How did imported cars affect american cars in the 1970's?

Question

How did imported cars affect american cars in the 1970's?

Answer 1

a lot of people got small imported cars...they were mostly junk...as soon as gas prices got low people went back to bigger...

Answer 2

It affected them a lot.

The VW Beetle and Volkswagen Rabbit GTI and Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla made American companies make smaller cars like the Chevy Nova and others.

The VW Rabbit GTI was a 90HP car that weighed less than 1900ibs.

While American Muscle cars were much bigger, had 300-425HP, and weighed more than double the weight of the GTI, which went just as fast in 0-60mph.

The GTI was much cheaper in every way, so they became very popular. This made Americans make smaller cars to get some buyers back.

Answer 3

Aside from taking business away from the domestic manufacuteres, they forced the American car companies to start building smaller more reliable fuel efficient cars.  

Answer 4

If they did nothing else, imported cars made Americans see that what Detroit was selling them was one notch above junk: bigger-but not better, inefficient, often unreliable (back then, people routinely bought brand new cars only to find that they were 'lemons' in the worst way) hard to see out of-you won't remember this, but they had OPERA WINDOWS and downright uncomfortable, because of BENCH SEATS without reclining backrests.

I was oblivious to cars until one fateful day I sat in and drove a Fiat 128-here was the antithesis of the Ford Pinto.  It had everything the Pinto didn't: front wheel drive, potent overhead cam engine-sideways mounted engine for space efficiency, reclining seats.....even wierd things like assist handles above the door.  I couldn't believe I was stuck with that damned 1971 Pinto.  The next day we found out that Pintos were little more than motorized Molotov cocktails, as the gas tank was literally visible protruding from under the rear bumber.

There are people who blanche when they hear FIAT and remember some of the problems with rust and reliability, but after that day in 1973, I never looked at Detroit iron the same way.