Word: modeling
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Dates: during 1980-1980
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Such a brush with doom has been a stunning shock for an industry that once represented all that was right about American business. In 1913 Henry Ford and his assembly-line method for making the Model T become an inspiration for the new industrial age. Detroit's auto technology spread throughout the world, even to the mountain towns of Argentina and Spain, and the big luxurious American auto became the very epitome of U.S. know-how and cando...
...cooperation between management and workers. When the very future of Detroit became an issue, the old "we-they" approach changed to an "all of us" one. Especially in tackling the problem of quality production, company and union officials showed a willingness to experiment and listen that should be a model for many other businesses. Some of these innovations, such as the election of United Auto Workers President Douglas Fraser to the Chrysler board of directors, are still unproven experiments. But as Fraser says: "There's a new realization that we all have problems and a lot more tolerance...
Detroit's 1981 model cars demonstrate that the industry has learned that it must change outmoded business practices. The true test of the new generation of American cars, though, will come this fall, when millions of prospective buyers walk into car dealers' showrooms, look skeptically at the new models and then gently kick the tires...
...cars. In October GM will roll out its A-cars, the redesigned successors to its strong-selling Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and other intermediates. The auto industry, though, is impatiently waiting for GM's next model: the J-car, which will be unveiled in May or June. The J-car will be larger than a Ford Escort but smaller than the Dodge Aries. It is expected to get 28 m.p.g. in city driving. The new models will carry Chevrolet and Pontiac name plates and probably later Cadillac. They will come in a range of styles that will include a notchback...
Unlike in earlier years, when model changes often involved only a rounder headlight or a longer tail fin, Detroit's new generation of cars represents some important changes in the auto industry. Many of the parts, such as trunks, were designed by computers, which permit three-dimensional views and instant read-outs of technical data. The new cars are most noticeable for their smaller size, cleaner aerodynamic styling and greater interior space. But some of the most dramatic advances are under the hood. The auto industry is on the threshold of an electronic revolution that will make cars...