Sadly, this is a business lesson that often used as examples of failures. But, should we consider them failures? Perhaps another lesson from the music industry would be apt here – if you had a one-hit wonder and continues to have airplay and downloads, you are not a failure.
It began in Marin County, California and ended in Northern Virginia. In-between was a series of discoveries with the automobile as a key factor along the way.
The 1950s provided a glimpse into the future. The Soviets blasted off into space, which was inconceivable at the time. We were flying in faster jet-powered airliners, plugging in guitars, basses and everything else in our music. We even saw a nation that could possibly be integrated and united.
The rules are strict here – their final assembly must be solely done right here. That eliminates a lot of favorite cars, I am afraid. It also eliminates some of the best cars ever built because they were built elsewhere included in the USA.
It would be easy to tell the story of Saturn as a corporate historiography. Yet, there is more about Saturn than just the foundation, the design and production of the company and its products. It is the cultural impact on how a company – albeit a part of General Motors – sought to connect its products, the way they sold them and the extraordinary consumer engagement that spurred on such immense brand loyalty amongst owners.
When families are prompted to gather around, they're on the road involved in an epic drive to their destination. Or, they're sitting down for a story or two. Stories that need to be retold, even when loved ones are no longer around due to the pall of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
What we saw were the results of these measures that shaped the automotive industry in North America in 1982. It wasn’t enough to build smaller passenger cars. There was something else that took place that also changed the way we looked at transportation – for both work and play.
A young man loved his cars fast, furious…or astute. The Lamborghini Countach would soon replace Farah Fawcett on some bedroom walls, but even Journey or Rush couldn't yield to a difficult-to-drive Italian supercar. As we began to attain our licenses, we pondered the possibilities of where it would take us. Rather, in what vehicle would we get there?
There are now generations of Americans who have forgotten that there was a mighty production facility in their community. Though some of them have not seen the wrecking ball, others either resemble a lay of wasteland or have been built to unrecognizable specifications.
That is a 50-year old question that has scratched the heads of those of us who lament and laugh of these cars. In particular, how do we map the advent of a new class of American car to today’s automobiles?