What is keeping the BIG Three American Automakers from being successful like the Japanese?

Question

The Big Three = GM, Ford, Chrysler

--Honda's new Green Car--

http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080616/ap_on_bi_ge/japan_honda.html

Answer 1

Inertia - they are too used to building big cars and turcks and taking too long to change that way of thinking.

small car equals cheap car. You can't buy a small car with big car options. Why can't I have DVD player in a compact North American made car. There is no "luxury" small car made in North America.

Poor build quality.

Too much over head. Lots of money tied up in future pensions etc....

Answer 2

They don't make small cars that are worth a c**p. If they made a well designed car, that made good fuel mileage, that wasn't made out of cheap plastic, and looked like design mistake, then maybe they could build a Honda or a Toyota. And we as consumers are at fault also. Do we really need all the electronic c**p for basic transportation? Do you really need electric windows in a car? Answer is No, you really don't...

Answer 3

If Toyota,Nissan and Honda are such high quality vehicles and big 3 make c**p why are some Toyota vehicles built by GM and soon Nissan trucks will be built by Chrysler.In Japan they do have labor unions and some Toyota plants in the US are UAW.Why do you say GM,Ford and Chrysler are not successful?I work at Toledo Jeep Wrangler Assembly Plant and we are working 2 shifts 9 hours per day 6 days a week to keep up with demand,the Patriot is also selling well as is the Journey and Caliber.The big 3 are having to cut back on their SUV's and trucks and until that has been done they will continue to struggle.You will only hear the bad news about the big 3 on the news and in the paper,everybody seems to hate American products now days and they don't realize they are only hurting themselves in the long run.

Answer 4

When America started to suffer energy woes back in the seventies, j**s were already thinking of smaller cars, and more miles per gallon.

Americans kept up their love affair with big splashy cars. j**s wanted more efficient cars, lighter, faster, cheaper, quality cars. Their unions did not stop them either.

Now, the SVU rules, until once again the energy woes keep getting stronger, to the tune of 4 dollars a gallon, so far. Oil is passe and Americans, who are the greatest energy hogs in the world, refuse to change to alternate fuel sources. A commercially available green car is like eight years into the future for American automakers, so far all they have are prototypes. Honda just took the next step. That is why.

Besides, Japan does not depend on oil like Americans, they are free to innovate.

Answer 5

Reliability, Fuel Economy, and Practicality (why on Earth, in as bad of state as they are, is Dodge making another 4,000 pound V-8 muscle. Stooopid).

It's a shame though, because although GM has really come to their senses (Saturn Aura, Astra, etc.) it may be too late.

Answer 6

Unions!

I hear the Japanese don't have unions.

Edit: I stand corrected by toledojeeper

In Japan they do have labor unions and in some Toyota plants in the US they are UAW.

I guess the blame then is on upper miss management.

Answer 7

Cost of business.  Because of union contracts it's cheaper to build a Toyota in the U.S. than a like sized vehical from the big three.  For instance, it costs Ford about $4,000 per car just to pay for retirement for former union workers.  That's $4,000 the Japanese auto companies don't spend.  Tata Motors in India plans on making a car for $3,000 which won't be sold in the U.S. but it will be affordable to many people that can't afford U.S. vehicals or even Japanese vehicals.  China plans to make a Lexus like vehical and sell it for $8,000.  So even the Japanese will soon be challenged.

Answer 8

They continue to produce c**p cars that don't last and the forgein companies do not!  Simple as that!

Answer 9

The new guy, the real big automaker

is Toyota, with 8.5 millions sales per year.

The other three are far behind....