that way from the constant praise heaped on all BMWs by the automotive press. And American car sales continue to suffer as a result.
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No, it's because I grew up when most American cars were crap. There were some notable exceptions that got good press, like the GNX. You missed the point of that Porsche article. Porsche is run by people who love to drive and race Porsches.
Again, though- you miss the point of the last 20 years. America hasn't produced ANYTHING BMW class until the CTS and maybe the G8 GT. The magazines are heaping praise left and right on both of these cars CTS was Car of the Year last year and is top 10 again this year. The press is gushing over the G8. They've loved the Corvette. Have you read the press on the new Cobalt SS? Blaming the press is a COPOUT.
Whenever GM takes control of development away from the bean-counters and gives it to someone who loves the project he's working on, GM scores a hit. They always have. They lost sight of this. The Cobalt SS is the perfect example of this- you have to have a guy like Heinrichy pushing a project who's got vision and is willing to spend an extra $200 to put Brembo's on it. One of the reasons I know the Camaro will be a hit is because GM is passionate about it, and it's more than just something to fill a market segment.