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There were changes that had to be made to 1970s cars with reference to research that analyzed the contaminants in the air which discovered that they were strikingly similar to the elements found in automobile emissions.Ī chemist working at the California Institute of Technology, Arie Jan Haagen-Smith concluded that the car was chiefly responsible for Los Angeles’ air pollution problem, and consequently, for a host of physiological problems afflicting the residents of Southern California in the late 1950s.īut the work of Haagen-Smit and others like him was quickly dismissed by the Big Three, rationalizing that there was no money to be made in the development and production of pollution-control devices. In their thinking, the profit margin was too slim to justify an increase in production.Ĭompetition from foreign car manufacturers was just one of the problems threatening Detroit’s monopoly. automobile manufacturers continued to view the compact car car as a risky investment. Despite the impressive performance of the Volkswagen and other small foreign imports, U.S.
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In fact, in the 1970s, the Big Three continued to focus on their strengths: gas-hungry muscle cars large, luxurious sedans and mid-sized cars. That attitude blinded them, causing them to fail to manufacture products of uniformly high quality. auto industry, blinded by its own record of success, would lose customers by being unable to recognize sweeping changes in the global automobile market. That stigma did a devastating damage to the company’s reputation.īig Three Focus On Their Strengths Slow To Recognize Big Changes Ford’s ultimate exoneration did not help. history to be charged with criminal homicide. Ford subsequently became the first car company in U.S. In one suit, a California jury awarded damages of $128 million.
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After being rear-ended, the Pinto burst into flames. The story of the Pinto was more disturbing because its faulty design contributed to deaths of motorists as well as passengers. The Vega therefore became a symbol of Detroit’s inability to make a quality car for the subcompact market. The engine as well as breaks were breaking down. It was recalled three times because of safety defects. The Vega’s became one of the most notoriously unreliable cars among 1970s cars. With an increase in quantity came a decrease in quantity. Workers went out on strike in 1972 at the Lordstown facility of GM due to exhaustion caused by backbreaking pace required to keep up with robots on the assembly line. It was the direct result of management’s decision to cut labor costs through the use of automation. Not all 1970s cars succeeded, there were also some failures. The Vega was simply a car prone to mechanical failure of one sort or another. Where the Americans were turning out shoddy products or certainly not top quality, the Japanese automakers focused more on quality. The Japanese worker, an epitome of absolute dedication and compliance with quality control, made this car one of the most, if not the most durable and trustworthy car in the world. Featuring looks and price to add to its attraction, by 1989, the Accord was the best-selling car in America. The combination of mechanical excellence and looks made this one of the best 1970s cars. Honda sent a real warrior over in the 1978 Accord, one of the first subcompact Japanese cars to feature great styling. That was quite an impressive achievement for a car once referred to by Henry Ford II as “a little shit box.” That figure even surpassed even Ford’s legendary Model T. In 1973 sales of the Beetle passed the 15 million mark. Year after year, it looked the same, felt the same, sounded the same.Īlthough the Big Three responded with small cars of their own, by 1969, more than i million imports were registered in the U.S. On the other hand, it was also efficient, functional as well as economical. The Volkswagen was the antithesis of the typical American car: it was small, noisy, homely, and uncomfortable. You can buy an American car for $3,000, or you can buy a Volks and a washer and a dryer and couple of television sets and a phonograph. Having its number one attraction, price, young people flocked to buy the “Bug”. A favorite among hippies and college professors, the Beetle became a symbol of the counterculture of the late 1960s.Īmong 1970s cars, its popularity was closely linked to its very lack of styling and pretense. market and although only two were sold that year, six years later, more than 20,000 were sold in the U.S. In 1949, the Beetle was introduced to the U.S.