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Crash course : the American automobile industry's road from glory to disaster Cover Image

Crash course : the American automobile industry's road from glory to disaster / Paul Ingrassia.

Ingrassia, Paul. (Author).

Summary:

This is the saga of the American automobile industry's rise and demise, a story of hubris, denial, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted wounds that culminates with the president of the United States ushering two of Detroit's Big Three car companies--once proud symbols of prosperity--through bankruptcy. Pulitzer winner Paul Ingrassia answers the big questions: Was Detroit's self-destruction inevitable? What were the key turning points? Why did Japanese automakers manage American workers better than the American companies themselves did? He also describes dysfunctional corporate cultures and Detroit's perverse system of "inverse layoffs." Along the way we meet Detroit's frustrated reformers and witness the wrenching decisions that Ford executives had to make to avoid GM's fate. Informed by Ingrassia's 25 years of covering the auto industry for The Wall Street Journal, and showing an appreciation for Detroit's profound influence on our country's society and culture, this is a uniquely American and deeply instructive story.--From publisher description.

Record details

ISBN: 9781400068630
ISBN: 1400068630
Physical Description: 306 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: 1st edition
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Random House, [2010]
Copyright: ©2010

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-291) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

1 Where the Weak Are Killed and Eaten 3 -- 2 Dynasty and Destiny 14 -- 3 Glory Days of Ponies and Goats 30 -- 4 Crummy Cars and CAFE Society 45 -- 5 Honda Comes to the Cornfields 63 -- 6 Repentance, Rebirth, and Relapse 78 -- 7 "Car Jesus" and the Rise of the SUV 99 -- 8 Potholes and Missed Opportunities 116 -- 9 From Riches to Rags 136 -- 10 Hurricane That Hit Detroit 161 -- 11 Chapter 11? 191 -- 12 As Precipice Approaches 216 -- 13 Bailouts, Bankruptcies, and Beyond 244.