Back in the 1970s, the automotive industry faced its first hardcore regulations on fuel economy, emissions and safety. It was the first time the government started dictating to corporations what kind of products they had to build, and they did not react well.
Automakers practically declared war on legislators and regulators. At times the hyperbole bordered on the hysterical.
Ford threatened to shut down its U.S. plants and move all production out of the country. Joan Claybrook, then the head of NHTSA, declared she was going to “hold the industry’s feet to the fire.” It got ugly as the threats escalated.
Read Article