>
> Well, this might be the simplistic view, but GM's and Ford's products
> suck. It has been this way for so long that it has become an article
> of faith among consumers. Except for SUVs and fleet sales, they can
> hardly give the things away. Watching the World Series I saw an ad
> for Mercury's new SUV (it looked like a piece of rubbish) I thought
> "Mercury? They still make Mercurys?" It sounded as archaic as an ad
> for Packard or LaSalle.
>
I was thinking perhaps the European and Japanese automakers embraced statistical quality assurance at all the layers of company structure (The Japanese certainly did... initially, if not currently) and much like the end result in the manufacturing process itself, any flaws (mechanical or economic) are "discounted" (assumed and planned for), or at least more quickly controllable.
Leigh