The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry

In this penetrating analysis of the failure of the American automobile industry, the author-a prominent automotive editor and journalist-blames the management of the Big Three automakers for forfeiting America's leadership role. Culturally and physically isolated in the exclusive Detroit suburbs, says Yates, the hierarchy of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler failed to see the oncoming revolution in smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and the advent of better styling and technology from Europe and Japan. Instead, they concentrated on building chrome-laden, oversized, inefficient land arks. As a result, America, which once controlled over seventy percent of the world car market, now accounts for less than a third, a percentage that decreases yearly. In sharp narrative detail, the author describes how after an investment of billions of dollars, General Motors introduced its new J-car, a subcompact designed to compete with the Japanese. Unlike the Honda it was supposed to defeat, says Yates, "the new J-car proved to be a disaster, economically and technologically." One of the villains is the small town mentality of management, what Yates calls "The Detroit Mind." It thrives in the suburbs of Bloomfield Hills and Grosse Pointe, and is incapable of "understanding why an advertising executive from Darien, Connecticut or a professor from La Jolla, California prefers a BMW, Volvo or Mercedes-Benz to a poorly-finished, poorly-styled car from Detroit." Yates dramatically chronicles Detroit's decline, beginning with its arrogant dismissal of imported cars to its failure to keep up technologically, and its greed in refusing to plow back its once-giant profits into research and development. He also offers a short guide to the world's "best" and "worst" sedans, and suggests solutions for the future in the hope that America can regain its leadership position. The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry is a comprehensive analysis of an industry gone wrong and of men tied to a view of America and the world that no longer exists.
ASIN: 0394722523
VSKU: PKV.0394722523.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Yates, Brock
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: A well-loved companion. Corners and cover might show a little wear, and you could find some notes or highlights. The dust jacket might be MIA, it might have been a library book and extras aren't guaranteed—but the story's all there!