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Month: November 2023
Media Analysis
AROnline may get a reprieve and Jalopnik fiddles with AI-written content
Good news and bad news on the automotive media front. The good news is that AROnline has had a number of offers by individuals and groups to keep the website online, at least as an […]
History
Consumer Reports holds false hope more ‘light’ cars would be offered after WWII
Indie Auto reader Jim Volgarino suggested that I check out the Internet Archive for hard-to-find automotive literature. That was terrific advice. One publication I have been exploring is Consumer Reports in the early postwar period. […]
Auto Paedia
Brand management: The tail that now wags U.S. auto industry
(UPDATED FROM 8/21/2020) Peter DeLorenzo (2018) has argued that brand management “is now the Number 1 priority in this business.” The reason is that a “democratization of technology and luxury” has leveled the playing field. […]
Letters to the Editor
Why General Motors didn’t realize that Oldsmobile was in trouble
Our “Story Ideas Bank” sometimes morphs into debates about specific historical events. George Denzinger recently weighed in on the death of Oldsmobile. This is a thoughtful analysis so I am elevating it to the front page. […]
Links
Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
A March 1964 Car Life article offers a fascinating take on why Studebaker shifted production from its South Bend main plant to a much smaller one in Hamilton, Ontario — which turned the brand into […]
Design Notes
1961-63 Imperial: Ode to Virgil Exner’s neo-classical excesses
(EXPANDED FROM 3/19/2021) Virgil Exner was a champion of neo-classical styling throughout his career. His best designs were arguably a handful of 1950s Chrysler show cars but his most influential work didn’t come until later. […]
Current Events
Richard Truett says EVs must make noise to avoid being a ‘disposable appliance’
Automotive News reporter Richard Truett (2023) complains that high-performance electric vehicles can get “boring” because they lack the “precise mechanical symphony” of an internal-combustion engine. The result is that they can become just “another disposable […]
Media Analysis
Is the auto history reference book a relic of the past?
When I was updating a review of a Standard Catalog I came across two depressing pieces of information. First, that prolific author John Gunnell died in late August (Borgart, 2023). Second, that the company which […]
Data Dive
1958-76 Thunderbird: The rise and fall of the Ford that shook up GM
(EXPANDED FROM 10/1/2021) The four-seater Thunderbird was a surprisingly pivotal car for the Ford Motor Company during the postwar period. The T-Bird showed that the No. 2 automaker could better compete against mighty General Motors if it pioneered new […]