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HomeBusiness strategies

Business strategies

1974 AMC Ambassador fake design
Fake Design

1974 AMC Ambassador: GM envy to the ZiL degree

August 7, 2020 Steve 7

The 1974 Ambassador’s ZiL-like styling shows how AMC had succumbed to “GM envy” in the 1970s. This car was so big and ugly that it was doomed to failure. Yet American Motors wasted scarce resources […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: GM dives into promising new market

July 31, 2020 Steve 0
George Romney made eight big mistakes at AMC
History

George Romney made eight big mistakes at AMC

July 10, 2020 Steve 8

George Romney may have been one of the U.S. auto industry’s best post-war leaders, but he made eight big mistakes while leading AMC from 1954-62. Some of his bad moves were costly enough to almost […]

Quotes
Quotes

Should Richard Teague have walked away from American Motors?

July 10, 2020 Steve 0

“I went to American Motors as assistant director of styling in September 1959. I saw the ’60 Rambler, and I almost walked out the front door. It looked like it was chiseled out of marble […]

Quotes
Quotes

Peter DeLorenzo: Stop 84-month auto financing

May 21, 2020 Steve 1

“I would like to see the end of usurious financing in the auto industry. I know, good luck with that. Every time this business faces a crisis, the auto manufacturers somehow deem that the return of […]

Readings

Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Corporation

March 1, 2020 Steve 3

This is one of the better scholarly books about an auto company. Donald T. Critchlow achieves the rare feat of crafting a narrative that is engaging, analytically sophisticated and challenges industry groupthink in key respects. […]

Design Notes

Audi R8 : More beast than sports car

November 1, 2019 Steve 2

(EXPANDED 12/14/2022) An Audi R8 in the wild is an eye-opening event. Everything about the car is over-amped, from the child-eating grille to the showy display of V10 power just beneath the rear window. The […]

Volkswagen's second-generation "new" Beetle
Current Events

What died when the VW Beetle ended production?

August 1, 2019 Steve 0

Paul A. Eistenstein’s (2019) story about the end of production for the Volkswagen Beetle makes an odd editorial decision. He treats the Beetle as a unified product line that stretches all the way back to […]

Bird chatter about Keith Crain's retirement
Bird Chatter

Keith Crain and the next generation

August 1, 2019 Steve 0
Quotes
Quotes

Loewy offered weird idea for small Studebaker

July 1, 2019 Steve 0

“Raymond Loewy, who along with his industrial design firm, had been involved with Studebaker since the 1930s, was enlisted to help with designing the new small Studebaker. In the oral history interview Churchill confirmed that […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 45 46 47 … 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
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