Will American auto makers ever improve the quality? What do you think is the problem?

Question

They have not, so far. And I think this serious loss to the foreign auto makers will be more in near future.

Why the American auto makers do not improve the quality of their products? Are they going to? If not, then what are the problems that make them not being able to do so?

Answer 1

I believe American Automakers will. We've seen this happen before in the late seventies and early eighties when there was a huge shift to Japanese vehicles because they were so much more fuel efficient and generally had a better build quality. By the mid eighties, Detroit had responded with great success in producing cars the consumer wanted. By the late nineties, SUVs were all the rage and no one was really talking about American automakers build quality when the general public was snatching up Suburbans and Expedtions in droves. In fact, the build quality wasn't and isn't really all that bad. The real problem is this: Detroit is behind on the curve in building vehicles the general public wants. They didn't forsee the huge upswing in oil prices and didn't adjust their manufacturing of SUV's in accordance with it. When oil prices went up, the general public went to Honda, Nissan and Toyota who have specialized in builiding fuel efficient cars. Meanwhile, the big 3 suffered losses as they continued to churn out SUVs and full size trucks. Detroit has finally realized that they need to focus more on building more fuel efficient vehicles rather than depending on SUVs and full size trucks for the bulk of their profits. Another thing killing detroit is the pension plans they are obligated to provide to their retirees. Ford and GM are in the process of trying to buy out their employees and once they clear up their obligations, it will once again be full steam ahead for Detroit.

If you have any doubt that american build quality is improving, geet into a 1992 Ford Taurus or a 1992 Ford Mustang and compare it a 2006 Ford Fusion or a 2006 Ford Mustang. The difference should speak for itself.

Answer 2

The American car companies workers do not care. That is the main problem.

We in America are more concerned with the paperwork being done correctly, then with the products being produced. Until the "certification" companies are took out of the mix, this will not change. ISO/QS certifcation companies only care if the paperwork is done, the end true quality of the part is secondary to the paperwork.

Answer 3

I have to disagree with you. I think the quality of many of the U S cars is better than many of the Japanese cars. I have owned both Fords (currently) and Toyotas previously. I swore I would never own another Toyota. I had many more problems with the Toyotas than the Fords.

Answer 4

- Sourcing (supply) problems
- Disgruntled workforce
- Lack of employee empowerment
- Failure to spot market trends

Answer 5

They will.

Where is your faith, man?