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HomeBusiness strategies

Business strategies

1969 Ford design film clay model
History

Late-1960s Ford car design film shows US automakers losing it

August 13, 2025 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 4/28/2023) A late-1960s Ford promotional film offers a fascinating glimpse into the car and truck designs being worked on at the time. Perhaps more than intended, The Design Makers — Inside Ford Design, […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Parisienne
Media Analysis

Popular Science’s predictions for 1967 cars weren’t always on target

August 11, 2025 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 5/19/2021) The July 1966 issue of Popular Science breathlessly predicted what U.S. automakers had planned for the next model year. Even though introductions were only a few months away, a surprising number of […]

2025 VW ID. Buzz
Current Events

Richard Truett’s plan to ‘rescue’ the VW ID. Buzz thinks too big

August 7, 2025 Steve 5

Automotive News reporter Richard Truett (2025) recently recommended how Volkswagen could “rescue” the ID. Buzz, which is off to a slow start in sales. In a piece labeled a “Comment,” Truett argued that under current […]

19465 Hudson
History

1946 Hudson shows what made automaker so important — and vulnerable

August 4, 2025 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 4/22/2023) This story received an unusual amount of pushback in the comment thread when it was originally posted two years ago. A focus of reader criticism was my argument that Hudson’s demise had […]

1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Thomas Bonsall faced backlash for criticizing 1953 Studebaker launch

August 2, 2025 Steve 6

We have a lively debate going on in the 1953 Studebaker comment thread, so I thought I would add to the discussion by quoting Thomas E. Bonsall’s take on the car. In the introduction to […]

1971 Dodge Coronet Custom 4-door sedan
Data Dive

Collectible Automobile avoids big question about 1971-74 Dodge Coronet

August 1, 2025 Steve 1

The latest issue of Collectible Automobile offers an overview of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet. As usual, the photography is gorgeous and the product details are exhaustive. But also as usual, there was strikingly little historical […]

2025 Kia K5 rear
Design Notes

Will cars with ‘crying-eyes’ styling withstand the test of time?

July 31, 2025 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 2/18/2022) The automotive media tend to treat even the ugliest styling trends like the courtiers who ignore when the emperor has no clothes. I thus found it refreshing to see Sajeev Mehta critique […]

Multimedia

Two vlogs have strikingly similar takes on 1953 Studebaker Loewy coupes

July 30, 2025 Steve 5

I have been fairly critical of auto history YouTube channels, so I thought I would acknowledge what seemed to be a fairly good analysis of the 1953 Studebaker “Loewy coupes.” The King of Classic Cars […]

1968 Mercury Brougham 4-door hardtop
Data Dive

1968 full-sized Mercury: A pioneer of brougham was overshadowed

July 25, 2025 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 12/8/2023) One of my lingering questions from a Collectible Automobile story about the Mercury Park Lane was why it didn’t sell better in 1968 (Biel, 2021). This was arguably the first year that […]

1955 GM brand hierarchy
Drive-By Musings

What do we mean when we talk about the premium-priced field?

July 24, 2025 Steve 14

An Indie Auto reader asked me to explain what I mean when referring to the premium-priced field. More specifically, how do I rank General Motors’ brand hierarchy — and where do I put Pontiac, Olds […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 9 10 11 … 48 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 3
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 13
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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