Why American manufacturers have it all wrong.

cadillac is the most european-focused american brand out there currently. that's why their doing better than they have in decades.

— 1995e34 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 9:18:30 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Yeah, just when you think Ford might have it by releasing the Italian designed Mustang, they announced 3 weeks later that the Mustang will come in sedan and wagon variants....IDIOTS!!!

I try to love American cars, I really do, and some of them are alright (mostly trucks/SUVs), but Ford is not making it easy for themselves...and GM is doing better, but they still aren't far behind Ford on the downward spiral.

— NARunner (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 9:53:56 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

American cars doesnt really have the appeal for me , however if they build better cars in the future that may change. But for now i will stick with Japanese and germans.

— 99gs400 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 10:06:30 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I hope American manufacturers are reading this site.

— audiot (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 10:08:35 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

I think GM is really trying to turn things around, their new products are leaps and bounds better than the old ones like Saturn's Aura, Sky, Outlook. If they keep improving their interiors I think they will compete nicely, since their quality is also getting much better now. I like Cadillac because their design is very unique and very American. You can't say that they copy anyone, they have their own design language not other manufacturers that have great cars but looks similar to this and that.

— middleman (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 10:42:43 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

"Although, Cadillac design is not for me, other American OEMs should follow this example."

So other "American OEMs" should follow a design that this author personally doesn't like???

— kart1 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 11:59:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Isn't Opel own by GM? That makes it a GM.

Kart1, no I think what he meant was that be original and let your designer loose, you don't have to hire Italian designer to design Amerrican cars.

— middleman (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 12:05:02 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

so are european cars trying to be an American-wanna-be car by adding numerous cupholders?

— carfan3 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 12:05:15 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

so are european cars trying to be an American-wanna-be car by adding SUVs to their lineup?

— carfan3 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 12:18:17 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

This article is just fluff. Anyone can have an opinion about anything, and say it on the web. As seen in this article, the poster isolates a single event, and attributes that to "Why American (car) manufacturers have it all wrong."

Consider this as an alternate perspective: American car manufacturers have tried to be all things to all people, and in the process, have lost any inkling of branding or positive image.

Lexus is known for their low defects, and high level of apparent luxury. This is true in spite of their arguably staid styling.

People buy Lexus when they want a luxury car that does not break down often. BMW is known for their sport sedans. People buy BMW when they want 4 seats, very respectable sporting performance, and they are willing to compromise in terms of defects and arguably styling. People buy Hondas for their reliability, strong value proposition (you get a lot of good car for your dollar), and pretty okay looks.

So why do folks aspire to buy a GM, or a Ford, or a Chrysler. Why do they ache for that specific American brand? In most cases, they don't. In America, the Big Three compete largely on lowest price and a long feature list. The problem with that approach, is that many Asian cars have a more reliable, better looking car for around the same dollars, but maybe with a shorter feature list.

It seems to me that the American manufacturers are largely saying "Our vehicles are defect prone, they don't look too good, and they handle okay, but hey, we give you a lot of stuff for cheap!" Are they making cars for people who can't afford better, or who don't know better? I am not sure.

— Steve (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 3:35:12 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

It not a quality thing, there are many US cars that perform very, very well on quality rankings. If you ask me, it comes down to looks, interior mateials quality, and the aura of owning something "foreign". People just think they're doing something special when they buy something foreign.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 7:16:10 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

They featured this car on Discovery channel. It's not a Ford product, some rich guy just modified it.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 12/14/2006 10:10:55 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

There is absolutely nothing wrong in hiring an italian designer to design your cars. The japanese and korean car makers have done this at one time or another and it was kept secret.

— woood (View Profile)

Posted on 12/15/2006 3:22:11 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2