Quote:
Originally Posted by Stu Pedasho
The problem with Detroit is that the cars lack style and performance. They mass produce "Boring". The trucks are nice as are some of the SUVs but the cars suck. Dodge tries to build muscle cars but who really wants a $60 or $70K Mopar product? Chrysler quality is horrible and the company excels at blaming suppliers for its woes.
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I actually find the tesla one of the most boring cars around. The S model looks no better than any makers luxury sedan. I kept confusing them with Lincolns when they first came out. The interior is stark, basic, and the larger the screen, the less I like. Gauge cluster also is subpar. I feel like I'm looking at an 80s video game. I want real analog gauges, even if they are replicated digitally. LFA cluster is a good example.
The problem with US automakers isn't with design. It's with expences. They need to cut corners to pay for all the horrendous union contract and benefit costs. Just the healthcare plans for retired employees costs GM $1500 per car alone. Obama "saved" GMs union contracts. It still went through bankruptcy. But he allowed GM through a government loan to retain these contracts and not renegotiate them. Now its plagued with the same mess that got it there in the first place.
If Romney had been there, GM would have emerged with far reduced costs. Those savings would have been passed through into an improved and more desirable product. Fit, finish, interiors, design, are all cut early to save on costs to pay for the labor expences. GM wasn't saved. It's restructuring was just delayed a decade or two as a result. And like Iraq, we will have to go back and fix it again instead of fixing it correctly the first time.