|
Also with the contraction of the auto industry, No, I'm not talking about the death of Plymouth and Olds, but the mergers and acquisitions such as Daimler/Chrysler and its ties to Mitsubishi which may or may not still exist to the degree they used to, GM w/ saab (which is on life support and hardly swedish anymore) and connections to Izusu/Subaru/partnership w/ Toyota/and GM Europe/Australia VW with its ownership of Lambo, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, connections to Masseratti, Porsche and Audi, and lest we not forget Ford and its control of Jaguar, Range Rover, Aston, Mazda and oh yeah Volvo. There's a sickening homogenization of brands, which are like a department store suit (one size/chasis fits all mentality) really isn't realistic, nor does it do the car makers any favors.
At the current point in time I really have to say that BMW, and Honda are the two new car makers I respect most, in that they hold on to their lineage and heritage in ways that make sense and inovate similarly. Look at Honda they make nothing with an engine bigger than a V6, and don't need to.
Don't get me wrong, Volvo, prior to ford, may have needed some pushes into innovations which have helped the brand, but ideas such as the 240 were good. Just look at the full sized pickup trucks, slow innovation, but maintaing the original core, and they are among the most popular vehicles.
|
