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HomeU.S. auto industry decline

U.S. auto industry decline

1954 Ford ad
Data Dive

Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?

October 2, 2025 Steve 40

(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 […]

Multimedia

MotoMan TV’s interview of Bob Lutz shows strengths and weaknesses of podcasts

September 23, 2025 Steve 1

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 […]

1960 VW versus US compact car ads
Multimedia

Satire of a 1960 VW ad essentially mimics marketing for U.S. compacts

August 14, 2025 Steve 3

(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 […]

1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V Bill Blass Edition ad
History

Defective 1977-79 Continental Mark V showed how Lincoln lost its way

July 21, 2025 Steve 19

(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 […]

2024 Ford Expedition
Quotes

What impact could budget bill have on global efforts to fight climate change?

July 12, 2025 Steve 5

President Trump’s recently signed budget bill is big and complex enough that its impacts in just one area — climate change — have been subject to debate. For example, a Princeton University research group recently […]

Mercedes-Benz 300TD wagon
Design Notes

Mercedes-Benz W123: Back when form really did follow function

July 2, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 5/26/2023) A comment by Fratzog spurred me to expand on this story about the Mercedes-Benz W123, which to my mind is the brand’s most iconic model. I get that this may be a […]

Quotes

How could mighty General Motors collapse in such a spectacular fashion?

April 12, 2025 Steve 13

Business reporters for national newspapers tend to be at their best when they provide detailed, play-by-play coverage of major events in the U.S. auto industry. Unfortunately, they haven’t been as good in analyzing why things […]

1978 Cadillac Eldorado
Drive-By Musings

Would U.S. automakers have done better if high tariffs had always been in place?

April 3, 2025 Steve 4

Automotive News has been celebrating its 100-year anniversary by running articles that offer historical context about current events. The Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs would be a particularly valuable topic for this treatment. Unfortunately, so […]

1972 Chevrolet Vega
History

US automakers made vain promises in early-1970s to beat back imports

February 18, 2025 Steve 3

In response to soaring import sales in the early-1970s, US automakers made brave promises of a counterattack. In retrospect, many of those promises sound decidedly hollow. For example, in the wake of a critical review […]

1967 GM mid-sized cars
Quotes

Maryann Keller: Postwar GM had ‘almost pathological resistance’ to change

February 1, 2025 Steve 4

Maryann Keller was one of the most astute automotive analysts of the last half century. A short passage in her 1993 book, Collision, arguably sums up as well as anyone the primary reason why General […]

Posts pagination

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  • 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
    Is David Kiley right that Ford should replace Lincoln with a new brand?
    September 2, 2026 16
  • 1972 Buick Skylark Custom grille
    1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era
    September 1, 2026 5
  • 1959 Ford Thunderbird
    1959 Ford Thunderbird was a gimmicky but hugely important car
    August 26, 2026 11
  • Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers
    August 21, 2026 21
  • 1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building
    AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness
    August 19, 2026 2
  • 1980 Ford Thunderbird and 1956 model
    Ford’s design talent in the 1970s wasn’t enough to halt a dramatic slide in sales
    August 14, 2026 13
  • 1973 Buick Riviera
    Why wasn’t the 1971 ‘boat-tail’ Buick Riviera shrunk to compact size?
    August 14, 2026 24
  • 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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