Timeline: The Major U.S. Automakers Survive

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The Mists Of Time said:
The companies and makes they are building in 2006 are as follows.

General Motors Corporation
Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC trucks

Ford Motor Company
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln

Chrysler Corporation
Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler

Studebaker-Packard Corporation
Studebaker, Clipper, Packard

American Motors Corporation
Rambler, Nash, Hudson

Kaiser-Willys Corporation
Willys, Jeep, Frazer, Kaiser
Sorry to say, but I don't believe Stude-Packard surviving. Stude was in terrible financial shape, & with more competition, that's only going to get worse. Packard taking it over only dragged them down, too. Jeep wasn't a separate company in '59. DeSoto is unlikely to survive either, IMO. The others had design &/or financing issues that make their survival questionable at best.
 
sure, it's been five years, and, the old beast is still quite engaging!

bride-of-frankenstein-dress-5.jpg
 
If George Romney stays out of politics or is replaced by someone who appreciates the value of well-designed compact cars to the American market, then the AMC-Rambler legacy of intelligently designed compact cars would have continued and arguably strengthened.


1962_Rambler_American_front3q.jpg



Who knows, we might have ended up with a car like the IKA Torino on the US market,

Torino_TS.jpg



Bottom line, a continuation of the smartly-designed and enthusiastically-received AMC-Rambler compact line of cars would have had it as a lively and vigorous part of the American car industry today.
 
The mention of the Packard show car on the first page got me looking at Packard wikipedia...

Whoa Black Bessie :D

1957_Black_Bess1.jpg


from http://www.1956packardpanther.com/Panther/1957Packards.html

This was an "engineering mule," nicknamed "Black Bess."


This (from the same website) is an illustration of a 1957 Packard "400" based on the Predictor show car,

1957_2Dr_HT2.jpg




ooooh, project Packard Panther :) (See site of super-fan looking to personally resurrect the Packard Panther project!)


starring the Grey Wolf II,

1953_Grey_Wolf_II_Dick_Teague_rendering_small.jpg


from http://www.1956packardpanther.com/Panther/inspiration.html






Packard, Studebaker, AMC-Rambler, like Big, Medium, and, Small Smartly Designed Cars, hm.
 
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General Motors Corporation
Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC trucks

Ford Motor Company
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln

Chrysler Corporation
Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler

Studebaker-Packard Corporation
Studebaker, Clipper, Packard

American Motors Corporation
Rambler, Nash, Hudson

Kaiser-Willys Corporation
Willys, Jeep, Frazer, Kaiser

I really don't think there is am enough room in the United States for six automakers. I think the most the United States can support is four major automakers.

General Motors Corporation
Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC trucks

Ford Motor Company
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln

Chrysler Corporation
Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler

American Motors Corporation
Rambler, Nash, Hudson, and Jeep

But maybe America would develop some thing like this as am fifth US automaker. https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=145543
 
I really don't think there is am enough room in the United States for six automakers. I think the most the United States can support is four major automakers.
And yet Japan, less than half the size, can support more? Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru.... Oops, and Honda.

Ja, the situation's different there, but I suspect that 4-6 automakers in the US could easily be supported, although some factors (economic? political? management?) might have to be changed. Don't know what.
 
And yet Japan, less than half the size, can support more? Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru.... Oops, and Honda.

Ja, the situation's different there, but I suspect that 4-6 automakers in the US could easily be supported, although some factors (economic? political? management?) might have to be changed. Don't know what.

Less than half is definitely an understatement. Geographically speaking, demographically speaking, etc.

So what is it that this Island Country possesses, leading to it's huge success, specifically in the auto Industry?
 
So what is it that this Island Country possesses, leading to it's huge success, specifically in the auto Industry?

Well designed and very well manufactured and aggressive marketing tactics, taking advantage of massive inertia in Detroit and in Europe. Despite never having an engineering degree, many of us who know cars regard Soichiro Honda as one of the best automotive engineers who ever lived. If you can Detroit to take the imported cars seriously before the 1980s, you'll go a long way towards slowing down the level of import penetration in North America.
 
General Motors Corporation
Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC trucks

Ford Motor Company
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln

Chrysler Corporation
Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler

Studebaker-Packard Corporation
Studebaker, Clipper, Packard

American Motors Corporation
Rambler, Nash, Hudson

Kaiser-Willys Corporation
Willys, Jeep, Frazer, Kaiser

In this world with six American automakers I would add a seventh Cunningham evolving into an American Ferrari.
 

CalBear

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To bad this thread is die. I'm willing to take this over if is that OK since the starter of this thread as not been active since April of 2008.

Edit: Or do I juststart a thread and give him credit.


Start a new thread.

Don't violate the dead.

Thread locked.
 
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