Motown to NOTOWN -Detroit GOES BANKRUPT! Home of the usa auto industry, now bankrupt

[Brown, Jon Brow]

In what sense did 'caving in to the unions' have anything to do with British manufacturers 'producing crap'? Your comments betray a simplistic ignorance of the British car industry at that time — including the remark that it was a 'once vibrant industry'. That's a view all too commonly held, but was it ever really vibrant? I don't think so.

Well in the 1950's Britain was the 2nd largest car producer (largely because Europe was flattened) and even in the 70's British cars still held over 50% of the market share.

The problems with British Leyland were mostly in the hands of the weak management. This is shown by the success of foreign managed car manufacturers that have been thriving in the UK over the last 20 years. GM is closing its Opel Astra plant in Germany so it can increase production at the more efficient Astra factory in Luton.

[BDunnell]

Well in the 1950's Britain was the 2nd largest car producer (largely because Europe was flattened) and even in the 70's British cars still held over 50% of the market share.

But 'vibrant'? With some high-profile (mainly niche) exceptions, the output of British manufacturers could almost never be described as such. 'Workmanlike', maybe. This was due not least to the fact that our industry was complacent — it knew it had a large guaranteed market in Britain and the Commonwealth.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

But 'vibrant'? With some high-profile (mainly niche) exceptions, the output of British manufacturers could almost never be described as such. 'Workmanlike', maybe. This was due not least to the fact that our industry was complacent — it knew it had a large guaranteed market in Britain and the Commonwealth.

I think you can apply 'vibrant' to what we were making in the 60's. E-Types, MkII Jags, Mini, Austin Healy, DB5 etc.

But the downfall was caused largely by the arrogance of the managment who ignored what the Germans were doing with the attitude of 'we beat them in the war so we know better'.

[BDunnell]

I think you can apply 'vibrant' to what we were making in the 60's. E-Types, MkII Jags, Mini, Austin Healy, DB5 etc.

Which sort of proves my point — with the exception of the Mini and possibly the MkII Jag, all of those were high-profile niche products — exceptions rather than the mainstream rule.

But the downfall was caused largely by the arrogance of the managment who ignored what the Germans were doing with the attitude of 'we beat them in the war so we know better'.

It wasn't just the Germans, but also, to some extent, the French and the Italians.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Which sort of proves my point — with the exception of the Mini and possibly the MkII Jag, all of those were high-profile niche products — exceptions rather than the mainstream rule.

Well name a country that had a more vibrant car industry than Britain did in the 1960s?

[Starter]

Well name a country that had a more vibrant car industry than Britain did in the 1960s?

Easy, the US. It was the heyday of Ford, Chevy, Plymouth/Dodge, Pontiac, etc. Big motors and big sales. The Mustang, probably the best selling initial car offering in history, came out in 1964.

[Bagwan]

I remember , somewhere around 1968 or 69 , going on a trip to Toronto (about one and a half hrs) , and counting over 100 red mustangs . That's how popular they were .

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Easy, the US. It was the heyday of Ford, Chevy, Plymouth/Dodge, Pontiac, etc. Big motors and big sales. The Mustang, probably the best selling initial car offering in history, came out in 1964.

Yes, but you can hardly expect the same level competition from a country so much smaller.

[Rollo]

The Mustang, probably the best selling initial car offering in history, came out in 1964.

"Probably" is an understatement. The Mustang sold a million units in 20 months.

The first of the Baby Boomers had turned 19 and Ford gave America a party. It gave post-Austerity Britain the Cortina.
Companies like Ford and GM also gave the Baby Boomers retirement pension plans which were never saved for; that in part helps to explain GM's Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
More generally, the Baby Boomers as a group will start to draw on pension plans around the world and that's going to cause a mass-write down of capital as they go into a period of dissaving.