Recently, ktbr posted:

Neil Gould wrote:

Comparing apples to apples, your hypothesis wouldn't explain the
fact that auto manufacturers that saw the writing on the wall in the
'70s and shaped their businesses accordingly are now the successful
companies.


Uhhh I'm not so sure I'd go that far and say they are now the most
successful companies. Since they "saw the handwriting" (I would call
more of facing the music) in the 70's as you say, Chrysler was bailed
out of bankrupcy, later General Motors stock went to junk status
over night and Ford has struggled. Plants were closed, concessions
were required of unions and quality needed upgrading to compete
with Japanese car makers (who are typically not unionized).

The "successful (auto) companies" I refer to are not found in Detroit.

It would be hard to find another industry (other than the airplines)
that has struggled and suffered as much as the auto industry has
over the past 35 years.

That's because they were and are still stupidly managed. In the late '60s,
the auto industry began laying off their engineers. That resulted in '70s
cars that were assembled from outdated technology, rather than designed
for the times. In the '80s, they lobbied against the CAFE standards (as
they are doing today). As a result, they could only offer inefficient
pigs. Then, they sold people on "SUVs" that may be the least practical
vehicles in urban environments. Today, they're left with an inventory that
they can't give away, and Toyota et al are eating their lunch.

Neil