Now we're down to 2 US automakers

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by MH

Its a perfect match then.
American cars are very mediocre in terms of engineering and reliability.
The reason of downfall of american car companies i think.

The downfall of US car manufacturers were greedy managers and CEO's.

More money was spent in bonuses, lobbying and bribes than actual design and investments.
And more and more jobs were outsourced.
You can hear all you can about Americans but I'll fight someone when it comes to defend the hardworking able American. You can build quality things, problem is you manufacture less and less.
FIAT on the other hand, like the rest of European countries, can't survive only by it's domestic market. Cars are mediocre, but they're cheap, low maintainance and very high mileage. Perfect for a lower income European that just needs some wheels.

[MH]

Originally Posted by Betonov

The downfall of US car manufacturers were greedy managers and CEO's.

More money was spent in bonuses, lobbying and bribes than actual design and investments.
And more and more jobs were outsourced.
You can hear all you can about Americans but I'll fight someone when it comes to defend the hardworking able American. You can build quality things, problem is you manufacture less and less.

I did not say that americans can't built quality things - quite opposite , but when it comes to cars bottom line is that something went wrong.

[BrucePartington]

Car repair being my field, and having driven and repaired vehicles on/from both sides of the pond, it is my view that quality and reliability are going down the drain on both sides.

People tend to compare things they know.
Vehicles built in the 70's and 80's were generally far more reliable and durable than current models, regardless of car maker.
Even Mercedes, traditionally regarded as a model of reliability and durability, is now having problems that simply could not exist before the year 2000.

IMHO, the two main contributing factors are environmental demands and greed, oh! excuse me, budget limitations.
One of the main sources of engine grief is the EGR valve, which tends to get clogged up rather quickly, and then proceeds to do the same to the engine innards. Not to mention the dreaded dual-mass engine flywheel (for manual transmissions, of course), which more than doubled the cost of a clutch kit replacement.
Camshafts used to be one solid piece you'd hardly worry about. Today, the shaft is hollow, and the cams are pressed onto it. A cam rotating out of position was simply unheard of. And this one can instantly totally destroy an engine.
If you are faced with a major engine or gearbox repair, it is now cheaper - and in some cases imposed by the car maker, as individual parts are simply not supplied - to exchange it for a complete rebuilt unit.

Remember the airline company that took one olive from every single meal served aboard? Well it seems the idea has caught on.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Betonov

The downfall of US car manufacturers were greedy managers and CEO's.

More money was spent in bonuses, lobbying and bribes than actual design and investments.
And more and more jobs were outsourced.
You can hear all you can about Americans but I'll fight someone when it comes to defend the hardworking able American. You can build quality things, problem is you manufacture less and less.
FIAT on the other hand, like the rest of European countries, can't survive only by it's domestic market. Cars are mediocre, but they're cheap, low maintainance and very high mileage. Perfect for a lower income European that just needs some wheels.

This is, indeed very true. It used to be manufactured items in the US were made and managed by people who actually cared about their products, having either invented, created, or developed their products and thereby had a singular, vested interest in the the rputation and quality of their product. In many cases, it was a family concern and the very name of the family was at stake. After the advent of the late 70s ascencion of the "bean counters", with their shiny new MBAs, and the growth of the trend towards mergers and acquisitions, American manufacturing quality and pride in ownership took a back seat to "bottom-line" considerations. It became more profitabloe (i.e., bigger bonuses for the execs) to sell a manufacturing concern rather than invest in new plant or R&D. Folloowing WW2, the Japanese were able to surpass the US in manufaturing grwoth mainly because their manufacturing infrastructure had been demolished, allowing them to "start from scratch" with new plant and procedures. The US moved forward, also, using methods learned in wartime manufacturing to creat the manufacturing boom of the late 40s, 50s, 60s, and early to mid-70s. However, after that, the amount of new plant to replace or update rapidly outmoded or declining existing plant steadily dropped. The management of the manufacturing sector increasingly moved from family-based ownership/management or "worked up from the mailroom" executives to management culled from universities and colleges with impressive degrees, but little loaylty to the companies. Also, the management ranks were being filled by persons outside of a companies field of interest (e.g., a former banking CEO running a automotive manufacturer, or a automotive exec running an electronics firm). The days of company loyalty and pride of work, at all levels of American manufaturing, are, I am afraid, long gone...


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