In 1949, the demand for K-F products slowed as the Big Three as well as the established independents rolled out fresh postwar offerings. Joseph Frazer, a veteran of automobile manufacturing, advised slowing down and simultaneously developing a V-8 engine. Kaiser heeded none of this advice. It took several years for K-F to sell the glut of cars built, and there was a falling out that led to Frazer leaving the company and the Frazer nameplate disappearing altogether.
Suppose Henry Kaiser hadn't said (as he supposedly did) that he never retrenched, and instead took Frazer's advice? Could:
Suppose Henry Kaiser hadn't said (as he supposedly did) that he never retrenched, and instead took Frazer's advice? Could:
- Frazer have survived as a marque past 1951?
- K-F continued in the US after the 1955 model year?
- A combination of K-F and Willys (similar to OTL) have been successful enough to bring in other independents (Hudson; Nash; Studebaker; Packard) and perhaps made the Big Three into the Big Four?