Re: [Amc-list] Auto Industry (was Trademarks)

["Swygert, Francis G MSgt 436 CES/CECM" <Francis.Swygert3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is a little off topic, but since it relates to the way car
companies work in general, and has relation to how/why AMC ceased to
exist, I don't think it's to far off to keep going. If anyone disagrees
please let me know! 
-------------

Andrew Hay:
i firmly believe that to effectively manage a business you have to
know what that business does and who its market is, not just money.
how else are you going to know what's a reasonable investment and what
isn't?  on a strictly money basis, 'halo' cars like the corvette and
viper are total wastes - but the whole company benefits from their
appeal and their engineering.

Frank: 
I agree, but you need to know money too. Get a car guy and a money guy
together, who can work together and BOTH realize the need to compromise,
and you should have something! The depression hit Duesenberg hard, but
they more or less had a "halo" product only -- big expensive cars only
those reasonably well off could afford. They needed a spin-off
inexpensive car, or to partner with someone else. That's what E.L. Cord
had in mind when he bought Duesenberg, I guess, but then the whole
Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg mess was to up-scale... I think. I'm not an A-C-D
expert! Cars that old and stylish are more in JM's circle of expertise. 
---------

Mark Price:
" Design? I'm a keep it simple kind of guy. Honda Element [except for
" the 4 bucket seat stupidity] Or Scion XB!!!...

Andrew Hay:
you can't get the original xb new anymore.  the replacement - just out
- is longer, lower, wider, and almost twice as powerful... more the
class of the element.  i'm amazed at toyota but they must have their
reasons - they were selling all the xbs they could make, without much
advertising, and making all the xbs their production lines could; by
anyone's account a runaway success.  why change it?  the new xb
carries nothing but the badge forward.

Frank:
Yes, but you guys have to remember -- there are cars still made for the
Japanese market not sold over here. I suspect you can still get
something close to the original XB, if not the exact model, in Japan.
The replacement likely came from marketing and dealer surveys about what
AMERICANS wanted. "Cute and practical little cars, if it was just a
little bigger and had some more power, I'd buy one." I can hear that
echoing across the country! All small cars seem to grow in the US, no
matter how well they sell. If it sells well small, companies just seem
to let it build a name then enlarge it. 
------

Don Johnson:
" Kill front wheel drive. It isn't better, it's just cheaper to build.

Andrew Hay:
i disagree.  with all those moving parts steering and driving [and in
a small car tightly packed in] it can't be cheaper, and in snow
country fwd -is- better without question.  you also in a small car get
more interior room and trunk space.

for a performance vehicle, you're right.  there's a reason there are
no fwd race cars.

Frank:
I have to agree and disagree with both of you on this one! FWD can be
better, as in easier to control, especially for the average driver. Just
make sure the front wheels are pointed the way you want to go and it
will get there. In slippery conditions, the back end wants to slide
sideways on a RWD vehicle and you have to be careful how you steer or
end up in the ditch... or worse. It's more intuitive and easier to
control FWD in those situations. Not for some of us, we learned to drive
RWD and enjoyed it! But the FWD is so intuitive it's never been a
problem for me. 

FWD CAN be cheaper! Designing may take a bit more time, but in the long
run manufacturing is cheaper. The entire drivetrain, steering, and front
suspension on most is assembled out of the car in one package with
nothing in the way. A few small sub assemblies combined into one, then
lifted in the car from the bottom. Once installed there are a few hook
ups and it's done! More engineering and development work, but far less
labor to assemble. If it wasn't cheaper it wouldn't be so universally
used. LABOR to assemble is the key! The compactness of the assembled
unit just makes it harder and more time consuming to make repairs, but
the manufacturer isn't worried about that. 


_______________________________________________
Amc-list mailing list
Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list