(UPDATED FROM 12/30/2022) A few years ago we had a debate in a comment thread about the importance of scale in the U.S. auto industry (go here). I thought I would add another layer to […]
In early April the average new car price hit $50,729. This was an $820 jump in just 30 days. Meanwhile, first-quarter new car sales have slowed. A recent Automotive News (2026b) editorial claimed that “there […]
(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 […]
(EXPANDED FROM 5/4/2023) When it was time to develop the print advertising for the 1971 Ford Maverick, the copyrighting team was told to be extra honest. In other words, come up with an approach similar […]
(EXPANDED FROM 10/19/2023) One could point to a number of car designs that represented the turning point where foreign automakers began to outshine Detroit in the late-60s and early-70s. The first-generation Jaguar XJ strikes me […]
(UPDATED FROM 8/30/2023) Predicting the future of the U.S. auto industry has always been fraught with peril. Popular Science’s Detroit Editor Jim Dunne got a lot of things right in his reporting during 1970, but […]
(UPDATED FROM 10/28/2022) If I had to pick a favorite Indie Auto story, this one would be in my top five. It is one of the longest pieces I have written — roughly 4,600 words […]
The other day I came across MotoMan TV’s recent interview with Bob Lutz. This episode strikes me as a classic example of the strengths and weaknesses of podcasts. The most positive aspect of the hour-and-a-half […]
(EXPANDED FROM 3/20/2023) Back in 1963, advertising executive Fred Manley presented a slide show parody about how to improve Volkswagen’s legendary “Think small” ad. The “best practices” he presented look hilariously misguided when applied to […]
(EXPANDED FROM 4/5/2023) Some buyers of the 1977-79 Lincoln Mark V waited up to eight weeks to receive exclusive designer-series models . . . that turned out to have defective paint. At least that was […]
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