Indie Auto
header-advert
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction
    • Editor’s Notes
    • Story Ideas Bank
    • Why All The Data?
    • Fake Stuff
    • About Those Photos
    • Talk Legal To Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Our Features
    • Ad Nauseam
    • Bird Chatter
    • Calendar
    • Current Events
    • Data Dives
    • Design Notes
    • Drive-By Musings
    • Fake Designs
    • Gallery
    • Histories
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Media Analysis
    • Multimedia
    • Our Sponsors
    • Photo Essays
    • Quotes
    • Random Shots
    • Satire
  • Look It Up
    • In Auto Paedia
    • By author
    • By automaker or brand
    • By time period
    • By topic
    • By vehicle type
  • Readings
    • General Reference
    • Specific Brands & Automakers
    • Auto Culture, Policy & Business Strategy
    • Bibliography
    • Where To Buy Your Books
    • Recently-Posted Readings
  • Links
    • Bibliography of Links
  • Contact
    • Emails & Newsletter
    • Rejected Comments
  • Donate
HomeBusiness strategies

Business strategies

1957 Lincoln
Auto Paedia

‘Detroit Mind’ led to collapse of U.S. automakers

April 27, 2022 Steve 56

(EXPANDED FROM 9/18/2020) “Detroit Mind” is the label Brock Yates gave to the worldview of U.S. automakers from the 1950s into the 1980s. This was epitomized by a focus on cars that were “too large, […]

History

Four reasons why the AMC Gremlin was a bad idea

April 20, 2022 Steve 13

(UPDATED FROM 4/20/2022) The AMC Gremlin may be one of the most memorable cars of the 1970s, but it was a bad idea for four often-forgotten reasons. I grant you that what I am about […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: Honda’s 2023 HR-V shows the future of US small cars

April 14, 2022 Steve 0
Quotes

GM set its prices for a 25-percent return on investment in 1950s

March 30, 2022 Steve 2

“But if its return on investment averaged 25 percent for 1950 through 1955, well above the corporation’s target and the highest return in American industry, why couldn’t General Motors reduce the prices on its cars, […]

Letters to the Editor

Chrysler and AMC lost the plot with 1970s personal luxury coupes

March 29, 2022 Steve 20

George Denzinger took the time to write a lengthy and thoughtful response to our story, “1971-74 Dodge Charger: Making the most of a questionable idea,” so I am elevating it to the front page as […]

1960 Studebaker Lark 4-door sedan
Media Analysis

1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?

March 21, 2022 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 4/2/2017) Richard M. Langworth has authored more auto histories than just about anyone. Yet he was strikingly humble when beginning to discuss the controversial topic of who was responsible for the 1947 Studebaker’s styling. “I am […]

1973 Chevrolet Malibu SS
Quotes

John Z. DeLorean: Downsizing GM cars for 1973 was opposed by Mitchell

March 18, 2022 Steve 17

“The K-Car program proposed a common body and chassis for all the GM cars in the intermediate and compact car classes. On the Chevrolet lines alone this meant building the Chevelle, Camaro and Nova, which […]

Mercedes-Benz W-123
Quotes

Is Teutonic car design obsolete?

March 1, 2022 Steve 1

“Maybe. Then again . . . maybe not. Perhaps this is all just temporary. Consider what happened to American car design in the wake of the 1958 recession. Suddenly, all the jet-aged, tail-finned, twin-turbined, dynaflowed […]

Design Notes

How would a facelifted Hudson have fared in 1955?

February 24, 2022 Steve 13

(EXPANDED FROM 1/2/2021) Hudson as been a popular topic with readers this week so I have expanded a story that takes a different angle: What might have happened if Hudson had managed to remain an […]

2020 Ram Rebel 1500 Hemi
Quotes

If automakers focused more on efficiency would there be less pressure to go EV?

February 23, 2022 Steve 14

“Just think, a little more focus on efficiency and we wouldn’t be forced to go all electric in the future. I love power, so don’t get me wrong. But with such dismal mileage that these […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 38 39 40 … 49 »
  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 21
  • AMC Pacer clay model
    Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
    October 6, 2026 20
  • 2026 Ram pickups
    A pyrrhic regulatory rollback and how poorly the 1978 Matador coupe sold
    October 2, 2026 12
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 7
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • 1976ish Toyota Corolla
    Data on imports sheds light on their dramatic gains from 1964-80
    September 18, 2026 5
  • 1974 Chrysler New Yorker
    1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
    September 16, 2026 16
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

Recent Comments

  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Gary S on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • kim in lanark on Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Steve on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?

Archives

Categories

Tags

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s American Motors Auto culture Auto history media Auto media Automotive News Automotive Views Business strategies Chevrolet Compact cars Curbside Classic Design Design excesses Dodge Electric vehicles Engineering Fake advertising Ford Ford Motor Co. Full-sized cars General Motors Journalism standards Luxury cars Management culture Marketing Mid-sized cars Parody Patrick R. Foster Plymouth Premium-priced cars Public policies Rambler Reader comments Richard M. Langworth Stellantis Studebaker
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
Search
Archives
Categories
Help keep the lights on
Quinault at night

Copyright © 2022 Olympia, Earth Media, LLC | All rights reserved