Hi MaryAnne: your family seems really involved in the auto industry. Do they have opinions on how Detroit fell by the wayside.
I can only speak for what I watched happen. Old Gaffer clarified some of what I said about the Engineering.
Bad management,short term profit for the stockholders,shove the junk out the door,no matter how bad. We quit buying Chevy's in 1969 because the quality was so bad and went with Oldsmobile's.
A succession of poor management,who would not listen to their own Designers and Engineers.The Corporate hide bound,profit at all cost stock holders drained the company.
Of course the Union was blamed for everything,workers took cuts while Management became more bloated. Chrysler was the same way.
Lee Iacoco came back to Chrysler, borrowed 40 million from the Government,brought them back to profit in a short time,paid back the money and retired again. New management came in,sold the company to Daimler,and made millions for the CEO,who promptly drained Chrysler of the cash they had built up,then claimed Chrysler was not profitable. My Son attended many of the meetings,so we know what happened there.
As to GM,after a series of CEO's Wagoner took over. He made 23 million a year,but the company made no profit from 2004 on.
When the Government took over wagoner,then Hutchinson were shown the door. The hide bound management was broken, experts brought in,Designers and Engineers,and brought the company back to profit.
New hires came in at about half what the older workers made,concessions by the unions,and now workers are getting bonuses,some almost half their yearly pay,for quality work,and you can see what is happening now.
The whole structure had become bloated over the years,and it hurt many of the workers,the Dealers.
I go into the Dealership today and get service.
Old Gaffer can tell you more about Dealerships than I can.He knows that subject,I do not. I asked him questions before I bought my new Buick. He is one of the good ones
5 GM plants were closed here in Dayton. Detroit became a wasteland,but I think it was more than just the Auto companies. They had a series of crooks as Mayors, but Wahbooz is the expert on that town.
Dayton is rebuilding as a high tech town.with companies joining up with UD. GE built a plant right on UD grounds.UD is known for the Engineering programs. My Son graduated from there.