Book Review
What: The End of Detroit-How the Big Three Lost Their Grip on the American Car Market
Who: Micheline Maynard, available from Currency/Doubleday; 212/782-9000;www.currencybooks.com
How Much: $24.95
When Brock Yates' 1984 book The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry made its debut, the then-new GM J-car was cited as a disaster in the making, and the writer predicted grave consequences for GM. The J-car went on to become some of the best-selling models in the nation, but Yates made a number of valid critical points. In The End of Detroit, author Micheline Maynard paints an equally grim picture of the Motor City and even predicts that one of the Big Three automakers likely won't be around by the end of this decade.
Since Yates' book was written, there's been a vast shift in the way American consumers view foreign-manufactured products, be they televisions, radios, or cars. Maynard demonstrates how the "Buy American" credo has been largely rendered moot by the trend toward a "world economy," wherein American companies have confused the issue by shuttering domestic assembly plants in favor of foreign subsidiaries located where cheap non-union labor abounds, and foreign companies have set up shop here in the U.S. Consumers are no longer conditioned to feel a twinge of guilt when they buy Sony instead of Zenith, Fuji instead of Schwinn, Canon instead of Kodak, or Honda instead of Ford.
Of course it doesn't hurt that foreign vehicles are often better targeted to the needs and wants of the customer. Maynard offers numerous examples and case studies of this ranging from how, in a matter of months, the Honda Odyssey leapfrogged the Chrysler minivan to become the gold standard, or how the Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in the United States since 1997, has become to the car market what the Chevy Impala was in the '60s: the undisputed leader.
Criticism is also lobbed at Detroit's dependence on highly profitable, but short-sighted, SUV and light-truck sales while turning its back on the development of superior passenger cars, leaving itself vulnerable to the rapid influx of well-designed foreign offerings. And now that Detroit's once-exclusive domination of big pickup trucks and SUVs has been pierced by the likes of the fullsize Nissan Titan, Lexus LX 470, BMW X5, and Porsche Cayenne, nothing seems sacred and Maynard's alarm seems quite justified. The capper is Maynard's presentation of the fact that today, GM, Ford, and Chrysler combined control barely the market share that GM itself held four decades ago.
After reading The End of Detroit, it becomes clear that our auto industry needs to take yet another long look in the mirror.-Steve Magnante
O.E. Watch
Chevy HHR to Take on the PT Cruiser
Chevy will take a crack at the wagon/SUV/minivan/econobox crossover vehicle segment currently inhabited by the PT Cruiser, Toyota Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe. According to General Motors North America President Gary Cowgan, the HHR (High Heritage Roof), pictured here in the center, will go on sale in 2005. Unlike the imported Poncho platform, the HHR will be a domestic GM product, propelled by a four-cylinder Ecotec engine offered in 140- and 220-plus horsepower variants. Styling blends cues from the '49 Suburban for a modern-yet-retro flavor. Inside, the HHR will accommodate five and feature flat-folding second-row seats. Look for it on the auto show circuit in 2004, then with a $20,000 sticker price once it hits showrooms.-Stephen Kim
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