Why Triumph, Aston Martin and Leyland Are So Powerful These Days
By Mitch Berg
Dems push for the fed gobbling up a stake in the Big Three automakers:
Congressional Democrats are pushing legislation to send $25 billion in emergency loans to the beleaguered auto industry in exchange for a government ownership stake in the Big Three car companies.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., hope for quick passage of the auto bailout during a postelection session that begins Monday.
Of course, the British auto industry went through a similar (in many respects) process starting around 40-odd years ago.
Note the British auto industry’s powerful position in the world car market – and the fearsome reputation they had for quality during their nationalized years.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Well said, Mitch. I remember being incredulous when a friend I used to work with told me what Ford did when they bought Jaguar (motto; buy one to drive, another for the mechanic to work on).
They basically gutted Jaguar’s electrical people, and within months almost all of a Jaguar’s electronics were from Ford. Reliability skyrocketed.
And this by Ford. Yikes.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Hey! As the owner of not one but *two* fine British Leyland products (for exactly the reason suggested by Bike Bubba), I must protest. If the objective here is to get the American people to consume less gasoline by driving less, I can think of no better way to get them to drive less and use public transportation more than by putting them in cars equipped with Zenith carburettors, Girling hydraulics, and Lucas electrical systems!
Or whatever the equivalent GM and Ford systems turn out to be, after a few years of being blessed with government management.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
There’s a reason the MGB had two batteries. And it didn’t help. A fun car to drive and pretty easy to work on, which was good because you spent almost as much time driving it as you did working on it.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Quick correction: I believe that Ford actually “fired” or “laid off” the electrical people at Jaguar, but did not actually disembowel them. I hope.
Cybrrr, that was priceless…..I would hope that people would be arguing against me on that slam, but whatever. :^)
November 14th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Imagine how reliable Ford cars and trucks would be if they had handed out punishments like that. 😉
November 14th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
After intervention by the Pointy Haired Boss, I don’t know that it would work out so well for quality after all. :^)
October 25th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
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