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HomeBusiness strategies

Business strategies

1961 De Soto
Multimedia

Video histories of DeSoto and American Motors aren’t as good as books

February 24, 2026 Steve 3

YouTube videos may bring auto history to a broader range of people, but they generally still aren’t as good as books. As a case in point, let’s take a look at a video about the […]

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk front with hood open
Media Analysis

Four lingering questions about Aaron Severson’s take on the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk

February 20, 2026 Steve 7

Recently Aaron Severson (2026) raised questions about whether the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk weighed more due to its Packard drivetrain. As usual, he offered a thoughtful analysis, but I still come away with four lingering […]

1969 Ford LTD
Literature

1969 Ford LTD attacked GM’s hierarchy of brands in multiple ways

February 12, 2026 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 7/5/2023) The LTD was one of the Ford Motor Company’s biggest successes in the 1970s because it attacked General Motors’ hierarchy of brands in multiple ways. After failing to beat the popular Impala […]

1947 Studebaker Chamption
Links

Consumer Reports holds false hope more ‘light’ cars would be offered after WWII

February 9, 2026 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 11/29/2023) A while back 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 explored is Consumer Reports […]

1978 Lincoln Versailles
Ad Nauseam

How would you market the 1978 Lincoln Versailles?

February 6, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 6/22/2023) Frank Aberdene was new to marketing luxury cars, yet his first assignment was a particularly tough one: the 1978 Lincoln Versailles. After discarding drafts for days on end, he finally — and […]

1958 Packard left headlight pod
Multimedia

Jay Leno hypes the Slate Truck and the Hubcap Club criticizes the 1958 Packard

February 4, 2026 Steve 11

Let’s take a back-to-back look at two videos: a Jay Leno’s Garage episode about the forthcoming Slate Truck and a Hubcap Club take on the controversial 1958 Packard. While Leno enthusiastically hyped the forthcoming electric […]

1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
Drive-By Musings

Was the 1950-55 Rambler the biggest category buster of the postwar era?

January 28, 2026 Steve 8

A recent discussion by Kim and Geeber in a comment thread got me wondering whether the 1950-55 Rambler was the biggest category buster of the postwar era. Why would I consider that possibility? The Nash […]

Hudson-Willys merger idea
Media Analysis

Patrick Foster’s idea of a Hudson-Willys merger still raises major questions

January 23, 2026 Steve 7

(EXPANDED FROM 10/17/2023) A few years ago Patrick Foster (2023) suggested in a Hemmings column why a marriage of Hudson and Willys could have made sense. More recently he updated his essay, so I was […]

Current Events

Ford executives try to get close to Trump despite policy differences

January 21, 2026 Steve 10

Ford Motor Company executives stood by quietly as President Donald Trump recently argued that the U.S. doesn’t need cars from Canada and Mexico (Fox 29 Philadelphia; 2026). Later Ford CEO Jim Farley lauded the administration […]

1970 Buick Riviera
Design Notes

The 11 worst single-year redesigns of postwar American cars

January 16, 2026 Steve 36

(EXPANDED FROM 7/14/2023) I grant you that top-whatever rankings can be clickbaity, but I decided to do this story for a specific reason. In the postwar years Detroit tended to assume that rapid-fire restylings were […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 3 4 5 … 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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