Dodge Omni killed in the market. The Aries / Reliant killed in the market. All of the K cars did. Then their look was dated, and the future of cars came apparent in 1991 with the sleek and dramatic lines of the Caprice, the Avenger, The Cirrus, the new New Yorker / Concorde and the Neon took over where the Omni left off. From Chevy the Cavalier became a Toyota design in 1994, and sold like hot cakes ...... Lemme take a moment here for a side note about rebadging cars:
When a company buys (licences) the designs from another company, such as the Toyota Matrix / Pontiac Vibe, all they are buying is the tooling and design rights of the car. The car comes to the buyer's factory in crates of parts or the tooling necessary to make the parts. So when you buy the Pontiac Vibe, you're putting american "laborers" to work to assemble the package. That's why there are quality differences between the brands. (Eagle Talons (nice styling, lower quality) Plymouth Lasers (Dramatically different, when you look close) and the Mitsubishi Eclipse comes to mind for quality / price differences)
Back on topic, the Ford EXP, the Pontiac Fiero, all Mustangs (Believe it or not) Camaros (Big, but nice cars) the Saturn SC2 and now the Cobalt, Neon SRT, Aveo and Focuses.
I mean, damn... That's not a bad list right there.
The important thing to remember when we do our comparisons is the area in which we live. This is something I've been saying around Forums since I moved to Colorado. American cars are made for American Roads. (Lots of us in the NE US experience a totally different sort of environment, including the roads). Ever taken a cross country trip in an MR2, a CRX and an RX7 ? I have. It was fuckin miserable. Ever drive a Cadillac in Tokyo ? Well, maybe not. But still you can see the point here.
These designs are made for another type of road. When they are brought here they are given different gearing and engines in an effort to adapt (The Toyota Celica comes to mind) but the design overall still doesn't fit into the area.
The Aveo was meant to compete with the ... Lets say.. Yaris. A Yaris is more expensive of a car, and has some higher quality components. But the Aveo is made for .. lets be serious... The American Poor. The Yaris isn't made for the Japanese Poor. Its made for the Japanese higher class (Because small doesn't mean shitty in Japan). The Japanese poor have cars that would make you hang yourself to drive for a week. And the Chinese / Koreans.. Man they drive some serious shit. Look up "AUV" or "Asian Utility Vehicles". These cars are so shitty they aren't allowed out of the Chinese countryside.
So basically, the Aveo is made to compete with a car that is designed for a totally different demographic. That's tough.
Now whatever GM and Ford and Dodge is doing now is fuckin mind-boggling. They have managed to pull together some of the best American designed cars and sell them in a market bracket that totally devastates the playing field. Don't believe me ? Test drive the V6 Mustang and then the Infinity G. The G has some neat shit in it (Nav computer... and... god.. Whatelse?) And then compare the price.
You'll love the Mustang, and you'll hate yourself for it.
Go ahead and DRIVE the Cobalt . Drive the Caliber. These cars are finally made and optioned right for the market. The US finally gets it.
As far as where they are made, Life sucks. Towns that are raised around a specific, one and only industry, suck. I grew up in Pennsylvania (outside of Johnstown, believe me I know) and I can tell you that it's the TOWN'S fault for failing after the closing of a factory, not the industry. IF the town, employees and unions don't keep up with the market and adapt, then they fail. Sorry.
The Unions and benefits for retirees is destroying the US Car manufacturer. It's destroying EVERY industry in the US. Other countries allow and encourage (Even counsel) their employees to invest, save, and make their own retirement plan. (I'll go on with socialist health in a second).
Here is how some countries do it, country by country:
England: England makes Rovers, Jaguars, Lotus, Aston Martin... And uh.. London cabs. Oh, and Rolls Royce / Bentleys. There is a major Ford plant there that makes 100% British designs and builds. (Cortinas, Escorts, Kas, what have you). These cars are significantly hand-made, inconsistent, and the English accept that fact openly and appreciate their cars as a matter of pride and art over function.
Germany: Germany is Socialist. They have "Cradle to Grave" healthcare provided by the government. The Government in turn has to invest in German companies and take capitalist controlling interest in some of those countries. AUDI (Auto Union whatever Industria) is an example of this. Horch (Defunct) Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi are the circles of Audi. BMW is Bavarian and also a result of that Government interest. GM got involved in the controlling interest of Opel before it got too late, but Opel was toyed with from the government during that period.
France's Citroen is very similar. But France is so indebt because their socialist programme is complete shit.
Italy follows the English model, with a slight twist. You see, they make no money. Italian cars are a financial joke, not only because the Italian Lyra is weaker than an AIDS patient after 4 nights of insomnia, but because the cars take so long to make that they barely make ends meet. That and they take the month of August off just to drink wine, grow hair on their backs and beat their wives.
Russia is completely controlled by the Government. Russian car companies are building cars to meet orders (Which is why 20 years pass before they upgrade the radio in a design) . Also the government forces all companies to make two products: One decided by the company (Say, cars) and the other decided by the government (Fish tanks and screen doors). IT's really wierd. But it allows for the car companies to provide the highest quality machines on the face of the earth. You think Japanese cars last for a long time ? A Russian would LAUGH at what we consider quality (Your common GAZ Volga makes the VW Phaeton look like a Hyundai). Russians were installing 8 rotor motors in cars before Mazda built the RX7. (8 rotors... yes, like 1000 cars used by the KGB)(The Urals, Zils, and the Chaika). They do cars like Sikorsky does helicopters. To fulfill orders only. Also, Pay is flat there (Communism still reigns the economy for pay and taxation)
Skipping over Korea, Taiwan, and China, we go to Japan. Japan builds and sells, domestically, like 1000 different cars for an island the size of Texas. They make cars for every niche there is. Their employees are employees for life, and retirement takes on a different meaning when people typically commit suicide when they are fired, or retire 10 days before they die of old age. These are Socialist people who's socialist "Cradle to Grave" program is covered by a general Government super-fund that takes money in (and doles out) to other industries such as screen doors and fish tank manufacturers.
Australia is a cradle-grave country as well, and whereas Ford setup in Britain, Chevy setup in Australia. The 70s Gas Crisis helped this along more than you can understand. During the 70s OPEC embargoed Europe and America. Japan has always had trouble getting fuel and their prices don't hide that. Australia and Russia were spared - because Russia hasn't bought a drop of oil from OPEC since 1967, and Australia simply didn't piss off the Shah. Because of that all of these sexy and heart-felt designs made it to everywhere but those countries like America who have been "winging it" in their business model since day one.
And America continues to stumble in the dark by changing the business models every 10 years. Of course we can't win, we don't know the rules !
Ultimately, America is picking up the pace, and not a day too soon. We've lost Hudson, Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Buick (It's gone soon, don't deny it) and countless other companies.
-> Steve