Design Notes
How Toyota ruined the Scion xB
When the Scion xB was redesigned for the 2008 model year, it was upsized from a subcompact to a compact. That added a foot in length, almost three inches in width and more than 600 […]
Business strategies
Quotes
Why Ford rejected small cars in late-40s and early-50s
“The company’s Product Planning Committee was considering anew the question of an economy (light) car. A report on February 17 (1949) held that there were 4,000,0000 potential customers for such a car and that the […]
History
AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness
When writing a story about the 1974 AMC Ambassador, I came across American Motors car brochures for 1979 and 1980 that took the unusual step of picturing the company’s headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. In the 1979 […]
Quotes
Robert Bourke: Studebaker V8 ‘was a catastrophe’
“. . . 1950/’51 — was the first time that Studebaker had a V-8 engine, and it was a catastrophe. They had a terrible time. They kept eating up camshafts and millions of dollars. Studebaker never […]
Quotes
How Elwood Engel viewed Chrysler’s styling
“. . . Townsend first made personnel changes of urgent concern. He stole away from Ford its stylist, Elwood Engel. Looking at Chrysler interior designs shortly after his arrival, Engel yelped: ‘Ye Gods, this out […]
Readings
Langworth’s Hudson book is dated but still the best
Richard M. Langworth’s book about Hudson was first published in 1977, but it is still the best history of this quirky automaker. As with his other auto histories written during this time period, Hudson 1946-1957: […]
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Quotes
In 2010 Jim Farley itched to beat up GM
“There was a saying going around Ford: GM was like the kid who was born on third base and yells out, ‘Hey, Ma, I hit a triple!’ Farley and his fellow Ford executives and workers […]
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