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HomeBusiness strategies

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1974 Ford Galaxie 500 four-door hardtop
Current Events

Could the auto industry experience a wake-up call akin to the 1970s oil crises?

March 24, 2026 Steve 5

Oil experts have recently debated how big of a crisis the Iran war could cause. However, even if the impacts to the U.S. auto industry turn out to be relatively short lived, they still could […]

2024 Chrysler Halcyon
Letters to the Editor

Follow-up thoughts on the future of the Chrysler brand

March 16, 2026 Steve 7

Indie Auto reader George Denzinger submitted a follow-up letter to a previous one concerning the 100th anniversary of the Chrysler brand (go here). First, thanks to Steve for posting my letter. I wanted to address a […]

Design Notes

Ford gets back into the mid-sized game with redesigned 1966 Fairlane

March 13, 2026 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 11/15/2023) Even though Ford came out with one of the first mid-sized cars in 1962, only three years later it was pummeled by General Motors and Chrysler. In 1965 even American Motors’ mid-sized […]

Current Events

Could Iran war show that Detroit is too dependent on gas-guzzling vehicles?

March 9, 2026 Steve 29

As I write this, Automotive News has not yet posted a full news story on how a protracted war in Iran could impact U.S. car sales. The industry’s leading trade journal has only parenthetically made […]

Literature

Why did American Motors fire Wells Rich and Greene in 1972?

March 6, 2026 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 5/14/2024) American Motors and the ad agency Wells Rich and Greene would seem to have been a match made in heaven when they started to work together in 1967. After all, both had […]

1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
History

Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?

March 5, 2026 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 2/14/2024) This is one of Indie Auto’s more hotly debated stories. Here I question Paul Niedermeyer’s (2024) contention that the 1966-67 Cutlass Supreme brought the “Great Brougham Epoch” to the mid-sized field. “With […]

1976 Plymouth Volare 2-door coupe
Drive-By Musings

Splashy new cars often were the biggest disasters during the postwar period

March 3, 2026 Steve 5

One of the biggest assumptions of U.S. automakers in the postwar period was that they desperately needed splashy new cars. Yet when I think about the biggest disasters of that era, they often involved expensive […]

Letters to the Editor

Reader questions Chrysler’s future as it passes 100th anniversary

March 2, 2026 Steve 17

Indie Auto reader George Denzinger recently submitted the following letter to the editor. He addresses some important issues, so I appreciate that he took the time to share his thoughts. I know that Stellantis celebrated(?) […]

1968 Chevrolet C10 pickup
Gallery

Was the 1967-68 Chevrolet C10 the ‘first modern pickup’?

February 27, 2026 Steve 8

Indie Auto doesn’t focus a whole lot on trucks, but I recently photographed a 1968 Chevrolet C10. When researching this article, I came across the argument from Aldan American (2026) that this was the “first […]

1941 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
Design Notes

1941 Studebaker Commander: Ending its big cars on a high note

February 26, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 10/1/2024) The 1941 Studebaker Commander is noteworthy partly because of its lovely art deco styling, but also because it represents close to the last of the automaker’s big premium-priced cars. In 1939 Studebaker […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 … 48 »
  • 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 12
  • 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
  • 1976 Tatra T-613
    Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s
    May 22, 2026 12
  • 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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