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Automotive Guide Is There A Ford In Your Future? (Or A Chevy?)

By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
Automotive Guide

American car makers are facing another spate of tough times, with a backlog of SUV’s that are hard to sell and very little on the drawing board that seems to keep the gas tank from depleting or that can make the pulse quicken.

Today, I saw a Pontiac GTO, and by that I don’t mean the downsized soapbox derby entries you can rent from Hertz or Budget.

I saw a REAL GTO, from the original muscle car era of the 1960’s, and that sight got me to thinking.

There was a time when Americans dreamed of owning American cars.

Corvettes, T-birds, you name it, were all something special and even ordinary rides, like Chevy Novas and would seem a lot cooler dressed up in aftermarket goodies like custom wheels and a few pinstripes.

Were we too easy to please in those days?

Some of those cars didn’t handle very well around curves, but I don’t remember any curves a few decades ago; nothing but beautiful blacktop that stretched to the horizon.

(I suspect BMW and Porsche invented curves, just so they could brag about their nimbleness.)

Now, Nissan is courting a reluctant GM, hoping to make cars together for the world.

The differences between Japanese and American cars have been gradually disappearing anyway, so this marriage of convenience might not bother a lot of people.

But what I find irksome is the fact that American manufacturers have been so slow to react to changing circumstances and tastes.

Why is it when gas soared above $3 a gallon, Toyota was blessed with a product lineup that had a lot of petroleum sippers, while Detroit was still trying to push guzzlers, like the Suburban and Expedition?

Why does it take Detroit so long to go from unveiling a concept car to offering a street version to the public?

I look at a manufacturer like Porsche, which is profitable, and wonder how it is that this maker can get away with selling, basically, the same “bathtub” design for 50 years?

I happen to like it, and I guess a lot of others do, as well. Porsche knows how to stick with a winner, improving its innards incrementally.

Compare that to the intention of Ford to halt production of the Lincoln Town Car, a stalwart model if there ever was one. Subsequently, Ford recanted, so it seems that it will be available for the next year or two.

There have to be a few different ways to make money in the car business; just look at Toyota or Nissan.

Maybe that’s not such a good idea after all, that is if you’re one of us who holds out a faint hope that there might be a Ford or a Chevy in our future.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 850 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Automotive Guide Tag : Selling Cars Sales Training Customer Service Training

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